Some might say the likes of Facebook and its ilk pretty much have the social event-discovery market sewn up. But even with 1 billion-plus users, there is still a sizable anti-Facebook brigade out there – you might even call this a ‘majority’.
Moreover, Facebook itself isn’t actually that great for finding random things going on in your locale, which is where third-party apps such as Vamos and Calendo are finding their niche – the latter both taps and trumps the social network for discovering events in your ‘hood.
But what about folks who are averse to being forced to use Facebook for every facet of their lives? This is where Grooblin may help.
How it works
Though Grooblin does give you Facebook as a sign-up option, it isn’t mandatory. It has entered the social event-discovery fray with the option to register with a good old-fashioned email address.
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The first thing you’ll see is a ‘Live’ stream of event-related chat based on people you’re following. Now, given this is your first time in the app, it will only be the Grooblin team itself you’ll see here, an account you’re automatically made to follow so that you don’t see a blank slate on your virgin voyage. You can unfollow this account, of course.
The idea here is that, over time, the more friends you connect with through Grooblin, the more relevant the content will be in your Live feed. It’s here where you also add your own ‘Highlights’, discussing what’s happening before, during and after events, illustrated with text, links, images and more.
However, I can’t help but think this replicates Facebook itself too much – the real value of Grooblin lies in the little tab to the right, which features a slew of upcoming events nearby. You will of course have to give the app your permission to tap your location.
Within seconds, it displays everything from festivals, and sports tournaments, to fairs and exhibitions. You can also carry out a search for a specific event, and bookmark it for future reference, and it will of course display events happening elsewhere in the world too.
Grooblin did work well, and surfaced events I may indeed wish to attend, but for me it doesn’t seem focused enough. It edges too close towards being ‘another social network’ with followers and following counts (it calls these ‘Grooblers’ and ‘Groobling’), rather than focusing on core discovery.
Of course, you don’t have to use any of these other features. If it’s just discovery you’re after, Grooblin may serve you well if you can put these other distractions to one side.
Grooblin is available to download from the App Store now.
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Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
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