racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

In the Digital Filipino event which I attended as resource person yesterday (that deserves a whole new blog post altogether, but I’m too tired to post about that right now), fellow presenter Sacha Chua talked about social computing and networking. One of the things she really digs is upcoming.org, which she thinks is great for checking out upcoming events in Toronto, where she’s currently based. I’ve known about upcoming.org since 2005 when we were looking for features to integrate into i.PH. However, it didn’t really click here in Metro Manila simply because there isn’t much you can see.

The concept

Upcoming.org is yet another Web 2.0 application. It’s collaborative and it’s user-generated. People who are based in a certain location can post about events to be held in their localities (whether they are running it or know about it), and users can discuss. Users can even indicate whether they’re attending, or if they’re just watching discussions online.

What’s great is that this web app lets people learn about upcoming events in their own city or locality, and see whom among their contacts are coming. It’s a great way to organize get-togethers and meet-ups.

Unfortunately, the list for Metro Manila (or the Philippines, for that matter) is quite bare. So it’s quite disappointing since the application can be a really useful tool, especially since it gives the users power to add content, and to exchange information based on content. However, without anything meaningful, then the app would be worthless.

There are a handful of sites around that cater to local events (like clickthecity.com ). However, content is still mostly centraliezed or at least editorialized, and there is no true collaboration. I’m of the feeling that being listed is also a premium service (meaning companies have to pay to get listed), so there is no freedom to just add relevant events or listings if you’re not part of their circle.

Let’s populate the list!

So let’s see if we can make use of upcoming as a tool for highlighting events in Metro Manila (and also other metropolitan areas in the country). Maybe this can better facilitate parties and other gatherings. The important thing is that we set up an initial list of events we’re each personally interested in. From there, I’m hoping things would grow and become sustainable.

Note: Toronto has 200+ upcoming events in the succeeding couple of weeks (as of this posting). Metro Manila has 2. Let’s make it more exciting!

Another note: Upcoming.org was the brainchild of a single developer–Andy Baio of waxy.org–and the site was done in his spare time. Late 2005, Yahoo! acquired the service (for millions?). Isn’t that a good business model for Web 2.0 apps?

See you on upcoming.org !

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