Add an eventGoing to dConstruct? Help test our latest feature
We're trialling some nifty new functionality at dConstruct in Brighton next week. If you're attending that conference, you can start trying out our new "people you want to meet" feature today.
dConstruct is one of our favourite UK conferences - it was Lanyrd's first big event back in 2010 (just a week after we launched the site) and it's always a great opportunity to catch up with the UK web community and enjoy for some deeply thought-inspiring talks.
This year, we're using dConstruct as a testing ground for some exciting new features we've been building to help attendees get the most out of the event. We're turning on the first of these on today: our new want to meet button.
If you're signed up to attend dConstruct you should have access to the new button. If you hadn't marked yourself as attending on Lanyrd it's not too late - simply hit "attend" and we'll turn the feature on for you shortly. Drop us a note at support@lanyrd.com if you have any questions.
Build a list of people you want to meet at dConstruct
If you head over to the dConstruct attendee directory you'll see the new want to meet button next to each listed attendee:
Clicking the new button will add that person to your people I want to meet list. The list itself is private - only you can view your own list. The people you want to meet can tell that they are on your list though, and you can see a full list of people who want to meet you.
You can use the feature as a personal to-do list for dConstruct, but its real value lies in helping you break the ice and reach out to people who you'd like to meet at the event.
On your mobile, too
Want to meet is fully integrated with both versions of our mobile app.
If you have an iPhone (or iPod touch) check that you're running the latest version of Lanyrd for iPhone and you'll see the new buttons and lists when you sign in to the app with your Twitter account.
If you're on Android, BlackBerry or Windows Mobile make sure you have a bookmark for m.lanyrd.com. It offers the same set of functionality as our iPhone app, and you'll even get offline access to event and schedule information on devices that support HTML5 offline storage.
Your want-to-meet list spans multiple events
Although we're previewing this feature for dConstruct, your want-to-meet list is global across the whole of Lanyrd. We'll show you events the people you want to meet are attending in your calendar, include them in our email suggestions and tip you off whenever someone you want to meet is attending the same event as you.
Make the most of your Lanyrd profile
If you're looking to meet new people at the conference you should make sure your Lanyrd profile is in good shape. By default we display your bio from Twitter, but you can set a custom bio just for Lanyrd by editing your profile. You can also upload a recognisable photograph of yourself to help people find you, and you can also now link up your LinkedIn and GitHub accounts and add links to your other profiles around the web.
If you're attending dConstruct we're very keen to hear your feedback. Simon, Natalie, Sophie, Dan and Jake will all be at the event (look for our distinctive Lanyrd lanyards) or you can reach us via email at support@lanyrd.com. And if you want to talk to us about anything at all, want-to-meet us and let us know!
Frankie Roberto commented…
What does the 'follow' button do? Follows them on Twitter? Or on Lanyrd only?
Commented at 10:08am on 31st August 2012
Simon Willison commented…
It follows on Twitter. Thanks for the feedback - we're adding a Twitter bird icon to the button right now to make it more clear what the button does.
Commented at 10:47am on 31st August 2012
Simon Willison commented…
OK, we've shipped that fix (I've updated the screenshot above as well).
Commented at 11:16am on 31st August 2012
Phil Gyford commented…
What if you're antisocial and unfriendly and don't want to meet strangers...? It feels a bit creepy and makes me very slightly dread the event because I'll be expecting x strangers to hunt me down (in a friendly way).
Commented at 11:59am on 31st August 2012
Simon Willison commented…
Phil: We've tried to take that in to account (we even have a persona on a whiteboard for it). Our aim with this kind of feature is to support people who do want to meet strangers (since that's often an important reason to attend conferences) without causing any awkwardness for people who don't.
The want-to-meet list is designed to be useful on a personal level first, so even if no one else at an event is using it it still has personal value (as a kind of to-do list). We don't make any promises that the person you want-to-meet will hear about it, which gives you plausible deniability should you need it!
It's a tricky balance to find though. We're going to see how people use it at dConstruct and may refine it after that.
Commented at 1:33pm on 31st August 2012
Phil Gyford commented…
I realise it's a tricky balance and this is an interesting thing to try and get right. For me, as someone who usually ends up at conferences only hanging out with people I already know, I feel like I'm now going to have to look out for a person who wants to meet me (either to fulfil the obligation and say hello, or to consciously avoid them). And if I don't end up meeting them I will somehow have failed at the event. (I'm fully prepared to accept this is just me though, and I'm not trying to say this is a terrible feature!)
Commented at 1:51pm on 31st August 2012
Simon Willison commented…
Thanks for the feedback - we'll certainly be bearing it in mind as we extend the feature :)
Commented at 2:43pm on 31st August 2012
Tom Taylor commented…
I know this stuff is really hard and you're exactly the right people to be tackling it, but it feels a bit weird to me too. A couple of people want to meet me, and to be honest, I just want to watch some good talks and have an ice cream.
Commented at 3:25pm on 31st August 2012
Chris Beach commented…
A great feature with scope for suggestions ("you want to meet X, other people who want to meet X also want to meet Y" etc). On the other hand, I fall into the category of people who's generally nervous about meeting strangers at conferences. Fingers crossed there'll be a technical solution to this somewhere down the line :-)
Commented at 8:58am on 17th October 2012
You need to sign in to comment on this entry
