Thursday, nine in the evening
The game is at seven tomorrow. Someone sends a message: "Sorry, I cannot make it." Ten minutes later another one. Now you are two short, and you are writing to people one by one, hoping somebody happens to be free.
You do this most weeks. The game itself is easy. Keeping it full is the part that costs you the evening before.
What actually goes wrong
- A free spot has no owner. Nobody is responsible for filling it except you.
- You message the same people. The ones who could come usually said so already.
- A drop-out can arrive late. The closer it is to the game, the less time there is to find a replacement.
- Starting again every week. A weekly game means this happens every week, with a new list each time.
How it works on Sociogram
1. Set the number of spots. When you create the activity, choose the number of spots, from 2 to 50. That is the size of your game.
2. Leave "Allow waiting list" on. It is on unless you turn it off, and it appears once you have set a number of spots.
3. Choose how people join. Open to all, and people are in straight away until the spots are taken. Or by request, and you approve each person.
Then, when the game is full:
- People can join the waiting list. Instead of a dead end, they see an option to join the list, and they are told as soon as a spot opens.
- When someone leaves, the next person is offered the spot. They can confirm, or pass. They have 12 hours to confirm, or less if the game starts sooner. If they do not confirm in time, the spot goes to the next person.
- On a by-request activity, you choose. When a spot opens, you are told, and you pick who gets it.
- A person can leave at any time. If someone changes their mind, they tap Leave activity, and their spot frees up for someone else.
Make it weekly
If your game happens every week, you do not need to set this up again each time. Make it a repeating activity: each date is its own activity, with its own spots, its own waiting list and its own reminder. A full Tuesday does not stop anyone joining next Tuesday, and a late drop-out on one week only affects that week's game.
The reminder does a quiet job
Everyone who is in gets a reminder one hour before the start, so nobody has to rely on you to remind them. If someone cannot make it after all, they can leave the activity from the page, and the spot goes to the next person in line.
Things to know
- A waiting list fills spots faster. It does not stop people dropping out. It gives an empty spot an owner and a queue.
- Each date of a repeating activity has its own list. Being on the list for one date does not put you on another.
- The host can turn the waiting list off. Then a full activity simply shows as full.
- If an activity shows a price, the host collects it directly: cash on site, card on site, or their own payment link. Sociogram is free for everyone.
- Sociogram is invite-only. A member invites your UAE mobile number, and you sign in with that number. You can look at the public activities first with Explore Sociogram.
Questions people ask
What happens when my game is full? If the waiting list is on, people can join the list. They are told when a spot opens.
How long does someone have to accept a free spot? They have 12 hours to confirm, or less if the game starts sooner. Otherwise the spot goes on to the next person.
Can I choose who gets the spot? On a by-request activity, yes. When a spot opens you are told, and you choose.
Is there a separate list for each week? Yes. Each date of a repeating activity is its own activity, with its own spots and its own waiting list.
Can I turn the waiting list off? Yes. It is on by default, and you can turn it off when you create the activity.
Spend less of the evening before on filling spots
Sociogram is the invite-only network for real plans across the UAE. Ask a member to invite your mobile number, or look at what is on first.
