Two ways of teaching, two sets of everything
Picture a host who teaches some classes in a studio and others on a video call. This is an example, not a real person.
For the studio classes there is an address and a headcount. For the online ones there is a link and a way to pay. The host keeps two lists of who is coming, sends the link by message, and answers "is this one online or in the room?" every week.
The teaching is the same. The admin around it is doubled.
What actually goes wrong
- The link goes round in messages. Some people get it late, some get an old one.
- People are unsure which format a class is. They ask, or turn up in the wrong place.
- Payment instructions differ. One class takes cash at the door, the other needs a link.
- The lists live in two places. You cannot see everything you teach at a glance.
How it works on Sociogram
1. Choose the format. On step 1 of the create flow, choose In person or Online, then the date and time. For an in-person class, search the address and drag the pin. For an online class, paste the join link instead. The link comes from whichever video service you use. Sociogram does not host the call.
2. Set the spots. From 2 to 50, the same for both.
3. Price it. On step 2, choose free or paid and set a price in AED. For an in-person class you can collect it as cash on site, card on site or your own payment link. For an online class the way to collect is your own payment link. You collect it yourself, and Sociogram is free for everyone.
4. Choose who can see it. Public shows the class on Home, Explore and Search. Private is only for the people you invite.
5. Repeat it. Online classes can repeat just like in-person ones. Each date is its own activity with its own spots, waiting list, reminder and chat.
What people see
An online activity carries an Online tag in search. People can filter Home by Type, in person or online, so someone who only wants to learn from home finds your online classes, and someone who wants to turn up finds the others. They also see the price and how you collect it on the activity page, before they join.
People who are in get a reminder one hour before the start, whatever the format.
Who sees the join link
On a private online class, only you and the people who are in see the join link. On a public online class, the link is on the activity page for the people the page is shown to. It is not held back until someone is approved. If you want only chosen people to have the link, make the class private and invite them. Private classes are never listed, and only you can invite people to them.
You can change the join link any time before the class starts. If it changes, everyone who is in and everyone invited gets a short note saying what changed.
Changing format
The kind of activity, in person or online, cannot be changed after you create it. If a class moves from the studio to a video call, create a new activity for the new format.
Make both formats clear
These are suggestions, not rules.
- Put the format in the title, for example "Beginners' class (online)".
- Use the conditions for what people need: "Camera on", "Bring a mat", "Join five minutes early". You can add up to 10 short points.
- Say how to pay in the description if you have your own payment or booking page. A link in the description can be tapped.
What this does not do
- It does not host the video call. You paste the link from the service you use.
- It does not record who joined the call. Who is in means who joined the activity on Sociogram.
- It does not show a payment as received. You collect the price yourself.
Good to know
- Every activity on Sociogram is for people aged 18 and above.
- 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
Can I run online and in-person classes from one profile? Yes. Each activity is either in person or online, and you can create both.
How do people pay for an online class? You choose your own payment link as the way to collect. Cash and card on site are for in-person classes.
Who sees the join link? On a private class, you and the people who are in. On a public class, the people the page is shown to. Make the class private if only chosen people should have it.
Can I turn an in-person class into an online one? No. The kind of activity cannot be changed after creating. Create a new activity for the new format.
Can an online class repeat? Yes. Each date has its own spots, waiting list and reminder.
Teach both ways, plan once
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.
