Try before you commit
Picture a host who runs a paid class every week. This is an example, not a real person.
Newcomers hesitate. They would like to see what it is like before they pay. The host offers a free session, and then has two problems. The free session fills up, but not with the people the class is for. And at the end, there is no easy next step: people leave with a good feeling and no link.
What actually goes wrong
- A free session attracts anyone. The group may not be the one the class is for.
- The numbers are hard to control. Too many people and the room is crowded; too few and it feels empty.
- People do not know what to expect. They are not sure what the class costs or what to bring.
- There is no next step. After the taster, the paid class is one more thing to find.
How it works on Sociogram
1. Create the taster as its own activity. On step 2, "Make it yours", choose free. Joining works the same way for free and paid activities. Give it its own title, such as "Free taster: beginners' class".
2. Keep the spots few. Choose a number of spots, from 2 to 50. A small number keeps the session manageable. Leave Allow waiting list on if you want a queue.
3. Open it by request. On a public activity, choose By request instead of open to all. Each request appears on the activity page, and you Approve or Decline one person at a time. The person is told either way. You can approve until the activity ends.
4. Say what to expect. Use the description and up to 10 short conditions, such as "Trainers, not sandals". Say what the paid class costs and where to find it. The price of the paid class is shown on its own activity page.
5. Put the paid class on the calendar. Create it as its own activity with a price in AED, and choose Repeat if it is weekly. People see the price and how you collect it before they join.
After the taster
The taster has its own activity chat, which is for you and everyone who is in. It stays open for 7 more days after the activity ends.
Paste the link to your paid class there. A link to a Sociogram activity shows as a card, and it only shows what the reader is allowed to see. Add a line saying what the next step is.
If someone from the taster is one of your contacts, you can also invite them to the paid class from their profile with Invite to activity. Invitations to an activity go to contacts only. Each name in the going list links to that person's profile.
Say it plainly
These are suggestions, not rules.
- Say it is a taster in the title. People then know it is one session.
- Tell people the paid class exists before they come, in the description.
- Approve the people the class is for. By request lets you choose.
- Write the next step in one line. The link and the day of the next class.
What this does not do
- It does not turn the taster into the paid class. They are two activities, each with its own spots and its own list.
- It does not limit anyone to one taster. You choose who to approve.
- It does not record who paid. You collect the price yourself, in the way you chose.
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 a free session on Sociogram? Yes. On step 2 choose free. Joining works the same for free and paid activities.
Can I choose who comes to the taster? Yes. Make it public by request and approve each person.
How do people find my paid class afterwards? Paste its link in the taster's activity chat, which stays open for 7 days after the taster ends.
Can I invite someone from the taster to my paid class? If they are one of your contacts, yes, from their profile with Invite to activity.
Does Sociogram collect the price? No. You collect it directly, in the way you chose. Sociogram is free for everyone.
Give newcomers a first step
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.
