Wannago? Not really.
October 28, 2007 |
Wannago has entered into the Web 2.0 event application ring with the likes of Upcoming and MeetUp. It has one main advantage over Upcoming and MeetUp, in that it is slightly more basic to use. Of course, that very simplicity makes it not as useful.
Once you figure out the ways to use Upcoming and MeetUp more accurately, they offer more customization than Wannago seems to on first use. Plus, they are already integrated into other applications, like FaceBook, making them a more universal way to connect. Wannago suffers somewhat from its newness there.
Wannago also has several deficits in the areas it covers. Event sites that have been around longer already offer event searches in all major cities on both coasts, from Los Angeles and Boston to points in between. They also incoude smaller towns, like my own. Wannago doesn't have that kind of scope, currently limited to a handful of major cities, with a few overlooked (Boston is conspicuously absent, for example).
The interface is sleek and uncluttered, in keeping with the Web 2.0 standard. However, event search is limited, and finding other people who share your interests doesn't seem intuitive yet. Perhaps Wannago should have built its database of users and places before its complete launch. That may have made using the site more comprehensive.
Wannago leaves a lot to be desired in the search and sort categories, as well. It offers tagged search, but the search didn't bring up relevant results for me. That could be due more to users not tagging thier events than to any fault of Wannago's, however. It also offers search by gender and location. The gender search smacks of "bad dating service" to me, but it could just be the way it is presented.
Wannago offers a few categories for your events, and a way to see what fellow members are doing. First you have to find them, and Wannago doesn't make that easy. Wannago falls short of the mark for me in event applications online. I don't see myself switching from the more comprehensive and well known Upcoming or MeetUp to Wannago any time soon.
