Ok. There are way too many social networks around. Facebook and Twitter might be the ones that hundreds of millions of people use, but there still a whole bunch of social networks operating in niche verticals. And thanks to the advent of smartphones and trigger happy venture capitalists, there definitely is a social overdose.
So, you are an aspiring online entrepreneur who wants to join the social networking goldrush. What should you do? Think slightly different, slightly will do, launch the network, get some VC funding and wait for the big bucks to come in. FutureYear is a social network that deals with the future. With great skepticism, I took up the app for review and if you keep reading after the break, you will know whether it’s worth joining or not!
Overview
Overview
Present day social networks deal with the present and the past. FutureYear, as the name clearly implies, wants to be the platform where you share what you plan to do in the next twelve months. It’s perfect for people and businesses looking to share their future happenings, even if they’re just ideas at this very moment. Like most other social networks, FutureYear is free and open to all.
User Interface
After a slightly complicated login, I was asked to submit few more details. Once the details were furnished the app itself checked if any of my Twitter friends were on FutureYear, but sadly none were members yet. It would be great if the app redirected me to the dashboard or another destination within the app that’s worth looking at. It just sits on an empty page displaying the message that none of my friends are here.
The Backend
There is no user interface to speak of when you first start using the app. Since the FutureYear accounts of the founding team are showcased in the homepage, one can understand what the app is capable of once you start adding plans or start following people. I couldn’t help but notice the resemblance to Facebook in the overall design of the app.
Adding Plans
Adding a Plan
A rather large and unmissable Plan button is where we begin our journey. After adding details like what you plan to do, when and where the plan is to go down, mark it to a relevant category. To save us some hassle, the app lets you tentatively type in tomorrow, next week, next Friday etc. and it automatically populates the schedule details. In the same manner, as soon as you type in the location of the plan, it’s automatically marked in the map. Sweet!
Adding Plan Details
Feel you need more space to explain in detail about the plan? That’s what the Click for more options link is for. Confirmed and Pencilled in are great additions to help those who follow you, to understand how concrete your plan is. You have the option to broadcast your plan on the social networks you have linked to the account.
Discovery
Discovering Plans
The ability to discover people and their plans is a brilliant addition. Head over to the Discover section of the app to find who is going to do what in chronological order. I’m not sure how they rank plans when multiple people have something planned at the same time, though. The activity pane is a great place to see who is planning what instantly.
Following an Event
Each plan has a dedicated page where the details (like the ones I just filled in) and the map are displayed for public view. Use the plus sign to add yourself to the list of attendees. You can see all the people who are attending the event and if you are interested can follow all their plans. There are a lot of plans in the web app but there aren’t many conversations happening in spite of having a commenting system.
Search Results
Some might find the discover mode with too many things going on to be a bit overwhelming. If you are one among them, feel free to search for a plan or a person. Auto suggestions would make search more fun to use. Also, listing search results and not displaying in the map would make the app more usable.
Final Thoughts
FutureYear is a place where you and your friends can plan things together. Let your friends know what you have in store for the next 12 months, where you are planning to go and what you hope to do. Since the events happen in future, you get to avoid any scheduling conflicts and plan ahead. Discovery options also help you stay on top of what a particular individual or company plans to do and this is a killer feature that puts the app in the social media spotlight.
After using the app for a while, I am not the skeptic that I was anymore. FutureYear has immense potential and could end up being the online destination where we can meet like minded individuals. Can you imagine the possibilities of finding other people who just like you are planning to work on their next startup or going to help out people of a war torn country? I know we could do the same to an extent with Facebook, but at FutureYear it’s just so much easier.
Share Your Thoughts!
Are you tired of all the new social networks that keep popping up? Will sharing and following what you and others will do in the next year be a life changing experience?