Where Does Qlubb Fit in the Social Network Space

While the "social network" space is still not fully clearly defined, we thought we'd take a little diversion from our usual blog posting to discuss our thoughts around this space and where we think Qlubb fits in. There are a number of companies in the so-called social network space offering lots of interesting and great approaches to the age old problem of connecting groups of people together, particularly people with similar interests across wide geographies. Qlubb's focus has always been on helping real-life groups connect and share and to help real-life groups do the things that they usually do but better.

What is a real life group? It's any group of people who regularly interact not just in the virtual world but also in real life. A real life group might be centered around interests, activities, a common missions. Groups that can and do use Qlubb come from all walks of life, such as parent playgroups, classroom room parent groups, families, sports teams, book clubs, charitable/volunteering groups, civic and political groups, faith and religious groups, etc. These groups represent a large part of people's lives outside work and direct family. Unlike many "virtual" social networks which tend to be focused on online socializing and connecting, Qlubb is centered more on getting stuff done (such as activities, events, volunteering) in the real-world.

How can the Internet help these groups? A LOT. Through our own direct experience of years of managing clubs and groups, the Internet can be a wonderful way to help your group be more organized, be more fun and also increase participation rates like never before. Qlubb has assembled what we think are some of the most useful and important features for Qlubbs and made it so simple to use that nearly anyone can use it quickly and easily. If you are planning an event, publishing a shared calendar, sharing photos, creating a public page of accomplishments, sending a group email, keeping a contact list updated - Qlubb will help you accomplish your tasks easily and quickly, with no fuss, no training and no long complicated list of choices and clicks that make most nontechnical people (and yes, that's the majority of the world) tune out.

While there are many tens of millions of real-life groups out there, there are very few solutions geared for this specific market - and even fewer that are easy enough to use for all members of the group. Most busy people (particularly people who are the organizers and leaders) don't even have time to evaluate a solution let alone use one on a regular basis. We hope at Qlubb, we have significantly reduced that barrier with features such as no user registration required, 2-click registration process (soon to be one click ;-), automation that will do things like send reminders out at the right times for you so you don't have to, elegant easy-to-use design that requires no training, an open environment that encourages participation and a seamless integration of features that just make common sense.

We know there's a long way to go too and we are adding many features on a regular basis. There are many types of groups out there with lots of different needs that we hope to fill in the near future. We think this is an exciting, underserved space and we look forward to providing a useful solution so that groups of all sizes can benefit.