With more than 10 million visits per month, IRL turns its events website into a social media network.
Following its $15 million Series B last fall, event discovery network IRL The company is launching a brand new website that will include additional social features for events, such as chats, profiles, and the possibility to join groups, as well as other features. The new features mean that users will also be able to receive personalised recommendations on events, as well as participate in group events and chat about events with acquaintances, both on the mobile web and on the web. These efforts will help IRL.com look less like an online search engine for events and more like a genuine social network.
The startup, which prior to that focused on events that took place in real time, could easily dissolve this year because of the COVID-19 virus, which effectively ended the in-person event industry in a matter of hours. However, IRL quickly shifted its app for event discovery to incorporate virtual events. This month, IRL was able to adapt to the restrictions of the government on gatherings held in person through indexing online events like livestreamed events and esports competitions as well as Zoom parties, among others.
Changes, on the other hand, led to IRL becoming more accessible, as it became a tool that anyone could use, rather than just those with the budget and time to travel and attend live events.
In line with those changes, the company this year updated its mobile application to facilitate users’ finding occasions to go to from a distance.
It categorises events in categories such as music, gaming television, wellness podcasts, sports lifestyle, and much more, which includes the ones that are sourced from partners such as TikTok, Meetup, Twitch, Spotify, SoundCloud, HBO, Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and more. (We’re also experiencing Apple TV Plus videos on the website; however, IRL cannot confirm whether Apple is an official partner. We’ve been told IRL is authorised to show these events, however.)
The brand new IRL website is intended to reflect the redesigned mobile-friendly experience.
When users sign up for IRL.com for the first time, they will be able to choose the event categories they’re interested in and connect with their acquaintances who already use IRL.com.
Similar to the mobile application You can now use the filters at the very top of the website to narrow down the events by categories that include games, music, television, sports, lifestyle, wellness podcasts, and many more. You can also filter events to find those that are happening this weekend, or look through IRL’s own recommendations in the form of “Top Picks.”
The site allows users to set up their own group events for friends via the brand-new chat function, which was previously only accessible via mobile.
“Because everybody’s at home, there’s a big demand for a web messenger,” writes IRL Chief Executive and Founder Abraham Shafi.
He says that the company’s primary focus on messaging as the base for groups is the reason that makes it possible for IRL to distinguish itself from other products that focus on groups. Facebook Groups, for instance, are built on the concept that discussion forums are a way to communicate, says the author. However, IRL is creating their social media platform around messages.
“You can’t add events to a group chatting app,” Shafi reports. “We’re realising that this is important for a group that has upcoming and scheduled events. You could choose a television show you love. It could also be your group of friends taking part in Among Us or playing video games. “On IRL, there is the ability to imagine any kind of group—for example, a book club that meets every week and also has regular events scheduled,” he says.
Students who sign up with a dot-edu email address are now able to discover on-campus events and groups that are restricted to students who attend the same institution. They aren’t usually indexed publicly and will not be displayed at all on IRL’s homepage. IRL homepage.
The company’s emphasis on group messages has seen the app grow regardless of the spread of the virus.
The company currently has over 10 million active monthly users. Since August, its group messaging service has grown by about 30% per month. Today, there are more than 30 million chats that are sent IRL every day, and more than a billion messages have been sent up to now, Shafi says.
As time passes, IRL plans to expand the site to incorporate more local events and also increase its collaboration with its partners.
For instance, the IRL TikTok account was the first to surpass one million users. At present, the events TikTok publishes to the website are manually curated. IRL is developing a more robust integration, which will help draw in the majority of TikTok content, such as the top trends.
The company hopes to gain more influencers following the website launch, such as those looking to make their reputation as “cool curators” of a particular kind of event—for instance, the Sneakerheads accounts, which track sneaker releases.
If users interact on this website as they follow events by making friends and participating in discussions, IRL will be able to provide better suggestions regarding what events they could like to attend the next time.
As the world heals from COVID and allows people to hold events in person, the company expects that use will increase.
“When in-person returns – which is unavoidable – we’ll certainly support that,” Shafi adds, adding that he expects IRL to eventually “explode.”
More than 10 million visitors each monthly, IRL transforms its event website into a social media website.
Following its $15 million Series B last fall , event discovery network IRL The company has launched an entirely new website that will add social elements for events, like profiles, chats and the option to join groups and other functions. The new features will mean that users will be able to receive personalized suggestions for events, and take part in group events and chat about events with friends on both the mobile web and the internet. This will help IRL.com appear less as the typical online search engine that lists activities and will more be a real social network.
The company that, prior to that, was focused on events that took live it could be dissolved this year due to the COVID-19 virusthat effectively shut down the in-person events industry within minutes. However, IRL swiftly changed its application to include online events. This month, IRL was able to adjust to the limitations of the government regarding gatherings that are held in person by indexing online events such as livestreamed events , esports tournaments and other esports competition and also Zoom parties, for instance.
The changes, on the other on the other hand, led to IRL being more affordable because it became a tool anybody could utilize not only those with the money and the time to travel and go to live events.
In keeping with the changes the company in this year upgraded its mobile app to make it easier for users to find opportunities to visit from an extended distance.
It categorizes events into categories like games, music and wellness podcasts sports lifestyle and more. This includes ones that are made available through partners like TikTok, Meetup, Twitch, Spotify, SoundCloud, HBO, Ticketmaster, Eventbrite and other. (We’re also seeing Apple TV Plus videos on the website but IRL is unable to confirm whether Apple as an official partnership. We’ve been informed that IRL is authorized to broadcast these events, but not to show. )
The new IRL website is designed to reflect the new user experience that is mobile friendly.
If users sign up with IRL.com to the first time they’ll be able to select the categories of events they’re interested in , and also join with acquaintances who have already registered on IRL.com.
Similar to the mobile app The new website features filters on the upper right of this website to narrow down events by categories such as games and music, television lifestyle, sports health and wellness podcasts and other categories. You can filter events to identify events scheduled for on the weekend or browse through IRL’s suggestions in the form of “Top Picks. “
The website allows users to create group events that they can host with friends using the brand-new chat feature, which was previously only accessible on mobile devices.
“Because everybody’s at home, there’s a big demand for a web messenger,” writes IRL Chief Executive Officer and founder Abraham Shafi.
He claims that the primary focus of the company of messaging and messaging being the basis for group discussions is the main basis for IRL to stand out from other applications that are focused exclusively on group discussions. Facebook Groups for instance, are built around the notion that discussions forums are a method to exchange information, according to the writer. However, IRL has built its social media platform built around messages.
“There’s no group chatting app that also allows you to add events,” Shafi says. “We’re realizing this is essential for groups that have an upcoming or scheduled event. You can pick the show you like on TV. This could also include your friends who take an interest in Among Us or playing video games. “On IRL, there is the potential to envision any type of group, for example for example, a book club which meets weekly and has regular activities planned,” he says.
Students who sign-up with an email address that is dot-edu can now access events on campus and groups which are only available to students at the same school. These are not usually listed in the public domain and aren’t visible on the IRL’s homepage. IRL homepage.
The focus of the company on group messaging has seen the app expand regardless of the spreading that the virus has.
The company has a total of 10 million monthly active users. Since August, the message-sharing service to groups increased by around 30% per month. There thirty million or more chats being sent IRL each day and more than one billion texts have been sent to date, Shafi says.
As time goes by, IRL plans to expand the site to include more local events as well as enhance its collaboration and partnerships with partners.
For example, the IRL TikTok account was the first account to reach the one millionth user. At present the events TikTok publishes on the website are manually edited. IRL is creating a more powerful integration that will help bring in the majority of TikTok content, including the most popular trends.
The company hopes to increase the number of influencers after its website launch, including people who want to build their name by being “cool curators” of a specific kind of event, for example they have the Sneakerheads profiles, which track sneaker releases.
If users interact with this website in the course of following events, engaging on discussions IRL can give better suggestions on the kind of events they would prefer to attend coming time.
When the globe recovers from COVID and permits individuals to host functions in-person, the organization anticipates that usage will grow.
“When in-person returns – which is unavoidable – we’ll certainly support that,” Shafi states and says he anticipates IRL in the near future to “explode.”
“We’re not taking time off from virtual reality. “Virtual is going to be here all the time… in all honesty and it will likely be an amalgamation,” he predicts.”This pandemic has enabled us to concentrate on something that could help us develop once we’re able to accommodate both the real world and the remote. “
“Me and the team are very grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to build something deeply meaningful in these times–even though at the outset, it would have seemed like we were screwed,” Shafi states.
Initially, IRL tested the Web application’s design with only the present customers. However, the new website has opened the changes to everyone.
