Since moving to London last summer, I’ve used the internet, specifically Blogs and Twitter to find out what’s going on in the city. Recently, quite a few people have been asking me how I find out about the events I’ve been to, especially those that are free or low budget (i.e. little money goes into marketing them). I have therefore decided to submit this post full of my recommendations about where to go to find out about new, different and alternative events going on in and around the city of London.
First off, for live updates about anything and anyone you need to get on Twitter. It takes less than a minute to create an account and start “tweeting.” The rules of the game are pretty straightforward: Twitter limits its updates to 140 characters, so there’s no need (or temptation) to launch into long-winded prose or to over-explain your thoughts.
The thing I like best about Twitter is that you can follow anyone and anyone can follow you. Although there is an option to block someone from following you, unlike with Facebook, you don’t have to actively accept someone’s friendship in order for them to see your updates. It’s easy to collect followers submissively, and common for strangers to follow your feed.
Twitter can be quite an effective search tool for researching any kind of information. The results can complement other methods or sources of information. Twitter has a vast user base who are constantly updating Twitter with new information on different niches.
Explaining different types of Social Media
So, you’ve set up a Twitter account and you want to start following some interesting people. When I first joined, I literally followed the entire cast of The Only Way is Essex, Made in Chelsea and One Direction. I then learnt that was foolish, I don’t want to know what they’re all up to in real time. I have the Daily Mail TV & Showbiz section to find out the juicy goss! As I whittled the D-list celebrities off my account (well all apart from @Harry_Styles, obviously…), I started to follow brands I was actually interested in like @MarketingUK, @Econsultancy, @BrandRepublic and @mashsocialmedia.
Once, I’d seen the benefits of following brands and people I was interested I started to actively seek Twitter accounts for websites that I regularly visit. One of my favourite sites at the moment is Thrill City.
Thrill City is a very simple website with one very simple concept, “The favourite guide to all thrills in your city”. Pick a date on the calendar and Thrill City will list a selection of thrills happening in London on that day. For example… today (the day I am writing this post).
Today’s Thrills
Thrill City distributes an e-newsletters every Monday, with your Thrills of the Week, covering one event per evening (Mon-Thurs) and a second e-newsletter on Thursday; Thrills of the Weekend listing 2 events per day for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I have become such a Thrill City addict that I get excited for the arrival of my Thrill of the Week appearing in my inbox on a Monday morning. When I’m not in London for the weekend, I get jealous of the arrival of the Thrill of the Weekend e-newsletter because I know I’m not in the city to appreciate or experience any thrills. Maybe it’s just because I love London so much, that I’m sad to be spending a weekend away, but I do find myself ignoring the emails and refusing to read them just in case I realise I’m missing out on something.
Saying that, the newsletters don’t actually require any reading. They are very simple to navigate, labelling the day of the week in question and the activities on offer are identifiable with an artist image.
Thrill City aims to duck beneath the radar and bring us the finest hidden gems in London. I’ve asked Thrill City whether they’ll be hooking up with other UK cities to provide us with a similar service, they said “It is certainly in the pipeline but the goal is to perfect one city firstly. In any case, u’ll be the first to know”. When I go back to Nottingham in October for my final year of university I know I’ll miss them…
Thrill City Nottingham?
Visit: http://www.thrillcity.co.uk/
Tweet: @thrillcity_LDN
Like: www.facebook.com/thrillcitylondon
Get in touch: Contact
My next recommendation is going to be The Nudge London. The Nudge is an independent, eclectic guide to only the very best of what’s on in London. It’s for those who like to know what’s on in London, but who are too busy to sift through large listing and review sites.
According to The Nudge, it filters out all of the less interesting events, launches and entertainment in London that are found within many larger – and less discerning – London city guides, and so only tells you about the good stuff.
To save you time and hassle just three highly selective features are emailed out each week. These emails cover only what you need to know: the very best of what’s on in London that week. To be honest, I wouldn’t say they are as regular as every week, simply when they have a new nudge to brag about. E-newsletters are useful and always written in a very witty nature, making them entertaining to read. Whether or not this is correct, it always feels as though the writer has been to the event, restaurant, bar or experience before so the review comes across as personal and a first-hand recommendation.
Become a member of The Nudge to gain access to unique members-only benefits and competitions.
Visit: http://thenudge.com/
Tweet: @theNudgeLondon
Like: http://www.facebook.com/LikeTheNudge
Get in touch: Contact
So, now that you know where to go for regular thrills and who’s going to give you the occasional nudge, I’d like to introduce you to Handpicked London. ‘Like’ Handpicked London on Facebook to get a pick of London’s most interesting, secret or unusual things.
Facebook pages associated with Handpicked
Handpicked London regularly post photos of the city, from sky lines to street art. They look out for new features and entertainment going on and pride themselves on being the first to tell us!
Tweet: @LDN
Like: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Handpicked-London/192069374156614
Get in touch: Contact
I have a few final recommendations that I wish to share, particularly going back to the usefulness of twitter.
@GoogleLondon Providing news, tips and conversations about the best places in London.
@secret_london A community with the aim for Londoners to inspire Londoners by sharing the secrets of the city.
@AboutLondonNews Tweeting about London News and Events Deals, with over 30,000 followers London by Duccio can tweet your London event deals, just follow and tweet.
In terms of websites, I am also a fan of www.designmynight.com, London’s nightlife price comparison site and www.barchick.com and exciting site listing nothing but the best bars from London to New York and everywhere in between!
I hope my review London: Handpicked Thrills and Nudges has been of use to you. Don’t forget to check out Thrill City, The Nudge and Handpicked London, and I will leave you with one final comment, if in doubt, tweet it out!
The True Power of Social Media
Just another London foodie 