A couple nights ago I posted a random question on Facebook and noticed that Paul O'Brien from Zvents joined the "Local Search Central" group. I haven't had a chance to use Zvents yet, but then thought of a quick trip coming up. 


I'll be in Houston and Dallas for a few reasons during the first week of November. In Houston, there's an inline skating event that piqued my interest. My old, slowpoke self is all signed up, but it looks like this race is pretty "pro" heavy, meaning that I'll be one of only a few not wearing some lycra skinsuit (this is a good thing, folks).

So, why not at least enter my own Zvents event to try to encourage local, Houston recreational skaters to sign up? Some thoughts on the user experience while entering the event...

It is that user friendly and a useful tool I can see suggesting for clients. It provides Google Maps, user reviews, other Houston events, and even nearby suggestions on where I can enjoy some food and drink during my short visit.

Uploading an image is initially tricky. It could be the user (me), although I wouldn't mind seeing some spec requirements prior to the upload.

It provides tagging opportunities for keywords. I'd suggest using (and not abusing) it.

A very cool thing is they have partnerships with local online news outlets from the Denver Post, Boston.com, and the San Jose Mercury News that display Zvents. I was hoping that the Houston Chronicle would be a partner, and maybe they will some day. Hopefully the dailies in the Twin Cities area will partner up, too.

Anyone have some Zvents experiences? I'd like to hear. If the Houston Zvent helps registrations, I might make a quick post as well.