A while back I started a post to try to give clubbers an upper hand on the sometimes confusing nightlife scene.  I’m back with a few more tips that can help you better plan your night and avoid those worthless outings.  Below are a few sites/tools that can help you have a great time out.

Going.com


Going is a site that not only lists local events, but they also offer guestlist for certain parties.  It’s almost like they want to be the one stop shop for the party goer (think of it like Yelp+Facebook Event invitations).  While I’m not the biggest fan, I have used the site on occasion and it is helpful. It’s really good for getting somewhat of a birds eye view of all the local venues and parties going on.  I usually do this through Facebook, but if you’re a casual party goer leaning on Going is a great idea. On Going it’s pretty easy for both promoters and club staff to interact with users.  Owners can claim their venue, similar to the process on Yelp, and promoters can easily create an invite and invite their friends.  Lastly, Going provides a Facebook specific widget for events that is pretty popular amongst some promoters.

Plancast



The location based service space is booming these days with players like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Loopt getting a lot of love.  Enter Plancast which brings a new spin to things.  Plancast allows users to well, plan out their upcoming events and broadcast it to all of their friends.  It’s a bit of an evolution of the social calendar, simply fill in what you’re planning, when you’re planning it, where it’s taking place and you’re off.  While there’s no real gaming element to Plancast just yet, I think it really shines when it comes to sharing content.  Facebook events  have become more shareable recently, but it’s much easier and actually encouraged to pass events on between friends on Plancast.  I just go to a friends profile, check out their plans and click the “count me in” button for things that look interesting.  Facebook has too much clutter to shift through, and I honestly feel spammed if I get too many invites from one specific person. Plancast kind of disperses that effect.  So if you have friends that are always in the know about what’s going on around town, this makes it easier for you to stay in the loop.  Don’t worry, Plancast is integrated with both Twitter and Facebook, so you can keep all your friends up to date on your plans.

Hot Potato



Another new guy on the scene is Hot Potato, a site and iphone app that lets you see what events are hot in real time and what the attendees are saying about it.  I think it’s a great idea, instant feedback.  If I’m scanning the scene, this is a great tool, I can see what looks good and what to avoid.  Hot Potato has only been around for a few months and doesn’t have a huge user base, but it does have a lot of potential.  This is something to keep track of in the future. 

YouTube


You might see this and ask youself why am I including YouTube on this list?  YouTube is actually a great resource for all types of content.  A common issue people always have is trying to figure out how a certain venue will be on any given night.  While pictures are good at giving a general idea, videos are significantly better.  You’d be surprised with amount of clubs, promoters, and DJs that upload party videos.  They realize it’s another great way to connect with their audience and it helps the club goers better plan and prepare for a night out on the town.  So the next time you’re trying out a new spot, yeah search for it on Yelp, but also do a quick YouTube search, you might be able to find some videos that will help you make a more informed decision.