lookingforgroup.social - blog

Release 19 — Event Preview Links

2026-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

Release 19 ships a new way for clubs to grow: shareable preview links for members-only events.</p>

Setting up the Blog

2026-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

blog.lookingforgroup.social </h1>
Why am I creating a blog? I needed a way to provide context to the world for why we are doing things for the app while being separate from the app deployment cycle. Additionally, I plan to add content in the realm of community building and establishing friendships.</p>
Spreading the word</h2>
I am not a big fan of social media in general, but getting the message out means that I've been engaging on major platforms spreading the word. The intent is that I can make some short videos on the social platforms with links back to the blog for more long form descriptions and allow search engines to find the keywords associated with the platform which may help with user adoption.</p>
A different kind of website</h2>
Initial feedback for the application has been mixed. This is probably due to me not communicating the message well. There is a lot of nuance to the lookingforgroup.social</a> platform as it has a lot of attributes like a dating app which requires a lot of user information because it is meant for building small intimate groups in your neighborhood. You don't want to make bad matches!</p>
lookingforgroup.social</a> is also not another social network, it is a tool to help you build community in your neighborhood by creating club around a common interest. There are plenty of places to chat and read people's "opinions" in discussion forums, but lookingforgroup.social</a> is a tool when you need it allows you to find people and to be found by others.</p>
The blog technology</h2>
I've opted to use the Zola framework</a> to generate a static site. It seems to be working out just fine as evidenced by this posting. Zola has a templating and themes configuration so I was able to leverage a TailwindCSS and DaisyUI theme</a> which matches what the main lookingforgroup.social</a> website uses. Under the hood Zola is implemented in Rust and leverages libraries like pulldown-cmark</code> which is being used already when creating announcement emails for all those lovely people that have that enabled in their profile. pulldown-cmark</code> takes markdown files and outputs html. With all the familiarity with the existing technologies there was a lot less to learn. I'm pleased so far.</p>
One minor issue</h3> The software is packaged and executed within Docker containers. The only technical hurdle is that I had to modify the theme to use relative paths instead of absolute paths so that links would work when deploying the container locally and also when deploying the same container into production. I wrote up an issue with the maintainer, but until that is resolved (which I do not expect to ever happen because the internet seems to be built on unpaid individuals) I have to maintain an internal duplicate of some of the code. This is good enough for now.</p> </figcaption> </figure>
Release 18 — Hub Resources and Calendar Downloads 2026-06-11T00:00:00+00:00 Release 18 ships two features that make it easier for clubs to keep members connected and show up to events.</p> Hub Resources</h2> Club managers can now add external resource links to their club's Hub</strong> tab. Share a Discord server invite, a Meetup group link, a Facebook page, or any other place where your community gathers outside the app. Members get everything in one place without having to dig through old messages to find the link.</p> To add resources, go to your club's Hub tab and look for the resource management section in the manager controls.</p> Add to Calendar</h2> Every club event now has an Add to Calendar</strong> button that downloads an ICS file. Drop it into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook — whichever you use. No more missing meetups because you forgot to write it down.</p> Head over to LookingForGroup.social</a>, visit your club's Hub, or browse upcoming events to see both features in action.</p> Release 17 — Quality of Life Improvements 2026-06-03T00:00:00+00:00 Release 17 ships a handful of quality of life improvements based on user feedback.</p> Club Share Preview Map</h2> When sharing a club, the preview now includes a map showing the general area where the club meets. Prospective members get a better sense of location before they ever reach out — no surprises about where the group actually gathers.</p> Feedback Form — Request Operator Contact</h2> If you run into an issue, the feedback form now has an option to request that an operator follow up with you directly. Submit your feedback and check the box if you'd like someone to get back to you.</p> Coming Soon — Member Discovery for Club Managers</h2> Club managers with a verified account will soon be able to actively search for users to invite to their clubs. This is a core piece of the platform's bidirectional discovery model — not just waiting for members to find you, but going out and finding the right fit. Keep an eye out for it in an upcoming release.</p> Head over to LookingForGroup.social</a> to see what's new.</p>