Spontaneous English Cologne Meetups

As I write this article I'm sat in the soon-to-be-opened cafe area of Goldmund Cafe near bahnhof Ehrenfeld. I'm alone, enjoying the sunshine, the free WiFi and a beer. Everything is good. 

At other times I'm in the mood for meeting new people, and when that's the case I am getting into the habit of sharing my location in the English Cologne Telegram group. Here is the how and why I think that might be something you'd consider doing in future.

Organising real-wold meet-ups can be hard work. You'll nee to find a location and time that suits at least a few people before fixing a date, time and location for the meet-up. Then hope that not everyone drops out.Sharing your location and setting a notification perimeter is an easy fun way to increase the possibility of meeting other English Cologne members in a spontaneous and fun manner.

How to share your location

In the Telegram mobile App share your location in the English Cologne Group for a set period of time.

Practically speaking you will want to share your location for least an hour, I usually choose 8 hrs and then just turn it off when I'm no longer in the mood, or about to head home.

Safety Tips

• Share when you are already out and about.
• Stop location sharing before you get home.

If you are uneasy about location sharing only share when you are out with someone, not alone and not late at night. 

Setting Up Proximity Alerts

Location sharing is really only a flag that you are out and up for meeting other group members. What makes things interesting is location alerts when OTHER PEOPLE in the group are also sharing their location and you'll be alerted when you become close enough.

After sharing your location tap the icon indicated by the red arrow in the screenshot to set up a proximity alert. By default you'll need to be within 500 meters of another group member to trigger an alert.

 

When I tested this I expanded the notification area to 800 meter. There are lots of options, pick a distance that is right for you.

Notes

After sharing your location is is helpful to reply (info) to your location share message, to provide context: how long you'll be sharing, maybe where you are headed, who you are with etc.

If you are headed to or at a prearranged meet-up it might also me useful to share your location in the group. Just remember that location sharing is also subject to the group rules: for example sharing your location when on holiday outside of Cologne would likely get you banned.

What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments!