Google’s newest project aims to add a social element into your search for local offline activities. Called Schemer, this new service lets you create a to-do list of activities (schemes) you want to take part in.
Schemer’s ultimate goal is to help users find things to do in their local region. From Google’s announcement:
Whether it’s exploring a new city, checking out a friend’s movie recommendations, or just finding new activities for your weekends, Schemer lets you discover new things to do, share schemes with friends, and make the most of your day.
So far, Schemer is in a private, invite-only beta phase, and many of the available schemes aren’t actually location specific yet. Ones I’ve listed on my own profile so far include “get a massage,” “become a bestselling author” and “buy an Android tablet,” for example. Each scheme has a webpage of its own where like-minded schemers can comment and offer tips on how to achieve the scheme in question, which is where the social aspect comes in. The ultimate goal is to be able to check off each scheme on your to do list as it is completed. Then it’s up to you to discover new schemes to add on.
As more users join the service, it’s likely that the schemes will more frequently come attached with locations where they can be completed, such as restaurants, downtown venues and outdoor arenas. Google has already teamed up with media properties such as Entertainment Weekly, Lifehacker, National Geographic and Bravo to link with relevant schemes. Schemer users may also opt to create an original scheme if it hasn’t already been made, as well as share schemes with friends.
Ultimately, Schemer is another example of Google+’s connectedness with other Google services, making it easy to share schemes among friends and search out activities to add to an ever growing list of activities to do, this time away from the internet.
Schemer is also available as an Android app to those who already have an web-based Schemer account.
