I've been running community events for years now, and there's one problem that never goes away: how do you actually reach people?
You post on Twitter, but only followers online that moment see it. You send an email, but it gets lost in inboxes. You put it on your website, but nobody visits unless they already know it exists. You create an event on Facebook, but half your audience isn't on Facebook anymore. And then three weeks after the event ends, someone DMs asking if you're doing the event again, with no idea it already happened.
Sound familiar?
I built Jottings partly because I was tired of this fragmentation. And I've realized it's perfect for solving exactly this problem—event announcements that actually reach people.
The Single Source of Truth Problem
Here's what was happening before: every event I ran existed in five different places, usually with conflicting information. The date was wrong on Facebook. The location details were on Twitter but not Instagram. The registration link was outdated on the website. People would show up confused or miss the event entirely because they only saw the posts in their specific platform feeds.
What if instead there was one place—your Jottings microblog—that was the authoritative source for all your event information?
It's not flashy. It's not trendy. But it actually works.
When you have a Jottings site at your own custom domain or yourname.jottings.me, it becomes a central hub. You're not relying on algorithm changes. You own the platform. The links don't break next year when Meta decides to shut down something or Twitter changes their policy (again).
Before, During, After
Here's how I think about using Jottings for events:
Before the event: Post your announcement with all the details. Use a tag like #event-2025 or #workshop so people can follow that specific type of content. Include the date, location, registration link, and why people should care. Pin this information in your Jottings site's navigation so new visitors immediately see upcoming events.
Before the event (countdown): A week out, post again. Different angle—maybe share what attendees can expect, testimonials from previous events, or a reminder of what makes this special. Use the same tag. People who saw your first post but forgot get reminded. People who missed it the first time see it now.
During the event: Live updates. Quick photos. Key takeaways as they happen. This might sound strange for a microblog, but when people are sharing your event on their own social media, those live posts give them real-time content to reference. You're making it easier for them to amplify what you're doing.
After the event: Recap post. Share the photos, highlight the best moments, thank attendees, announce the next date. This becomes permanent content on your site. When someone asks "have you done this event before?" six months later, they can find proof right there.
All of this in one place. One feed that people can subscribe to. One set of RSS feeds (if they use those). One source of truth.
The Distribution Problem Solved (Mostly)
Okay, I'm being honest—you still need to tell people where to find your Jottings site. That's where social media comes in. But now you're doing it differently.
Instead of spreading information across platforms, you're pointing to one place.
"Join us for the workshop—all details at my Jottings: [link]"
That link never changes. You own it. Even if you move off Jottings someday, you can migrate the content. Try doing that with Twitter threads or Instagram carousels.
People can subscribe via RSS if they want to get every announcement automatically. (Yes, some people still use RSS feeds for stuff they care about.) You can share the feed link with people who want to stay updated without social media.
And because Jottings sites have clean, simple design, they actually look good when people share them. Open Graph tags mean your event announcement shows up nicely in Discord chats, Slack channels, and group texts. No weird broken previews.
Tags and Organization
This is where it gets practical. Use consistent tags for event types or series:
#monthly-meetupfor recurring events#workshop-2025for a series of workshops#conferencefor larger events#communityfor general community announcements
Your site automatically generates a page for each tag. So people interested in just your workshops can follow /tag/workshop-2025.html in their RSS reader. Or share that specific tag page when recruiting for that type of event.
You're organizing your announcements without extra effort. You're just adding a tag to each post.
Why This Actually Works
Most event platforms are overengineered for what they do. You don't need fancy countdown timers or integration with third-party ticket sellers (though you can still use those and link to them). You don't need automation that sends emails on a schedule.
You need a place to write.
Write clearly, honestly, compellingly about your event. Include the necessary details. Make it easy for someone who's interested to take the next step (click the registration link, show up at the venue, RSVP in the comments).
Update that one place as things change. Not Twitter, not Facebook, not Instagram. One place.
Point people to that place consistently. Over time, it becomes the place where people know to find your event information.
I've seen this work for community organizers, workshop leaders, conference hosts, and people just running regular meetups with friends. The pattern is the same: one source. Updated regularly. Easy to share. Permanent record.
Try It
If you're running events, I think Jottings is worth a shot. Set up a site. Make it your event hub. Link to it from your social media, email signature, and website. Write one post per event with all the details. Add tags to organize by type.
Then see what happens.
I bet you'll stop getting the "wait, when is this happening?" messages. People will know where to find you. The information will be accurate because it's in one place. And six months later, when someone asks about your event history, it'll all be there.
That's worth a lot more than it sounds.
Start your free Jottings site and create your first event announcement today. Your community is waiting to actually hear about what you're doing.