Affinity has always been about the people. The friendly faces you meet at a quiz night, the familiar names you spot on the guest list, the feeling that you’re part of something. Our two newest features are all about that community: one helps you see what’s happening around the club, and the other makes sure everyone feels comfortable and safe while they’re part of it.

We’re always working on the website and app to help build that Nottingham community, and these two are live now on both. There’s news for iPhone users too.

Connections are bringing people together

First, a big thank you. Since we launched Connections, we’ve seen a real rise in bookings. Now that your connections are told when you book an event, more and more of you are spotting a familiar name and joining them, which is exactly what we hoped for. If you haven’t tried it yet, visit the profile of someone you’ve met at an event and press Connect.

Club Activity: see what’s happening at Affinity

Club Activity is a friendly little feed of what’s going on around the club. You’ll see things like:

• who’s just booked onto an event
• events coming up soon
• new members joining the club
• birthdays and other milestones
• the latest articles from Affinity News

On the website, updates pop up now and then in the corner of the page. In the app, they appear at the bottom of the Events screen. Tap one to open the event, member profile or article, and if an event catches your eye, you’re one tap away from booking.

Want to see everything at once? In the app, open the News tab and choose Club Activity.

You choose what you see and share

Club Activity only ever shows first names, and you decide how involved you’d like to be:

• Need a break? Tap the × on an update to pause Club Activity for a few days, or switch it off altogether.
• Prefer to keep your plans to yourself? Choose whether your own bookings and milestones appear in Club Activity.
• Changed your mind? Paused it and want it back? Press Show again now and it returns straight away.

You’ll find these settings in Edit My Profile on the website, or under Profile in the app.

Keeping Affinity safe and welcoming

Affinity is a warm, welcoming community, and almost every night out is exactly that. But we want every member to feel comfortable, so if something ever doesn’t feel right, you can now tell us straight away, or quietly keep your distance from someone.

Press the ⋯ button on any member’s profile, on the website or in the app, and you’ll see three options.

Report a member

Choose a reason and add any details you’d like to share. Your report comes straight to the Affinity team and we’ll look at it within 24 hours. The member is never told who reported them.

Block a member

Blocking is completely discreet. The other member isn’t told, and once you’ve blocked them:

• You’ll still see them on events, marked Blocked, so you’re never caught by surprise.
• If they book an event you’re going to, we’ll let you know, so you can decide what’s right for you.

Remove a connection

If you’re connected with someone and would rather not be, you can remove the connection. They won’t be told.

Changed your mind? Everyone you’ve blocked or reported is listed in My Connections, under Blocked and Reported. You can unblock someone or withdraw a report there at any time.

We’ve never needed these options so far, but Apple requires them in any app where members can see each other’s profiles, so we’ve added them.

We’ve also added a short Online Conduct section to our terms, so everyone knows what’s expected on the website and in the app. It’s simple: be kind, be respectful, and treat fellow members the way you’d like to be treated. Every member feeling safe matters more to us than anything.

The iPhone app is on its way

Good news for iPhone users: the Affinity Club app is coming to the App Store very soon. We know some of you have been waiting patiently, and there’s a reason for that. Over the past few weeks we’ve been working hard on the Android app, listening to your feedback and getting every detail right, so the iPhone app arrives at its very best from day one.

It’s being tested by members right now and is in the final stages of Apple’s checks before it goes live.

It does everything the Android app does. Browse and book events, see who’s going, keep up with Club Activity and Affinity News, connect with the people you’ve met and manage your profile, all from your phone. We’ll let you know the moment it’s ready to download.

On Android? The Affinity Club app is free on Google Play, so you can get it today.

Also new

• Share events: press Share on any upcoming event, or on your booking confirmation, to send it to friends on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or anywhere else.
• Can’t attend? If you’re booked on an event, the button at the top of the event page now takes you straight to where you can let us know.
• Your profile photo in the app: with the latest app update, take a new photo or choose one from your phone under Profile, Edit my profile.

See you at the next one

We’re constantly updating the Affinity website and app, and every change has the same aim: to help build a friendly, welcoming community in Nottingham, where it’s easy to meet new people and keep seeing the ones you get on with.

Thank you for helping make Affinity such a friendly place to be. Take a look at Club Activity to see who’s heading out next, and if there’s anything you’d like to see added, just let us know. Browse upcoming events