Back from Baghdad this morning

by Scott

Hello Meetup Organizers!

I just got back from Iraq this morning. The trip was an intense experience, and we made it home safely.

I was invited (along with someone from Google, YouTube, Twitter, and few others) to spend a few days helping Iraqis think about how the internet can help them strengthen their country.

I recorded this 2-minute video for you all while I was in Baghdad:

The day after I recorded the video (yesterday), was the deadliest day in Iraq in the past year.

Despite all the violence we hear about, there's millions of decent people in Iraq just trying to get by. They see the potential of community, and what you all are doing with your Meetup Groups is so powerful, so inspiring.

Stay tuned for more photos and stories from the trip in coming days!

-----

***Update: Check out some photos from my trip here!***

Scott is Chief Organizer and Co-Founder of Meetup.

| More

Comments

[KarenL]

pretty dang amazing.

[vinnie lauria]

Hey Scott, I heard you were taking a trip to Iraq, and that you were in DC a little before that. Looks like you're doing some really great things - that's awesome.

[Michele Matteo]

Wonderful thing you did, helping the Iraqis getting their life back on track through connecting with other people.

[Suzanne Tucker]

internet=the connectedness that we are!!! thank you for bringing this message HOME (and to our friends in Iraq). We are all one. YOUTUBE, Meetup, Google, twitter, etc...all of these things make the world smaller and we (the people of the world) closer. ^_^ glad you are home safe.

[Lisa B. E.]

Totally Awesome! How exciting.

[Amanda]

I would love to be able to connect with new Meetup.com members and organizers in countries like Iraq. Did you find that many of them spoke english?

Will meetup.com be free for the Iraqis? It should be.

[chris krimitsos]

Scott,
Keep up the great work. The more connected we can all be the safer this world will become.

Respectfully, Chris k.

P.S. Letting your customers set your standards is a dangerous game, because the race to the bottom is pretty easy to win. Setting your own standards--and living up to them --is a better way to profit. Not to mention a better way to make your day worth all the effort you put into it.
Seth Godin,Seth Godin's Blog,07-28-06

[jonathan Sarno]

Great video. Can't believe you went to Iraq!!!!!!!!

I was a little worried that underdog 1998 might have been over there and he would throw a shoe in your direction but I guess they have better security than Lincoln Center.

[Paradise Inc]

This is a great initiative! I can see this country benefit from forming little communities to rebuild it's pride. I imagine the 'shoe slinger' meetup will be quite popular.

[Kevin Elliott]

Conspicuously absent from your report was any mention of the sacrifices made by U.S. Soldiers and their families that have made it possible for Iraqi women to connect via the internet without fear of beheading.

[Diana Gibson]

That was so inspiring, it brought chills & I hpe we all do well by the internet & not abuse our privalge. As Scott said we are all over the world now.

[Ilene Cummings]

You are a wonderful man, a savvy man, and most of all, a man committed to justice. I salute you. Keep up the marvelous work. This is what the evolution of consciousness is all about.

[paolo gagliano]

Ciao io parlo solo Italiano ma sono molto bravo nella filtrazione dell'acqua per bere e cucinare dovete trovare qualcuno per dialogare con me in Italiano Grazie, e vi invio i miei migliori Saluti

[Muklesur Rahman]

World is going very fast. People are in great danger. So we have to contribute something for the people. Firstly we have to safe our own self then we have to do something for the people.

[Lynne]

Because of Meetup.com... I have found my new calling. I run a Personal Growth - Metaphysics-U Can Do It group in NY. I help people live a stress free happy life. I have been inspired by Dr Wayne Dyer and others like him, and with the help of Meetup.com I have been able to send the message forward to touch peoples lives...
With sincere gratitude...
Lynne

[Tammy]

Wow! This was a really inspiring message, much like your original greeting, talking about the reality of the nearby 911 tragedy.

I have a group of writers. They are loners & only a few are brave enough to attend the meetups. Aside from wanting to get our works published, I want them to socialize & get a life - then they'll really have something to write about.

This inspires me to inspire them.

[Pete Robinson]

Glad to see your meeting with the peeps. When I ask those serving in Iraq how the food is etc…they say they were isolated from the locals.

I’m sure you’ve already seen the video War/No More Trouble on Google’s home page today. Great how music brings us all together and wonderful that Meetup.org is bringing the Iragi people and the rest of the world together as well.

So how was the food? See any wildlife?

[Chris Henry]

Wonderful video Scott. Looks like it takes a Meetup, (Or a Twitter, or a Facebook, or a MySpace) to build, well..., rebuild a county.

Be safe.

[Matt A]

I can see why companies like Google, Twitter, Wordpress, AT&T, and Meetup would want to go to Iraq. They want to put themselves in a position to profit in case the percentage of Iraqis with internet access increases above 5%...and if cities there can begin to guarantee 24-hour electricity. There's a lot of money to be made in a potential new democratic US ally in the middle east.

But no matter how hard I dig, I can't find any Iraqi response to the visit. I wonder what they want. Is what we have in terms of online community application the best thing for Iraq?

Maybe I'm worrying about our corporate internet foray into their economy too early. After all, while these executives were meeting with the president in business suits, people outside were wearing flak jackets and armor. They've got a few front burners working before they can think about hosting a Scrabble Meetup once a month.

[Marla]

I am a huge fan of meetup and love that you are taking it to a new level. Keep up the good work!

[Claudia Kellersch]

As a meetup organizer since 2004, I must say I have met so many quality people and improved my life for myself and my young son due to meetup.com events I have attended (hundreds), plus found out about so many opportunities. Recently, I was in an Internet café in Germany and was surprised, and happy to see the Meetup site completely localized and displayed in German, including the names of my groups :-) It was fun! This is a great way to reach out globally!!
A big thank you!

[Lalita Janke]

Thank you Scott. You mentioned the condition of widows in Iraq....their need to communicate with others...family and close friends who may be in a position to help them through their hard times. Is there anything we could do for them? Raise money to supply them cell phones, pay for 3/6 months of cell connection,maybe?.. If we do not help families there we will foster and breed additional Anti-American feelings.

Iraqis need to know that people all over the world, particularly from the USA, are not insensitive to their pain. We must act with speed and sensitivity now or loose the opportunity to help when help is most needed.

Please inform us what we can do for the widows and vulnerable families affected by war.Can anyone count how many spirits were killed in a war? Dead bodies from both sides are but partial indicators of the effects of war. Who can say how broken dreams, hearts and families affect world consciousness. We are interconnected. We are one world.

Thank you for informing us about conditions in Iraq.Know you are in a position to change many lives. God bless.

[Nestor Masckauchan]

wowwww quite a vacation! it is SUCH a great way to help iraqis: take troops back, give them meetups! - Keep up the good work, thank you for sharing

[Kristina Hughes]

Congrats on getting out there and experiencing a new horizon, new people, new ideas, etc.

I have to tell you I am always inspired by the actions of my 7 Meetup group http://holdonlog.com/pages/links13.html members no matter how big or small we are all challenging ourselves and making progress.

A big focus this year has been on education, as in prior years it was more about food & drinks, but we all need solid networking skills and ways to run our business like a business and I am glad to share this with our community.

Be BOLD,
Kristina

[Irving Phillipson]

Great job Scott! Thank you for recognizing that our world is just one big community. Cooperation is the key to all of our successes.

[Andrea Siebert]

Thank you for your commitment to interrelatedness on the globe!

[Kerrie Espuga]

Thanks for the inspiration!
Kerrie

[Kristi Erdmenger]

Hey Scott,
Amazing! Thank you for bringing everyone a little closer together! Hey, the next time you decide to travel could you do me a favor and checkout my website? Great travel deals and amazing DREAMTRIPS! Thanks and Congrats to you for doing what you do!!!
Kristi

www.mydreamteamtours.rovia.com

[Joy]

Scott, it would be so great if you had any contacts that Meetup organizers could connect with so we could organize grass roots efforts while your doing your thing.
If there is ever a time when Americans shine it's when we think we can make a big difference. Thanks for your great work.

[Jarrett Buys]

Scott!

Your efforts to help others increase their communication and bring like-minded people together is much appreciated. Communciation is the universal solvent and you are working hard to be a leader in this area! Thank you.

[K.A.J]

I hope the Iraqi people can obtain and maintain a level of freedom to allow the continued use of these types of community building tools. Meetup has made a world of difference to me, and millions of others. Great Work!

[Maureen]

Scott, this was absolutely wonderful! A great way to build peace and strengthen a society is to build community. When war breaks up a society, gathering and creating support systems can help build it back up, such as what you mentioned regarding the widows.

Meetup is a great way to providing that greater interconnectedness within Iraq's communities because instead of sitting in front of the computer we sit with each other and share and learn. Wishing Iraqis great success as they venture forward! So many of us have had them in our thoughts and prayers.

[Helene]

Thanks for your inspiration...good job.

[Debi]

Scott,

Wow, what a privileged position you are in! Bringing technology to front line, communities in need, is not only altruistic, but, a make sense effort. I am a public health nurse, and much of my work is involved with former refugees from all over the world. It is through innovative, altruistic caring, from people like yourself, that help to improve lives, and enhance quality to a level of preserving one's dignity.

I would like to thank the other internet firms, Google, YouTube, and the others, for putting "caring into action".

Warm regards,

Debra Foster

[Carolina Salas]

This is awesome, thanks so much for sharing it with us, Scott!

[Sandra Galinanes]

Great job guys!!! I love it!

[Danna]

Dear,

It makes me happy to be a member of Meetup, knowing that you are interested in helping out humanity in any way you can, keep up the good work.

[Paramendra Bhagat]

One inspiring video.

[Kathryn Gorges]

The work you are doing, Scott, is so worthwhile and effective! Thank you for being out there and standing for what you believe in. I loved hearing you speak at the O'Reilly Web2.0 conference in April and was moved by your energy and enthusiasm in this video -- you have my support ;)

[Miqdad Hassan]

Great work Scott...very inspiring.. Iraqies are starving for such ideas they are now in a stage where things are just getting better & more peaceful with meetup they can connect again offline into meetup communities... wonderful initiative... Thanks man.

[Diane Callan]

Scott- WONDERFUL innovative work! I just launched wellness-for-warriors meetup group here in North Carolina to unite local citizens with military families. The response is overwhelmingly positive. My hope is that W4W will grow to hundreds across the nation soon. Two thoughts 1)How can we get other communities here in the states turned on to this format 2)Can someone for HQ (maybe you?)put together a communications forum to help military families better communicate with our deployed soldiers?
Keep up the great work! Diane C

[Fong]

Scott, congratulations for leading Meetup.com to new heights and leveraging the power of self-organized groups! ConnectionZ Promotions supports the work Meetup of connecting people across cultures, countries, etc.

[Rich Leffler]

Scott -

What you did in Iraq was inspiring, noble, and absolutely cutting edge. Way to go! Not only are you helping people, you're getting in at a perfect time!

Kudos!

Rich

[ConnieZ]

Thank you for risking your life and bringing Meetup to Iraq! So glad you are home safe. On your next visit, please thank our soldiers from the little guys out here in the U.S. for their valiant service.

[James Marciano]

Meetup has come a long way from that small room with a dozen people elbow to elbow .. congrats. JLM

[Esela Rizzuto]

That's awesome....Keeping the world connected. Great work!

[Cristina Cassidy]

Really an amazing happenstance. I'm thrilled that someone such as yourself is there connecting person to person. Thank you for being a wonderful ambassador for our country.