The Official Meetup HQ Blog

Where drama is welcome

by Kate

Community Support team member Adam is currently performing in Twelfth Night and it got me thinking about all the thespian Meetup Groups out there.

Enter stage right: The Brookline Play Reading Meetup Group in Massachusetts.  Organizer Nigel writes in his profile that "reading a play in a single sitting really brings it to life."  And what better way to give life to all the different voices in a play than with friends?  Nigel hosts a potluck in his home once a month with enough food, wine, and scripts to go around.

Stage left: The San Fransisco Play Reading Meetup Group in California.  John's Group conducts their Meetups "in a public space, emphasis on the word 'pub.'"  They're proud of how diverse the genres are that they commune over.  They've recently done everything from Shakespeare to Sartre to contemporary pieces.

As Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote...

And one and all, through me, to-day

Hither you came to see the play

Or, better yet, BE the play!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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The NY Tech Meetup rocks Internet Week!

by Adam

The New York Tech Meetup is one of the oldest and most successful Meetup Groups out there. Since its creation, it has been a major player in New York's rising tech industry.

So it's no surprise that Organizer Nate Westheimer and the NY Tech Meetup held a major Meetup during this year's Internet Week New York.

With a cool 775 attendees, the June Tech Meetup was the largest public event throughout the week.  They demonstrated new and innovative products created by seven Internet companies based right here in New York City.

Did you miss it? Check out this video:

Way to make waves, guys!

Adam is on the Community Support team at Meetup.

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On the search for the city's best margarita!

by Adam

I like the Las Vegas Margarita Society for three main reasons:

1. Like all the best Meetup Groups, these guys have a strong purpose: to find the best margarita in the city of Las Vegas, which I'm sure is an incredible undertaking!

2. They collect all sorts of charity items, like toys and clothes, and really make an impact in their community.

3. They make AWESOME videos, like this one here:

Adam is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Organizer of the Week: David of the Hampton Road Runners!

by Adam

David is the Organizer of the Hampton Road Runners, and he's our Organizer of the Week. 

This guy has more Meetups under his belt at the end of each week than many Organizers run each year!

Of course, that's all thanks to a dedicated team of Grade-A Assistant Organizers, and a great group of members, but David's the man who puts it all together.

So if you're a runner, and you live in Virginia Beach, check these guys out!  There's always something to do.

And don't forget to check out our complete interview with David here.

Adam is Meetup Support Specialist.

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Las Vegas loves Meetup!

by Adam

Check out this article about the "Meetup Phenomenon" that came out last week in the online magazine Living Las Vegas.

If you ever needed proof that Las Vegas was a real city full of real people, here it is! (The photo to the right is from the Las Vegas Hiking with Dogs Meetup Group, which is one of the Meetups mentioned in the article.)

What's really cool about this article is that it's written by someone who's been there; someone who's joining Groups and attending Meetups about things that really interest him. 

It's just another reminder that you don't have to be an Organizer to be an active, important Member of your local community.

Also, you get to see a photo of our sweet New York digs!

Adam is on the Community Support team at Meetup.

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The World's Greatest Scavenger Hunt

by Adam

If you're anything like me, you love to explore, but are too goal-oriented to wander around in the woods for hours on end. 

That's where "Geocaching" comes in; Geocaching matches the thrill of exploration with the satisfaction of finding buried treasure.  And thanks to groups like The Chicagoland Geocaching Meetup Group, it's also a team activity.

Groups like theirs meet up every so often, GPS devices in hand, and adventure off into the unknown, looking for small caches of trinkets and photos hidden all around the world by fellow geocachers.

The Chicagoland Group was even written about last week in the Chicago Tribune.  So if you ever find yourself in Chicago, and looking for a fun new way to explore, seek them out!

Adam is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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For People Who Want to Do Something...

by Adam

Check this out: Switched.com gave Meetup a nice little nod recently when they featured us in a list of 21 Places to Go When You're Sick of Facebook.

Of course, I'm on Facebook all the time.  But it's always great to see folks in the tech industry taking notice of other ways to 'socially network' that don't just involve sitting in front of a screen. 

I especially like the part that says 'Who' Meetup is for: "People who want to do something, anything." That's just about everybody, right?

So if you're one of the many who already "do something, anything," give yourself a pat on the back.

Adam is on the Community Support team at Meetup.

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A Web Address of Your Meetup Group's Own

by Adam

Check it out! Now Meetup Group Organizers can choose the web address for their Meetup Groups.

When picking an address, you've got two options:

1) Customize your Meetup.com address
2) Register a Domain of your own, and set it up to redirect to your Meetup Group's home page.

Customizing Your Meetup.com Address

Customizing your Meetup address is really easy.

As an Organizer, all you need to do is login to your account, go to your Meetup Group's home page, and click 'Group Settings' in the left column.

The web address is one of the options under 'Basic Info'. Just fill in what you'd like, and hit 'Submit'. (The Meetup site will tell you if it's already taken.) The address will look like this:

http://www.meetup.com/YourMeetupGroupName

Using Your Own Domain

If you'd like to use your own web address instead, you can register your own domain and link it up to your Meetup Group now, too.

Basically, a group set up with a custom domain will appear as http://www.YourMeetupGroupName.com/, while actually being on the Meetup.com website.

Getting your own domain up and running requires a little more setup, but there are some great instructions here. We've got step-by-step instructions for how to set up a domain with a bunch of different registrars (that's fancy tech speak for places that register and keep track of web addresses).

Want to see what a customized domain looks like when it's all set up? Check out the New York Classical Music Meetup Group at nyclassicalmusic.org.

If you click around on the NY Classical Music Meetup Group's home, you'll notice that all the group's pages look like they're on their very own site. So for example, the Calendar for the NY Classical Music Meetup Group is at nyclassicalmusic.org/calendar and their 'About Us' pages are at nyclassicalmusic.org/about.

Either way, choosing a custom address makes it just a little easier for current (and future!) members to find your group.

We're really excited.

Adam is a Meetup Support Specialist.

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