The Official Meetup HQ Blog

Meetup lights up San Francisco skyline

by Kate

As the sun set on San Francisco a few days ago, the city sparkled below Delores Park, flame dancers began their routines, and over a hundred photographers gathered to capture it all.  What else could that mean but another fantastic Meetup?

Sheila of the San Francisco Photography Meetup hosted an epic Twilight Shoutout that included lots of fabulous opportunities to get killer photos that could then be entered into a competition to win a laptop!

Their Meetup had terrific Sponsor support, including HP and Intel as well as 10 $100 gift certificates from Best Buy. People stuck around after the Shoutout to meet new people, network, and have fun into the later hours.

One member Mukul said, "I had a great time, met some great people and shared a lot of information! Wonderful evening!" And there's definitely photo evidence to prove it in their photo album from the Meetup.

Kate is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Discovering your own city -- and some new friends!

by Kate

Duluth News Tribune recently featured Brian Tasky and the "Awesome People" in his Meetup Group Life in Duluth.

Brian noticed lots of exciting Meetups popping up on his friends' Facebook feed, but he didn't see a Meetup in his neighborhood that he wanted to join -- so he started his own!

The focus has been on creating a fun way for local people to get to know one another while "discovering a lot more about the town" they live in but don't necessarily explore on their own.

"Some people might be sort of freaked out about meeting people on the internet then going out,” he explains.  But take one look at Life in Duluth's calendar, and you'll see an incredibly active Meetup Group! 

I love Brian's note in their description too, that "anyone who is an active, involved member can become an Assistant Organizer & schedule events of their own interest. Just ask."

Brian beautifully sums up his vision for their Meetups when he says, “It all comes down to just having a good time."

Kate is on Meetup's Community team.

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Happy Howl-oween!

by Kate

You knew it was coming: a cute blog post rife with puns, featuring dogs in Halloween costumes.

There is an annual Halloween pup pawrade in New York City's Tompkins Square Park, and the New York Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Meetup attends with their ghoulish droolish companions.

Their Meetup on October 24th coincided with the event as usua l, and I found lots of great photos uploaded from their 2008 haunt, such as these boo-tiful poochies dressed as a hot dog and another as a piñata!

We'd like to wish everyone a terrifically fun and safe Halloween, whether human or hound!

Kate is on Meetup's Community team.

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MUG SHOT!

by Kate

Here at Meetup HQ, we talk about Meetup Groups so much that we gave them a little nickname: MUGS!  In addition to bringing you detailed blog posts about the ones we just can't help but share, we thought it'd be fun to start bringing you quick shout-outs as well.  So keep your eye out for these brief but delightful highlights in the future!

Here's my first contribution... I heartily encourage everyone to check out ProtoType - A Modern Woman's Book Club.

Their unique take on a book club Meetup "connect[s] the reading material to true-life issues," bringing a new meaning to live-and-learn.

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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The Meetup Group that Shall Not Be Named...

by Kate

... about the name on everyone's lips!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out this week and Harry Potter Meetup Groups were buzzing with activity!

There are 35 Meetup Groups who've tagged themselves with "Harry Potter" and many of them remain active between movie release dates.

NYC's Harry Potter fan Group is one great example.  They go by "The Group that Shall Not be Named," in reference to the arch nemesis in J.K. Rowling's world. 

There was of course a spectacular Meetup for opening night of The Half-Blood Prince, but these Potter fans are always exploring ways to stay connected. 

They organize Quiddich games (a popular sport in the series), readings, and outings to Potter-related performances. 

There was even a recent Meetup where they enjoyed a "Pottercast" -- an event that you should really read about on the event page to fully appreciate.

It looks like all the Harry Potter Meetup Groups have already enjoyed the film, but if you're a fan, there are plenty of future Meetups to help you stay spell-bound.

Kate in on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Motorcycles are everywhere!

by Kate

I realized recently that I really, really, really want a motorcycle.  I'm still in the planning phase, though, so I did a cross-country tour of motorcycle Meetup Groups as a fun way to do some research. 

I started at the topic page for Motorcycle Riders to view the animated timeline of Groups around the world devoted to riding.  (Just visit the page and click 'Timeline animation' to enjoy it too!)  There are almost 500 Groups now! 

Here are a few that caught my eye...

Starting from Meetup HQ in New York, our first stop is only a hundred miles away to visit the Philadelphia Motorcycle Riders.  Long-time Organizer Glenn's focus is on diversity, both of riders and bikes!  He welcomes "ALL levels of experience, genders, nationalities, ethnic groups, orientations, creeds" and they ride out almost every week on all kinds of bikes -- "American, British, Japanese, Italian, German, Korean, cruisers (metric & SAE) sportbikes, standards, UJM's, dual sports, sport tourers, full dresser tourers, rat bikes and TRIKES!"  Wow, I already have tons of info to dig through!

Next stop Texas, where prime riding weather means lots of Meetups!  The Austin Motorcycle Riders recently enjoyed a Father's Day ride and there's a Grandfather's Day excursion coming up.  Check out their awesome animated Group photo! Of course I had to take a tiny detour to appreciate the many female motorcycle riders Groups on Meetup.  I love Women Who Love to Ride and Taboo -- A Female Motorcyclist Group (both in Texas!), to name only two.

Our last visit is with the Phoenix Motorcycle Riders Group.  Organizer John Fox is notorious on and off the roads.  He's a sage contributor to the Meetup Message Boards as well as the founder of Motorcycle Organizers Everywhere, a sitewide Meetup Group for Organizers of motorcycle Meetups.

I'm headed back to HQ now.  You can be sure that I'll do some more research and join a motorcycle Meetup as soon as possible.  Maybe I'll take a real cross-country trip someday to visit Meetup motorcycle Groups!

In the meantime, here's wishing you all fun and safe Meetups, no matter what the focus!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Meetup Celebrates Take Your Dog to Work Day!

by Kate

We'd like to give a warm welcome to the newest edition to the Meetup staff... Marlowe!

Marlowe joined us for Take Your Dog to Work Day, and he did an excellent job coding, manning the phones, and spreading good cheer. 

Marlowe's proud father is our very own Gary, who was right beside his pooch checking all the p's and SQL's.

It looks like many of you out there made notes on Group calendars about Take Your Dog to Work Day.  If you post pictures to your Group photo album, let us know!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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"Welcome, Raw Foodies and Raw-Curious!"

by Kate

That's the headline for the Sonoma Raw Food Meetup Group.  I fall into the "Raw-Curious" category, so I decided to take a moment to look around.

Leslie and her members share recipe ideas and actual dishes with one another at every Meetup.

You probably imagine the food at their Meetups looking a little something like this:

But raw food diets can be incredibly diverse, so while salads are a given, you might be a bit surprised by their last get-together.

Organizer Leslie recently hosted a raw ice cream Meetup and it was a huge success!  The menu included raw chocolate coconut ice cream, banana ice cream and cherry sorbet, plus whatever else members brought.

Leslie is a raw nutritionist, consultant and chef, so it's no wonder she's passionate about her Meetup Group.  Her members have definitely noticed her commitment, too.  Take a look at the amazingly positive feedback from this Meetup.  Here's one comment:

Linda was again a wonderful hostess. The food was wonderful! The raw ice creams were delicious! The people are full of information and help. I am grateful to be a part of this Meetup!

And we're grateful for Meetup member and Organizers who make Meetups like this possible.  Salud!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Jefre C. Outlaw: one Awesome Organizer!

by Kate

I had the pleasure of corresponding with the big, (not so) bad Country Western Meetup Organizer Jefre C. Outlaw.

He's a panelist for the How to Get More Meetup Members discussion that will be happening this weekend in Austin. And he's an awesome Organizer.

Jefre has a lot to share with us, so let's hop to it! 

You've quite a passion for Country Western dancing! And Polka, Country Cha Cha, Jitterbug... How long have you loved dancing? And what made you want to Organize a Meetup Group for it?

I was diagnosed with Cancer (Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma) back in January of 2005. After beating the disease and getting back to work I started thinking about things I always wanted to do but never did for some reason or another. Dancing was one of those things and what I chose to tackle first. So I started taking lessons in the fall of 2006. I started looking around for a way to meet other dancers that wanted to really dance.

Dance Meetups were common in Austin, they just needed an active one for Country Western (CW) dancers. I tried to contact the organizer of a defunct CW dance group and got no response. A month later the group of 75 inactive members was up for grabs and I jumped at the chance to pick it up and build it up.

You've been the Organizer of the Country Western Dance Meetup since 2007. What are some of the special mis-steps and rewards of Organizing a dancing Meetup Group?
I am a connector. I have a personal e-newsletter called The Outlaw List that goes out to 2,500 young tragically hip professionals from 25 to 45 years old here in Austin. Nevertheless, getting people to come out to my Meetups was a challenge at first, but once word spread that the Meetups were fun it built from there. Now have over 430 members and have had Meetups with 50 to 60 attendees at one time. It would be hard to handle a much larger dance group.

Another great reward is that my Assistant Organizers and others in the Meetup held two CW Dance Meetup Fundraisers to raise money for my Cancer Fund to cover my deductible and co-insurance for my $500,000 in treatments this past February through May of 2009. It is good to have friends!

Care to give us a preview of what you'll be sharing at the Organizer Meetup?
My secret to building a Meetup Group fast so that you reach a tipping point and generate enough inertia to self sustain it is through cross-posting Meetup Events.  I use Craiglist, my own Outlaw List Weekly E-Newsletter, Yahoo Groups, you get the idea... In every city there are those people that are natural connectors. They tend to know each other and their circles overlap. Most of them help each other like we do here in Austin. So, cross-posting is easy and encouraged. 

Thanks so much, Jefre!  If you're curious about the story behind Jefre's last name, join his group and ask him in between songs; it's a great story!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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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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