The Official Meetup HQ Blog

In the News: Yankees Meetup in Boston Celebrates World Series Win Together

by Tegan

Wednesday evening, the folks at the Boston Globe decided to check in on The Boston-Area New York Yankee Fan Meetup.

They picked a great night for it: 175 die hard Yankees fans cheered as their beloved team won the World Series.

Cheering for a baseball team might not seem like a big deal to most of us, but being a Yankees fan in Boston can be tough. (You might remember us posting about this very Meetup Group earlier this year.)

Nikki Fein, a life long Yankees fan and the Assistant Organizer of the Meetup knew that there must be other folks out there rooting for the Bronx Bombers. She just had to find them. And it looks like her hard work Organizing paid off Wednesday night:

"I look around and I think back to the beginning, when there were four or five of us watching the game together,’’ said Fein... “I’m ridiculously happy tonight.’’

And we are are happy for you, too! Congrats everyone!

Of course, for folks that weren't rooting for the Yankees this week, take heart: there are hundreds of Sports Fans Meetups around the world. You might just find one rooting for your team near you  -- no matter how far you find yourself from your team's home turf.

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Parents, Singles, and Hikers Meetups!

by Tegan

I'm thrilled to post that this week there have been several great Meetup Groups in the news!

In St. Paul, the Single Parents Friends Network made the local news for being a great way for single parents in the Twin Cities to get together.

Some of the Group's Meetups are family events, where one-parent families can all come together. Other Meetups are for parents-only, so solo parents can chat and connect with one another through some rare kid-free conversation. 

Thanks to Valerie for the heads up on that one!

Down in Florida, Felina and the Tallahassee Singles Mingle Meetup Group caught the eye of a reporter from the Tallahassee Democrat. Felina's the Organizer for the Meeutp, and she had some great advice on how best to meet that special someone:

As for the best way to meet a mate? Martin says it is about staying active. "If a man comes along while I'm at poetry night, so be it. I do things. What better way to meet them?"

And finally, the Sacramento Press began running a 'New Girl' column, where Susan (a self described 'Silicon Valley escapee') writes about how joining the Sacramento TrailMix hiking Meetup helped her find her place in a new community.

I especially loved her closing line, about how Meetup has helped her out:

The cats are nice but not very talkative (unless it's dinnertime), so I have been looking for ways to connect with the rest of the universe. And I found it.

Congratulations to all three of these fantastic Meetups for the recognition!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Swapping clothes to save cash

by Tegan

Everyone seems to be looking for ways to save money these days.

With the holiday gift-giving season just around the corner, MSNBC's Today Show put together a handy guide to swapping your way to free stuff.

The number 2 idea on their list? Clothes Swap Meetups!

Of course, thousands of Meetup members all over the world have already discovered the secret joys of trading their old clothes for new ones. Check out the map:

There's a whole lot of trading goin' on.

It's great to see all of the Organizers and members of those Meetups get a shout out from the press. Congrats, folks!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: A Ghostly Meetup in South Dallas!

by Tegan

Ghosts might be something lots of people only think about around Halloween.

But for the The South Dallas Paranormal Meetup Group, keeping tabs on supernatural happenings and other-worldly phenomena is a year round activity.

The Alvarado Post ran a lovely article about the Meetup Group, including stories of ghostly encounters and a very special offer for those in their community who find themselves wondering if there are supernatural explanations for chills, whisperings, or bumps in the night:

The South Dallas Paranormal Meetup Group will either find a reasonable explanation for what’s occurring in your home or business or provide you with evidence that perhaps your place is, in fact, a site where other-worldly experiences occur.

And unlike a certain fictional group of firehouse occupants, the South Dallas Paranormal Meetup Group will investigate for free.

Kudos to Dawn, Kimberly, and the rest of the South Dallas crew for the great press coverage!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Exploring with the Pocono Adventure Club

by Erica

Have you ever been simply wandering around your neighborhood, and then all of a sudden you stumble onto something amazing? 

Your new favorite restaurant or a secret spot with a great view might be just around the corner.

That is exactly what The Ultimate Pocono Adventure Club hopes to find. 

The members find great events in the area and go exploring together. One of the benefits of having lots of new friends is the great discount they get on things like moonlight rafting, paintball or wine tours.

They've been so successful that they were recently featured on the front page of the Pocono Record!

Congrats to the Meetup's Organizer Maureen and the rest of the Pocono Adventurers!

Erica is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Stamford Kayakers Meetup making waves

by Tegan

Paddling on the water, communing with nature, enjoying the great outdoors...

Kayaking is a lot of fun, but it's the kind of thing you shouldn't do all alone.

And it turns out, more people are enjoying the sport than ever before.

The number of Kayaking Meetup Groups has almost doubled since this time last year. Folks all over the world are getting together to navigate calm and troubled waters together.

Greenwich Time sent a reporter out with the Stamford Kayaking Meetup Group (SKG) to see what all the fuss was about.

The SKG Meetup is home to 436 kayaking enthusiasts (and counting!), and it's the longest running Group on Meetup exclusively dedicated to kayaking.

SKG's Organizer Peter had some great things to say about why kayaking is ideal for getting in touch with nature:

You get to see wildlife up close. Motorboats miss it. With kayaking, you're not going anywhere fast. You have the opportunity to see so much. I once grabbed a fish with my bare hands."

Of course, Peter and the other Stamford Kayaking Meetup Group members helped the intrepid reporter out on his first time kayaking, just like they help out new Group members on other trips out on the water.

They've been at this for years, and if comments on past Meetups are any indication, members are always willing to help each other learn and grow together.

Congrats on the press coverage, SKG!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Finding new friends in a new city on CNN

by Tegan

Sarah moved to Atlanta recently, and she had a problem: she didn't know anyone. She found herself spending tons of time online, "desperately e-mailing friends back home" and wishing she had something to do in her local area.

And then she found Meetup.

Sarah posted a great piece at the CNN SCiTech Blog about her experience, and then CNN Video put together a guide to finding your way around town and meeting new people.

You can watch the corresponding CNN video report here:

I was especially tickled to see the anchors get really excited about dodgeball at about the 2:25 mark. 

Thanks to Eddie Hussein Nwabuoku on the Meetup Facebook fan page for the heads up about the CNN report!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Club E Entreprenuers in Tempe!

by Angela

Have dreams of starting your own business?  So did Meetup member, Gabriela Cojanu, after a life changing event -- being laid off from her job. 

She found encouragement, inspiration and tons of helpful advice from her local Club E (Entrepreneurs Meetup) in Tempe, Arizona. 

Founded by Meetup Organizer Peter J. Burns, Club E and its 3000+ membership connects established investors with future business owners.

"The main goal is to bring people together," said Burns, "We practice open source entrepreneurship - which is nothing more than the free exchange of ideas, relationships, access to money, access to technology," he added.  "Some may have it.  Some may need it, and we bring them all together here at Club E," he said.

Check out his interview with Channel 15, the local ABC news affiliate. 

Way to go, Peter!

Angela is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: Kids in Tech at the Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup

by Tegan

The Santa Cruz Sentinel just profiled the Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup's new program called Kids in Tech! 

Each month Doug Erickson, the Organizer, hosts new technology demos from the local tech community. Usually, presenters are entrepreneurs and techies showing off their latest business ventures.

But for their October Meetup, some local tech savvy kids were invited to share projects they'd been working on, too.

Local young people were recognized for their accomplishments in web and graphic design, programming, and robotics. The kids got a chance to rub elbows with local experts, and from the great feedback members left after the Meetup, it's clear that the adults were inspired by the young up-and-coming tech aficionados, too.

Congrats to Doug and the rest of the Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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In the News: the City hits up the NY Tech Meetup for help

by Tegan

 So, the City of New York has lots of data about things like restaurant health inspection results and city landmarks and census figures that might be useful, if only people could break it down into easily digestible pieces. 

But the trouble is that the City doesn't have the development power to get all of that data into a format real people can understand.

So last night at the NY Tech Meetup, New York City hit up the local tech community for help.

The City officially announced a contest for developers to create great apps for people who do business, travel, or live in the Big Apple.

There are cash prizes and other good things involved. You can read about it in the New York Times or on Crain's New York Business.

But here's what stands out to me:

Meetup is about bringing people together, to learn or grow or share or do something. It's about accomplishing things together that aren't possible when we go it alone.

The members of the NY Tech Meetup have been committed to building and growing the local community of developers and entrepreneurs and other tech folks for years. They're already working to make the city a better place.

So it makes sense that the City would announce the contest at the Meetup. It's members are already committed to sharing ideas, working on projects, and developing things that make the world better.

Congrats to the NY Tech Meetup for the press mentions all over the place, and for all the great things they're up to these days.  

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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