The Official Meetup HQ Blog

New Feature: New Meetup Help & Resources!

by Jesse

Have a question about Meetup? Now you can find the help you need much more easily with new ways to search our Help section.

We've got a search box that offers suggestions as you type. And our questions are tagged with keywords now so you can search by those, too.

You'll notice that the questions are in a new Q&A format, and you can see who answered each question. For now, those people are all Meetup HQ'ers.

But our next step is to open up this resource to the entire Meetup community to add questions and answers as well. This way, you guys can ask and answer much more specific questions, with more detailed, on-the-ground info than we ever could.

This is the first step in an overhaul to make getting help easier for everyone.

To see it, just click "help" on the top of any page.

The next time you have a question, try it out!

If you've got feedback about it, let us know here!

Thanks,
Jesse, Nora, Rick & Wayne!

New Feature - Event Hosts

by Maya

Hi everyone,

Now Organizers and Assistant Organizers can make any group member a one-time Event Host!

Say you have a member who has stepped up and volunteered to organize a Meetup - plan the whole thing on your Meetup Group site as well as host the actual, in person Meetup event - but you don't want to make them an Assistant Organizer. You'll now be able to make that member an "Event Host," which will give them the ability to organize ONE Meetup event! But once the Meetup takes place their access goes away. Think of it as a temporary website "power."

If you have group members who want to help your run the group, this feature is for you and your Meetup Group!

We know that you guys have been asking for "co-organizers," the ability to assign "roles," etc - this is a first step to getting all of us there!

If you have feedback, please leave it here!

Thanks
Maya, Keith, Justin, Teresa and Davide.


Setting things up
Here is how you set them up, on the Meetup Event creation page. Note that as the Organizer (or Assistant Organizer), you'll first need to create the Meetup Event as either a draft or as a real Meetup on your calendar.


(click to make me larger)


What can Event Hosts do?
Event Hosts will be able to do anything Organizers and AOs can do as it pertains to the Meetup:
* edit the Meetup details
* change members' RSVPs
* email members if they need to (only as it pertains to the Meetup event)
* see members' answers to RSVP questions
* manage Waiting Lists
* and take attendance after the Meetup on Meetup.com!

Other stuff to know:
- You can leave "special instructions" to whomever you've chosen as the Event Host
- Event Hosts will not be able to Copy events
- Event Hosts will be notified of their special powers via email. If they visit the Meetup Group they'll see special editing powers for the Meetup Event they have access to.
- Each Meetup can only have one Event Host at a time for now.

Maya leads the Product Management team at Meetup.

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Introducing Group Member Profile "Latest Activity" Feeds!

by Mark

Hello everyone,

In an effort to better show what members have been up to in their Meetup Groups, we created a Latest Activity feed for the Group Member Profile page.

The Latest Activity feed will help potential members get more information about who is in a Meetup Group and what the group is about, making them more likely to join!




The Latest Activity feed on a Group Member Profile page only shows public information about the member who's profile you are looking at related to a specific group. A member's Latest Activity feed includes:

• When the member joins the Meetup Group
• Greetings (posted and received)
• Starting or replying to a Message board thread
• Photo uploads, comments and tags
• Comments about Meetup events

The Latest Activity feed is not showing any RSVP information.

If you don't want your Latest Activity to be public, you can go to your Group Member Profile and click "Hide latest activity." Hiding your Latest Activity on your Group Member Profile means only you will be able to view it. Hiding/showing latest activity is on a group by group basis.

We've also made it easier to post greetings to members from their group profiles by putting a "Post a greeting" box above the Latest Activity feed.

Leave us your feedback here

Thanks,

Mark at Meetup

Mark is a Product Manager at Meetup.

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New Feature - Updates to the Printable RSVP List

by Maya

Hi everyone!

If you like to print out your RSVP list to check people in at your Meetups, your life just got a lot easier. We've made a bunch of updates to make that list more useful and easier to use:

- We changed the name of the link (from "Print summary" to "Print RSVPs") and moved it closer to the actual RSVP list (check under "Who's coming")

- You can now sort by member name or RSVP type!

- If you asked members questions when they RSVP, you can choose to show or hide those answers when you print.

- You can choose to hide photos and the Meetup description when you print.

- You can still see member comments and how many guests they're bringing.

(Click on the example below to make it bigger. Please note that for this Meetup, members were not asked to answer questions when they RSVP.)

Got feedback? Leave it here!

Thanks!

Maya leads the Product Management team at Meetup.

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Working at Meetup: Awesome new Jobs page!

by Tegan

Everyone working at Meetup HQ is expected get things done that make a difference. That means solving problems, championing ideas, playing nicely with others and fussing when things aren't right.

It's hard work, and it isn't for everyone. But Meetup is a great place to do work that matters. And most of the time, it's a lot of fun.

Until recently, our Meetup's Jobs page was a little bit... sad.

Actually, I'm not sure if you can call a jobs page with openings for awesome gigs at a great company sad... But it was a little dry, and it didn't really reflect what working at Meetup was all about.

Well, not anymore.

We've revamped the Meetup is Hiring! page to better reflect the awesomeness that is working at Meetup:

There are more details about who we are, how we work, and some of the sweet benefits of working with smart people who care about what they do. 

Check it out. And if you happen to be super awesome and find yourself looking for exciting, meaningful work in the NYC area, drop us a line!

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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New Features: New and Improved "Find a Meetup Group" Page

by Maya

Hi everyone,

Millions of people come to Meetup.com each month to find a local group to join. So we focused on making the experience of finding the right local Meetup Group easier and more engaging, while bubbling up some interesting data about Meetup.com and all the great 67,000+ Meetup Groups out there. The amount of super interesting stuff that happens on Meetup.com and within Meetup Groups is really impressive, and with this redesign we resolved to "stop hiding the good stuff."

So check it out. Here's what's new:
- The actual search experience works similarly. But, now you can search on just a topic (and see all the groups in that topic, irrespective of their location) or just a location (and see all the groups in that location). Or, you can try searching without entering a topic or a location... This makes it easier for people to find the right group for them.
- If we know anything about you - your location, Meetup Groups you've previously expressed interest in, etc - we'll recommend other Meetup Groups that might be interesting for you to join and point you to Meetups that are happening in your area.
- We're now displaying trending information - Fastest growing topics, Most popular topics, Fastest growing cities. We may play around with what we show here until we land on some interesting trends that help people find great groups while profiling as many great Meetup Groups as possible.
- And if you want to find a group by category or city, you can still do that, near the bottom of the page.

Check it out for yourself!
http://www.meetup.com...
...or see the screenshot below.

And if you've got feedback, leave it here!

Thanks
Maya

Maya leads the Product Management team at Meetup.

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New Feature: Set a date when RSVPs open!

by Jesse

You've always been able to set up a time when your Meetup closes to new RSVPs. Now, you can also set a time when members can start RSVPing. You can say, "automatically open RSVPs 10 days before the Meetup and close them an hour before the Meetup."

What's the benefit of doing this? Let's say you plan a Meetup and want members to know, but don't want to track RSVPs yet. Or, you have an event with limited seating: you can announce "tickets go on sale next Monday!"



You can also no longer RSVP "no" to closed Meetups. We had gotten requests for this, and it simplifies things, since groups can use Waiting Lists as well as event comments. So now, Meetups are either open to all RSVPs or closed to all RSVPs.

You can find this feature on the page where you schedule your Meetups. Try it out!

Enjoy! If you've got any feedback, let us know. 

PS> This feature was also needed because we're working on overhauling how you automatically repeat Meetups. You'll be able to schedule a series of Meetups into the future, with "RSVPs open 30 days before each Meetup." (Wait till you see our new automatic scheduling, it's really cool.)

Jesse is a Product Manager at Meetup.

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New Feature: Post to Facebook when you join a Meetup Group!

by Jesse

We've had thousands of Meetuppers use our two current Facebook Connect features. They're a great way to get the word out about Meetup and get more members joining your groups.

Remember, you can post to your Facebook Wall and your friends' news feeds when you:

• RSVP for a Meetup
  
• Schedule a Meetup
  
• and now, when you join a Meetup Group!
  

After you join a group, you're taken to your profile question page, where you can check off, "Tell your Facebook friends that you've joined this Meetup Group." Then you're prompted to log in to Facebook. It's pretty much the same as our other Facebook implementations.

One exception is approval-only groups ... you can't post to Facebook if you're not approved yet! Instead, new members get the choice to post when they visit the site after being approved. Also, for private groups, only the name of the group is displayed on Facebook, no other information.

After you do this once, the checkbox will automatically be checked for you next time. (You can always uncheck it.)



There are an estimated 200 bazillion people on Facebook - some of them are waiting to hear about your Meetup Groups! (And, it's nice letting your friends know what you're up to.) It looks like this:



Some other quick Facebook updates, too:

• We fixed a bug so Organizers in custom domain groups can now post to Facebook from an event draft.
• And if you didn't know, this launched a little while ago: Members in private groups can also post to Facebook when they RSVP for a Meetup. Again, only the name of the group appears; no private information is displayed on Facebook.

Enjoy! If you've got any feedback, let us know.

Jesse is a Product Manager at Meetup.

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New Feature: enhancements to member profile photos section!

by Mark

Having a profile photo for your Meetup Groups helps members put a name to a face. Knowing what someone looks like makes it easier to meet them face to face at your group's Meetups.

With that in mind, we made some cool enhancements to the "Photos" tab of your Meetup Group member profiles!

1. Adding Meetup Group profile photos
We've made it easier to upload photos to your Meetup Group profiles. Click "Add profile photo" to upload a new photo to all of your Meetup Group profiles. You also have the option to make the new photo your main profile photo.

2. Changing your Meetup Group profile main photo
Meetup Support often gets asked, "How do I change my main photo for my Meetup Group profile?" Unfortunately, the answer was never a short one... but now we've made it as easy as one click!

Go to your member profile for any of your Meetup Groups. Go to the "Photos" tab. Underneath any of your photos, click "Make main profile photo." That's it! Your Meetup Group profile has a new main photo.

These enhancements were also made to your sitewide profile.





Thanks! If you've got feedback, let us know here.

Mark is a Product Manager at Meetup.

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New Release: Your New Personal Home Page!

by Viviane

We're excited to bring you a redesigned personal home page (where you see all your Meetup Groups and a list of upcoming Meetups) with new features to reflect the life and community of your Meetup Groups! There are so many exciting things happening in the Meetup Groups you're a member of that we wanted to make it easier for you to stay more connected and in touch!

 

So, what's new?

1. Your Meetup Groups
For each group you're a member of, you'll now find links to view your group profile, contact the organizer, or leave the group. If you're an organizer or assistant organizer, you'll also see links to schedule a Meetup, email members and to access your group's settings. These options are available under the "gear" icon.

2. Activity from your Meetup Groups
An activity feed is a great way to stay up-to-date with what's happening across all the Meetup Groups you're a member of. In your feed you'll see new members and RSVPs for your Meetup Groups, greetings you've sent and received, and photo activity such as uploads, comments and tags. You'll also see message board discussions and replies if your Meetup Group has them turned on.

Only people in your Meetup Groups can see updates about you, except for greetings (just the sender/recipient) and photo tags (just the tagger/tagee).

You can hide certain items from showing up in your activity feed. If you don't want to see photos from a particular Meetup Group, for example, hover over the item and click the "hide" button that appears on the right. If you ever change your mind, click "manage feed" to add it back.

3. Your Meetup Calendar
Your Meetup Calendar combines your Meetups from all of your Meetup Groups. You can see, browse, and export your Meetups by RSVP type.

• Click on a day or month to see your past or upcoming Meetups.
• A yellow day means there’s a Meetup scheduled.
• Filter Meetups by your RSVP. The calendar and list of Meetups will change accordingly.
• Click "clear date" to view all your upcoming Meetups.
• Export Meetups you've RSVPed Yes or Maybe to (or all of them) to Outlook, Ical or a feed.

4. Your Interests and Recommended Meetup Groups
Have you added topics of interests to your alert list? You'll now be able to see and manage your interests directly from your home page. You'll also see recommended Meetup Groups based on your interests and the topics your groups are in. Change your interests and you'll get new recommendations. Fun!

We hope you're as excited about these changes as we are! Enjoy your new home page!

- Viviane, Gary H, Justin, Adam, Malcolm and Yuri.

Viviane is a Product Manager at Meetup.

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