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www.Meetup.com
Compendium of Frequently Asked Questions.

 

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To Go To The Main Site Simply Click on:www.Meetup.com
Welcome to my compendium website about: Joining and Organizing a www.Meetup.com Group.

The important words found on this site include: Meetup Meet Up Com Joining Organizing FAQ Frequently Asked Questions.

Contact information for this Website:
Brian Nelson
Webpage Marketing Consultant 
31 Gessner Rd. ,  Houston, TX 77024
713-467-3025  Fax 713-467-3192
 Click: E-mail me


You can find this site again by typing in the Google search engine  the very unique word "  1puteem  "  which is  "  Meetup1 " backwards.

Article Word Count   15,509                             MSW

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Directory of Video Sites
Blue Box 1 Scan Below

Click Brian Nelson's www.PartyTentCity.com for party tents, canopies and awnings. Today's Sale 26'x40' Tarp.   Silver. Regular price is $104.00. With this ad it is on sale for only $88.00. Shipping is $15. No charge for shipping if tarp is picked up at  31 Gessner Rd.  in Houston, TX  77024  Use PayPal to Brian@NelsonIdeas.com or Call Brian 713-467-3025.  
 Blue Box 1 Contact Brian at 31 Gessner Rd. Houston, TX  77024 Tel. 713-467-3025 Cell 713-927-4479 Click: E-mail me 
 www.IamFightingCancer.com   Bookmark this page now!   Anything Internet   
 http://www.NelsonIdeas.com/Directory-All-Websites/Alphabetical.html

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 Directory of Sites
 Blue Box 2  Brian Nelson

 Do you need a party tent of white or silver tarp? Go to www.PartyTentCity.com or to see all my links go to:  http://www.PartyTentCity.com/PTC/Websites.html

Today's  special sale: Business is slow. Call me right now while this include page is up and get a 23% discount off any www.PartyTentCity.com  order.  No charge for shipping if picked up at  31 Gessner Rd.  in Houston, TX  77024 Use PayPal to Brian@NelsonIdeas.com or Call Brian 713-467-3025. http://www.NelsonIdeas.com/Directory-All-Websites/Alphabetical.html
 Blue Box 2  Bookmark this page now!  
 Contact Brian at 31 Gessner Rd. Houston, TX  77024 Tel. 713-467-3025 Cell 713-927-4479 Click: E-mail me 
 www.IamFightingCancer.com   
 

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You are at: http://www.ChangingIdeas.com/MeetUp.com/FAQ.html      ud 08/26/2009 03:20 PM -0500  Bookmark this page now!

1 

Before You Start A Meetup Group

Organizer Center › Before You Start A Meetup Group

How To Start a Meetup Group

If you want to start a Meetup Group, the first thing you want to do it sign into your Meetup.com account. If you don't have an account yet, you can create one here. Once you're signed, in, here's how to…

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Getting your ducks in a row

Even before you buy a subscription and create your Meetup Group, there are four super-simple things you can do to get ahead of the game. Following these instructions will maximize your Meetup's initial impact! Find two great photos Think…

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What happens when you start a Meetup Group?

Many Meetup groups are created when someone on an Alert list takes the initiative and starts a group. When they start a group, the group pages are created on the Meetup site and the person who started it becomes…

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Being a Meetup Organizer: What's it all about?

There are thousands of Meetups in different topics all over the world. Dog Meetups, political Meetups, health Meetups, social Meetups, you name it! It's truly amazing! And each Meetup has an Organizer. So why do people take the time…

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Organizer Phases

While all Orgs undoubtedly encounter similar occurrences (i.e. being nervous for the very first Meetup, trying to get more members, etc), their individual experiences will differ. So how do you describe something both common and unique? I believe first-hand…

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2 

After You Start A Meetup Group

Organizer Center › After You Start A Meetup Group

New Organizer Essentials

Greetings, new Meetup Organizer! Welcome to a family of people passionate about sharing their interests with others. You're in for a fun and rewarding ride. Now it's time to get your Meetup off to a healthy start! Below you'll find…

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New Organizer Essentials - Part 2

Want to give your Meetup more exposure and attract more members? Then you should: Invite your friends and Alert list members Edit your Group Description Join an Organizer Meetup Invite your friends and Alert list members A great way to…

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How to schedule a Meetup event

Click 'Calendar' Click 'Schedule a Meetup' Enter all the event details and click 'Schedule Meetup' Click 'Email Group' Select who will get the email Enter your message and click 'Send'…

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Your 1st Meetup Event in four easy steps

You've started a Meetup Group - Great! Now it's time to start planning your first Meetup. It's completely natural if you're a little nervous or excited about this, since it's pretty new territory. To take the edge off, this…

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Learning from other Organizers

Contact a Meetup Organizer in your town! Learn what it's like to be an Organizer from, what else, a real live Meetup Organizer! Join an Organizer Meetup Find a local Meetup Contact the Organizer Attend their Meetup Join an…

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Organizer Tools

As a Meetup Organizer, you have a plethora of great tools and resources at your disposal. And all of them are designed to help you run awesome Meetups. Here's a quick run down of your many tools: Organizer Help…

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Multitopic: A fast way to get more members

All Meetup Groups have a Primary Topic. Pug groups are under the Pug topic, Mom groups are under the Moms topic, Hiking groups are under the Hiking topic, etc, etc. Very straightforward. Well, you can add up to three additional…

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Inviting friends to join your group

Know some people who would be interested in your Meetup group? Send them an email and invite them to join! Click 'Promote!' Click 'Add members' Enter your friends' email addresses, a friendly message, and click 'SUBMIT' Send an invite to…

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Inviting Alert List members to join your group

There are Meetup members in your area waiting to hear about a Meetup group just like yours! Send them an email and invite them to join! Click 'Promote!' Click 'Invite Alert list members' Click 'Invite XYZ to join your group'…

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3

Planning Your First Meetup Event

Organizer Center › Planning Your First Meetup Event

Welcoming Newcomers to your Meetup

It's great when a new member joins your Meetup Group! But realize, people can find the prospect of participating in a Meetup a little daunting. Meeting people through the Internet is different from meeting them in person. That's why…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

How to schedule a Meetup event

Click 'Calendar' Click 'Schedule a Meetup' Enter all the event details and click 'Schedule Meetup' Click 'Email Group' Select who will get the email Enter your message and click 'Send'…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

Your 1st Meetup Event in four easy steps

You've started a Meetup Group - Great! Now it's time to start planning your first Meetup. It's completely natural if you're a little nervous or excited about this, since it's pretty new territory. To take the edge off, this…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

How to get ideas for Meetup events

So you need to set up an event for your Meetup group, but you're not sure what to do. Don't despair! You can get great ideas by checking out what other Meetup groups are doing at their events! Here's…

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How to write a great Event Description

Once you've decided what you're gonna do at your Meetup Event, the next step is writing an enticing event description and posting it onto your Meetup web site. You'll want to describe the event in a way that tells…

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Making a Meetup Sign

One of the best ways to ensure that your members will find you at a Meetup is to make a sign. You can print off the table-top sign found under the “Promote!” section of your local Meetup, or you can…

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4

Advanced Event Planning

Organizer Center › Advanced Event Planning

Past Can't Miss Meetups

Continued from our Can't Miss Meetups article, here are some Can't Miss Meetups from the past: Culture for the Non-Cultured presents: Theater!: Shakespeare-type modern comedy, Q & A with Playwright & Cast, then Eat Topics:New in Town - Theater -…

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Can't Miss Meetups Vol. 37

Welcome to Can't Miss Meetups Want to make your Meetups into something that simply cannot be missed? Every week, we'll profile Meetups that take meeting up to a whole new level, with an original activity, a theme, a guest speaker…

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Finding the Right Venue

Location, location, location. Even Meetups need the right location! The perfect one provides atmosphere, supports your Meetup's activity/focus, and is a comfortable place for your members to get together. Selecting the right venue is important because it sets the…

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Give Your Meetups a Hook

Regardless of your Meetup's topic, varying aspects of each Meetup event keeps members enthusiastic and gives them a reason to keep attending. It also inspires new members when they see that your Meetups aren't the same thing over and…

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Setting up your Meetup events

As a Meetup Group Organizer, you control the date, time, and venue of Meetup events, and can schedule as many events as you like every month. There are 3 steps to set up a Meetup event: Enter the details…

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Getting more members to RSVP

An ongoing issue for most Organizers is making sure that your group RSVPs for events so that you can know who is coming and who is not. Here are some ideas generated by active Organizers to get people to…

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How to edit a Meetup event

Click 'Calendar' Click the Meetup you wish to edit Click 'Change details' Make any edits and click 'Change Details' Click 'Email Group' Select who will get the email Enter your message and click 'Send'…

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Ice Breakers for Your Meetups

Whenever you have a group of strangers coming together for the very first time, it can be tough sometimes to get people relaxed and talking with one another. If you are going to have your first Meetup, or you…

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How to cancel a Meetup event

Click 'Calendar' Click on the Meetup you wish to cancel Click 'Cancel' Click 'Yes, cancel this Meetup and remove it from the calendar'…

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5

Promoting Your Meetup Group

Organizer Center › Promoting Your Meetup Group

How to add images to your About Us page

Click 'Photos' Click 'Add photos or create album' Select 'New Album', give it a name, and click 'Browse' Find the photo on your computer, select it, and then click 'Open' Click 'Submit' Click 'Photos' Scroll down and click that…

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Everything you ever wanted to know about Alert lists

What are Alert lists? How do Alert lists help Organizers? What are Alert lists? Let's say you're on Meetup.com looking for a Meetup group in a specific topic near you. Let's say…oh…a Knitting Meetup in Needles, California. If you…

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Amazing About Pages!! Vol. 64

Has your About Page got you down? Do you stare at your computer screen only to have a bland and boring About Page stare back? What a mess! But don't despair! Amazing About Pages will have your Meetup looking and feeling great in no time!

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Make Your Own Customized Signs, Flyers, and Business Cards!

As you know, there are a number of customizable promotional materials available on the Meetup site. Now many Organizers are using just a little creativity and their everyday word processing programs to create customized signs, flyers, and business cards of…

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Group Promotional Materials

There are easy-to-use templated for you and your members to use to create free, customized, promotional materials for YOUR group. To get started, go to your Meetup Group welcome screen, click 'Promote Your Group' on the left-hand side.

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Promote your next Meetup on Craigslist

There's a simple new tool on your Meetup Group's 'Promote!' page that lets you post your Meetup to the free community website Craigslist.org. Craigslist is a popular community website that contains classified listings for groups, events, products and services…

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Making a Snazzy & Informative 'About Us' Page

Want your site to look good and be a great advertisement for your group? Want to be able define your group's mission statement, activities or rules for new members? Harness the power of your About page to present the…

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'About Us' Page Best Practices

Editor's Note: This article assumes you already know how to edit your About page. If you do not, please read Making a Snazzy and Informative About Page. Have you started updating your About Page, but are stumped about what…

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Hey Meetup Moms -- want to be on TV?

Hey Meetup Moms - we've got a great opportunity for you if you're interested! Meetup has partnered up with Alpha Mom TV to give Meetup Moms an opportunity to help other Moms everywhere. Watch this! Alpha Mom TV is interested…

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Calling Detroit Meetups! Become a Freep Reliable Source today!

Newsflash! Meetup's partnered with the Detroit Free Press! We're kicking off a new program for Meetup members to become a “Reliable Source” for the Detroit Free Press newsroom. When you become a Detroit Free Press Reliable Source, reporters will…

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Pitching your Meetup to Local TV News

Below are a few tips and guidelines to help you secure local, television media coverage for your weekend Meetups. We recommend contacting television stations at least three days before your Meetup. Begin by looking up the telephone numbers for…

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Meetup Ads on NYC Subways!

Dr. Zizmor and the Bronx Zoo, eat your heart out! Meetup.com is putting ads in the New York City subway, too! The ad will run for 4 weeks starting March 27th across all subway lines in every 5th car. And…

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Press Tips — Getting the Attention of Your Local Media

Press coverage is a great way to boost awareness of your Meetup and build your membership. Many people who may have never heard of your Meetup can find out about it through a local event listing, news segment, or…

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Press Tip 2 (pt. 1) — Write a press release to promote your Meetup in the news

Did you know that reporters get a lot of their stories from press releases that people send directly to them? You can write your own easily — and it could get your Meetup in the news! In part one…

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Press Tip 2 (pt. 2) — Use your press release to get noticed by Google News, Yahoo News and others!

Okay, you've read Press Tip 2 (pt. 1) — Write a press release to promote your Meetup in the news and now you're ready to tell the world. Lets look at the bunch of new websites that'll help you…

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Putting local newspaper calendars to work

Your Meetups are hitting the calendar sections of your local papers… and it's ALL GOOD! Most newspapers include a weekly calendar of community events. It usually costs nothing to announce an upcoming event, and this is can be a…

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The Google Test

At Meetup.com, we're always trying new ways to ensure your group gets maximum exposure. One of the most common ways people discover groups at Meetup is through search engines, like Google and Yahoo. Rather than directly advertising Meetup in…

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Adding a Counter to Your 'About Us' Page

You've put flyers up all over town and are promoting your group like crazy. Perhaps you are looking for sponsors and want to show them how active your group is. Ever wonder how many people are viewing your group's About…

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Scan Below This Blue Box for More Meetup.com Managing Data.

Blue Box 1 Scan Below

Click Brian Nelson's www.PartyTentCity.com for party tents, canopies and awnings. Today's Sale 26'x40' Tarp.   Silver. Regular price is $104.00. With this ad it is on sale for only $88.00. Shipping is $15. No charge for shipping if tarp is picked up at  31 Gessner Rd.  in Houston, TX  77024  Use PayPal to Brian@NelsonIdeas.com or Call Brian 713-467-3025.  
 Blue Box 1 Contact Brian at 31 Gessner Rd. Houston, TX  77024 Tel. 713-467-3025 Cell 713-927-4479 Click: E-mail me 
 www.IamFightingCancer.com   Bookmark this page now!   Anything Internet   
 http://www.NelsonIdeas.com/Directory-All-Websites/Alphabetical.html

  09/24/2009 02:35 PM -0500

6

Communicating With Members

Organizer Center › Communicating With Members

Meetup Mailing Lists

Looking for an easy way to communicate with your members and keep them active? Look no further than your Meetup Mailing List! How Meetup Mailing Lists work Who can use Meetup Mailing Lists Why use Mailings Lists How Meetup Mailing…

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New Organizer - Introducing yourself by email

Meetup.com sends an automatic announcement when you become the Organizer of a group that already has members. It's a good idea, though, to send a personal introduction to tell members about yourself. Why did you decide to organize the…

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Creating a Welcome Message for New Members

You can customize the Welcome Message that Meetup.com sends to your new members. This will give you a chance to tell new members about your group in your own words, even if they have disabled receiving one-on-one messages from…

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Sending Personal Reminder Emails

Sure the Meetup system sends out automatic reminders to members about your events but sometimes it's that personal touch that really makes the difference and gets people to SHOW UP….

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Getting inactive members interested again

It's a common problem: How do I get my huge number of members to actually come to the Meetups? Fortunately, many Organizers have wrestled with this already and come up with some great solutions. So take heart — and…

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Thanking members who RSVPed with a 'No' or a 'Maybe'.

Organizer Renee Alper offers the following advice:

This template is EXTREMELY useful to the Organizer. We all want our members to RSVP, even if they can't make the event, as it lets us know who's really still interested in the group…If you tell somebody that an action they have done is good, they're more likely to do it again!

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Posting Meetup recaps

Do you have members who've never actually come to a Meetup? Want to help them get involved? Try posting a short recap of your latest Meetup on the group Message Board. Sarah Begley, Organizer of The Sacramento Hiking Meetup…

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The power of group newsletters

Expert Organizer Michael Phipps sends regular newsletters to members of his Meetup Groups, and he's found them to be very successful. Here's his advice: “As an Organizer, use the ability to contact your group to send a regular newsletter…

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Managing your Meetup Group message boards

A thriving message board unites the group, and encourages new members to join. Your care and feeding of the message board can keep the conversation going. Use it to follow up on chats that started at your Meetup, and to spark discussions on the direction of your group, on the best times and places to meet—and anything else you like.

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What messages does Meetup send to group members?

Meetup.com sends several automatic emails and reminders to members. It's important for Organizers to understand what's sent from Meetup and what you should yourselves. Here's a list of automatic messages that members get from Meetup.com.

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How to Leave a Meetup Group

Member Asks: “How do leave a Meetup group?” Here's what ya' do: 1. Click 'Account' 2. Click 'Membership and Communications' 3. Scroll Down to the group you want to leave, and click 'Leave this group' 4. Write a friendly note…

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7

Managing Your Meetup Group

Organizer Center › Managing Your Meetup Group

Setting an RSVP and Attendance Policy

Most Meetup members RSVP in a timely and accurate manner (hooray!). But some members can be slow to RSVP, lax in changing their RSVP when something comes up, or worse, not even show up when they said they would (boo!)….

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Unhappy with a Meetup Group?

Most members have a great experience going to and participating in Meetups. That said, maybe you're a member of a Meetup you're not happy with. If you find yourself in that situation, here's what you should do: 1. Let…

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Ground Rules: Creating a Meetup Group Constitution

Even if you organize a Meetup Group in a very straightforward topic like Scrapbooking, Ground Rules let your members know how the Meetup is run.Whether you create a 'Constitution', 'Bill of Rights', 'Ground Rules', or a more casual 'FAQ',…

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How to Obtain a Sponsor by Ron Purvis

A guide to finding and convincing someone to sponsor your group by Meetup Organizer, Ronald Purvis.

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Getting Group Sponsorship

Did you know there are businesses willing to sponsor your Meetup? It's true. Your Meetup Group is already a great resource for your and your members, but it can benefit businesses, too. And those businesses are typically willing to…

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Changing the name of your Meetup Group

Each Meetup Group is named automatically for the broad topic of interest and the city. That doesn't mean you have to stick with it! You can call your Group whatever you like—reflecting your specific interests or your neighborhood. Tell…

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The Lowdown on Meetup Group Fees, Member Dues and Event Fees

While Organizers pay the Monthly Group Fees, there are many ways Meetup Organizers are covering these fees. With tools integrated into your group you can collect Membership Dues and Event Fees from your group members to share the cost…

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Making membership private, by approval or invitation-only

Did you know that you can make your Meetup Group private or choose to allow membership by approval or invitation using your 'Organizer Help and Tools - Settings' page? Why would someone make their group private and/or invitation-only? While…

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Getting help from Assistant Organizers

Do you need help running your Meetup Group? Having capable Assistant Organizers is a great way to share the workload. You can choose as many as 20 assistants to help you run your Meetup. Christy, Organizer of Moms of…

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Dealing with conflicts in your Meetup Group

Most of the time, Meetup Groups get along. But sometimes you run into problems where a member's behavior is at odds with the group. Maybe they use the Meetups to try to sell products to other members. Or they post insensitive comments on the message boards. Or their member profile introduction shows they misunderstand the purpose of the group.

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Using PayPal to Collect Membership Dues & Event Fees

We've built the ability to add membership dues & event fees to both your group and individual events. When you're editing your group details, you can specify that your group has “membership dues of $10 yearly” or a “suggested…

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PayPal vs at the Door?

If you have decided to charge membership dues or event fees, there are two ways that your members can pay you. In advance, using PayPal, or at the door. The core advantage of using PayPal is that your members…

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Member Fees — Charging by the Event or per Member?

Editor's note: Before reading this article, we strongly suggest that you read The Lowdown on Group Fees, Membership Dues, and Event Fees. There are two main options available for Organizers who wish to share the expenses pf the Meetup…

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Adding questions to member profiles

Member profiles help people get to know one another before and after the face-to-face Meetup. Did you know that you can add questions specific to your group?

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Contacting Your Meetup Group — Newsletters, Templates and More

Okay, now you've found the Email Group link on the home page of your Meetup group. Here are some ideas to make the best possible use of it: When writing group emails… Keep it short and relevant. Most people…

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Getting feedback to make your Meetup Group better

Communication is critical to being a great Organizer. The more you involve your Members in your Meetup, the more invested (and happy) they will be with your group. Here are some great ways to involve members and get their…

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The power of images

Which are you most likely to join? A Meetup group that has a photo of happy smiling people having a good time, or one with no photo at all? Meetup Groups that show a photo of their Meetup events and/or…

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How to Turn on Your Group Message Boards

How to Turn on Your Group Message Boards Organizer Center › Managing Your Meetup Group › How to Turn on Your Group Message Boards Organizer Asks: “How do I turn on my Message boards?” Never fear, Dear Organizer! Here's…

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How do I delete a Message Board Discussion?

Organizer Asks: “Is there a way for me to delete a whole Message Board Discussions?” There sure is, Dear Organizer, and it's Super Easy! Here's how: Click 'Messages' Find and Click on the discussion you want to delete Click “Delete”…

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8

The Latest News

Organizer Center › The Latest News

Kim Selbert is Meetup's Organizer of the Week, June 18-24, 2007

I came across a really cool group I'd like to tell you about. Personally, I am intrigued by Indian culture. The spirituality, food and entertainment the intense family values and respect for elders and culture is something that, unfortunately, is…

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Can't Miss Meetups Vol. 37

Welcome to Can't Miss Meetups Want to make your Meetups into something that simply cannot be missed? Every week, we'll profile Meetups that take meeting up to a whole new level, with an original activity, a theme, a guest speaker…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

Meetup Mailing Lists

Looking for an easy way to communicate with your members and keep them active? Look no further than your Meetup Mailing List! How Meetup Mailing Lists work Who can use Meetup Mailing Lists Why use Mailings Lists How Meetup Mailing…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

Setting an RSVP and Attendance Policy

Most Meetup members RSVP in a timely and accurate manner (hooray!). But some members can be slow to RSVP, lax in changing their RSVP when something comes up, or worse, not even show up when they said they would (boo!)….

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

Welcoming Newcomers to your Meetup

It's great when a new member joins your Meetup Group! But realize, people can find the prospect of participating in a Meetup a little daunting. Meeting people through the Internet is different from meeting them in person. That's why…

Click Read Me Tutorial on The Above Topic!

Meetup Messenger, Issue #7: Steal from Wal-Mart for your Meetup

Steal From Wal-Mart for Your Meetup! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) Congratulations, Meetup Organizers: You got over 200,000 new members in January… that's a record and a great start for 2007! Now, how…

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Meetup Messenger, Issue #6: Good news about Meetup this week

Happy New Year from your friends at Meetup.com! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) My Fellow Meetup Organizers, I'm excited to report that 2007 is off to an amazing start: This week, we broke…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #4 - Easy Holiday Meetups!

Easy Holiday Meetups! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) This week I want to share some of the 1,500+ upcoming Holiday Meetups with you. Maybe they'll spark some ideas for yours… Attleboro Moms Meetup:…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #3 - Announcing The Great Holiday Meetup Food Drive!

Announcing The Great Holiday Meetup Food Drive! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) Last week, I suggested that a Holiday Meetup is a great excuse for your community to come together. Today, we announce…

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New Features 11/15/2006

We're happy to announce what's new in our November release. As you may have noticed, this release comes just 2 weeks after our last one, so it's more about quality than quantity. Holiday Party theme As many of you have…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #2 - Have a Holiday Meetup!

Have a Holiday Meetup! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) People need a good excuse to go to a Meetup. Having a Holiday Meetup is the perfect solution! New members, old members, people who…

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Holiday Meetups making a Difference

On our way to collecting 5,000 items in December 2006! We started this as The Great Holiday Meetup Food Drive but heard from many of you that you are planning fundraisers, toy drives etc and we wanted to show the…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #1 - You're Crazy to Organize a Meetup!

You're Crazy to Organize a Meetup by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) Welcome to the first issue of The Meetup Messenger! Here, we'll share ideas and stories from across the Meetup universe. Recently, I met…

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Amazing About Pages!! Vol. 64

Has your About Page got you down? Do you stare at your computer screen only to have a bland and boring About Page stare back? What a mess! But don't despair! Amazing About Pages will have your Meetup looking and feeling great in no time!

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9

Organizer of the Week

Organizer Center › Organizer of the Week

Phil Robinson is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for July 16 - 22, 2007

Sometimes situations come together that one would never expect. Call it kismet or fate or a failure to communicate, but the outcome is brilliant. Its tough when I'm seeking an honoree in a large city such as NYC. There are…

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Susie Birkett is Meetup's Organizer of the Week, July 9 -15, 2007

We've a real treat this week! Let turn our attention to Scotland UK and chat a bit with a bonnie lass who has tapped into one of the most prolific of all grassroots online groups, Bookcrossing. (for those who are…

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Denise is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for July 2 - 8, 2007

Hello! Join me this week in sunny Florida as we chat with a woman who epidomizes the word, Organizer. She's firing on all cylinders, taking advantage of all of Meetup's tools as well as creating her own set of standards…

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Denise Smith is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for June 25 - July 1, 2007

Lets head a bit east (from L.A.) to the Gateway (St. Louis) and check in with an Organizer who is literally as well as figuratively breath of fresh air. This Meetup group is about as active as active can be!…

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Kim Selbert is Meetup's Organizer of the Week, June 18-24, 2007

I came across a really cool group I'd like to tell you about. Personally, I am intrigued by Indian culture. The spirituality, food and entertainment the intense family values and respect for elders and culture is something that, unfortunately, is…

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Antonio Thornton is Meetup's Organizer of the Week , June 11 - 17, 2007

Lets head over to Atlanta, GA for a little spiritual exploration, shall we? This week we visit with an Organizer who has amassed a huge group of like-minded seekers. Although the “Law(s) of Attraction” have been utilized for many years,…

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Dave Potts is the Meetup Organizer of the Week for June 4 - 11, 2007

Not being an avid card player myself (I'm lucky to win a round of Uno with my 9 year old) I'll have to admit the Poker Phenomenon intrigues me. The games origin is up for debate, but one fact is…

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John Brooking is the Meetup Organizer of the Week, May 28 - June 4, 2007

This week we're headed Down East to chat with an Organizer whose positivity and good humor is infectious! He's corralled a large membership of like minded bikers (bicycle that is…) with interest and support for bicycle commuting. If you've never…

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Melissa and Sebastien Vallet are the Meetup Organizers of the Week, May 21 - 27, 2007

Bonjour ) Lets stop in and visit with dual Organizers of the Week. This lively couple managed to…

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Bobbi Jo Chavarria is Meetup's Organizer of the Week, May 14 - 20, 2007

Peace be with you! This week we're back in sunny California to chat with a great woman doing all she can to bring forth peaceful conflict resolution. She heads up the local grassroots collective of like-minded people working to establish…

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John Xintaras is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for May 7 - May 13, 2007

Back to bean-town (Boston) this week. One of my kids (and I have to admit, mine too) favorite children's books is The Halloweener by Dav Pilkey. This humorous Halloween story finds the mortified dachshund Oscar dressing up as a hot…

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Sheryl Ramer is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for April 30 - May 6, 2007

Springtime in New York…a perfect time to explore the city and all it has to offer. Our Meetup Organizer of the Week pulls together all that is NYC and offers it on a silver platter to the fortunate members of…

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Alan is Meetup's Organizer of the Week, April 23-29, 2007

Ahoy! This week we're back in the Bronx (NY) to talk with an old Salt about Sailing. Our Meetup Organizer of the Week incorporated his standing as the Board Secretary for the City Island Yacht Club into a mutually beneficial…

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Banafsheh Ehtemam is the Organizer of the Week, April 16-22, 2007

Grab your wellies, we're going to Boston. Affiliations between Meetup groups seem to be popping up everywhere. This week's featured Organizer created her original Meetup with a companion website doubling her influx of members along with the tried and true…

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Wendy Hughes-Jelen is the Organizer of the Week, April 9 - April 15, 2007

Hello! Join me as we journey to Seattle, Washington to chat with another Tops in Topic Organizer. She has a different managing style with her Meetup and has used her excellent organizational skills to provide her members with a no-pressure…

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Theodore Van Der Merwe is the Organizer of the Week for April 2 - April 8, 2007

Goeie môre! This week we travel to sunny San Diego California to uncover the winning formula used by our Organizer of the Week. Get out your pencils…I'll wait. Now, pay close attention and take generous notes. If you'd like to…

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Candice McFarland is the Meetup Organizer of the Week, March 26 - April 2, 2007

Hello Everyone! This week we're down in Austin, Texas to chat with an Organizer who's enthusiasm is infectious! Her love of her craft as well as for her Meetup and members shines through. Read on for a great ideas to…

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Hans Fedderke is the Meetup Organizer of the Week , March 19 - 25, 2007

This week we're back in the Windy City to chat with an Organizer whose life and work demonstrates and promotes affordable, sustainable design, construction, and landscape practices for homes and communities throughout the Chicagoland area. His Meetup is also committed…

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Maureen Slater is the Meetup Organizer of the Week , March 12-18, 2007

Kansas City, Kansas City here we come! This week we'll chat with an Organizer who has taken a fairly unfamiliar way of life in the Midwest and gathered over a hundred Meetup members who want to know more about improving…

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Elaine Beamer is the Meetup Organizer of the Week, March 5 -11, 2007!

Happy Monday! This week, we head to Illinois to talk with a well-loved Organizer. Over the past few weeks, members of her group have emailed me to nominate her for this interview. One look, and you'll understand why! There is…

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Olive McMeel is the Organizer of the Week, February 26 - March 4, 2007

One of the most valuable resources Meetup.com offers is the chance for ordinary people to reach out a hand of support to others in similar situations. This week's Organizer of the Week is a perfect example. After losing her husband…

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Diana Nicholson is the Organizer of the Week, February 19 - 25, 2007

End World Poverty. A lofty goal indeed. Abraham Lincoln said, “A commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.” Our Meetup Organizer of the Week has made a commitment towards this goal through her Meetup group. Her passion shines…

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Rishad "Q" is the Organizers of the Week, February 11 - 17, 2007

Citizens of the World, UNITE! That's the theme for this week's Meetup. Currently a resident of Seattle, our Organizer of the Week takes ethnic Meetups to a new level. He decided to include members from all walks of life, international…

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Mario and Cathy are the Organizers of the Week, February 4 - 10, 2007

Ai Carumba! This week we visit with a dynamic dancing duo down in Washington DC. Over the past few years, the dual management of this Meetup has proved to be an amazing success. They bring together hundreds of Salsa dancers,…

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Matt Dale is Organizer of the Week, January 29- February 4, 2007

Come along as we travel over the Atlantic to Merry Ole England! This week's Organizer is doing an incredible job with his Meetup based on a card game that has, in recent years, become wildly popular all over the world….

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John Clarke is Organizer of the Week, January 22-28, 2007

Lets hike back over the continent this week to one of my favorite cities, San Francisco, CA. There is a great community spirit among several groups in the Bay Area. Its not uncommon an Organizer of one group to act…

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Corris is Organizer of the Week, January 15-21, 2007

We're back in New York City this week to talk with an extraordinary women. She has been nominated for Organizer of the Week by a compatriot in Toronto. Affilliation is the key to community building over the miles (see #7)….

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Jenn is Organizer of the Week, January 8-14, 2007

This week, we're out in sunny San Diego, CA (one of my favorite cities!). Our Meetup Organizer of the Week has found herself heading up one of the most prolific groups in all of Meetup-dom. Enlisting the help of no…

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Erica is Organizer of the Week, January 2-7, 2007

Welcome to 2007! This week, we visit snowy Denver, CO. Our thoughts go out to all Colorado Meetup members with regard to their personal safety and the well-being of their family and friends in light of the recent catastrophic blizzards…

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Crystal is Organizer of the Week, December 26 - January 1, 2007

As another year draws to a close, We like to send our best wishes out to our Meetup family…all of you who've created and sustained new, effective communities helping to promote the goal of Meetup Everywhere about Most Everything! She…

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Claudia is Organizer of the Week, December 18 - 24, 2006

Happy Holidays to all! I've had a request to showcase more Sci-Fi Meetups, and in keeping with the holiday spirit of giving I'd like to introduce you to an Organizer and a Meetup group that fits the bill. This group…

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Rob is Organizer of the Week, December 11 - 17, 2006

This week I'll be continuing my month-long spotlight on Meetups making a difference for the holidays. Our Organizer of the Week is the epidome of energy! Not only does he own a successful Doggie Day Care facility which he offers…

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Susan is Organizer of the Week, December 4 - 10, 2006

With the holidays upon us, the next few weeks I'll be highlighting Meetups that are making a difference in the lives of those in need. This week, we head out to the windy city, Chicago, IL. Our Organizer of the…

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Sharon Smith is Organizer of the Week, November 27 - December 3, 2006

This week we have a very special Organizer for you all to meet. This courageous woman utilizes Meetup.com in conjunction with her ongoing work bringing awareness as well as an outlet for help to families affected by Autism and Asperger's…

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Richey is Organizer of the Week, November 20 - 26, 2006

This week we head on over to the Commonweath of Virginia to chat a bit with a long-time Meetup member and awesome Organizer. His topic is seasonal, which in some cases can be very challenging to keep a group motivated….

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Kay is Organizer of the Week, November 13 - 18, 2006

Don't mess with Texas! This week, we're heading down to Fort Worth to visit with a Meetup Organizer who, in just a few short months has congregated over 100 members. Her creativity and consumate up attitude is a natural attraction….

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Helen is Organizer of the Week, November 6 - 12, 2006

Back to sunny California this week to talk with a long time Organizer who has been consistantly growing and making the most of her Meetup. Her About page alone would entice me to join, and I live in Jersey! Not…

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Lisa is Organizer of the Week, October 29 - November 4th, 2006

This week I can humbly say I'm inspired and have renewed my dedication to what our mission is here at Meetup. Our Organizer of the Week sums it up beautifully in this quote: You often hear people in the media…

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Steve is Organizer of the Week, October 22 - October 28, 2006

This week we're back in New York City to talk with an Organizer who struck while the iron was hot with his Meetup topic and since that time, the original Meetup has viral spin-offs keeping the vast number of members…

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Kai is Organizer of the Week, October 15 - October 21, 2006

This week, we're heading down to sunny Florida to chat with another amazingly successful Meetup Organizer. One awesome tip this week's Meetup Organizer of the Week shares with us could help all new Organizers create and sustain “Can't Miss Meetups”…

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Bonnie is Organizer of the Week, October 1 - October 7, 2006

Hey all! This week we're making a stop in the nation's capital to check out a great Meetup dedicated to culture and the arts! Here she is, the Meetup Organizer of the Week, October 1, 2006 to October 7, 2006:…

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Isabelle is Organizer of the Week, September 24 - September 30, 2006

Bon Jour Mon Ami! This week, lets check in with a tres magifique Organizer out in Los Angeles, CA. Pay particular attention to her marketing ideas and plans to affiliate with other French Language Meetup Organizers in California. This is…

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Eric Weaver is Organizer of the Week for September 17 - 23, 2006

Hello Everyone! I will keep my intro short and sweet, as our Organizer of the Week's interview is chock-full of awesome ingredients to create a major Meetup buzz! Many of you use or have heard of the photoblogging site, Flickr,…

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Heather Henderson is Organizer of the Week for September 10- 16, 2006

Its a tough day for all of us. I'd just like to say our heart and prayers go out to the victims and families of 9/11. This week we visit with a Super Mom from Anchorage Alaska. As a…

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George Nemeth is Organizer of the Week for September 3- 9, 2006

This week we travel to the fine, fine city of Cleveland Ohio. Our Organizer of the Week has utilized Meetup in its most important capacity, using the internet to get people off the internet. As webloggers, online relationships are uniquely…

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Organizers of the Week Vol. 88 - 1/22/07

January 22, 2006 John Clarke, Organizer of the Super Fabulicious Hiking and Outdoor Adventure Meetup “I think the best thing you can do to make your group successful is just have events on a regular basis—at least a couple…

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Heather is Organizer of the Week for August 27 - September 2, 2006

Lights…Camera…Action! This week we visit with a Movie Meetup Maven. Learn how she as taken the reins and uses all the tools available to her to make her Meetup About Page a “one stop” in the Raleigh area (and beyond)…

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Ronan is Organizer of the Week for August 20 - 26, 2006

Good Glorious Morning! Today is probably one of the best days of our New York Metropolitan summer! Cool, crisp and breezy. There is a hint of autumn in the air…perfect day for a walk outside…. Which leads me to introduce…

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Jonathan Durston is Organizer of the Week for August 13 - 19, 2006

Good Morning! Lets make a quick hop over to the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois and find out what's cooking with another Uber-Org… He is the fearless leader of several highly successful Meetups, with top ranking not only in the Chicagoland…

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Hilary Moon Murphy is Organizer of the Week for August 6 - 12, 2006

Good Morning All! This week, I'm so happy to share with you an interview with a very special Organizer… I could go on about her peerless talents, but I only allowed 7,500 characters to post! I'm thrilled to the bone…

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David is Organizer of the Week for July 30 - August 5, 2006

Well, while we are here in Europe, I thought we'd hop over to Spain and check in with another Five-Star Meetup. As an Expat American, our Meetup Organizer of the Week was seaching around the net for info about Madrid…

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Susan Holland is Organizer of the Week for July 23 - 29, 2006

This week we travel to Paris, France to visit with an interesting Organizer finding out about the genesis and success of her Fine Arts Meetup. She has kept a vast network of artist together after the closure of her original…

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Lisa Putman is Organizer of the Week for July 16 - 22, 2006

This week we're partnering with a Meetup Watch project in conjuction with the Detroit Free Press. This week's Meetup Organizer of the Week has lots to share, great venue ideas and tips to keep her Meetup welcoming and friendly. Based…

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Rand is Organizer of the Week for July 9-15, 2006

This week we'll visit with a young, vibrant Organizer whose Meetup spans three states. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, he attracts members from New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well. He keeps things hopping, organizing road trip Meetups to all three states,…

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Denise is Organizer of the Week for July 2-8, 2006

This week's Meetup Organizer of the Week is a woman of boundless energy! I'm so impressed with her unique and inspirational events - Can't Miss Meetups for sure! Check out her About Page - HOT! Allow me to introduce to…

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Lizzy Logan is Organizer of the Week for June 25 - July 1, 2006

Welcome once again to our weekly visit with extraordinary Organizers around the globe. Lately most everyone has been effected by the rise in oil prices through the year. This week, we highlight a Meetup that focuses on effective alternatives through…

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George Price is Organizer of the Week for June 17 - 24, 2006

We here at Meetup are thrilled to present the Organizer of the Week for June 17-24, 2006, George Price and The North Atlanta Musicians Meetup! George is a matter of fact kind of guy who has transitioned his Meetup into…

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Earnestine is Organizer of the Week for June 11-17, 2006

Let's sit a spell and catch up with Earnestine, Organizer of the Atlanta Crochet Meetup and Meetup's Organizer of the Week for June 11-17, 2006! This Organizer's love of her craft as well as the love she's found through finding…

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Erik of the Las Vegas Hiking Meetup Group is the Organizer of the Week, June 4-10, 2006

Introducing the Meetup Organizer of the Week for June 4 - 10, 2006, Erik and The Las Vegas Hiking Meetup Group! Erik moved to a new city, found a waiting list on Meetup.com of others interested in his topic of…

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Keith Vu is Organizer of the Week, May 28-June 3, 2006!

This dynamic Organizer is in the San Francisco Bay area where he has just finished producing a video about his Meetup! He took over this Meetup when it was about to fold a while back and has turned it around…

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Manoj Nayak is Organizer of the Week for May 21 - 27, 2006

Let's hear it for Meetup Organizer of the Week for May 21 - 27, 2006: Manoj Nayak and The Mumbai Salsa Meetup! Manoj has turned a popular dance craze into a super Meetup in his home city of Mumbai, India….

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Juliet Jones is Organizer of the Week for May 14 - 20, 2006

This Organizer whose low-key style has brought prodigious results! Let's all give a hand to the Meetup Organizer of the Week for May 14 - 20, 2006, Juliet Jones and The Memphis Scrapbooking Meetup! How did you discover Meetup.com? I…

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Jesse Jarvis is Organizer of the Week for May 7 - 13, 2006!

This organizer's energy is contagious! I'm sure you will grab a bunch of new ideas for your Meetup from The Meetup Organizer of the Week for May 7 - 13, 2006 Jesse R. Jarvis and DFW Sci-Fi/Fantasy Meetup Group How…

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Therese Holliday is Organizer of the Week for April 30 - May 6, 2006

Join us in congratulating the Meetup Organizer of the Week for April 30 - May 6, 2006: Therese Holliday and The Exceptional Families Network! This special Organizer has turned around a personal tragedy into a fantastic opportunity to help others…

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Eric Blommel is Organizer of the Week for April 23 - April 29, 2006!

Hailing from the Mile High City,Eric Blommel has grown a wonderful Meetup from a very broad, free-flowing topic which is why he and his group, The Denver Philosophy Meetup, is the Meetup Organizer of the Week for April 23 -…

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Holly Barker is Organizer of the Week for April 16 - April 22, 2006

Now that spring has arrived in all its glory. Lets visit with a very active (in more than one way) Meetup in glorious NYC that really enjoys the great weather. The Meetup Organizer of the Week for April 16 -…

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Larry Zafran is Organizer of the Week for April 2 - 8, 2006

Down in Cary, North Carolina, this Organizer who has Meetup down to a science. His Meetup has events just about every night. This Organizer makes the most of the suggestions on our Organizer Forum and wow…the results are phemonenal. “I…

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Aurora Di Giulio!! is Organizer of the Week, March 26 - April 1, 2006!

This week’s Organizer of the Week has managed to go from start to the #3 position in the Friends (as in acquaintances, not the televison program) topic in only 2.5 months! Introducing Meetup’s Organizer of the Week for March 26…

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Lynsey Garnett is Organizer of the Week, March 19 – 25, 2006

Meetup’s Organizer of the Week for March 19 – 25 is Lynsey Garnett and her fantastic Meetup Group, London French Meetup! Lynsey's one of the most vibrant and innovative Organizers we've come across. Take a moment and read a few…

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Dawn and Nate are Organizers of the Week, March 12-18, 2006!!

Aloha! Meetup’s Organizers of the Week for March 12 – 18 are husband and wife team, Dawn and Nate of the fabulous Five Star Honolulu Pug Meetup! This gem of a Meetup group is in Honolulu on the island of…

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Sunnie is Organizer of the Week for March 6-11, 2006

Lets hear it for the Meetup Organizer of the Week for March 6 - 11, 2006, Sunnie MacDougal-Cohn and the Moms Meetup she organizes: Mothers Inc. (North County Play Group), who has been nominated by several different members and a…

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Ron Purvis is Organizer of the Week, February 26-March 4, 2006

The Meetup Organizer of the Week for February 26 - March 4, 2006 needs little introduction. This Organizer is a popular, cherished member of the Meetup boards who has helped many a new Organizer with their initial growing pains while…

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Mark Allen is Organizer of the Week for February 19-25, 2006!!

Meet the Meetup Organizer of the Week for February 19 - 25, 2006, Mark Allen of The London Book Club Meetup Mark utilizes the Meetup tools to a tee, not needing even to remind his members to RSVP! As one…

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David Ray is Organizer of the Week for February 5-11, 2006!

This organizer is not only in charge of one of the most active groups on Meetup, but he and members of his group were also just highlighted on the Martha Stewart Show on February 3rd. With some of the best…

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Matt Silva is Organizer of the Week for January 29 - February 4, 2006!

Our Meetup Organizer of the Week for January 29 - February 4, 2005 is Matt Silva and The New Haven Collective. Christian Keane has nominated Matt, who could also be named a true Meetup Innovator. Combining several Meetup topics into…

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Susie Labry is Organizer of the Week, February 12-17, 2006

Meet Meetup Organizer of the Week, February 12-17, 2006, Susie Labry of the Baton Rouge Music and Film Industry Meetup! Created just days after Hurricane Katrina hit the area, this Meetup bucked the odds and has grown into one of…

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Mustafa Dogru is Organizer of the Week 8/29

The Meetup Organizer of the Week for August 28 - September 3, 2005 is Mustafa Dogru of the New York City Turkish Social Group. “We grew 44 to 321 members (630%) in 3 1/2 months and are still growing at…

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Caroline Ferenczi is Organizer of the Week Aug 20th

The Organizer of the Week for August 20 - 27 is Caroline Ferenczi of New York Italian for 40 and Over. Caroline has been nominated by one of her members.. but, they ALL love her! How does Caroline get members…

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Melissa Brand-Vokey is Organizer of the Week for September 11 - 17

Meetup Organizer of the Week for September 11 - 17 is Melissa Brand-Vokey and the DFW Hurricane Relief Meetup “We are doing wonderful things one family at a time” How did you discover Meetup.com as a place to organize your…

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Desiree Martinez is Organizer of the Week Aug 14

Meet our Meetup Organizer of the Week for August 14 - 20 Desiree Martinez and the Denver Pug Club With Desiree in charge this Pug Meetup's membership has skyrocketed (253 members strong!) Recently. they were on TV! The local NBC…

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Rich Feurer is Organizer of the Week 8/8/05

Rich Feurer, Organizer of The New York City Photograpy Meetup is the Organizer of the Week Monday August 8,2005. “The foundation was making our Meetup not just a place for people to have dinner, schmooze and leave with the wind….

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Alison McGuinness is Organizer of the Week July 18,2005

The Organizer of the Week for July 18-24, 2005, Alison McGuinness, and her Meetup Group The Washington Expat Brit Meetup Group. “I think having your photo on the site helps people feel that there is a face to a name…

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Genny G is Org of the Week July 10 - 17

Say G'Day to Meetup Organizer of the Week for July 10-17 Genny G and The Auckland Knitting Meetup How did you discover Meetup.com? I discovered Meetup.com through a knitty.com readers forum. An existing meetup member mentioned it in a “stitch…

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Julie Despaties is Organizer of the Week for July 31 - August 6

Organizer of the Week for July 31 - August 6 is Julie Despaties Organizer of The San Francisco Formula 1 Meetup Group She hails from the West Coast (San Francisco) and has brought together a phenomenal Meetup group for…

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Stephanie Inge is Organizer of the Week May 29th.

This week we're featuring a super Organizer from the Lone Star State Stephanie manages several groups in her area, along the same topic…. Ebay Sellers! An online community using an online community builder to share tips and success stories, further…

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Jen J is Organizer of the Week 5/23/05

Jen J, Meetup Organizer of the Week May 23, 2005 This week's Organizer of the Week has utilized Meetup in a very unique way, preserving her Cajun heritage by bringing other “Lost Cajuns” together again. Read on for tips on…

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Dan Chusid is Organizer of the Week: May 15, 2005

Meet the Organizer of the Week for May 15 - 21 Dan Chusid, Organizer of the San Diego Photography Meetups. As Organizer of a few very large groups within related topics, Dan manages to and keep his groups focused and…

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Philip Lee is Organizer of the Week for June 6, 2005

This week's Organizer of the Week is absolutely on FIRE! Philip utilizes various online social networking sites as the calalyst to fuel his Meetups. Read carefully…Phil offers innovative resources to help new and struggling Organizers to bolster their Meetup membership…

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Daniel Chan is Organizer of the Week for June 27-July 2, 2005

There's a whole lotta shakin' going on in Singapore! This week's featured Organizer not only created the largest Elvis Meetup Group, this incredibly popular Meetup Group is also one of the most active of ALL Meetup Groups! This group has…

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Vincent Boon is Organizer of the Week July 4- 10, 2005

The July 5, 2005 Organizer of the Week is Vincent Boon of the The London Poker Meetup Making sure everyone who is attending knows what's going on and how it's all going to work is key to a successful meetup….

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Belinda Cameron is Organizer of the Week for June 19-25, 2005

This group of SAHM's in Redlands, California really know how to have a good time! This week's featured Organizer hosts many events each month, and manages to keep things fun and friendly! Be sure to check out their Meetup Groups…

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Brenda Parker is Organizer of the Week June 14, 2005

Try to keep up with this week's Organizer! She was new in town, found Meetup.com, stepped up as Organizer of the Houston Travel Meetup and never looked back! After taking up the reins as Organizer a few months ago, She's…

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New Features

Organizer Center › New Features

The Meetup Messenger, Issue #4 - Easy Holiday Meetups!

Easy Holiday Meetups! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) This week I want to share some of the 1,500+ upcoming Holiday Meetups with you. Maybe they'll spark some ideas for yours… Attleboro Moms Meetup:…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #3 - Announcing The Great Holiday Meetup Food Drive!

Announcing The Great Holiday Meetup Food Drive! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) Last week, I suggested that a Holiday Meetup is a great excuse for your community to come together. Today, we announce…

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New Features 11/15/2006

We're happy to announce what's new in our November release. As you may have noticed, this release comes just 2 weeks after our last one, so it's more about quality than quantity. Holiday Party theme As many of you have…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #2 - Have a Holiday Meetup!

Have a Holiday Meetup! by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) People need a good excuse to go to a Meetup. Having a Holiday Meetup is the perfect solution! New members, old members, people who…

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The Meetup Messenger, Issue #1 - You're Crazy to Organize a Meetup!

You're Crazy to Organize a Meetup by Scott Heiferman (CEO of Meetup; Organizer of NY Tech Meetup) Welcome to the first issue of The Meetup Messenger! Here, we'll share ideas and stories from across the Meetup universe. Recently, I met…

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New Features 11/1/2006

We're happy to announce the new features that launched yesterday in our October release. It's a very light release in comparison to past releases, with the things that are on the forefront. We worked on many behind the scenes things…

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New Features 10/3/2006

I'm happy to announce we have launched a round of improvements to Friday's release based on your feedback over the last few days! As I said yesterday, we wanted to get you some key improvements fast and continue working on…

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New Features 9/27/2006

For the past month, all of us here at Meetup.com have been focusing on features, tools and site changes that will help Organizers make “Can't Miss Meetups.” The idea is that if we can help make Meetup Group sites and…

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New Features 8/29/2006

Let visitors see the location of your Meetup When you schedule a new event for any of your public Meetup Groups, we'll show the location to everyone who views the details for that Meetup. We think this will encourage more…

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New Features 7/25/2006

Add your Meetup to multiple topics Many Meetups fit into more than one topic. For example, the Single Poker-Players Meetup could be in the Singles topic or the Poker topic. Now it can be in both. You still have to…

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New Features 6/27/2006

Welcome to Summer! With no further ado, here's what's new on the site: Tabs and “Breadcrumbs” I may as well start with the most apparent change. There are now tabs at the top of every page as well as breadcrumbs….

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New Features 5/31/2006

Recommendations in the City Newsletter and the City Page Most of you are signed up for our City Newsletter. (If you're not, go sign up now. There should be a red button to do so on our homepage and there's…

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New Features 4/26/2006

Control over “reminder” email When you schedule a Meetup with RSVPs, we've been sending out an email 2 weeks before the event to anyone who had not RSVPed yet, another 1 week before to anyone who RSVPed Yes or Maybe,…

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New Features 3/28/2006

Walter, here with a quick update on what's improved today, 3/28/06: A revamped “Organizer Tools & Help” More ability when emailing groups of Members Organizer Newsletter Organizer Meetups Downloadable Member Lists Improved Search results A Better Experience when looking for…

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New Features 3/2/2006

Hey everyone - You may have noticed the today's new features. Here's the full run down. Slightly new look for the site Well, no doubt you've already noticed that we've made some slight changes to the appearance of the site….

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New Features 2/15/2006

Happy day-after-Valentine's Day! There's so much going on I don't know where to begin so I'll just dive in: Reworked the City Page and City Newsletter We made some changes to the “City” page to make it a little easier…

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New Features 1/24/2006

New Stuff! Enjoy!! Easily add links when emailing your group or group members Say someone joins your group and you want to email them to welcome them. And you want to include a link to your next Meetup so they…

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New Features 6/14/05

Today we announced more new features to make organizing your group on Meetup.com easier. Multiple Open Polls Now you can have multiple poll questions open at any one time. Closing Message Board Threads Organizers (and Assistants) can now close Message…

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New Features 5/16/05

Private Groups For those of you whose groups deal with sensitive subjects, you can now choose to keep the majority of group's content completely private. That means only members of the group can see your events, read your message…

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New Features 5/03/2005

Organizers- As mentioned a few times in the last few weeks, we have some new features for you. A few big ones and a few little ones. For those non-Organizers who're reading this, sorry that so much of this is…

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New Features 2/3/05

Meetup has launched more new features to help you grow and manage your Meetup Group. More Printable Promotion Materials Now you can create great event invitations, group business cards, table top tents and of course the pull off tab flyers,…

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New Features 1/20/2005

Meetup has launched some great new year features to help you grow and manage your Meetup Group. Printable flyers Now you can create eyecatching, printable flyers especially designed for your Meetup Group….

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Phil Robinson is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for July 16 - 22, 2007

Organizer Center › Organizer of the Week › Phil Robinson is Meetup's Organizer of the Week for July 16 - 22, 2007

Sometimes situations come together that one would never expect. Call it kismet or fate or a failure to communicate, but the outcome is brilliant. Its tough when I'm seeking an honoree in a large city such as NYC. There are so many qualified Orgs and groups, I could interview years worth of successful Orgs and never leave the Lower East Side.

I really hit the jackpot contacting this week's MOW! Phil is a special guy; not only because of his Meetup groups success, but for his passion for people, his topics and Meetup as a whole.

Imagine my surprise when he informed me that he was a new colleague! Yes, we snapped him up. We're always on the look-out for smart, passionate people. So, you never know!

Let me leave you to get to know Phil. He organizes three successful groups and has MUCH information to share with all of us.

I'm thrilled to introduce you to The Meetup Organizer of the Week for July 16 - 22, 2007, Phil Robinson and his Meetups:

NY Musicians Group
NY Mythology Group
NY Culture Circle

Thanks, Phil!

  1. Three groups, Phil! Which came first and what prompted you to start the subsequent two?

    The NY Mythology Group came first. I thought of it as an experiment-- I had no idea what to expect. One of my friends had invited me to a 'Dream Analysis' group which I attended a couple times and loved, even before I realized that the people running the group were using Meetup.com.

    Once I learned about the Meetup site, I searched for other topics that interested me; unfortunately I didn't find one on my obscure interest in mythology. So, I left my name on the Mythology Alert List with a brief note saying that Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces (a classic mythology text) was my favorite book ever. I then pretty much forgot about it.

    A couple months later, I received an e-mail, through the Alert List, from a young woman who was also hungry to talk about all things mythological. We agreed to meet for lunch, and the two of us had an amazing conversation and ran to the local Barnes & Noble to show each other some of our favorite mythology books.

    It was so energizing! I felt so re-connected to something I love; and it was an amazing feeling to have met someone who shared the same rare passion. Meeting that first person made me realize that there was potentially a whole city full of people dying to talk about mythology who simply lacked a communal context to do so...

    So, inspired by that first meeting, I decided to step up and become the organizer of a Mythology Meetup. Within three months, the group had developed, and grew to become an incredibly close-knit community of friends-- my life was once again populated (as it had been in college) with close friends who shared by obscure interest.

    I was so startled to have been able to fill that void in my life (and so EASILY!) by using Meetup.com, that I began to reflect: "Hmmmm.... what else is missing from my life?"

    Since I was a musician who had just moved to New York and was trying to break into the scene, I realized that it'd be extremely helpful to meet other musicians: to perform with, collaborate with, record with, and support each other's gigs, etc... So, I started the NY Musicians Group. Similar to my experience with the Mythology Group, I quickly discovered that the group wound up being extremely helpful to the other members as well.

    Finally, the other thing that I craved was being a member of a supportive community of artists and creative folks of all types. When I was in college I had started a 'Dead Poets Society'-like group where we would gather once a month and share songs, poetry, stories, artwork, etc... I really craved having that kind of community in my life once again, so, once again, I thought that Meetup.com would be an invaluable tool to help create, organize and promote such a group. Thus, the NY Culture Circle was born. It wasn't long before it blossomed beautifully as well...

    With all three groups I made a startling (and extremely rewarding) discovery: By trying to address my own needs, I inadvertently created something which addressed the needs of many other people as well. It's been an absolutely beautiful and inspiring experience.

  2. Do you find much cross-over with your membership?

    Yes, there is a lot of crossover. I think that as members get to know you as an organizer, they tend to like and admire you as a person, and become generally interested in other events that you're involved in organizing as well.

    I've had a lot of members of the mythology group follow me over to the culture circle, and then there has also been some cross-over with the musicians group as well.

    As members of the groups become friendly with each other, they tend to follow each other to different groups as well. At some point, the company becomes more important than the topic.

  3. Any pitfalls to lookout for when managing more than one group?

    Yes-- it can become SO MUCH WORK. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started groups number two and three! Each group became very popular very quickly that it became clear that I'd need to hold events more frequently than once a month in order to accommodate the interest.

    I became overwhelmed to the point where I was too busy to do a good job with any of them; it actually became stressful, consuming, felt like a job, and I became a little resentful of the time that it seemed the groups were demanding of me.

    (Granted, I realized I brought that all on myself!)

    Each of the groups was so valued by its members, however, that I couldn't bear the thought of ending any of them. So I stumbled on to a different solution: how could each group continue on, but without being dependent on me doing all of the work? It became very clear very quickly that I would need assistants to help plan and host events, as well as maintain things on the web-site.

    I soon formed teams of multiple assistant organizers in each of the three groups. The core members enjoyed taking a more active role and once the workload became distributed among multiple people, no one person had to do TOO much work for any one group.

    So, by now I have teams of very competent, very dedicated, very capable assistants, to the point where I can choose to be obsolete if I wanted to. If I moved to a different city, the groups would capably go on without me. The centers of the groups have become larger than a single person holding them together.

    In fact, after 18 months of organizing three groups I had become very burnt out, to the point where I took a two-month sabbatical this past May and June, in which each of the events for each of the groups was being successfully run by the assistant organizers.

    Now I'm back from my sabbatical and participating in the groups actively once again and very refreshed. Although one of my groups might hold as many as five events each month, I personally only go to about one or two myself. Each community is very large and stable without me. I'm a participant and organizer, but I DO NOT NEED to do EVERYTHING for EVERY EVENT!

    So, my advice: ENLIST AND TRAIN ASSISTANTS WHO FEEL THAT HELPING OUT WITH THE GROUP FITS WELL WITH THEIR OWN GOALS FOR THEMSELVES. Then sit back, and watch in amazement as the little community you seeded becomes stable and autonomous without you having to keep everything together.

  4. As I mentioned in your intro, you've recently come to join us on the inside of Meetup.com. Care to share a bit about how this came about and what your impressions are now that you're behind the curtain?

    Meetup, the company, aims to do a GREAT job staying in touch with the PEOPLE who use the web-site. They're very engaged with soliciting feedback from organizers as well as members of Meetup groups.

    To that end, Meetup employees (who are based in Manhattan) regularly go out and drop in on local NY-area Meetup events, and invite some of the organizers of those events to a company lunch at the Meetup office. The lunches are an opportunity for the Meetup staff to hear from actual organizers, and for the organizers to meet the people behind the scenes and to voice their questions, concerns or (in my case) praise.

    I was invited to one of these lunches: Some Meetuppers crashed one of my Musicians Group networking events that (I discovered) was held just a couple blocks away from the Meetup office. I attended the lunch and shared my great enthusiasm for the company with them and described my three successful Meetup groups. Also, in introducing myself, I mentioned that my day job was as a software consultant, "helping big companies build web-sites...". They happened to be looking for web-developers, so after the lunch, the conversation quickly turned to the possibility of me coming to work for the company.

    From Meetup's perspective, I imagine it was a huge plus to consider me as a job applicant who comes with a lot of experience and perspective as an enthusiastic Meetup organizer. It's a passionate company which is extremely focused on the primary goal of empowering people everywhere to form groups on whatever genuinely fulfills their needs. I appeared to them as someone who not only has the technical skills, but who shares in that passion, so it was a very good fit.

    I started working here just about a week ago and so far I find it very exciting-- it's the first day job I've had where I actually look forward to going to work, and I believe that's because I'm emotionally connected to what the company does. As a company, of course, Meetup has to care about such things as money and technology and logistics, etc... But what feels great about working at Meetup is that those concerns are peripheral to the primary motivation which is literally a passion to help the world's people organize themselves into groups that are meaningful to them.

    There's a lot of earnest idealism here, and I feel like I'm helping to enable the kinds of positive experiences that I and my members have experienced ourselves, for many more people.

  5. We're fortunate to have your unique impressions as a long-time Meetup Organizer on the team make Meetup.com even better. Which team are you working with and where do you see yourself focused?

    My title is Senior Software Engineer, meaning I help out with the programming and technical aspects involved in making the web-site work and to keep developing and adding new features to the site. My experience also qualifies me to take on a leadership role on the technology team, so as the tech team continues to grow and gets split up into smaller teams, part of the plan for me at the company is to take on leadership of one of the smaller teams.

    Beyond my job description, however, is that at a company like Meetup, EVERYONE participates in idea generation and contributing to the process of creating an effective service. It's the kind of office where anyone, in any position, can walk right up to the CEO the idea would actually get listened to and considered.

    A portion of everyone's work week consists of participating in 'idea meetings' in which business types, customer support types, techie types, etc... sit together as peers and brainstorm together. I suspect that a lot of what I have to offer (from my experience organizing groups) will come out of my participating in meetings like that, maybe even more so than my technical skills.

    It's really the kind of company where everyone is valued as being creative, and anyone can contribute an idea about anything at any time, regardless of where they fit into the company, and if the idea has merit it will be recognized, valued and pushed forward.

  6. Mythology is an unusual Meetup topic. When did your interest in legend, lore and mythicism begin?

    I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with Mythology. I hesitate to use the word 'interest' as that implies something intellectual (eg. I'm not 'interested' in mythology any more than I'm 'interested' in being in love or in becoming inspired by great poetry or in getting up on stage and playing my songs for a receptive audience). It'd be more accurate to say that Mythology is nourishing to the deep core of my soul and also that it provides a context for the deep feeling of truth that transcends the rational mind.

    When I was a young child, the bedtime stories my mother would read to me were the Greek myths. I would sit in rapt attention as the horizons of my imagination were consistently expanded by these vivid stories which seemed to contain eternal human truths.

    When I was a little older, I loved the Star Wars movies and was astonished to realize that those movies had captured the imagination of an entire generation of children around the world as fully as they had. What fueled the imagination of the maker of those movies that they could create such seismic ripples across the culture? How were they able to have so much power to speak so strongly to so many people? I was so eager to learn more that I read every interview with George Lucas that I could find. I discovered that Lucas had based the character archetypes and story lines on universal motifs that recur throughout mythologies of the world.

    In fact, Lucas shaped the films based on the universal mythic story structure delineated by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 masterpiece, The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Campbell's argument is that all cultures everywhere ultimately express universal deep human truths, wrapped in a set of symbolic stories and images that are meaningful to members of that particular culture. However, if we look beyond the surface of the symbols to what they represent, we may penetrate to the core universal ideas represented by those symbols, which all cultures share in common.

    In other words, Campbell would argue, that the same process that was occurring in ancient Greece which gave rise to what we now consider 'Greek Mythology' is the very same process which occurred a couple thousand years ago which has given rise to what we now consider 'Christianity'. The Greeks expressed their sense of the world through stories that made sense to them at that point in history; just as the early Christians expressed their sense of the world through stories that made sense to them thousands of years later. The details of the stories are different of course, but the constant elements of the human experience which inform each set of stories remain the same.

    In that sense, reflecting on Mythology provides one with a context to appreciate how our shared cultural heritage of symbolic stories holds value for us if we can see past the surface details of the symbol, through to the underlying universal truths expressed.

    The other thread to this is that I had been raised with a very rigid, fundamentalist style of Christianity which was very psychologically stressful for me to feel compelled to agree with as a young person. Reflecting on mythology and seeing my own culture's traditions within the context of all cultures actually provided me with a perspective in which I was able to feel comfortable reflecting on spiritual and psychological aspects of the human experience. So, mythology has been EXTREMELY useful to me in that regard.

    In fact, to use the word mythology to describe the topic probably evokes too narrow a picture: one imagines a bunch of people sitting around telling those old Greek stories of Zeus and Hercules. Well, it is that, but it's also more: 'Mythology' is also synonymous with 'Comparative religion and appreciation for the human imagination which ceaselessly creates stories and images which symbolically express the deep psychologial and spiritual truths of humanity.

    So, as you can see, my involvement with mythology transcends interest. It's nourishment and company for the soul, and a true resource on my human journey.

  7. Where do you see your groups headed in the months and years to come?

    Each group has been growing and opening up many doors of opportunity for myself and for my members-- far beyond what was originally imagined. I see no reason to believe that that wouldn't simply continue.

    The NY Mythology Group has become officially endorsed by the Joseph Campbell Foundation as its official New York chapter, and as such, they promote our events on an international scene and connect us to many incredible opportunities within the mythology community: illustrious guest speakers and performers regularly come to New York and let us hold special events around their activities, and this benefits both our members and the community at large.

    The NY Musicians Group has become a powerful collective of musicians with relationships with many venues such as performance and recording spaces, recording studios, record labels, etc. Many bands, etc. have formed out of our community and many musicians have launched successful NY performing careers in that we've all supported each other by attending each other's gigs and collaborating, etc...

    The NY Culture Circle has proved to be a very popular and successful format for creating strong and supportive communities for creative, passionate folk, and there have been residents of other localities who've expressed an interest in starting similar-style groups in their own towns.

    A dream would be to have a culture circle in every town! Localities organize such things as Little League, for example, so that its residents can participate in recreational athletics; why not implement a context in which residents of different localities can participate in recreational creativity as well?

    I see each of the three groups continuing to grow and connecting to similar groups from other cities in larger networks in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

    Also, locally, I see communities such as these starting to work together in synergistic ways to provide true opportunities, resources and support to the participants of each. This benefits the general community as well, as more people are empowered to bring the fruits of their creative labor to fruition.

    If you have enough people gathered together around an inspired idea, no vision is unachievable.

  8. Finally, for the fledging Organizer and/or Organizer thinking of starting more than one Meetup group...any words of advice to impart?

    First, see my answer to question 3 above. Basically, running multiple meetups is a TREMENDOUS amount of work so make sure you find good people who are willing to share the work with you. People are naturally motivated when it is clear to them that they are working for their own best interests, so it's important to find people who are as passionate about the group idea as you are.

    Second, it's HARD to run a large group. But it's EASY to encourage the members of the group to become self-sufficient and just to steer it a little bit so that it can effectively run itself...!

    Third, no two groups are the same. As you can imagine, my mythology events are very different than my culture circle events which are very different from my musicians events. Don't necessarily assume that the same format will work successfully across different group topics. Some ideas translate directly (eg. it's always a good idea to send a personalized welcome e-mail to members who sign up for a group, no matter what the topic). Other ideas do NOT translate directly, so be prepared to let each group become an entirely different creature with an entirely different culture and ways of doing things.

    Finally, Meetups are like anything else: you get out of it what you put into it. It takes a lot of time and energy to build a stable, steady group into a community with some enthusiasm and cohesion to it. If you don't genuinely enjoy organizing and participating in the type of group you imagine, you're probably better off not starting it. For example, I've sacrificed a lot of social time in order to run the three groups that I organize. I don't mind that, because participating in my group feels like fun socializing in itself: it's a bit more focused as each group is comprised of people with similar interests, yet over the months I've become deeply satisfied to have my social life start to revolve more around the communities that have grown out of these groups, with people who are sort of a cross between 'friend' and 'activity partner' and 'person who's passionate about the same things that I am'.

    If you can imagine that being satisfying to you, then PROCEED COURAGEOUSLY FORWARD!

    Be earnest, sincere, open, warm and follow your passions, and people with similar passions will recognize the vitality of what you're doing, and they will add their own to it. Then it will all snowball and become bigger than you initially imagined...!

    Be sure to share your congrats with Phil in the Organizer's Forum.

 Blue Box 2  Brian Nelson

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