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That's what I quit meetup.com.
Most of the meetings were scheduled during the week, so I didn't go because after work I really didn't want to socialize.
Then if they were held on the weekend, I found I wasn't in the mood to socialize then either.
I didn't realize it was typical for members to not show up for events.
But there are those who do but I get what you are saying ....flake out I mean oh yeah I'm coming and then you make a spot for them say at a dinner and they don't show up . well the restaurant does not make the money the server misses out on money , can you see what I'm saying ? I was planning to help with a dinner and co organize if needed , but there was no interest so we said forget it . I find that to be rude don't you ? if you say you are going to be somewhere dont you think you should be there short of an emergency ?
sorry, misunderstanding - I dont pretend to attend to an event and then don't show up.
I join groups but never klick on "attend"
So nobody thinks I am showing up because I do not register for specific events.
I'm confused. If there was no interest, then no one said they were going to be there. What's rude? Simply being a member of the group is not saying that you will attend all the events.
I'm sorry I was talking about two different things . 1. we had put out a notice for if anyone is interested in having dinner as a group then please let us know 2. there were about a few and we made reservations for them and then all of a sudden nobody was going so we cancelled .
I'm sorry I was talking about two different things . 1. we had put out a notice for if anyone is interested in having dinner as a group then please let us know 2. there were about a few and we made reservations for them and then all of a sudden nobody was going so we cancelled .
Oh, ok. So we've got two separate issues in the thread. I agree that indicating that you will attend and then not showing up is rude. But if they indicated that they would attend, then notified in advance that they couldn't after all, it's less than ideal but a bit less rude. At least you had the opportunity to cancel and didn't have you sitting in the restaurant alone.
The other issue being people who belong to the group but don't attend the events. I don't see a problem with this. They're just members "on paper" and not hurting anything. Maybe they're waiting for the right event to pique their interest.
Some of the groups will "toss" you out if you don't attend anything for a certain length of time.
Or, if you fail to show up and said you were coming.
This is only fair to the coordinator who is planning these events and counting the number coming. And some meet ups require that you start an event at least once a year to maintain your membership. Why join if you don't intend to go????
I've been looking over some meet-up groups in my area since moving here last month. I've noticed an awful lot of groups but nothing going on in any of them. I've wondered why? Maybe now I know. Nobody showed up and the few left lost interest? Sad. Guess I'll stick to the old-fashioned way of finding new friends...at work, the gym, taking classes, through friends, etc.
Been using it more than 10 years and I have run a few "small" groups in days of yore. I am a member of several large, active groups and although never a 'co-organizer', but my level of participation borders on it - I am keen on welcoming new members at their first meet, because I want them coming back for more.
My real life friends think I am bizarre whenever I send a txt "I'm going to meet 29 strangers from the Internet, so we can do an ArtWalk downtown and later have a cocktail at a rooftop bar"
The GLORIOUS thing about meetup, is that it matches the official charter, you will meet new human beings that you would otherwise never encounter if tend to stick to digging a rut between work/home/grocery store. There is no guarantee you will actually make a connection/friend/date out of any given meetup, but at least it gets you out there and doing something "new" - be that hike a new trail, take a 2 hr kayaking class, discuss the latest John Grisham/JK Rowling novel, or try a new pub/bar/restaurant.
In every group, there might be "500 members" but only about "50" are active and will show up in real life. The other 450, don't know what their trip is. If meetup had a "I like this" button, that would accurately describe the "dormant members". The ratio/phenom is about the same whatever the group size - in specific the los-angeles-hiking-group has 22,900 members, but each meetup will only attract about 20-200 participants on any given day.
Not to be harsh, but if a group doesnt have at least 500 members, and 4 events per month, it's lame Tumbleweed City. You have to have multiple organizers, doing diff events on weekend/weekdays, and afternoons/early evening, to get a good momentum. If you begrudingly have 1 event per month, the group will simply wither and die.
There are a certain number of "fake members" that dishonest meetup organizers use to make fake rsvps, to make their group look more popular than they truly are - these are most obvious in these scenarios:
A) "singles" or "travel" group where they say +29 people are attending, because they allude to "this event was cross-posted to other groups"
B) certain groups which have a political or activist agenda - they want to claim hundreds of members, when the group is mainly composed of one angry guy living in his mother's basement and his 2 best friends, be it Social Justice Warriors or Vegan Snowflakes or Christian Survivalist Militias.
C) certain events are just lame attempts to get people to buy $10/$20 tickets to an event, and they are 'using' meetup's mass audience as free advertising space. It's your call, is it worth it? I've met some famous authors/TV celebs and got my book signed, so for me it was (but it's not always worth it for the contrived events).
they get away with this, because their groups take place in public venues, and its not like anybody takes roll - the serious meetup groups WILL have like a table or corner reserved, and they take roll. One of my best groups, the organizer forces odd-numbered chairs to rotate and even number to stay put, so like a lightweight/free speed dating vibe, you must talk to every person (this is GOLD if you stop and think about it).
However, every city has it winner and moderate and also-ran and lamer groups. If the same 4-6 people are the only ones who show up... you will either... make 4-6 great friends!... or you will have to branch out and try some more and different groups. Just accept that a "snowsports and bobsled club" has no chance if you live in Las Vegas (dont tell me about Mt Charleston, I know)
About 5 yrs ago, meetup had a "maybe" button on the rsvp, but now its YES or NO. Some groups implement 3-strikes-youre-out for flaking on rsvps, and anything that involves money or tickets or paid reservations know how to do paypal/eventbrite/pay in advance to guarantee your rsvp. The honest meetup groups allow a trial membership before they try to collect 'dues', and like PBS they have a once a year pledge drive where the beg-a-thon (it does cost the meetup organizer 'something' to host the website/group - I think that information should be public).
All in all, love meetup and will continue to use it for as long as it works.
I'm confused. If there was no interest, then no one said they were going to be there. What's rude? Simply being a member of the group is not saying that you will attend all the events.
They send you meeting notices and ask you to RSVP. So not replying leaves people who organize things not knowing what to expect.
Quite a lot of meet up groups are arranged around dinner or happy hours with snacks. I belong to 2 of them but I only go if It's not a long walk to get in. Probably 20 people usually attend but not all of them every time.
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