Meetup Groups--Have You Tried Them? (Appalachia: area, year, photography)

[normie]

Originally Posted by k8p

I joined two today. One is a Euchre group and one is for ladies in their 20s and 30s to just do different stuff like movies, happy hour, game night, coffee, etc. I've enjoyed meetup in the past with some mommy groups but now I'd like to meet some nice people and NOT talk about our kids all the time.

What is Euchre?

[k8p]

Originally Posted by normie

What is Euchre?

a card game, played mostly in the midwest. It's fun!

[normie]

I tried my first meetup group today. It was much bigger than I expected, about 20 or so people showed up. Everyone seemed nice. Mostly people in their mid 30s and 40s. A few in their 20s and a few in their 50's. And one guy about my age.

It was a very pleasant afternoon. I especially liked that I was invited back to more events, but there was no pressure at all. Nobody expected me to give out my phone number or commite to attending x amount of meetings or pay dues to officially join a club. I'll definitely do a few more activities with this group.

[Tish Thompson]

I have tried it and the particular group I was with didn't work for me...but I think the concept is awesome. I was a part of a single mothers group and found that I was much more independent/self-sufficient/experienced than other mothers in the group. Instead of being a part of a "safe haven" of other people like me, I felt like it was a ***** session while eating crappy food. Give it a shot and keep going to other groups if you find you don't like the one you're in.

Originally Posted by Tone509

The answer is: it depends. Some groups I've seen are purposely age-specific (e.g. "Social Activities for 30-49 Year Olds") while others are vague ("Travel Club"). I'd say that if you decided to join Co-Ed Flag Football, then more power to you! But I've also seen an "Alexandria Sunday Brunch Club" that I'm sure attracts adults of all ages. FWIW, I sometimes go to a international language Meetup where I see people from their 20's to 50's (and probably beyond).

So I say find what you like, show up and see what happens.

[KathyR]

I joined a Labrador Retriever meetup group last year and have gotten together with the group 6-8 times. (with our dogs of course) It's been great. I was a new dog owner, so this group has served a few purposes for me: exercise/socialization for my pup, informational for me, new friendships not based on my kids. They only meet at public places. The group's moderator is fantastic, she really puts a lot of time into scheduling great activities and communicating with the group.

[anonymous703]

I did meetup when I was in grad school in Cincinnati. I played in a poker league that would rotate between three people's homes (it was a blast). I also did a couple of dining out groups -- one happened to be a lot of middle aged divorced females. (At the time, I was a mid-twenties single male.) Although I do socialize well with older people, I was surprised at what an absolute blast it really was.

Now that I'm married and out here, I've been trying to keep my eye open for couple-oriented meetup groups. So, if there are any suggestions, I'm all ears.

[normie]

Originally Posted by anonymous703

I did meetup when I was in grad school in Cincinnati. I played in a poker league that would rotate between three people's homes (it was a blast). I also did a couple of dining out groups -- one happened to be a lot of middle aged divorced females. (At the time, I was a mid-twenties single male.) Although I do socialize well with older people, I was surprised at what an absolute blast it really was.

Now that I'm married and out here, I've been trying to keep my eye open for couple-oriented meetup groups. So, if there are any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Tonight there's a meet-up group hiking around South Lakes in Reston. Meet at the S Lakes Starbucks at 6:30. Couples and singles belong to this group.

[Sonata204]

I joined a few Meetups the first year I moved to D.C., as a way of meeting people. I have since steered away from the groups that focus solely on going out and socializing, and more towards ones based on specific activities (like hiking, trying new restaurants, etc.). I'm in a 20s & 30s Girls Dinner Date group, a few for single professionals, the Jazz & Blues group, a running club that meets in my neighborhood, and a few of the hiking ones.

It's a nice way to get out of the house and meet people, but I've only made a handful of friendships from Meetup. I've found it difficult to meet people I really "click" with, but that's part of the reason I keep going and trying different groups. It's also been a great way to explore different areas of D.C. that I would have never known about.

[Alicia Bradley]

The only sort of meetup group I'd consider trying would be one that focused on a very specialized hobby (or sport or whatever). The general social/PARTAY! ones sort of weird me out. I mean, if you were seeking those sorts of interactions, couldn't you just go to a bar and 'partay' with whatever random people happened to be there?

[normie]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

The only sort of meetup group I'd consider trying would be one that focused on a very specialized hobby (or sport or whatever). The general social/PARTAY! ones sort of weird me out. I mean, if you were seeking those sorts of interactions, couldn't you just go to a bar and 'partay' with whatever random people happened to be there?

Hanging out at bar gets expensive, plus random people at a bar often are "with" other people and don't want to party with you. I think you're likely to meet a lot more people at a meet-up than at a bar, and meet-ups are a way to meet people without a focus on drinking. But I'm with you, the best groups are the ones that focus on a special interest. I tried a hiking group, and liked it quite a bit. Saw a trail in Reston that I'd never been on before.