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Well, I am just saying, could you do the same thing, but not need a Meetup event to do it?
I am still not sure what this has to do with judging people's behavior when THEY go to meetups. I, personally, have never been to any meetup like thing that was not related to a technical interest. So no scoping for dates, and no one cares who I talk to. I was there to learn about a topic related to work.
I am not even sure what you mean by "need"ing a Meetup. You point seems to be, and perhaps I am missing it since you are being dodgy, that if one goes to a Meetup one needs to behave a certain way to be "right" and that their feelings, whether it be shyness, an attempt to get over social anxiety, or whatever is going on in their world is irrelevant. I simply don't agree with that.
I will answer your question though. Not sure why. I take my dog out, I go out, by myself all the time. So what?
I am still not sure what this has to do with judging people's behavior when THEY go to meetups. I, personally, have never been to any meetup like thing that was not related to a technical interest. So no scoping for dates, and no one cares who I talk to. I was there to learn about a topic related to work.
I am not even sure what you mean by "need"ing a Meetup. You point seems to be, and perhaps I am missing it since you are being dodgy, that if one goes to a Meetup one needs to behave a certain way to be "right" and that their feelings, whether it be shyness, an attempt to get over social anxiety, or whatever is going on in their world is irrelevant. I simply don't agree with that.
I will answer your question though. Not sure why. I take my dog out, I go out, by myself all the time. So what?
Right. I agree. A lot of the hiking meetups go on unmarked or off-the-beaten path trails that people might not otherwise know about. As a single woman (who does not have a dog), I am not going to do these trails on my own and get lost. I do go on various trails on my own regularly, but they are only the large, marked trails. Usually they are fairly short. Going with a group motivates me to go longer distances. I am sure it is the same for others. I don’t know why people have to be gabbing away all the time or scoping out for dates. The reality is that many women just don’t feel comfortable going on trails alone at any point. I DO go by myself, but only if I am familiar with the trial. However, I have many friends/coworkers who have told me that they will not go on the trails by themselves because they don’t feel safe. The meetup provides an opportunity to get out there in a safer environment. There is no requirement that you socialize for 2 hours.
Right. I agree. A lot of the hiking meetups go on unmarked or off-the-beaten path trails that people might not otherwise know about. As a single woman (who does not have a dog), I am not going to do these trails on my own and get lost. I do go on various trails on my own regularly, but they are only the large, marked trails. Usually they are fairly short. Going with a group motivates me to go longer distances. I am sure it is the same for others. I don’t know why people have to be gabbing away all the time or scoping out for dates. The reality is that many women just don’t feel comfortable going on trails alone at any point. I DO go by myself, but only if I am familiar with the trial. However, I have many friends/coworkers who have told me that they will not go on the trails by themselves because they don’t feel safe. The meetup provides an opportunity to get out there in a safer environment. There is no requirement that you socialize for 2 hours.
True, I'm sure one would not advise you to go out on the Appalachian trail or any national forest trail alone. I know some people that go on these shorter bike trails, off-road...but these trails tend to be a 6 or even 12 mile loop so there's no way to really get lost. But there is legit concern about not wanting to go it alone.
I was on a hike, and a woman asked a couple of us guy's, "Have you noticed that most of the people that join these Meetups are single?" and I was like "Yeah, pretty much, lol". To be honest, people are are always gabbing away on our hikes. A lot chatter, but...that's Meetup for ya.
There was this one married guy that goes on a hike with us, but only because his wife and kids sleep in late on a Sat morning. lol. He's an early bird.
True, I'm sure one would not advise you to go out on the Appalachian trail or any national forest trail alone. I know some people that go on these shorter bike trails, off-road...but these trails tend to be a 6 or even 12 mile loop so there's no way to really get lost. But there is legit concern about not wanting to go it alone.
I was on a hike, and a woman asked a couple of us guy's, "Have you noticed that most of the people that join these Meetups are single?" and I was like "Yeah, pretty much, lol". To be honest, people are are always gabbing away on our hikes. A lot chatter, but...that's Meetup for ya.
There was this one married guy that goes on a hike with us, but only because his wife and kids sleep in late on a Sat morning. lol. He's an early bird.
Is this reply general chit chat or does it have something to do with the topic of the thread?
True, I'm sure one would not advise you to go out on the Appalachian trail or any national forest trail alone. I know some people that go on these shorter bike trails, off-road...but these trails tend to be a 6 or even 12 mile loop so there's no way to really get lost. But there is legit concern about not wanting to go it alone.
I was on a hike, and a woman asked a couple of us guy's, "Have you noticed that most of the people that join these Meetups are single?" and I was like "Yeah, pretty much, lol". To be honest, people are are always gabbing away on our hikes. A lot chatter, but...that's Meetup for ya.
There was this one married guy that goes on a hike with us, but only because his wife and kids sleep in late on a Sat morning. lol. He's an early bird.
We have gotten lost even WITH the group, so yes, it is possible. And when it is hot out and you have no water, even getting lost with 6 or 12 miles can be dangerous. It happened to me on one Meetup and everyone was really worried about where this guy was. He said he was going back to his car and when we got to our cars some time later, his car was still parked. It was very hot, there were no bathrooms along the way or places for water breaks, and we had no idea if he was dehydrated/passed out along the way. Luckily we found him, but imagine if he was alone. There weren’t a lot of people in this area. As I pointed out above, A LOT of married people go on the hikes with my groups. Some come as a couple, some come because their spouses have other things they want to do on weekend mornings- go to church, go to the gym, golf, have an activity with the kids, etc. In my last city, one group leader was married, but his wife often went to her other home abroad for part of the year and did not come to many events. When she did come, she would help lead the meetups.
When it comes to Meetup groups, it seems like there are "task groups" and "relations groups". (By the latter, I'm talking about human connections, not bow-chicka-wow-wow.) It means there are groups where the activity is the first priority. Many hiking, gaming, or other interest-specific groups are like that. It's not that you don't care about the people, it's that you go mainly for whatever the group is about, with the people providing the activity partners and/or safety in numbers.
There are also groups where the people are the first priority. Most groups with "Fun Group" in the name are like that. You don't really care what the event is, it could be something banal like getting a meal at a fast-casual chain. But you still go, because you enjoy the company of the people who come there, and want to see them again. The type of event is relatively unimportant, like a trivia night on a topic you know nothing about.
Sometimes, a "task group" organically evolves into a "relations group". But other times, a group of one type is established as such from the get-go, and stays that way. It all depends on the dedication of existing members and the charisma/leadership of the group organizers.
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