The Wonderful World of Meetup

Meetup Logo
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Meetup (www.meetup.com) is a social media platform and networking service for hosting and organizing in-person and virtual activities, gathering and events for individuals and groups with similar interests, hobbies and professions. Founded by Scott Heiferman and his collaborators in 2002, Meetup currently has sixty million users. People in search of individuals or groups that serve their interests join Meetup by logging into the website or downloading the App. There they will find all kinds of groups, most close to home, and meet people that they have something in common with. Signing up to a Meetup group is easy; and once you are accepted as a member you may go to as many events or activities as you want (though none are mandatory). If you cannot find a group that meets your specific needs, you may start your own group.

I joined Meetup several years ago, at first online but now on the App. I originally did so to join a gay men’s nudist club in the Fort Lauderdale area. I since joined ten different groups, not all gay or nudist, and I am always on the lookout for other groups to join. Meetup groups are public or private, depending on the groups’ membership or activities. My favorite Meetup group is Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ Social Meetup Group, a public group. Open to both singles and couples, this LGBTQ Social Meetup Group currently has 1,978 members. (Though there will be more than that by the time this article appears in print.) It has at least one activity going on each day of the week, and more on weekends. Do you want to go eat at a restaurant? Attend a concert or a play? Play mah-jongg or pickleball? Or just hang out at a nightclub like Hunter’s, to meet old friends and make new ones? These and other activities are at your disposal, thanks to this one Meetup Group. Those who are only interested in one activity (like mah-jongg) can join a group devoted to this particular purpose.

Like most Meetup members, I signed up for free, and I get annoyed whenever Meetup “invites” me to join Meetup+ at $4.99 a week (which is all the time). And not every activity I attend is a five-star event. Some people are cliquish and sometimes I do not get what I want. Though I have met some nice people at Meetup events, my best friends are still those whose friendship I cultivated outside of Meetup. But it is unfair to blame Meetup and the event hosts for these mishaps. Thanks to Meetup, I attend new events, meet new people, and have new experiences, which in turn enrich my life. Meetup and its members create a wonderful social world, one that you are invited to join. Like everything else, Meetup combines the good and the bad, and it is our job to tell the difference.

Jesse’s Journal
By Jesse Monteagudo

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and South Florida resident since 1964. Share your own experiences with him at jessemonteagudo@comcast.net.