Online communities and Chat Rooms
Online communities are everywhere. All of the major internet search engines facilitate them in some way; Google, AOL, Internet Explorer, Yahoo and Bing. There are chat rooms everywhere, for every subject. To find one, go online and type any subject into one of the search engines. Articles and information will come up on screen, as will a corresponding chat room.
Chat rooms are usually anonymous, and there is no way to verify that someone’s picture or personal details are correct. Most people who use chat rooms do not choose to meet in person, either because of differences in geographical location or the desire to remain unknown. The only websites currently dedicated to meeting people face to face are dating websites. Match.com., Chemistry.com, Nerve.com and Eharmony.com all assist people in finding romantic partners.
Social networking sites like facebook and myspace have attempted to make the internet a little more personal but have only limited tools for forming groups that meet in person. Users can “friend” people all over the globe but there is no immediate imperative to meet in person.
Meetup Website
There is one website that is unique, and quickly growing. www.meetup.com is a website dedicated to facilitating people meeting in person, based on common interests or circumstances. At last count, there are 68,763 meetup groups worldwide. The topics range from fitness to film, cooking to dogcare. In order to participate, users must pledge to join or form a community in person.
If a meetup group that suits the user’s needs is not available, he or she is able to start one. Meetup will walk the potential user through the setup process. It charges only a nominal fee for each group, around $15 per month, depending on how long the user commits to organize the group. The longer the commitment, the less expensive it is per month.
How to Use Meetup
A user goes to meetup’s website. He or she can search for groups based on geography and interests. He or she can then join the group. If it is a private group the user will have to wait until his or her application is approved by the organizer. After approval, the user has access to all the information regarding different events that the meetup group is hosting. The user can select an event, RSVP online, and go to the event – hopefully to make some new friends. They can also suggest events and offer to organize some of their own.
Meetup’s Success
Meetup is more than a social networking site. They look to help create communities that will work towards a better world. On their website, in the About Us section they have this statement:
“Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.”
On some levels, they are succeeding. They boast 6 million visitors to the site monthly, 5.7 million regular members and 179,000 monthly meetups. While not all of these groups are set up to change the world, there is definitely something for everyone and the potential for anything.
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