Do you know about Meetup?

It is the world’s largest network of local groups.  Meetup.com (also called Meetup) is an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings (in various localities around the world). Meetup allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, such as politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers – and job hunting networking!

Check this short video from Commoncraft: “What’s Meetup”

The Meetup website ( http://www.meetup.com/ ) makes it easy for anyone to find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face.  More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

You may be interested in this 2-minute YouTube video from Scott Heiferman  – co founder of Meetup.  Scott was in Baghdad recently and he puts a nice perspective on how community can be built up and supported through technology (but ultimately people).   http://tinyurl.com/dg3uaj

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.  Meetup helps people find others who share their interest or cause, and form lasting, influential, local community groups that regularly meet face-to-face.

Meetup Groups help people:

• find others
• get involved locally
• learn, teach, and share things
• make friends and have fun
• rise up, stand up, unite, and make a difference
• be a part of something bigger, both locally and globally

How do I find a Meetup Group?

Before you can join a Meetup Group, you have to find the right one for you.  If you don’t have a Group in mind yet, you can find one by doing this:

1. Click ‘Find a Meetup’ at the top of the page
2. Enter some search terms, your zip code, and the distance you’re willing to travel
3. Click ‘Search’ to see a list of Meetup Groups near you!

Once you find a Meetup Group you want to join, click the ‘Join Us’ button to become a Member.

Check these local Meetup groups (for Jobseekers) in San Francisco:

San Francisco Professional Career Network
http://www.meetup.com/San-Francisco-Professional-Career-Networking/

Next meeting:
Tuesday, June 23rd at 10:00 am
55 Second Street
One block South of Market

Unemployed Jobhunter Meeters
http://www.meetup.com/Unemployed-Jobhunter-Meeters/

Next meeting:
Thursday, June 18th at 2:00 pm
Glen Park branch library
2825 Diamond Street
San Francisco

Meetup manifesto

• Let’s be fearless.
• Let’s exercise our human right of assembly. Let’s exploit it big-time.
• Let’s use the Internet to get people off the Internet.
• Let’s bring back the handshake. The verbal debate.
• The smile. You know, some good ol’ face-to-face, eye-to-eye contact.
• When people get together amazing things happen.
• They advocate, argue, learn, laugh and share.
• Let’s be a group. Let’s be a real group.
• Groups have a history of making history. People unite, motivate, activate and mobilize.
• Groups give us the power to face a health crisis, start a political movement, pursue a passion, launch a business, and turn strangers into
• friends. To be bigger than ourselves.
• Let’s step away from our screens for a moment.
• Do without the PC, the TV and the phone. People are more powerful than pixels. A real group can beat up a virtual group any day of the week.
• Let’s find the others. The ones that want the same thing.
• Let’s meet in real time, in real places, and make a real difference.