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.com
Organizing Local Groups and Revitalizing
Local Communities

Jaylynn Farr Munson
COMM352
New Media Case Study

What is Meetup.com?
“Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup
makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of
the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 9,000
groups get together in local communities each day, each one
with the goal of improving themselves or their communities”
(About, Meetup.com).

Background
• Founded in 2002 by Matt
Meeker and Scott Heiferman
after Heiferman’s experiences
in NYC after 9/11
• Experienced immediate
success due to an aggressive
Yahoo groups and blogs
campaign
• Now, 13.03 million members in
45,000 cities
• More than 34,000 Meetups
occur per month
“Cocktails and Cupcakes”
Girls Night Out
Zurich, Switzerland

“Pack Walk in the Park”
South Florida Pack Walk
Hollywood, Fla.

“Abstract Painting Course”
Abstract Painting Houston
Houston, Texas

“A Peak With a View”
Peaks Meetup Group
Seattle, Wash.

Strengths Opportunities

 “Real-world, face-to-face”  Networking opportunities
social media factor  Product promotion
 Minimal fees ($12 per month)
 Focus groups
 Expansive community reach
 Partnerships with
 Interactive user interface
organizations outside of
 Multiple Meetup categories
Meetups
 Room for continued
expansion

Weaknesses Threats

 Limited target  Too business-like
demographic approach
 Not enough publicity  Other competitors,
 Inconsistent users BigTent and
Groupspaces

New York Gaming
Meetup Case Study
Brad Hargreaves, the founder of the “New York Gaming Meetup”,
joined MeetUp.com in 2009. He saw an amazing opportunity in the
social media site noticing the possibly to gather gaming industry
enthusiasts in New York City after heading a gaming company in the
city for six months. Other organizations held regular gaming industry
events, however, these focused more on software development
rather than the entire gaming community.

 Opportunities:
◦ Attract investors, marketers, designers and gamers
◦ Define NYC gaming culture
◦ Cultivate networking and software development
opportunities
 Threats:
◦ Difficulty in finding a venue and sponsors
◦ Minimal budget flexibility
◦ Lack of passionate initial interest

Success
For the first year, the New York Gaming Meetup event took place at
Gallery Bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (Hargreaves).
Attendance was decent but not overwhelming at first, however, within
a year, the New York Gaming Meetup garnered 3,000 members,
making it an extremely successful MeetUp.com story (New York
Gaming Meetup). The New York Gaming Meetup is a prime example
of an organizational strategy using MeetUp.com. Through a bit of
patience and consistent monthly meetups, Hargreaves was able to
create a large gaming fan base in New York City using minimal
funding and advertising resources. MeetUp.com allows meetups to
form naturally.

Bread for the World could
benefit from the use of
MeetUp.com for:
• Scheduling interest
groups for hunger-
related issues
• Communicating with
potential donors and
activists
• Organizing focus groups
for research

Meetups for a Non-Profit

However, the following
threats might exist for an
organization like Bread:
• Potential for group
members to feel
“pressured” into cause
• Lack of interest
• Inability to afford to pay
Meetup.com dues and/or
other expenses associated
with group gatherings

Meetups for a Non-Profit

References
Business.com. Using Meetup.com to Market Your Business. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from
http://www.business.com/guides/using-meetupcom-to-market-your-business-2883/

Hargreaves, B. (2010, May 2). New York Gaming Meetup Case Study. Building Things. Retrieved February 19, 2013,
from http://bhargreaves.com/2010/05/ny-gaming-meetup-study-hockey-sticks/

Jeffries, A. (2011, January 21). The Long and Curious History of Meetup.com. The New York Observer. Retrieved
February 19, 2013, from http://observer.com/2011/01/the-long-and-curious-history-of-meetupcom/

Marya, R. (2010, October 28). Five Tips for Startup Success from the CEO of Meetup. Mashable. Retrieved February 16,
2013, from http://mashable.com/2010/10/28/startup-tips-meetup/

McCue, T. Two Social Networks That Will Help You Meet People. American Express OPEN Forum. Retrieved
February 16, 2013, from http://www.openforum.com/articles/2-social-networks-that-will-help-you-meet-people/

Meetup.com. Find Meetup groups near you - Meetup. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from http://www.meetup.com/

New York Gaming Meetup (New York, NY) - Meetup. Find Meetup groups near you - Meetup. Retrieved February 21,
2013, from http://www.meetup.com/gaming/

Saltzman, D. (2011, July 21). Savvy Agents Use Meetup.com to Build Local Business. Travel Market Report. Retrieved
February 20, 2013,
fromhttp://www.travelmarketreport.com/Content/publiccontent.aspx?pageID=1364&articleID=6106&LP=1

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