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Most Meetup events and groups have become a vehicle for salespeople and self-promoters.

hellofunk 9y ago
Hm, out of the nearly 100 meetups I have attended in recent years, all were about the content, with an emphasis on the speakers. Nearly zero self-promotion and never once met a salesman.
- nunez 9y ago
  > Nearly zero self-promotion and never once met a salesman We're totally out there :)
DoreenMichele 9y ago
So, what is an effective means to try to connect with people for work related stuff? Say, if you freelance and need a water cooler type group?
- SmirkingRevenge 9y ago
  You get back what you put into meetups. There needs to be one or a few people who are motivated to make them happen and plan interesting events/talks/whatever, or otherwise they just wither. If there is no one to step up.. well.. be the person to step up if it's something you care about.
- GuiA 9y ago
  Prefer smaller, more specific meet ups (eg functional video game programming) over larger, broader ones (eg Python meetup) if you can. Even better, try to start your own meet up for one of your interests! In any reasonably sized city it’s not hard to get 10-20 people to get started.
  - SmirkingRevenge 9y ago
    I find the opposite is true. Really niche meetups are a great way to make sure no one attends except for you and that other person you know. EDIT: I find it works best if the meetup group topic is really broad. Then you plan specific meetups with narrow topics that indulge your interest. That way you have a very diverse group of attendees to pull from. Of course, things may vary depending on region. In places like Silicon Valley, maybe it benefits you to have more niche meetup groups.
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    Starting my own is what I have in mind. I was considering doing so via Meetup. I am kind of flailing around, trying to figure out how to do that.
    - mschen 9y ago
      @DoreenMichele - Meetupper here, would love to help however we can. I'll reach out via email.
- jldugger 9y ago
  In tech it's pretty common to have user groups focused on a particular technology slowly evolve into a social community. Previously, IRC & freenode catered to my particular niche Lately, I've been finding more Slacks, which may appeal to a broader audience. Donno of anything specific to the freelance writer community though.
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    I am not specifically looking to connect with other writers. I am looking to connect to digital independent workers and people who might be interested in becoming such.

Hm, out of the nearly 100 meetups I have attended in recent years, all were about the content, with an emphasis on the speakers. Nearly zero self-promotion and never once met a salesman.

nunez 9y ago
> Nearly zero self-promotion and never once met a salesman We're totally out there :)

DoreenMichele 9y ago

So, what is an effective means to try to connect with people for work related stuff? Say, if you freelance and need a water cooler type group?

SmirkingRevenge 9y ago
You get back what you put into meetups. There needs to be one or a few people who are motivated to make them happen and plan interesting events/talks/whatever, or otherwise they just wither. If there is no one to step up.. well.. be the person to step up if it's something you care about.
GuiA 9y ago
Prefer smaller, more specific meet ups (eg functional video game programming) over larger, broader ones (eg Python meetup) if you can. Even better, try to start your own meet up for one of your interests! In any reasonably sized city it’s not hard to get 10-20 people to get started.
- SmirkingRevenge 9y ago
  I find the opposite is true. Really niche meetups are a great way to make sure no one attends except for you and that other person you know. EDIT: I find it works best if the meetup group topic is really broad. Then you plan specific meetups with narrow topics that indulge your interest. That way you have a very diverse group of attendees to pull from. Of course, things may vary depending on region. In places like Silicon Valley, maybe it benefits you to have more niche meetup groups.
- DoreenMichele 9y ago
  Starting my own is what I have in mind. I was considering doing so via Meetup. I am kind of flailing around, trying to figure out how to do that.
  - mschen 9y ago
    @DoreenMichele - Meetupper here, would love to help however we can. I'll reach out via email.
jldugger 9y ago
In tech it's pretty common to have user groups focused on a particular technology slowly evolve into a social community. Previously, IRC & freenode catered to my particular niche Lately, I've been finding more Slacks, which may appeal to a broader audience. Donno of anything specific to the freelance writer community though.
- DoreenMichele 9y ago
  I am not specifically looking to connect with other writers. I am looking to connect to digital independent workers and people who might be interested in becoming such.