The “meetup” phenomenon has been a big one since it became one of the perceived cornerstones of the Howard Dean revolution in 2003-4. Four years later, Meetup.com still exists as a big way for many organizers to find volunteers to gather around a cause. For those who organize there, the site is considered to be an astounding and invaluable organizational tool. We’ve talked with eight social and political organizers, each of whom come from varying philosophies and locations. Here, they discuss the work they do on the site, some of the hurdles they face, and how they make their interactions on Meetup work towards furthering the perpetuation of the causes that they represent.

This piece, the first in a three part series about Meetup and those who organize there, focuses on outcomes of efforts towards group organization through the site, growth of groups over time, and a look at what participants feel as though they’re unable to accomplish there.

Who shows up?

Several years ago, a Hip Hop show promoter explained to me that he found that normally one in ten people that are invited to a show actually attend. Even more specifically, one in three people who tell you that they’re definitely going to attend can be expected to show up. Similarly, among Meetup groups, there appears to be a consistent surefire ballpark number of participants per event. Of the organizers surveyed, the most consistent percentage of members in a group that show up to meetings is between 5 and 10 percent. Of the number of members that shows up to meetings overall, Dexter Jones of the Tampa Bay Black Professionals explains that somewhere around a third of all of their members have been to at least one meeting.

Maintaining and increasing numbers

As for what the organizers do to make their outcomes better, responses vary. Donna Orlando of the San Diego Libertarians admits that she does very little herself. Delegation of responsibilities and tasks, she stresses, is most important. “The most useful thing I’ve done is to enroll really good assistant organizers, who represent various segments of the membership within a group. That way, there’s almost always someone organizing an event in the reasonably near future that will appeal to the members.”

Other suggestions for keeping attendance counts high ranged from simply “challenging people to get off their asses” to being consistent. Dexter Jones says that by having a meeting every two weeks at the same location, time, and night, average participation has increased by 500%

Stressing the importance of comprehensive engagement, Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Tax Reform says that while his group reaches out with some regularity, “We’re less about leading horses to water than engaging those who come out.”

Collin, whose last name has been withheld, an organizer for Miami Critical Mass, attributes his higher turnout (approximately 15%) to reaching across the board of potential organizational tools – The group prints and distributes fliers around town, utilizes Facebook and MySpace, and he has also mentioned being a member of The Point.

What’s missing?

As for things that users are unable to accomplish with the use of Meetup, some organizers, like Donna Orlando, are thoroughly satisfied with the service and find it to be complete. In agreement, Dexter Jones says that he feels as though he still hasn’t fully leveraged the numerous options made available on the site for promoting his group. Timothy Tipton, however, of the North Denver Medical Marijuana Discussion Group, feels somewhat let down by the slow moderation time on message boards. “They are slow to respond when inappropriate and unprofessional messages, advertisements, and spam. This is especially disheartening when we all know that this is paid service.”

Collin adds that the site is rigid and the layout is odd, though he has no suggestions to change it. He adds, “I wish there was a way to get more input from members. People are not always willing to rate rides, or share their goals or ideas, I wish meetup had ways of getting members get more involved.”

In conclusion

As appears to be the case with community organizing anywhere on or off line, on Meetup, an organizer can expect a return/response from a small fraction of those engaged on the surface. Consistency and building personal relationships with volunteers and participants is an important element in maintaining numbers and increasing participation. Delegation of contact and outreach is also extremely important with regard to maintaining these relationships. Further, engaging those who show up in a comprehensive way is important for encouraging recurring participation. The organizers surveyed appear to be happy with the service for the most part, with exceptions regarding comment moderation and some limitations to free exchanges.

For tomorrow: What happens when a crazy person shows up to your Meetup? Find out here.

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