Here’s a quick gander at/guide to some of the great folks we look forward to talking to and/or profiling this week:

Beth Kanter

Imagine if you held so much Internet power, you were able to Google your first name and your very own website were the first to come up. Beth Kanter is able to do just that.

It is impossible to describe Kanter accurately without wholly offending a large bloc of people, but here goes: Beth is God. There. We said it. Beth Kanter is God. Dare you you disagree? Have you ever seen this woman at a conference? Faced with her, you’re rendered awkward, graced, and feeling somewhat irrelevant by comparison of accomplishments. Back up a little bit and observe those around you; they’re all trying to figure out how to get involved in a conversation with her, how to somehow connect with her. In [the extremely approachable] Kanter’s 25+ years of involvement in web-based organization, she has seen it all and she graciously shares slivers of her brain on her blog every single day.

David Sirota

Having been employed by the likes of Ned Lamont and Sen. Bernie Sanders, it is easy to understand why the New York Times has described David Sirota as a “populist rabble rouser.” Sirota has appeared on countless television and radio shows as an all-around sage on all-things political and civic engagement. Further, he has written for The Huffington Post, and The Nation and he serves as senior editor of In These Times. The Uprising, his new book, has won the praise of Bill McKibben, Tom Hayden (legendary Students for a Democratic Society organizer), Naomi Klein, and Matt Taibbi, and it outlines how the netroots can lead a populist rebellion. Also, he is sort of beautiful. But then again, he is also married, so he [unfortunately] wont be appearing in a most-eligible-netroots-activist section any time soon.

Check out this talk at STRAND Books featuring Sirota discussing The Uprising.

Scott Heiferman

Every evening, Howard Dean slips into his PJs, kneels before his bed, folds his hands and thanks Scott Heiferman for everything he has. Dan envisions the great Scott Heiferman and says, “Scott. Thank you so much for helping to get my name out there. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Sure, I lost the Democratic nomination ‘04, but here I am at the head of the party. Not a bad consolation prize, sir.”

I bet you didn’t know that about Howard Dean.

Through creating Meetup, Heiferman essentially put into action one of the original bridges of Internet and grassroots organizing, helping to breed and popularize the term “netroots.”

Oh. And his “notes” are also awesome.

David All

Of Barack Obama, David All recently praised the candidate’s appreciation for “people-powered revolution.” All is especially interested in making this revolution fruitful for the American conservative movement. In the context of the 2.0 activism world, he is essentially the Little Conservative That Could, as he works his tail off to catch the Republican Party up with the left when it comes to Internet political organizing, and he is doing a darn good job at doing so far. Further, All is not only an advocate with respect to bringing the netroots to the right, but also by bringing the entire process to the netroots. He is an all-around advocate of Internet people power.

-Filed in People

For this, the final in our three part series about Meetup and those who organize there [see part one and two here], we asked our surveyed organizers how they have carried their online experience to their offline efforts. What perspective has their online organizational experience given them with regard to their overall experience as leaders and activists? Has their experience on Meetup made a lasting impression on their approach to action? Here, they share their experiences on the site, how they have accordingly synthesized and processed their experiences, and why Meetup continues to be relevant in how they get stuff done.

Post-Meetup perspective:

For most of the organizers surveyed, the range of perspective they claim to have gained from their Meetup-based experiences varies from person to person. Donna Orlando of the San Diego Libertarians sees Meetup as a tool, not something from which she has gained substantial perspective, and she has thus used it accordingly to put her agenda into place. David Sutherland of Vegan Chicago has had the converse experience and explains that without it, he wouldn’t be organizing. He says, “[Meetup] does most of the heavy lifting and most of the repetitive tasks that I would otherwise have no time for [...Thanks to the site] I have a strict formula that has allowed me to do one vegan dineout event a month since 2003—all in my spare time. People seem to like to be able to come out without having agendas but at the same time they don’t want a democratic approach. When we first started we voted on venues and such but that was way too much work and people wouldn’t come after all of that. Benign dictatorships are the way to go.

Paul Davis of Austin Revolution [for Ron Paul] has been similarly moved, crediting Meetup for having impacted him greatly. He has learned that as an organizer it is important to get volunteers to “work within their areas of strength and to keep focused.” Other important factor learned by organizers is the importance of preparation, according to Dexter Jones of Tampa Bay Black Professionals. “Nearly all of the work necessary to have a successful meeting happens before anyone ever shows up,” he explains. Citing possible drama, trust issues, greed and other elements, Timothy Tipton, North Denver Medical Marijuana Discussion Group says that organization is not easy. But, he says of his experience, these elements fade over time.

Meetup in real life:

Organizers also carry their Meetup experiences into their real-life organizational experiences. David Sutherland, for one, has learned that “Social organizing really is like herding cats,” and that it’s best to not expect volunteer activists to RSVP or to read carefully crafted emails. Despite Sutherland’s lowered expectation with regard to communication, Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Tax Reform has picked up on a new appreciation for understanding the importance of clear communication.

Finally, Meetup organizers unanimously agree that they have been particularly touched by their experiences with the site. David Sutherland is now fostering several vegan meetups outside of Chicago and he is excited about the connections that he has made as he meets other vegan activists that drop into his meetings while they travel. Paul Davis is proud of and excited about the role he plays in “coordinating freedom fighters,” while other organizers are similarly excited about their participation in growing a social exchange around a cause. Collin of Miami Critical Mass is most touched by his group’s experience putting together a “ride for peace,” which helped to provide dozens of bikes for dozens of the poorest kids in Miami and access to classes on bike safety. Further, he sites political advances made in the town as a result of his meetings. Donna Orlando found love in one of her groups.

And in the end…

Overall, the organizers that we have spoken with are satisfied with their places in the community. To be fair (and accurate), we have sought out presently active Meetup organizers, making this a far more anecdotal than survey than a scientific one with regard to user experiences on the site. Organizers’ overall experiences, however, have been positive. To those we spoke with, Meetup has been used as a tool for some, an inspiration for others, and had a generally positive impact on all.

Do tell - What has your experience with Meetup as a website and meetups as a phenomenon been?

-Filed in People

In addition to opening an organizers’ doors to more cohesive organizational efforts, Meetup also opens one’s door to all kinds of people. For this, the second in our three part series about Meetup and those who organize there, we asked our surveyed organizers if their experiences have led to meeting folks who are somehow off-kilter and how they, as group leaders, handle these interactions as they come up.

David Sutherland, Vegan Chicago

[We meet crazy people] all the time but it is mostly online. They rarely make it to events. I like what Scott Heiferman said at an event once: “Yes, you’re going to run into crazy people but what you’re doing is crazy!”. Indeed “being the change” is unfortunately seen as crazy and crazies do tend to migrate our way but we roll with it.

Donna Orlando, San Diego Libertarians

I’ve had a few difficult situations, but in one in particular I consulted other organizers who I trust and who knew the person involved. We all decided to handle it in the same way, which was to remove the member and keep each other informed of any further activity.

Brian Hill, California All Nations, Colors and Races

I use the Bible to “handle crazy people.” Jesus handled crazy people. Look at John 9. People act out because they lack love. When you find out where they have been lacking that love, you can move in that direction to resolve it. If they feel like they don’t belong, talk to them about that. Try to send out a message of compassion and convey that you understand where they are hurting. Convey that you understand that have had challenges or need encouragement in their life. I am a counselor so sometimes I can see things in the lives of people that they do not see and I approach them when possible to talk to them about it.

Paul Davis, Austin Revolution

Yes, only about twice. You have to use Tai Chi principles on them and deflect and neutralize their craziness.

Brett Mandel, Philadelphia Tax Reform

We usually meet at a local tavern so it is never hard to encourage the crazies to busy themselves with a beer.

Dexter Jones, Tampa Bay Black Professionals

At times, individuals attempt to promote their own agenda through our group. On one hand, I encourage our members to let each other know what they are doing and how they can help one another. However, I am also quick to remind people to stay true to our group’s mission statement of fostering professional development through networking and discussion. In at least one extreme case of site abuse, I have had to remove members from our network.

Collin, last name withheld, Miami Critical Mass

Crazy people are everywhere. In fact, most of us could at times be accused of such things. The especially nutty people usually aren’t consistent and go on to something else. Sometimes crazy people show up to planning meetings and have a skewed idea of what we do. When they find out we aren’t fanatical and that we are working toward community betterment they usually stop showing up. I think our rides take some effort and can be tiring, a lot of crazy people aren’t too dedicated.

For tomorrow: Organizers discuss their most impact-full experiences, and what they’ve carried from Meetup into the world of off line organizing.

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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.

-Filed in Uncategorized

On this day, May 5th, 2008, the news brings to our attention escalation in the perceived level of “danger” attached to today’s rising hacktivism, an update with regard to the advertising successes on Second Life, assertions that Frederick Douglas would have had a blog and more:

• Micro-finance is explored as a way to sustain music in the developing world.
• According to Business Week, marketing on Second Life holds on strong.
• A Baltimore flash mob brings a mean Rick Astley rendition to the streets.
• Amy Albert, Senior Associate Editor of Bon Appetite magazine, writes an account about love and fraternizing with the like-minded in the time of Meetup.
• Hacktivism is becoming “more dangerous.”
• Young black activists take their action online, claiming that Frederick Douglas would have had a blog.
• Finally, despite assassinations of related volunteers and leaders, community radio stations both persist in Mexico and help lead to greater organizational efforts.

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…when we:

• Contemplate the importance reciprocity in Internet action with Beth Kanter
• Talk to Justin Massa, founder of MoveSmart.org, about how punk rock led to community development
• Assess the successes and challenges of Meetup organizers with over 10 seasoned players
• Find out what makes The Great Clay Shirky tick
• Take a look at why everyone we interview talks about Saul Alinsky as if he were a deity
• Shoot the shit with Ze Frank
• And much, much more

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