MEETin

MEETin
Type of site
 Social
Owner MEETin.org
Created by Mikey Heard
Website www.meetin.org
Commercial No
Registration Free
Launched March 14, 2003 (2003-03-14)

MEETin.org, or the MEETin group, is a web-based social community dedicated to providing a casual social environment for people without charging membership fees, or otherwise profiting from events. Founded in Washington, DC in 2003, the MEETin group now spans around 90 cities worldwide and has over 90,000 members.[1]

History

The MEETin group was established by Mikey Heard on 14 March 2003, in Washington, DC, to connect people socially in the city.[2] As the DC chapter became increasingly active, another 16 chapters were founded in other US cities, which included many of the largest MEETin chapters to this day. Although MEETin began as a Yahoo Group, Heard soon constructed a new web site to deal with the expansion in membership and locations. This web site now defines the identity of the MEETin group and the infrastructure is still very much in use today.

The MEETin Vibe

The MEETin "Vibe" represents the general culture and attitude of the MEETin group. Each chapter is run by local volunteers with the main purpose of bringing people together to find new friends in their city. The MEETin group also help connect cities around the globe, and allows members to quickly re-establish their social network across various MEETin cities. As an integral part of the MEETin Vibe, members are encouraged to organize and participate in social events in any given MEETin city, without the pressures of business networking or "pick-up" scenes. Further, members are also forbidden to organize events from which they can profit, either financially or by gain of goods or services.

Meetin has been recognized in both the Washington Post[3] and Business Week.[4]

Event planning and participation

Events can be organized by any MEETin member, or co-hosted by two members. Leaders will assist in hosting of events as necessary. Interest groups can also be established on each local MEETin chapter to facilitate specially-catered events, such as film viewing, dinner nights, and book clubs. It was specifically designed to not be a dating service. Events are created by any member by posting it on the local group's web site, and events have no fees or dues.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "How Did MEETin Start". About Us. Meetin.org. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  2. ↑ Hopkins, Joy (December 2006). "Group of the Month: MEETinDC". On Tap Magazine. Five O'Clock Publishing, LLC. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  3. ↑ McCarthy, Ellen (June 15, 2007). "Come Together". Washington Post. Washington Post. pp. WE25. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  4. ↑ Kharif, Olga (June 18, 2007). "Social Networking Goes Offline". Business Week. Business Week. pp. Special Report. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  5. ↑ Allman, Kevin (August 11, 2006). "'MiPL' up some new acquaintances" (PDF). The Oregonian. pp. E1, E2. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
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