Meeting People 101
Just moved to a new city? Got out of a long-term relationship? Or maybe it’s just mid-summer, your buddies are out of town and you wanna get out and meet some new faces? I’ve run into all 3 of these familiar situations throughout my adult life, which has always led me to the desire of wanting to meet new people.
Now, I’m not talking about meeting just any old someone out there. Not talking about finding that special someone either. I’m talking about finding someone, or more so, someones that dig the exact same things you do. Which sounds easy, but sometimes if you live in a huge, diverse city, such as say Chicago, it might be tougher than you think.
Having lived in Kansas City, Austin, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix and now Chicago for the past several years, I’ve become pretty accustomed to connecting with people like me. Not only just through work, playing sports, church or through people I already know, but one of the biggest networks out there today called Meetup.com. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s actually been around since the early 2000’s, and what’s super cool is it helps you meet folks the old fashioned way — in person.
Meetup.com was started back in 2002 as a way for neighbors in New York City affected by 9/11 to connect. And now it’s actually a way for everyone and their mom’s third cousin’s sister’s uncle’s next door neighbor can find something in common to get together about. In almost any town, city or country across the globe.
I first learned of Meetup in Phoenix when I was searching online for a social group of sorts in a city full of transplants, and the opportunity happened to pop up on Craigslist.com. Moments later, tons of groups from every little nook and cranny of Phoenix was revealed to me. Social groups, indie film makers groups, foodie fans in their 20s and 30s groups, hiking, biking, volleyballing, night clubbing, young professional transplants who are semi-liberal and like craft beers groups and the list goes on. And just kidding about that last one, but you get the idea. If you like something, chances are there’s a group for that.
How’s it work? Simple. Someone’s into something, let’s say one of my all time favorites — volleyball. That someone, called an organizer or host, then creates the group’s name, like say “The Volley Llamas”. Next, the organizer finds a location such as, “the far west corner of Montrose Beach — just look for the pineapple flag”. Finally, find a time and date for the event and there your have it! A Meetup has been formed. And if you’re interested in volleyball, live near that location and you’ve created a profile on the site, then join the group!
So what’s the catch? Not really anything. Maybe that the organizer pays a monthly fee, or has to rent the event space, which could mean a small charge at the events, but it’s unlikely. Most organizers just want an easy way to find similar people into the same fun, ridiculous, weird, exciting or creative little pastime they love and want to find others that feel the same. No matter how downright goofy it is.
To recap, I’ve actually met some of my best friends on Meetup.com in Chicago and some in Phoenix. Some were social groups, but other groups were created for indie filmmakers, recreational sports players, movie lovers, professional networkers, aspiring writers, published writers, comedy enthusiasts and a lot of curious minds wanting to just explore the city and discover new experiences.
Got a Meetup.com story to share or have other great ways to meet people in your city? I’d love to hear about it so comment below or email me at briankille@gmail.com and visit my site at briankille.com.