WeWork is going to acquire Meetup • Hacker News Board

Re: WeWork is going to acquire Meetup

#111

Post by rdnt03 » Fri, Dec 01, 2017, 12:11 AM UTC

sitepodmatt wrote: post #62

estreeper wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as finding spaces, I've found that local bars/restaurants/coffee shops are usually quite happy to host events during off-times like Monday through Wednesday nights. I always ask nicely, thank them in the event description, during the event, and in an email after, and try to go out of my way to make things easier for them (checking in with estimated attendees a few days before, helping put chairs back in order…

Problem with these things is you can make yourself out to be not welcome despite best efforts, some attendees are utterly hopeless / shameless that they'll decline any offer of drink (soft drink or otherwise), demand free tap water, speak like shit to staff (grunt with no thanks or please), leave no tips, sneak their own beverages in, complain wifi is slow and so on. I wouldn't host an event in a bar unless I knew th…

You're not kidding. A group of even a small size brings in a misfit or two. A guy with olfactory problems or a girl who doesn't say anything except the low mumblings to herself. This is not me spreading gossip to bring the rest of the group together, but that one or two people always brings the meetup down. This is not even including conspiracy theorists or people in general who want to rant.

Re: WeWork is going to acquire Meetup

#112

Post by rdnt03 » Fri, Dec 01, 2017, 12:36 AM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #9

m52go wrote: post #4

I haven't followed Meetup in much detail, but it seems like they lost their way. "Meetup" has become a common noun in many circles tech-related and beyond...i.e., most people know about meetup.com and what it does. But despite this ubiquity, what happened? I stopped going to meetups a while ago because most just didn't seem worthwhile. A lot of people I know did the same. If this trend persisted across the service, d…

I think it's just fundamentally a hard product. Most people aren't motivated enough to organize events with enough regularity and quality for a community to form. In my experience most Meetup groups are pretty dead. That leaves the people who have something to gain - "new in town" groups run by real estate agents, tech meetup groups run by recruiters, etc etc. These communities tend not to develop a long-term followi…

Pretty spot on. As an organizer, you're worried about turnout and interest along with the logistics. My thing is now, just let others do the organizing and show up and leave early if I want to.

Re: WeWork is going to acquire Meetup

#113

Post by rdnt03 » Fri, Dec 01, 2017, 12:56 AM UTC

avenoir wrote: post #19

As a frequent user of meetup.com, I feel like it succeeded at making people one-time acquaintances and failed miserably at making lasting connections. I'm a member of several groups and most of these groups do not see any single individual more than once. I won't even mention terrible attendance for just about any groups I've ever been a part of. I think there could've been a lot of improvements made here but meetup…

Some of this is on you. Relationships take time, work and effort from both parties. Meetup is just a platform for making RSVPs to events.

Re: WeWork is going to acquire Meetup

#114

Post by puranjay » Fri, Dec 01, 2017, 9:09 AM UTC

hellofunk wrote: post #36

puranjay wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I gave up on coworking early this month. I've been using a coworking space for nearly 2 years, tested out various spaces and realized that they're just bad for productivity. Far too many people at coworking spaces seem to be there for networking, or are simply not serious enough about work. I moved to a 'business center' (like Regus) which has a much quieter and more professional environment. Couldn't be happier.

I have found that a really good library is typically a much better work environment than these coworking spaces, and at 100% less the cost. I tried Regus for a couple days, but it felt no different to me than a coworking space. Maybe it was that particular Regus location.

With Regus, it seems it depends a lot on the location and how it is being managed. I've had different experiences in the same city.

The good part is that they have a lot of locations.

I'll be very happy to pay a premium for a quiet working space, even sound proof where I can work alone in peace. I wonder if there are any startups tackling this need