Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#1

Post by prune998 » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:28 PM UTC

We moved away from meetup.com thinking our meetups would be destroyed at some point. When we stopped paying, meetup.com actually "offered" our meetups, including subscriber's list with full name and email, to anyone willing to pay to keep them alive.

We are now out of control with no way to get the userlist cleared. meetup.com support is not responding to support requests.

Thinking of any action that we can take against meetup.com ?

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#2

Post by DIARRHEA_xd » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:46 PM UTC

> meetup.com actually "offered" our meetups

Do you have a link or a screenshot you can show us? Might help contextualize.

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#3

Post by bandzest » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:48 PM UTC

DIARRHEA_xd wrote: post #2

> meetup.com actually "offered" our meetups Do you have a link or a screenshot you can show us? Might help contextualize.

When an owner of a meetup decides to stop doing so – the ownership is offered to other members of the meetup group. This allows the group to continue even if the owner disengages. But yes, it does also allow the new owner to gain access to a complete list of members in the meetup group (since they are now the admin of the group)

It's a bit messed up, but it's been that way for a long time.

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#4

Post by mehdim » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:49 PM UTC

I am a multiple meetup organizer and owner on meetup.com and I find it actually great that the meetup can stay alive if the organizer stop to pay. Your communities are not owned by you. Also, they don't give subscribers infos but just "an access" to send them email communication to the list, not the "list" with email list etc...

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#5

Post by zxlk21e » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:50 PM UTC

not to anyone willing to pay then, right? only in cases where the organizer has gone awol

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#6

Post by 3np » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

I'd start with fine-combing the terms of use and service in place at the time of you agreeing to them (web.archive.org is your friend). Chances are you're SoL but always start there.

As for actions, consider if maybe taking back some control is better than yielding to someone else for next time if control is what you actually desire? There are various federated and/or self-hostable alternatives with way better migration stories.

Or maybe offer meetup lots of money for it back. Not much else you can do.

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#7

Post by donretag » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

DIARRHEA_xd wrote: post #2

> meetup.com actually "offered" our meetups Do you have a link or a screenshot you can show us? Might help contextualize.

Meetup.com will first offer a group whose organizer had stepped down to the members of the group. They will not shut down a group easily.

I disagree that they shared emails since I do not think organizers have access you that data.

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#8

Post by Operyl » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

This seems like a feature to me. It allows members of the group to keep going if the original admin/owner goes away for whatever reason. But I don’t think you get a list of emails, unless that was like one of your screening questions?

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#9

Post by gargs » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:55 PM UTC

This has always been how abandoned communities are offered a chance to stay alive...at least for the last 15(?) years or so.

Re: Tell HN: Meetup.com is offering abandoned meetups to anyone willing to pay

#10

Post by dewey » Thu, Sep 01, 2022, 2:57 PM UTC

> meetup.com thinking our meetups would be destroyed at some point

That seems naive, you created a meetup on a free platform that is built to bring users together. You are just the initiator, you don't own the community.