Meetup

[TeenHelp]

Meetup
By Chantal (WretatsyRemedial)

Meetup is an online search engine where you can do just that: meet with people who share common interests. This article will explain what Meetup is, how to navigate the website, common Meetups, the benefits of Meetup, and how to start your own group.

What is Meetup?
Meetup is a website where you can search for events in your area or city; it can also be a tourism guide for events. Meetup brings people and communities together while doing things you enjoy and making new friends.

Navigating Meetup
Navigating through Meetup is easy. Here are some steps on how to navigate:

Step 1: When you are at the main welcome page, scroll down to explore a wide variety of interest based activities. You can find activities such as sports, reading, and crafts.
Step 2: Click on anything you are interested in learning more about. It will show you a lot of different Meetups in your area. You can look at them to see if one of them is a group you like.
Step 3: When you click on a group you are then greeted by an introduction that explains what the group is about. You can see upcoming and past events in their calendar.
Step 4: To join the group and interact with other group members, you need to create an account by using an email address and password. This allows you to save any Meetup events or activities in a calendar and you are notified by email on Meetup groups of upcoming events so you won't miss any activities.

Common Meetups
There are a lot of Meetups and they are categorized by interests. Here is a list to name a few different categories:

• Arts
• Beliefs
• Book clubs
• Dance
• Family
• Hobbies and crafts
• Film
• LGBTQ
• Music/Television
• Health and wellness

Having a list of categories helps to direct you to something you would enjoy.

Benefits of Meetup
Technology is changing, and finding events or activities in your community can be challenging; it can also be difficult to find something that is interest based. If you are introverted this is a great tool to use. This allows you to do some research about a Meetup you would like to attend, talk to a few members in the group, and interact on their group page. When you sign up and join the Meetup all events are put in your Meetup calendar and they email you upcoming events or activities. This allows you to be organized by scheduling your week in advance.

Meetup isn't just for the introverted, however. It can also be used to join a sport, club, or a peer-to-peer support group in your community. You can easily find interest based activities with this. For instance, you might find it hard to join a basketball team but there is a Meetup for basketball players. There are also groups for Harry Potter fans, support groups on grief, or eating healthy.

Meetup is a positive way to interact with others, whether you share your experiences or teach someone about one of your hobbies. Meetups allows people to support one another by talking about issues and giving support or suggestions on how to cope with those issues.

Starting your own Meetup
If you've searched your area for a particular Meetup and it is not listed, you can create your own Meetup. For example, if you are an avid Harry Potter reader and watch the movies, you may want to start a Meetup. Here are some things to consider before starting a Meetup.

Step 1) Will you have the time and dedication to commit to creating a group, setting up activities, and locations for those who attend?
Step 2) Should you need to spend money in creating a space, would you charge a small fee to cover popcorn, refreshments, snacks, and the movie?
Step 3) Are you organized and able to lead a group; do you show leadership skills?
Step 4) Would you use this as a learning experience to expand your skills on a resume while maintaining the group?
Step 5) Running a Meetup alone can get busy with demands of others looking for information. Are you good working in groups so you can have others help you?

Meetup isn't just for social time, it is a great search engine to find your interests and to join groups. It allows you to be active, share your stories or help someone with a common struggle you have.