I'm the organizer of a social meetup in Sydney for LGBTQIA+ scientists, engineers and technologists.[^1]
We still mostly find new members through the platform and word-of-mouth (probably about 50-50), but compared to pre-pandemic, the numbers are generally smaller. There is less being organised in general, but I suspect people have competing commitments, or are less enthusiastic about trying it out: I find many people sign up to join the group but only a handful will ever show up at any event. Attendance can be very seasonal too.
As a platform I find Meetup quite expensive given how buggy and slow it is. Participants complain about not getting notifications (it frequently fails to send me anything). There is lots of duplicated and flakey functionality, like chat and discussion groups. I'd love to use something else but I don't know if its worth the risk trying to drive people elsewhere.
Trying to foster a sense of community with tech platforms alone is also a bit futile - it really boils down to the vibe of the group and other participants, and it's a difficult balancing act as an organiser.
Comments
I'm the organizer of a social meetup in Sydney for LGBTQIA+ scientists, engineers and technologists.[^1]
We still mostly find new members through the platform and word-of-mouth (probably about 50-50), but compared to pre-pandemic, the numbers are generally smaller. There is less being organised in general, but I suspect people have competing commitments, or are less enthusiastic about trying it out: I find many people sign up to join the group but only a handful will ever show up at any event. Attendance can be very seasonal too.
As a platform I find Meetup quite expensive given how buggy and slow it is. Participants complain about not getting notifications (it frequently fails to send me anything). There is lots of duplicated and flakey functionality, like chat and discussion groups. I'd love to use something else but I don't know if its worth the risk trying to drive people elsewhere.
Trying to foster a sense of community with tech platforms alone is also a bit futile - it really boils down to the vibe of the group and other participants, and it's a difficult balancing act as an organiser.
[^1] https://www.meetup.com/turingcircle/
What's a technologist?