Meetup.com

[ragdoll18]

I'm new to these forums so I'll explain my situation first. I have recently moved to a different state. I work from home, and am having a hard time making new friends. I attend night courses 3 times a week at the local community college, but I don't really get an opportunity to talk to anyone. Once the class is over everyone just gets up and leaves, and the classes are only once a week.

 

I was recently told about the website link removed. I have tried to join several groups, but my approval is still pending for each group, and it's been about a week now. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this site? Was it a good way too make friends? How long did you have to wait to get accepted to a group? I'm aslo pretty shy when I first meet people. Any other shy people who've had experiences with this site? Thanks for your advice

[Puckdog27]

Yep - Use it find other Steeler fans where I live in South Florida. Plenty going on on there

[Peppermint_P]

Hi Ragdoll,

 

In my area of Ohio (which is supposedly a fairly conservative state) we seem to have too many meetup groups that are devoted to astrology, psychic phenomena, alien life forms and crop circles, veganism, meditation, or practicing wicca --- all things that seem a bit 1960's-ish to me!! Yuck!!! LOL!!!

 

Anyway... the membership to these whacky groups is quite large, but their meeting turnouts are always very small and I think I can see why.

 

For example... let's say you are vegan and you go to meet other vegans... what other things do you have to talk about.... what other things do you have in common.... besides your love for veggies??? LOL!!!

 

BTW...we even have a social group here for BBWs (an acronym for Big Beautiful Women) where you can meet other fat chicks, if you happen to be a fat chick yourself.

 

I can just imagine the delightful and interesting conversations that one could have at that meetup group!!!!

 

NOT!!!

 

Meetup Member #1 Hello, my name is Sally and I am fat.

 

Meetup Member #2 Well, Hi Sally, how are you? My name is Debbie... You said you were fat? Well I am fat too. I'm soooo glad to meet you!! We have sooooo much in common!!!!

 

LOL!!! BORING!!!!

 

Anyway... while we do have a few groups that are more mainstream, even these unfortunately seem to attract members that are straight out of Weirdoville/Nerdoville.

 

For example... I belong to a dining group and also a photography group. In both groups I either encounter members who suffer from severe social anxiety and will hardly say anything at all, or I will encounter loud, rude, obnoxious, know-it-all types who will dominate the entire conversation to the point that you can't even get a word in edgewise!!! ](*,)

 

The extremely shy folks don't really bother me too much... but the loud mouthed, know-it-all boors are the ones that really, really annoy me!!!

 

I get angry because I just wish these blabber mouthed know-it-alls would STFU.. and let others have a chance to talk!!

 

(BTW... just my $0.02... I think many of the boorish ones attend because they have already worn out their welcome with their relatives, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, etc, etc... so link removed is their last resort. LOL!! )

 

Anyway.... once in a great while... I have encountered a few members who are neither extremely shy nor boorish.

 

Of the ones that are neither painfully shy nor boorish.... some of them I have formed friendships with, so link removed has been somewhat worthwhile as far as meeting people goes.

 

But overall though.. I would still say link removed is a bit of a disappointment.

 

At least for my area... there needs to be more mainstream groups with more mainstream Joe Average/Jane Average folks.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Peppermint Patty

[DaBladeRoden]

For example... let's say you are vegan and you go to meet other vegans... what other things do you have to talk about.... what other things do you have in common.... besides your love for veggies??? LOL!!!

 

And then there is the opposite extreme, people in groups that don't really apply to them. e.g. Married or shipped people in singles groups.

 

Also I don't know how old you are but for some reason it's popular among middle-aged folks so I have difficulty finding people of my peergroup, the closest I can usually manage are a few early 30-somethings.

[misspeanut]

i've thought about that site too, since i'm also in a situation where i have very few friends in the immediate area (i'm fortunate enough to say i have a good, solid group of friends but very few around here). i haven't gone to one but a friend who also moved to another state without a lot of connections, or means for making them, said she had a couple halfway decent experiences with it and i think made some connections thru the site (though i'm not sure what type of meetups she went to, whether they were a social thing, or based on a specific interest or what). i guess it depends on a lot of things though. as peppermint_p said, you could find a meetup for people with a common interest but go there and find out that that's the only thing you have in common with those people. i don't know what people really talk about in those meetups and it must depend on the type of meetup itself. probably in some of them, people show up, talk about nothing but the topic at hand, then go home, and in others it could be a lot more of a talk-about-whatever-comes-to-mind, social kind of thing. as for the whole waiting for approval to join a group, well i think there are some on there that you have to be approved for and others that you can just join without having to wait to be approved. with the ones that you're waiting for approval on, it must depend on how selective some of them are but i'd guess the only reason you haven't been approved yet is probably because the group organizer simply hasn't gotten around to approving your request and not anything personal. so far i don't think i've requested to join any groups that i had to await approval for, so i don't know how long it typically takes. oh and just like you, i'm shy too (and more than just moderately shy) so i know what you're feeling there. best of luck

[Crazyaboutdogs]

I tried going to a meetup group called "friends meetup" where they do various activities...one time it was at a café/pottery place where you picked a pottery piece and painted it. Another time we went to the local botanical gardens where they had a "butterflies go free" exhibit. The activities themselves were nice but I never really connected with anyone. I have a friend who has gone to various meetups and she enjoys them..but she never made any solid friends from the groups...just people to hang out with for whatever activity they are doing.