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Sunday, September 17, 2006 · posted at 3:13 AM

Hello. My Name Is...

How are you doing today? Maybe we can talk for a little while and then we can go get some 49 cent cheeseburgers at McDonald's. Baby!
- Philip Wang, "Yellow Fever"

When I was looking for an apartment, I frequently ran across ads that requested, "Send your mySpace or FaceBook link." I prided myself on the fact that I didn't belong to either, that I had risen above the lure of online social networking (though I do have a defunct Friendster account collecting dust).

Then I discovered Meetup.com. I was googling language partners in the city and one of the hits was Meetup.com, which advertised a language exchange group. No longer would I need to deal with shady craigslist ads that offered "free" tutoring in exchange for special massages - instead I could deal with a whole online community of possibly shady people!

Rather than being people- or network-based like MySpace, Meetup is subject-based. You can enter in a topic (e.g. knitting, vegan, human rights, tattoos) and find an event (at a public place) where like-minded people will meet to further their interests in knitting, veganism, human rights and body mutilation. I found myself looking at every group in the NYC area and joining so many that I felt embarassed and hid the number of groups I belong to.

While there is a "meat market" vibe to some of the groups (be suspicious of groups with the word "professionals" in the title - it's usually code for a singles group), there's always a focus to the group. You can swap books, see free screenings of movies, try new restaurants... Best of all, if you're a non-commital nerd like me, you can see what's going on without having to actually agree to anything.

If it sounds like I'm trying to justice online social networking, I am... I'm just throwing my vote to Meetup instead of MySpace. Can you find people to play Settlers of Catan on MySpace? I thought not...



	Sunday, September 17, 2006 · posted at 3:13 AM Hello. My Name Is... How are you doing today? Maybe we can talk for a little while and then we can go get some 49 cent cheeseburgers at McDonald's. Baby! - Philip Wang, "Yellow Fever" When I was looking for an apartment, I frequently ran across ads that requested, "Send your mySpace or FaceBook link." I prided myself on the fact that I didn't belong to either, that I had risen above the lure of online social networking (though I do have a defunct Friendster account collecting dust). Then I discovered Meetup.com. I was googling language partners in the city and one of the hits was Meetup.com, which advertised a language exchange group. No longer would I need to deal with shady craigslist ads that offered "free" tutoring in exchange for special massages - instead I could deal with a whole online community of possibly shady people! Rather than being people- or network-based like MySpace, Meetup is subject-based. You can enter in a topic (e.g. knitting, vegan, human rights, tattoos) and find an event (at a public place) where like-minded people will meet to further their interests in knitting, veganism, human rights and body mutilation. I found myself looking at every group in the NYC area and joining so many that I felt embarassed and hid the number of groups I belong to. While there is a "meat market" vibe to some of the groups (be suspicious of groups with the word "professionals" in the title - it's usually code for a singles group), there's always a focus to the group. You can swap books, see free screenings of movies, try new restaurants... Best of all, if you're a non-commital nerd like me, you can see what's going on without having to actually agree to anything. If it sounds like I'm trying to justice online social networking, I am... I'm just throwing my vote to Meetup instead of MySpace. Can you find people to play Settlers of Catan on MySpace? I thought not...	Recent Posts su casa es mi casa.Ben: (holds out his keys and pl... My Dinner with Andre.I mean, we're just walking ar... Taiwan, et cetera. A laundry list of observations ... National Palace Museum - home of 70,000 artifacts ... Why We Fight. When I was in college, I met many p... Gullible's Travels. As Christian Finnegan once sai... Crimes and MisdemeanorsWe're all faced throughout ... Girls For Breakfast. Eighty percent of the reason ... What Jim had, above all, was enthusiasm, He'd weig... To Jim, attempts at imitation would put the emphas... Morning news babie goose ryan bluemouse daves son dawntaught desiree diorama emily escadawg galveric high entropy invisible cube jepgato kyellow lilly mhuang mogbert nudream starfish + coffee verbivore Archives March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 November 2008

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