Wednesday, February 02, 2011

A MeetUp Pivot


Image representing Meetup as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase
New York Observer: Screw Meetup: Organizers Up In Arms Over Redesign: In the new redesign, ordinary users can arrange for events, leading some to declare that organizers have been downgraded to moderators..... less than 1 percent of organizers active on Meetup have complained or commented on the redesign .... a simple solution. “If they don’t like users organizing events, they can just turn it off. It's a feature organizers have full control over.” .... "As we see how people are using the new tools we will keep iterating to simplify and improve the experience."
People love the Facebook newsfeed today. It is central to the Facebook experience. But when Facebook first introduced it, there was major ruckus. It is inertia. People dislike change. They are used to doing things one way. They would like to keep doing things the same way.

This new MeetUp redesign is a good thing. This takes some of the power of the Organizers and gives it to members also. This is the way it should always have been. This way you reach more people, you empower more people.

The vocal minority gave its knee jerk reaction. But the dust will settle down. And the new design will become as indispensable as Facebook's news feed.

I personally came to know MeetUp.com as a Dean 2004 volunteer in Indiana. I loved the site. Its simple power amazed me. So when I moved to New York City and got to meet Scott Heiferman in person - it was at a NY Tech MeetUp, back then six people at a bar - I said to him for me it was like moving to Los Angeles and getting to meet Tom Cruise. In all modesty he brushed that comment off.

A few years later when he was listed number five on the Silicon Alley Insider list of the top tech entrepreneurs in the city, I was surprised. But I know the guy, I thought!

This redesign feature is a detail MeetUp should always have had. I am glad they finally have it now.

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