Questions & answers

The best thing a Member can do on a regular basis is RSVP to Meetups.  It is really important to RSVP as soon as possible for an upcoming Meetup.  Organizers really count on Members to let them know beforehand if they will or will not be attending.  Sometimes they use this information to make reservations or to choose an appropriate venue.

It is equally important to keep your RSVP up to date.  If you realize that you can't attend a Meetup, you should change your RSVP right away.  If you don't let your Organizer know that you won't be attending, the whole Group might end up waiting around for you to arrive!  You might even be taking up one of a limited number of 'Yes' spots on the list, so changing your RSVP might even open up a new spot for another Member who is hoping to attend.

Even if you can't attend, you should RSVP 'No.'  This let's everyone know that you're still interested in the Group and knowing what's going on!

If you don't get a chance to change your RSVP before the event, you might want to send an email apologizing to the Organizer and explaining that something unexpected came up last minute, and that you weren't able to change your RSVP before the event.  If you RSVP 'Yes' but don't show up, the Organizer may mark you as a 'No Show.'

If you receive a message that you think may be inappropriate, please forward it to abuse@meetup.com.  It's a good idea not to respond to the message, as doing so may just escalate the situation, no matter how nice you are.

If you see anything on the Meetup site that you think might be inappropriate, you can forward a link to the page where it appears to abuse@meetup.com.  We'll look at it from here and take any appropriate action.

The thing to keep in mind is that Meetup can only keep watch over the goings-on of the site, and not what happens in the real world.  So if somebody behaves inappropriately in person, there's not much we can do, since we weren't at that Meetup.

The first thing to do is to contact your Group Organizer, and let him or her know that you felt uncomfortable.  It's a really good idea to give the Organizer the ability to handle it from there.

If you contact the Organizer but don't receive the kind of response you were hoping for, or if it's the Organizer herself that you feel was acting inappropriately, then the best thing to do at that point is to leave the Group, and try to find one in which you feel more comfortable.

Another thing you could do is start your very own Meetup Group and invite others to join it. Starting a second Meetup Group in your area not only can resolve conflict, but it can be a great benefit to your community as well.  And we'll be here to help you every step of the way.

And of course, if you receive any inappropriate messages, or see anything posted to the site that you're uncomfortable with, forward it to abuse@meetup.com, and we'll take a look.

Generally speaking, Meetup recommends that you only add other members to your Friends list if you know who they are, and have met them before.

Although it is not against our Terms of Service, some people do feel uncomfortable if a stranger links to their profile.  If you are unsure about adding someone as a friend, you could always send them a quick message, or post a friendly Greeting to their Profile.

If you go to a Meetup and the Organizer doesn't show up, then the first thing to do is contact the Organizer in order to find out what has happened.  If this happens more than once, and you are unable to contact the Organizer, you can contact our Support team to look into the matter further.  We'll look into it, and see if the Organizer's been on the site recently.  If not, then we'll send them a note letting them know that their Meetup Group is waiting for them to come back!

If you're not able to contact the Organizer, and you feel he isn't doing his best to organize the kind of Group you want to be a part of, then you can always join a different Meetup Group or start your very own and invite others to join it.  That way, you'll always know whether or not the Organizer is going to show up!

In that case, then it's probably a good idea to discuss your ideas with the Organizer.  Some Organizers love to get suggestions from Members and might make some changes right away.  If you've yet to voice your feelings to this Organizer, please do so (in a respectful manner, of course). Sharing your thoughts with the Organizer is definitely the first step.

Keep in mind though that the Organizer always has the final say.  So even though you think your ideas are really great, it's up to the Organizer to run the Meetup Group in the way that makes the most sense to him or her.  So if an Organizer doesn't take your suggestions, don't feel bad!  It just means that they might have a different style than you.

If you don't think you can continue to be a part of the Group the way it's currently being run, then you can always start your own Group, and organize it in the way that you think is right.  To start your own Group, just click 'Start a Meetup Group' at the top of any page of the Meetup site.  And of course, Meetup Support will be here to help you every step of the way.