Onyx (Bay Area Black Professionals)

Onyx FAQs

Why was Onyx created?
Onyx was created to foster community and fellowship among black professionals in the Bay Area. For more information see the "About Us" section.

Who can join Onyx?
Although our primary focus is to facilitate social and professional networking for black professionals in the bay area, we welcome everyone with the time and desire to attend our events, regardless of race or profession. So just to break it down, here are some sub-questions:

I'm Caribbean/African. Can I be a member?
Yes! See above. The group is not exclusively African-American (assuming a limited definition). We have members of various nationalities/ national origins.
I work as a _________. Can I be a member?
Yes! The intent of the "professionals" designation isn't to exclude.
I'm not black. Can I be a member?
Yes! No explanation is necessary.

What can I expect as a member?

Group E-mails. You can expect to receive group emails announcing new events or reminders about events on the calendar. I regularly send out Onyx newsletters, which summarize the events going on with the group and other information. Every once in a while I allow folks to forward messages to the group if the message is relevant to the group and/or too time sensitive to add to the calendar. We try to keep e-mails to a minimum but some communication is a necessary part of planning events and keeping people actively engaged in the events. If you hate receiving group e-mails, you can avoid any annoyance by changing your email settings on Meetup. Click on your account to adjust your settings. If you can't figure this out, send me (Lakeisha) an e-mail and I'll remove you from the list (this won't remove you from the group, it'll just prevent you from receiving e-mails). You can also address this by using a separate email account to receive Meetup emails or putting a filter so that all meetup related emails go directly to one folder rather than your inbox.

Events. Onyx is a very active group. You can expect to see lots of different events on the calendar each month. We have 10 or more events almost every month. Members are encouraged to attend events and plan their own events.

What is the age range of the group?
The group is not restricted based on age. That stated, I'd guess that most members are between 25-40.

What can I expect at an event?
- Black people!
- Our group has events throughout the Bay Area, but most events are in the South Bay and Peninsula. We do try to vary the locations and the type of events so that everyone can participate.
- The events are the antithesis of a random bar/pick up scene. Our members (in general) are very friendly and welcoming. Don't be afraid to come to an event solo.
- We're too cool for signs and name tags. That stated, in the South Bay and Peninsula, it's usually pretty easy to spot us for obvious reasons. If you are concerned about finding the group, please email me or the event organizer beforehand so we know to look out for you.

What does RSVP mean?

RSVPing YES = you're attending the event. Please only RSVP "yes" for events if you are sure you can attend. A "yes" RSVP should be treated like a commitment you would make to a dear friend. It is very disappointing to plan an event that had a set "yes" RSVP's only to see half the people actually show up! This is especially discourteous when the event has a large waitlist of people who would have attended in your place. So as a courtesy, please change your RSVP with at least 24 hours notice if possible. If we note that you are a habitual flake (3+ no shows), we may restrict you from RSVPing to events requiring reservations in the future.
Some events do not allow for a Maybe RSVP, so please only say "Yes" if you're committed to attending. Again, see above.
Also, occasionally events will have a maximum allowable # of attendees, so please don't take up spots unless you will be at the function. [\list]

What if I want to host an event?
YAY!!
We're happy to have members plan events and will try to post them on the calendar so long as the events do not violate the three rules (see below).
Setting Up An Event. Please contact me (Lakeisha) (via the links to your left) to set up the event. Please include in your message-
- The date
- The address (including the zip code)
- A description of the event and meeting place
Please note that I don't always have time to post events-nothing personal, sometimes it's just like that. Also, it is best that you: (1) give notice (I rarely add something that's occurring the next day) and (2) have the event posting locked and loaded (i.e. write a compelling description that sells your event to the group, send us links, and clip pics) so that all I have to do is simply cut and paste it on the site.
I should also mention that if you have a flyer- please type out the event information into an email or word document. I can't upload flyers to the calendar- I have to type out the stuff from the flyer- this is kinda time consuming and can stall the announcement of your event.

Hosting An Event.
Note that if you host an event, you own the event. Meaning it will be designated as your event and you will be responsible for the event organization (I may not attend the event so yes, it would be bad to plan an event and not attend it). Please, please, please do not flake on an event that you plan- if you need to cancel the event, please let me know so no one gets left stranded at the event. If you just want to send out an FYI about an event that you're not sure you'll be attending, please do so on the messageboard.
Three Rules. Also note, we retain discretion to decide whether to post events. Some events that will never be "official" Onyx events are:
- religious events (events supporting a particular religion/religious institution);
- political events (events in support of a particular political party or politician); or
- shameless self-promotion/ sales presentation-type events (as distinct from an event offering something useful to the group for free).
Of course, one point of this group is to network so you can always individually solicit the friends you make in this group to attend such events offline.

What are group ratings?
After each event, you are sent an email to tell the organizers what you thought. Those ratings are tallied and from your response comes our group ratings!
You can also check the ratings for a particular event by clicking on past events, and clicking on the event you are interested in. There you can read what others thought of the event, and what sort of rating it got. Please provide comments about the events and the group in general when possible. We like comments.

Is there a fee to join this group?
No, but we occasionally have events requesting a donation to cover the costs of maintaining the Meetup site (72 dollars every six months btw). Any events involving a fee will have the amount listed on the meetup.com event calendar.

Can I post messages using the group email list or on the message boards?
Group E-mail= Yes, with our approval. The back and forth emails and people using the e-mail list to solicit motivated us to change the settings. So now any group e-mail needs to be approved before it will goes out. So you might as well ask if it's okay if you send out a forward. Please don't take it personally if we say no or if we don't forward your message on. The problem with forwards is that they are like Lay's- it's hard to have just one (more people are inspired to send out forwards). And as mentioned, I want to avoid having tons on e-mails going to everyone people on the email list.
Messageboard=Yes.

Can I advertise using the group email list or on the message boards?
Group E-mail=No. My only exception is for volunteering/non profit events on occasion and even for those types, I'm only going to send out one e-mail.
Messageboard=Yes. But please use some discretion. We retain the right to delete anything inappropriate and abuse of the messageboards may be grounds for removal from the group.

If you want to add something into the newsletter, please e-mail me (Lakeisha) directly.