As mentioned above, some of Meetup\u2019s historical communication tools had similar functions, which created confusion for Meetup organizers and members alike. For example, Event Chat and Event Comments both addressed the same need and were used interchangeably, making event-specific conversations difficult to follow. The same was also true for Discussions and Message Boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to this feedback, we\u2019ve streamlined our suite of communication features: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- On July 18, 2024, we removed Event Chat and Message Boards<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Group Discussions are now the primary communication tool for organizers to engage directly with all members of their group<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Event Comments are now the dedicated feature for organizers to communicate with members attending a specific event<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Direct Messages, Event Announcements, and \u2018Contact Members\u2019 features remain available as before.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Not familiar with Group Discussion and Event Comments? Check out these helpful articles to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- How do I manage Discussions?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Managing event communications<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Why did we keep Group Discussions and Event Comments?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We asked organizers for feedback on which features should remain and which should be removed. The results were clear: Group Discussions and Event Comments were favored above the others, with many organizers citing them as more straightforward and easy-to-use. The usage data confirmed these trends and we decided to sunset Message Boards and Event Chat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, we also set out to introduce some meaningful changes to the remaining communication features\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three important improvements to Group Discussions and Event Comments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In addition to asking organizers which communication features they preferred, we also asked them about how we could make their favorite tools even better. Looking at the list, we picked the ones that could immediately improve organizers’ everyday experience. The rest? We\u2019ve saved those for later!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, you can do the following with Group Discussions and Event Comments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Add formatting, lists, and links to your messages<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use the new markdown-supported formatting options\u2014Bold, Italic, Ordered lists, Unordered lists, Links\u2014to make your messages more expressive and clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s how the formatting looks before and after sending it:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-markdown-support-1-1120x495.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Pin your important Comments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Organizers and co-organizers can now add the most important notices to the top of an event\u2019s Comments section. Select up to three different messages to be displayed as the first thing your members see. Simply pin and unpin messages by selecting the \ud83d\udccc icon next to each message.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-pin-comments-1-419x630.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n3. Rely on timely and consistent notifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While the first two items on this list are new features, the last\u2014and possibly most important\u2014improvement to Group Discussions and Event Comments ensures that notifications for new messages, replies, and reactions are being successfully delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We recognize that inconsistent notifications have been an ongoing source of frustration for organizers. Over the past several months, we took a comprehensive look at all the possible notifications associated with these two features and systematically checked to make sure they\u2019re all working as intended. In the case that something wasn\u2019t behaving correctly, we quickly prioritized a fix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are all the notifications you can expect to be delivered for Group Discussions and Event Comments:<\/p>\n\n\n
- Managing event communications<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Group Discussions are now the primary communication tool for organizers to engage directly with all members of their group<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/blog-communications-notifications-2-751x630.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n