What we’re about
Please, please, please READ! Just so we can be on the same page. There is a lot to read but it's for your benefit so there are NO misunderstandings or surprises about this group and the expectations you may have. Feel free to DM me for questions. Hope everything below addresses much of what you all want to immediately and eventually know.
(edits and updates are forthcoming, visual and informational....)
The brief, simple description:
GBRFF is a group that I aim to bring folks together in seeking adventure, however small or large (the latter under the right conditions). Let’s have a fun time and make friends - ideally, we would be a group partaking in numerous recreational activities such as games & sports, site seeing, and social get-togethers. We would meet at venues or outdoors or even a hosting home if comfortable and depending on party size.
The overall specifics:
Open to many ages and backgrounds, but... the activities will tend to skew towards core 20s/30s/40s interests (Gen X and Millennial – I myself am in my early thirties) but anyone welcome older or younger. Group will start small of course, but would love to see it grow. Would definitely look forward to having co-hosts for this group and eventually upgrade it for MeetUp Pro should a few of us split up the costs and actively contribute to hosting events. I set Boston as the "location" of the group but I live in the northern part of the South Shore and I'd like for anyone from Eastern Massachusetts (and beyond) to participate and pitch for locations to visit.
Very much experimental at this point as creating and managing a group is a new experience for me – I otherwise am an active member on MeetUp through other groups of interest. But there is a lot of potential for this group in the future. And now for the meaty details....
Why did I start this group:
So I have been on MeetUp for a few years as a member of various groups (social, hobbyist, networking, learning) in their various formats (online, hybrid, in person) and I finally felt compelled to start my own. Shaped by my first-hand experiences, good and bad from such groups, I've seen the potential that they have on folks looking to make friends with similar interests or at the very least, bringing people together for a event or activity to participate in, which is more fun than going at it solo or dragging someone you know in. I think many people can relate to those scenarios.
This platform has been great so far in bringing me (and many of you) opportunities to connect, yet there are improvements I strive to put forth in my own group to avoid the issues I've seen from some groups I've participated in. Not gonna list all of them, but the major ones squarely on part of the organizers / hosts are: unapproachability (on location), no introductions (a quick hello, "my name is") / icebreakers for event participants, and folks being left behind or lost due to no physical meetup point being mentioned for events (for say, a large venue). These are true experiences I've witnessed and major pet peeves of mine.
As an event host, I will prevent these instances of happening as I personally don't like being left out.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention social awkwardness, shyness and anxiety on part of anyone looking to join or has joined as this is a sensitive topic that I handle delicately. I don't like anyone to feel uncomfortable or judged based on first impressions or guardedness – I can't speak for everyone and anyone but coming from me, I like social engagement, conversing and inclusion – I'm an ambivert so I understand both perspectives of people who are more reserved vs. people who are super outgoing. I welcome both so as long as we do not overstep any boundaries in either direction of the spectrum (being too overbearing or passive).
We are all here on this platform for some fun and recreation which brings me to...
Expectations (for now):
Ideally, I would like for this group to create and facilitate friendships but this organically happens over time and I am not sure how frequent events will be from the beginning of the group's existence (more on this shortly). Given that the group is in its experimental phase, I don't mind folks trying this out and hanging in there for future events as the year rolls. What I will try to do is at least 1 event per month, and unfortunately, the activities may be initially lopsided toward a few hobby areas unless members are interested to becoming organizers here like me and provide their ideas for activities.
Some of the event ideas I can personally pitch / put forward are based on my experiences having fun including: video game nights (at venues), fan conventions (Anime Boston, PAX East, Boston Comic Con, Rhode Island Comic Con), amusement parks (Six Flags, Canobie Lake Park, Water Country, Water Whizz), go-karting, roller blading, ice skating, skiing, hiking, zip-lining, holiday events in Boston (July 4th, Christmas), etc. A lot of these places and activities are seasonal and some offer ideal times of the year for deals on tickets and whatnot. Plus there's the unpredictability of weather to consider in planning and re-scheduling if need be.
Regardless, I will be attentive to this group's notifications and will allow for adequate time to plan for such events with some exceptions (if a last minute event the day before is a good idea, but I generally try to avoid this to give people breathing room to plan to commute). I also operate on a freelance schedule so I can only plan weeks at a time rather than months with a few exceptions. For example, if something (surprisingly) interesting comes up given my availability, I will post it.
Last Things to Wrap This Up:
I just started this group and I am (pleasantly) surprised by all new members despite not putting up a video and other media yet. These are forthcoming, I need time to create these.
I'll be perfectly honest, this is a new experience in organizing a group – there is uncertainty with ultimately how big this will grow to, how evenly diverse the activities will be, how quickly events will be posted, and how big the impact will be for people joining this group looking for things to do, experiences to take, and bonds to make. Even for those who are experimenting, I'm totally fine with this. Life is a journey and resources like MeetUp exist to provide the opportunity to see what interests you, what is fulfilling. Please be patient while the group is in its early, experimental phase – I'm looking forward to seeing its potential and evolution (would like to have a range of activities to appeal to different people and interests, not just one.... eventually; but there will be favorites).
More so, I will try to do events more centrally around (and in) Boston and its suburbs and exurbs. Again, there will be some lopsidedness at this phase of the group given where I reside in MA, the locations might favor my proximity in the northern South Shore hence why I encourage having additional organizers in different parts of Eastern MA to balance the focus geography of what to do and where to meet.
For now, I will say this: I'd like for this group to be inclusive and respectful (not too formal, not too casual; just somewhere in the middle) – let's all engage positively and leave no one out. I almost forgot to mention this: I don't mind if a group wants to split up at an attraction (like an amusement park let's say) if it's big and/or if some people are more comfortable watching / chatting if not every ride is for them. As long as we regroup and leave no one behind, I'm okay with this. I – for one – really get into an activity (such as video gaming) and am adventurous; I like feeling that I had done something somewhere.
Now, as long as I continue to live in MA (vacations notwithstanding), I will be actively posting and responding to everyone in this group. For events that I host, I will make sure to disclose details, to be accessible and findable – shoot me a message on MeetUp and l will always be wearing a white baseball cap in person (like in my profile photo).
Looking forward to meeting all of you!
– George
