Meeting(Up) Online

Our friend, Kyle Goen, moved to Brussels, Belgium late last year. Back in May, he wrote a great post for us on preparing to move to another country. If you’re not already following his blog, you need to; there he offers great insight into the life of a family learning a new language and culture as they attempt to meet and serve the people of Belgium.

Kyle recently posted about his experience meeting new people though Meetup.com. The website is social networking with a twist- users post open invitations to activities, parties, meetings, events, and even just to chat over coffee.

After scrolling through all the existing meetups, Kyle decided to post one of his own. “There weren’t many that appealed to me personally. If I was going to try something new I wanted it to be something that I enjoyed. I decided to begin a Meetup group around coffee and conversation. I filled out the profile to begin a group and paid the registration fee for starting a group and the next thing I knew I had launched a new Meetup group.”

What happened next was a surprise to Kyle. “Over the next several weeks people began to register for the coffee and conversation group. First there were two, then three people, and the next thing I know there are 25 and then 30 people who were interested in meeting and having a talk. Wow! People wanted to get together and meet other people they didn’t necessarily know.”

Follow Kyle’s blog to read about how the groups are progressing.

If you’re looking for ways to join and build community in your city, check out Meetup. It’s a great way to make connections online that progress to face-to-face group relationships. If you do give it a try, be sure to relay your experience in the comments below.