Meetup.com says Payup.com!

[Will]

A piece of news on a note related to what we're trying to achieve at BusinessMix.co.uk...

Described by Time as "A convenient, non-threatening way to connect to other people who share similar interests and live nearby", Meetup.com has announced that it's going to start charging for its service.

Organizers will soon have to pay a small monthly fee on behalf of their Meetup Groups... Starting May 1st, every Meetup Group will have to pay a monthly fee.
I'd never heard of Meetup until it was mentioned by Les at our last Business Bricks meet-up. Still, I'm glad we've kept the organising "in-house" :D

[Pedge]

Mmmm, saw this quote on their site:

There are certainly other sites you can cobble together to create and manage your group — some of them cost less — some are even free. But none do such a complete job of helping you grow your membership and hold great events. None are as easy to use or come with such immediate customer support. None are focused on face-to-face events. And finally, none of them care whether or not your Meetups go well. Meetup.com, on the other hand, is 100% dedicated to making your group better.

Sorry to say, compared to the likes of the business bricks group, that's a load of crap. Here at businessbricks we hear from Matt, Will has set up this forum, us regulars are doing our best to build up the brickies profile and want to help other small businesses grow. For all the time I was in the meetup.com liverpool graphic design group, there was no attempt from the organiser nor meetup to push group meetings, even though there were loads of members.

All I can say to new members is to come to 3345 Parr Street and see what its like - its really relaxed, informal and enjoyable. If you don't like it, you don't have to come again (but we're sure you'll love it and come back again).

And the only thing you pay for is your drinks - the sparkling company, conversation & advice is free of charge! :D