Students and residents looking to meet Chicago-area people who share their passion for World of Warcraft, knitting, indie rock or all three can use online social group organizer Meetup.com to find kindred spirits.
Meetup is an extensive network of local groups which allows its 7.2 million members to join groups in their area that interest them and then organize events to meet others in their groups. Within 25 miles of Evanston, there are 2,114 Meetups from which to choose.
Weinberg senior Aime Lynn Goudie said she joined a Meetup group to add some variety to her social network. She is now part of 12 Meetups and the co-administrator of the Chicago Fun Volunteers group and the 20 and 30 Somethings Chicago group.
“It’s just a nice way to get to meet someone outside the Northwestern bubble,” Goudie said.
She said she has met people from a wide age range that she would not have otherwise met, some of which have even become good friends who attended her birthday party. Meetup events can include as few as five and be as large as 40 people, she said. She has also found fun spots in town through Meetup that she wouldn’t have found otherwise.
One of the Meetups she is part of is the Evanston Social Networking group, which meets monthly and is organized by comic book store owner Terry Gant. The Evanston resident said with his busy life, it can be difficult to make time to meet people, so the group is a good opportunity to come across people from different walks of life.
“It allows me to go to the same place with just the idea that it’s meeting interesting local folks,” Gant said.
He said many of the members are new residents in Evanston looking to get their feet wet and make a few new friends with some common ground.
Donna Su uses Evanston Meetups to connect with other parents and book lovers and exchange tips and reviews.
“I’ve tried Google groups and Yahoo groups, and this feels more all-inclusive,” said Su, Medill Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid assistant director.
Su first found Meetup.com when looking for a play group for her son. Now she is part of 10 groups and is one of the event organizers in a local parenting group that hosts around two or three events a week.
Meetup may be a social networking website, but its focus is helping people meet in real life.
“It’s just fun,” Goudie said. “I would recommend it to anyone who’s outgoing and willing to do something like that.”
