While testing Google for another thread I ran across this: International Straight Dope Meetup Day. It seems to have been started by someone here with all the right links. Some of the people’s names look familiar, except this one person named esprix, whom I have never heard of yet he or she claims to have organized Dopefests. If this IS one of our funtions, though of course not sponsored by the Chicago Reader etc, it doesn’t turn up in a search of the fora.
What is this poorly advertised but intriguing monthly event that has the potential to prevent me from having to watch Enterprise one Wednesday per month? How does anybody expect people to go if they don’t tell people about it? Why are the Wheaton, Illinois, venues all in Warrenville or Naperville?
dropzone, what you’re seeing is a gathering on Meetup.com - a lot of the political candidates are using the site to organize monthly get-togethers.
Awhile back, someone, maybe Esprix (by the way, he’s The Gay Guy! Where you been? ), set up a Straight Dope group. You can join the group, and each month Meetup picks a date and a place for your group to get together.
I’m signed up with the San Diego location of Straight Dope Meetup, along with Esprix and I think 1 or 2 others. But in order for them to pick a place for you to meet, you have to have 5 people signed up. Once you have that, they’ll give you options of places to meet, the group votes, and voila! Instant Dope Fest.
I’ve cruised around Meetup to see what else they’ve got, and they have all sorts of groups - LiveJournal seems to be a popular one, of course the political ones are hot, but there are groups for singles, stay-at-home moms, fans of different music/literature, etc.
And yes I did sign myself as an organizer for SDMB meetups at meetup.com. I’m also signed up for LJ, queer and sci-fi meetups, but I haven’t gone to one yet.
Funny story - I was at one of the popular meetup spots in San Diego and I was wearing a LiveJournal t-shirt, and don’t you know someone saw me and tracked down my LJ! You never know who’s watching…
’zone, another (far) western 'burbs dweller, here…I never heard of this either. I’d definitely be interested, though, as I rarely get into the city these days and apparently BurbDopes are few and far between.
There’s gotta be more of us out here. Speak up! Surely the local SDMB membership isn’t limited to those tasteful, erudite denizens of the city proper and the northern suburbs.
If this IS one of our funtions, though of course not sponsored by the Chicago Reader etc, it doesn’t turn up in a search of the fora.
), set up a Straight Dope group. You can join the group, and each month Meetup picks a date and a place for your group to get together.
