# International Straight Dope MEETUP Day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2002, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935 "2002-09-04T09:35:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/1 "2002-09-04T09:35:55Z")
Well [this](http://sdmb.meetup.com) website seems to thinks it’s all happening… I’ll let the mods and admins decide what to do about the use of the Straight Dope name by a commercial website. The rest of us can only boggle at the [terms of service](http://www.meetup.com/terms). The description of services offered seems somewhat vague, but reading over the website as a whole suggests that these people make their money primarily by promoting venues in which “meetups” are held. It’s getting kind of surreal seeing the SD name popping up in odd places… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/2 "2002-09-04T10:09:58Z")
From the linked page: > [@](#): > > Is this affiliated with any Straight Dope-related organization? > > No. MEETUP has no affiliation, connection or association with any > Straight Dope-related organization. MEETUP simply provides the > technology to enable Straight Dope Message Board Memb to MEETUP > with each other locally. Amazingly enough, we’ve mastered the necessary technology on our own. 🙂 > [@](#): > > We hope this strengthens the Straight Dope community. We believe it already has, thanks. > [@](#): > > MEETUP’s use of any trademarks owned by third parties has not, in any way, been approved or sponsored by that third party. We kinda guessed that. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/3 "2002-09-04T12:10:01Z")
I’m kinda curious as to who set it up in the first place. Is it one of the first three members that joined (Kurtz, Hoyd, and Toby), or does [meetup.com](http://meetup.com) just make these things themselves, and wait for people to join in? It does make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/4 "2002-09-04T12:13:31Z")
FYI, there’s also an Live Journal “Meet Up Day.” I thought it was organized by LJ, but now I’m wondering. They have the same little icon (the name tag one) and they look very much the same. That might be a place to start. It might be that they seek out message boards and organize these social events on their behalf? I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/5 "2002-09-04T12:19:41Z")
I did a websearch, and it seems I’m correct. There are a lot of links to message boards and the “Meet Up Day” is on all of them. Seems harmless, but what do I know, right? There’s a few in Amsterdam, too! I think there are some Dopers/LJers who attended an “LJ Meet Up Day” this summer, you might ask them. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/6 "2002-09-04T12:19:54Z")
Weird! And why do they keep saying “memb” instead of “Member”? They couldn’t fit it all in? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/7 "2002-09-04T12:26:20Z")
Yes. Our members are just too big. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/8 "2002-09-04T12:29:19Z")
I’ve heard that about you, **Coldy** , from reliable sources. Hehe. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/9 "2002-09-04T12:34:41Z")
“And now we have this report from our members-affairs correspondent, **Heloise** , who is live in Amsterdam. Heloise?” “Yes, thank you, Cecil. The member situation here is staggering. The average member in this fair city is more than twice as long as anywhere else in the world. We’ve heard reports here of one man who has developed many uses for his member - he can skip rope, climb mountains, water the lawn, and rope calves in the prairie. In fact, the Guinness people were here earlier, and they say his member is – OH MY GOD, THERE IT IS! YIKES! LOOK OU–” “Heloise? Heloise? … We seem to have lost our live feed from Amsterdam. And now, this word from Purina and the makers of Lifestyle Condoms…” ---
**Author:** ![freckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47c2d/32.png) [@freckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckles)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/10 "2002-09-04T12:37:30Z")
I just read there was a meet-up every first Wednesday in Dublin 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/11 "2002-09-04T12:38:03Z")
Yikes, dan. Let’s hope she doesn’t do vanity searches. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/12 "2002-09-04T12:39:07Z")
😛 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-straight-dope-meetup-day/126935/13 "2002-09-04T12:40:24Z")
Sorry about that. Guess I let this coffee get to me.