# Thinking about starting a hacking group, any advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924 "2015-08-15T16:18:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/1 "2015-08-15T16:18:58Z")
I was looking for hacking groups in Portland, ME. . I found that there isn’t one within a hundred miles! The closest ones are in Boston and Bangor. How hard would it be to start my own? Has anyone here ever belonged to one or helped start one? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/2 "2015-08-15T17:00:47Z")
There is a group right in your neighborhood, we’re right down the street. But we are pretty exclusive… if there were only some way you could figure out how to get our information… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/3 "2015-08-15T17:13:11Z")
Do you know anything about hacking? If not you will just be a target of real hackers. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/4 "2015-08-15T17:16:04Z")
Isn’t this exactly the sort of thing for which you don’t need to meet in person? Surely many such groups meet online only. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/5 "2015-08-15T21:10:12Z")
Are you talking about computers or riding? ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/6 "2015-08-15T21:16:20Z")
Maybe he’s talking about golf? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/7 "2015-08-15T21:58:40Z")
I’m thinking the OP _might_ be talking about starting a [makerspace](http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/a-librarians-guide-to-makerspaces/). > [@above link](#): > > Makerspaces, sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/8 "2015-08-15T22:08:12Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I was looking for hacking groups in Portland, ME. . I found that there isn’t one within a hundred miles! The closest ones are in Boston and Bangor. How hard would it be to start my own? Has anyone here ever belonged to one or helped start one? Please elaborate/explain. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/9 "2015-08-16T22:00:43Z")
If the OP is talking about computer hacking and doing something illegal, I’m pretty sure that posting an advert on a public forum is probably NOT the best way to start a group. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/10 "2015-08-16T22:35:39Z")
Sure. Please message me with all relevant personal identifying info. Ignore the DC IP address. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/11 "2015-08-17T12:39:40Z")
“Hacking” doesn’t necessarily mean bad things, though it used to. The term has been hijacked to mean any group of people getting together to quickly write a ton of computer code. Or talk about coding. Or really, anything technology-related, mostly with an emphasis on coding. For example, “Hackathons” are pretty common at universities and software companies. It doesn’t mean anyone is doing anything illegal; it just means a group of people work together to get project \ done quickly, or set up teams where they compete to get a project done and the best one is judged and awarded a prize. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-about-starting-a-hacking-group-any-advice/727924/12 "2015-08-17T12:55:29Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > “Hacking” doesn’t necessarily mean bad things, though it used to. The term has been hijacked to mean any group of people getting together to quickly write a ton of computer code. Or talk about coding. Or really, anything technology-related, mostly with an emphasis on coding. You have it backwards. Hacking has always meant coding and pushing the limits of technology. It was hijacked by the media to refer to malicious activities. And FWIW, I am very much a white hat