Sticky meetups?

January 11, 2005 3:20 PM

MetaFilter gatherings are common, and often planned weeks in advance. In that amount of time, the related threads are pushed off the front page. Is there a system we can work out where they become sticky? Maybe be posted on the sidebar until they happen?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood to Feature Requests at 3:20 PM (22 comments total)

For example, the Chicago Meetup, which will happen sometime in the next two weekend is hidden down here.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 3:21 PM on January 11, 2005

My Chuck E. Cheese Meetup has just gone plum up and disappeared...

W
T
F
MATT
posted by Dreamghost at 3:24 PM on January 11, 2005

Isn't this why the sidebar thingy on the MeTa page has a meet-up link?

Of course, the system isn't perfect; if you miss the original MeTa post you might not think to check for meet-ups in your area.
posted by availablelight at 3:30 PM on January 11, 2005

This has been discussed before; the beautifully elegant solution is to right click your mouse,
choose "bookmark this page", and it's done.
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:31 PM on January 11, 2005

Yeah, I need to figure out a way to easily track dates. I think maybe doing a small micro blog for each one with a date that can be queried automatically would do it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:21 PM on January 11, 2005

This has been discussed before; the beautifully elegant solution is to right click your mouse, choose "bookmark this page", and it's done.

Persisting meet-up data is as important as a means of notifying people previously unaware of the event (there were a few who overlooked the most recent Seattle event entirely) as it is to keep interested parties informed of schedule/venue changes. Bookmarking a thread won't help anyone but myself, see.
posted by Danelope at 5:19 PM on January 11, 2005

Or maybe move all the meet-n-greet notices off-site altogether, to Friendster or something, since they have nothing to do with links?
posted by rushmc at 6:37 PM on January 11, 2005

I've been semi-successfully, and manually, updating an iCal calendar of MetaFilter events for a while. Basically, if I catch an event here, I try to list it. Problems with this system: few people know about it; it's manual, so I might miss things; I might miss threads that discuss things but don't decide anything until later; the web version omits key fields like location and URL and fucks up the time zone (see Friday's MeFi SF gathering as an example).

Perhaps something like this could be integrated into the sidebar? I believe there's a Perl script for rendering iCal format calendars into HTML, but I lack any and all Perl-fu.

Additionally, something where the organizer (by default, usually) adds the event to the database, rather than a third party like me, would probably make it more successful. So would a system where members could confirm their attendance. It'd be ducky if this could be done on this site, and/but would add significantly to the social-networking aspects of membership here (above and beyond the XFN tags in our profiles).
posted by mcwetboy at 7:18 PM on January 11, 2005

How about, when the site gets redesigned, include a small area near the sidebar (one or two lines) for current meetup threads? In other words, something that contained every thread in the "meetups" category of metatalk from the last 3 weeks, and sat just above or below the metatalk sidebar. Hmm?
posted by Hildago at 7:33 PM on January 11, 2005

Wait. Sorry, I was being sarcastic or anything, I just never noticed that there already was something like that on the sidebar. My bad.
posted by Hildago at 7:35 PM on January 11, 2005

This is one of the many reasons there needs to be a Metafilter message board (there could be a meetups forum).
posted by abcde at 7:39 PM on January 11, 2005

Or maybe move all the meet-n-greet notices off-site altogether, to Friendster or something, since they have nothing to do with links?

MetaTalk isn't about links, rush. And keep the "Freindster" cracks to a minimmum, please. No need to be condescending.
posted by jonmc at 7:51 PM on January 11, 2005

BTW: have we ever had an official Friendster thread on MeTa where people exchange first/last names or emails as to befriendster one another? I think it would be kinda fun just to peep other MeFites' profiles & link up in a non-MeFi environment... (not that such a thread would be a great use of MeTa, either...)
posted by dhoyt at 8:10 PM on January 11, 2005

And keep the "Freindster" cracks to a minimmum, please.

I don't believe I mentioned "Freindster," and I'm not sure what a "minimmum" is...

How's that? Condescending enough for ya?
posted by rushmc at 8:31 PM on January 11, 2005

Expensive pony idea (he likes carrots!): Give users a preferences checkbox to be informed of meetups happening close to them on their user page or perhaps as a box on the top of the main page. Then, when a meetup thread is started, associated zip code data can alert these users in a similar fashion to however zip code closeness is assessed currently.

Variation on a theme: People could list in their preferences zip codes from cities about which they'd like to be kept informed, not just their own.
posted by fatllama at 8:38 PM on January 11, 2005

Or we could do what we do already and post reminder threads when it approaches. Then you use that thread for pics & everyone is happy. Or at least I am.
posted by dame at 8:46 PM on January 11, 2005

How's that? Condescending enough for ya?

No. I know from experience you can be even more condescending.

But that's beside the point. Metatalk, as I already stated, is not about links. It's a board for site-related news, which meetups qualify as. So much so that matt has given them their own category. But you seem to object for some reason, or as your attempt at a wisecrack indicated, you consider them frivolous and beneath the dignity of the site somehow.

Which is odd since I recall you attending one.
posted by jonmc at 9:08 PM on January 11, 2005

How's that? Condescending enough for ya?

No rush, apparently you need to crank it up [or down as the case may be] a bit, that may have gone over a few heads.
posted by kamylyon at 9:34 PM on January 11, 2005

I wouldn't mind a site section devoted to meetups.
posted by xammerboy at 6:45 AM on January 12, 2005

But you seem to object for some reason, or as your attempt at a wisecrack indicated, you consider them frivolous and beneath the dignity of the site somehow.

You assume too much. I was merely presenting the idea, devil's advocate-style. I think it is a legitimate consideration, but it does not, in fact, represent my opinion.

Which is odd since I recall you attending one.

Not really relevant, since if I DID feel that way about meetups it could well be as a direct result of said attendance!
posted by rushmc at 7:57 AM on January 12, 2005

I use mcwetboy's iCal tool and I just want to say how much I appreciate it.
posted by terrapin at 8:45 AM on January 12, 2005

I've been semi-successfully, and manually, updating an iCal calendar of MetaFilter events for a while.

Wow, that rocks mcwetboy! Thanks.

(I now return you to rushmc's edifying presentation of fine logical distinctions)
posted by vacapinta at 2:51 PM on January 12, 2005