Posting Meetup recaps

Do you have members who've never actually come to a Meetup? Want to help them get involved? Try posting a short recap of your latest Meetup on the group Message Board.

Sarah Begley, Organizer of The Sacramento Hiking Meetup Group (and Organizer of the Week for October 3rd, 2005!) has found it's a great way to give shy or hesitant members an idea of what they can expect at one of her Meetups.

Sarah tells it best:

I call them 'Trip Reports' because we take trips. But all groups have events, and I strongly believe a recap should be written after each Meetup.

Most folks are a little shy and may be hesitant to join a Meetup if they don't quite know what they're getting into. A short description of past events would give them a general idea of how the Meetups are conducted and what they can expect.

For instance, a Martian Language Meetup event report could be:

"We had a great time at the Universe restaurant at Saturday's event. Most members got there between noon and ten after, and we spent 20 minutes mingling at the no-host bar before moving into the dining room. The group was evenly split between alcohol drinkers and tee-totalers. During the mingle, our Organizer, Venus, regaled us with side-splitting stories of her space travels.

During the meal, each member had an opportunity to talk about their favorite Martian food group. All conversation was in Martian, with side translations for English-speakers. The group broke up around 2:00."

It only takes a few minutes, anyone can write up the report, and it really gives a personal description of the group that the Welcome and About pages can't.

I have one Trip Report thread that I add to after each event. I pin the thread to the top of the Message Board where all potential members, or members who signed up but are too shy to participate, can read them and hopefully gather up the courage to join in a hike.

Thanks for the great idea, Sarah!

How to post to the group Message Board:

1. Click 'Message Board' on the left side of your group's home page.
   
2. Click 'Start a New Discussion' in the Message Board box.

After creating this post, you can add to it simply by clicking on its title, then on 'Add a reply' at the top of the post.

Further reading: Newsletters offer another great way to stay in touch with your members. Read The power of group newsletters for tips on creating your own.