Dealing with conflicts in your Meetup Group

Most of the time, Meetup members get along. But sometimes you run into problems where a member's behavior is at odds with the Meetup. Examples of warning signs:

1. Using Meetup to try to sell products to other members


2. Posting insensitive comments on the message boards


3. Creating a member profile that goes against your Meetup's purpose

So what can you do it you or your group has a disagreement with a particular member?

1. An ounce of prevention...

Make sure it's clear what your group is about, so new members are on track from the very beginning. Spell out the values you share, the Meetup's mission and what topics of discussion are (and are not) welcome for your Meetup!

• Customize your group description.

  This is the first thing members see when they are searching for local Meetups. To edit it, click Organizer Help and Tools on the group welcome screen and select Edit Group Details.




• Add info to your "About Page".

  You have the ability to add as much detail as you'd like here! Take a look at Making a Snazzy & Informative "About" Page and see what other Organizers have done with photos, mission statements and more.




• Create a Welcome Message for new members.

  All new members receive an automatic Welcome Message when they join your group and you can include specific details about your group. Check out Creating a Welcome Message for New Members to learn how and pick up a few ideas.




• Approve Members first.

  While most Meetups welcome all members with open arms some want to be little more selective. You can approve who may join your group by updating your Group Details. To approve members, click on the Organizer Help and Tools link on the left-hand side of your group welcome screen and click theSettings tab. Scroll down until you see "Who Can Join".

2. Talk, Talk, Talk...

Talk to the troublesome member. Really. Be courteous, but point out the behavior that's bothering you or the group. You can do this either in person, at the Meetup, or through email or the message boards. Often the person simply doesn't know how they are affecting others, so give them the benefit of the doubt. Let them explain their grievance, if they have one, or address the problem. Focusing on solving the problem rather than placing the blame is really effective!

Here's a great tip from Leah, Organizer of The Houston Lingua Italiana Meetup Group:

I have also decided to add to our group's agenda a dedicated time to "Stand Up Yell and Complain" ... allowing a forum for those that want to vent their frustrations out loud seems to be beneficial.

3. Managing Members

If you've talked things through and problems are still there, you have a many Organizers tools at your fingertips:

• If the problem is on your group message board, you (and your Assistant Organizers) can always edit or remove a post. Learn how and get some guidelines in Managing your Meetup Group message boards.
• If nothing is working you (and your Assistant Organizers) can remove the member from the group. To remove members, click on the Members link on the left-hand side of your group welcome screen. You’ll see a Remove Member button next to each profile. Note, this will remove the member from your group NOT from Meetup.com.

4. Still out of hand?

In extreme cases, where someone is abusive to other members, or selling aggressively, or sending spam, Meetup.com can investigate and remove the member. If you've tried to resolve the situation and got nowhere, write to organizer@meetup.com. Provide as much detail as you can, including the text of message board posts, emails, etc.