Who is able to start a meetup.com group?

Anyone who wants to start a group can. You pay a monthly or annual fee to do so. If you are computer literate it is easy to set up and manage meetings. Meetup.com does charge a monthly fee for event organizers. Some of them will charge a small fee for their event but it isn’t aimed at making  a profit. It’s only to reimburse them for their membership costs. The fees doesn’t only help with reimbursement but it controls the event a little bit as well. It actually helps a bit with safety and security because members won’t spend money just to cause trouble.

Email.

You can easily manage your mail from meetup. You do need to do this for your general meetup membership and for each group you belong to. The email settings are easily changed to your liking, for example you may choose to get an email when a new event is posted to your group. An event organizer would surely have more emails to worry about but it does offer you a pretty sweet service.

Other members.

Meetup.com is based on volunteers. So it’s basically the willing that organizes these events. Some members might get upset or find fault with every little detail. Others might be satisfied or ecstatic. It all depends on the members that are involved. The main problem is that groups do have members that sign up for events but they never show up. This has been dealt with by removing members who do it more than once. So you still protect the other members. There is also the issue that some members have no experience with meeting up in groups. Some of them tend to clam up and then they are all alone. It isn’t such a big deal but other members tend to get uncomfortable.

Always show your appreciation to your group members and event organizers. It takes a lot of work, determination and talent in order to turn a small group into a huge success. Don’t be rude or inconsiderate towards others. If you have suggestions, just ask your event organizer. Don’t just jump at them and force them to take notice.

 Costs.

Remember that it does cost the event organizers in order to create a group. Many groups do charge a fee n order for their members to attend any events. Paying a small fee probably won’t kill you but it might make the events a bit better. Some organizers pay everything so that their members have a good time. For each additional members, the cost goes up. Sometimes the costs get too high and they have to ask their members to contribute a small fee but they still pay the most. Meetup.com should make it a bit clearer that it’s the event organizers that’s paying for everything.

What about security concerns?

There are a lot of ways to keep meetup groups and members secure. Security is a fundamental building block for all activities on the internet.

You are allowed to make your profile private to anyone who’s not registered on meetup.com There are various settings that will allow you to do so. Other groups  will not be able to view your profile. Meetup.com groups try to be as safe as possible. In the end, it’s not just the event organizers that must be protected but the members as well.

If a group is set to private, you need the group owner’s approval before you are allowed to join. You can even state your own requirements and other factors such as a small questionnaire that users must answer so that you can evaluate all of the information. Some groups are so strict that you must answer 5 questions and send an identifiable picture before you are allowed the chance to join. Most of them only send the location of a meeting to members who RSVP.

The Verdict.

Meetup.com is actually a good site. The members are all good individuals. Troublemakers are usually dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Events are mostly free but those that require a small fee, do not cost you an arm or a leg. The events are quite entertaining and fun. Overall, this site is to use. Just watch out for some groups that don’t disclose the details of their events or information about themselves.

The article Meetup.com appeared first on Dating Online and Meet IRL.

We dug up some information on the top three dating sites and we set out to discover the truth.

Meetup.com.

Meetup is a global social network specifically designed for groups. It allows you connect with people who share your interests and live near you.  You can choose from a wide variety of group categories that include just about everything from Automotive to Politics & Activism. Each group also has dozens of sub–categories. This makes it easier to find just the right group. An example would be the hobbies group that has travel as a sub-category.

Once you’ve chosen a group, you can narrow your search by sub–categories or keyword.

There are no membership fees except if you are a group organizer. Group organizers are required to pay a fee on behalf of their group. Some group organizer cannot cover the costs on their own, and so charge a membership fee to help fund their meetups.

There are no annoying ads or pop-ups on this site.

Meetup.com has changed its pricing plan to:

Each plan has a 30–day money back guarantee

After viewing some profiles, we only found one questionable photo. Strangely, it’s nothing worse than you can see on the TV. The minimum age to join Meetup is 18. They are very strict about their security and members.

 Match.com.

Match.com was started in 1995. The site has been around for quite a while and there have been numerous success stories.

Before we went to the site, we dug up a few reviews. According to some of the review sites, match.com is a good way to find singles. Then there are the other sites, where users have posted horrible reviews aimed at the company’s customer service and accounts department.  Some of these bad reviews claim there are a lot of fake users, fake advertisements and scams.

After thorough examination of these user reviews, we did some digging of our own.

The main problem on this site, is the customer complains. It actually takes a while before an inquiry is dealt with. There are a few fake profiles but it’s nothing too serious. It’s still good enough to meet a few interesting people without getting scammed out of your life’s savings. Any complains about other users are not dealt with. There are also complaints of hidden information until you actually pay for a membership. Members who had a Mac or similar device, could not access the the service. All in all, it was a pleasant experience. It’s pretty decent, with a nice layout and loads of members. Just don’t expect your searches to be so accurate.

OkCupid.com.

OkCupid remains one of the more popular dating sites for younger generations because you can get the full online dating experience for free. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean OkCupid skimps on features, and they’re even pushing online dating to another level by offering an app that sets you up on a blind date. It works like a well-oiled machine.

Regular Membership: Free

A-List Membership: $4.95 – One Month Membership

$3.95/Month – Three Month Membership

$2.95/Month – Six Month Membership

There are a few abandoned and fake profiles on the site but there still are active members. Make no mistake that this site has been given a fairly good review by other magazines and review sites as well. If you focus on its features instead of its flaws, you will be pleasantly surprised.

The article Best Online dating sites appeared first on Dating Online and Meet IRL.