MetaTalk posts tagged with irl

Proposed IRL Update Alerts

pb — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:46:25 -0800

A few weeks ago we had a discussion about adding MeFi Mail alerts to IRL when an event is updated. We have some proposed changes that we think could help keep everyone informed if an IRL event is updated. In the past we've seen major details of an IRL event change within the 24 hours of the event taking place. Sometimes the venue or date can change, and if you're not visiting the site you might not be aware of the change. So we're considering allowing the OP to notify attendees that have the IRL alert option enabled that an event has been updated. Here are some changes we've been testing behind the scenes. When the OP edits an IRL event, there's a new option with a checkbox, "Alert attendees to these changes via MeFi Mail after you Post?". If checked, the system will send a MeFi Mail to anyone who has marked that they're attending or possibly attending. And to handle Proposed Events, we added the ability to say "Yes" or "Maybe" to those events as well. That means when a meetup changes from Proposed to Confirmed, the OP will have the option to alert everyone. The checkbox gives the OP control over the alerts. If they're fixing a typo they won't need to check the box, if they're moving things to a new venue, it'd be good to check that box. The alert itself is a simple message that includes a link to the IRL thread, and a quick list of the things that have been updated. In case the venue and event date were updated the message would simply say, "This event has an updated venue and date. Click the event link to see the details." The system we've been testing includes a little lag time. So the site checks for new alerts every 15 minutes or so and only sends one MeFi Mail for changes in that time period. That gives the OP a chance to make a few changes without alerting everyone each time. It's possible that someone could send an alert every 15 minutes by editing an IRL event and checking the box, but we don't expect people to abuse the system. If that happens we can discuss including some type of throttle. We rarely add features that could mean more email in your inbox, but in the last thread we heard from many people who would find IRL Update Alerts very useful. If you currently use IRL alerts to find out about new events, would you find these updates useful, or would you turn off IRL alerts with this addition?

Notification of Changes to IRL Meetups

youngergirl44 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:27:37 -0800

Is it possible to get a memail if there have been date/time/location changes to an IRL event they've RSVP'd to? And as an extension, possibly a notification when a proposed event is confirmed? A meetup in Chicago that got moved from one weekend to another got me thinking about this. The poster of the event was nice enough to add text to the post indicating the date change so it was viewable when I saw the post in my recent activity or in the regular IRL pages. But, had I not visited the site between the time the change was made and the original meetup date, I would have missed the new info. It would be really nice to get a memail alert to any changes. The proposed-to-confirmed notification is probably a bit messier since there's no RSVP option on a proposed event. So maybe a notification based on who has commented in the thread? Or adding some sort of "I'm interested" RSVP function to the proposed event posts? That could help gauge interest in the event as well as provide a base for which users would get a notification if the event is confirmed. So what do you guys think? These are probably things that could be accomplished using IFFT or an RSS feed or something, but I (and probably other members) don't use these services as frequently as my memail - and the email I receive each time I get a memail. This is my first pony in almost seven years, so be gentle.

Making smalltown IRL meetups successful.

Nomyte — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 15:01:14 -0800

In your experience, what makes for a small IRL meetup successful? I'd like to post a meetup for my local area. I know there are a few active Mefites nearby, but they're fairly thin on the ground. The big city IRL meetups I've attended were planned well in advance and had the requisite last-minute drop-outs, late arrivals, etc. I don't want to make anyone feel awkward or obligated to attend, but it'd be unfortunate to end up with 0-1 attendees. Your experiences welcome!

opt into notification for IRL meetups

gen — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:02:35 -0800

Feature request: opt-in email or MeMail when a meetup in your city is proposed. I visit MeFi daily but have recently missed a discussion on a meetup in my city. Can we have an opt-in feature where we list our city/town/state/country and can be emailed or memailed when a proposal for a meetup hits the IRL site?

What's the meetup record?

Jahaza — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:12:50 -0800

There are three (1, 2, 3) NYC meetups scheduled for next Saturday. Is that the same-day same-city record? (Though one of them involves meeting in the city and then going hiking north of the city, so maybe it only counts as two.)

What's the deal with meetups?

aqsakal — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:37:59 -0800

What's the format for meetups? There's a proposed meetup coming up in Rome this month, suggested by kjs4, but for some reason it doesn't appear to show up on the IRL page's "Proposed meetups" list. I'm hoping to take part, but I can find/access the thread again only by keeping it on my "Recent activity" list. Is a specific tag (e.g. maybe "meetup") required to get it onto that list where I (and others nearby) can follow it?

Whither Kiva?

parmanparman — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:49:34 -0800

The Kiva team is now 301 members and $73,000ish of total lending. As a purely online lender pool it has maintained its position in the top five lending clubs for three-and-a-half years. It has been enshrined as the second most successful campaign for Kiva, but it has stopped growing. What could be next? Should it keep going? The Kiva team was started as Mathowie's answer to my own bad idea in 2009 and it was a great answer. Although we've had a share of debate in the past, it has been rewarding for most. I have used the opportunity to share micro lending as a gift certificate for my cousin's Girl Scout troop to use as they would like on Kiva. Maybe micro lending as a team-based model here has run out of steam. What do you think?

MeFites in Real Life: Acknowledge or No?

Wordwoman — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:50:22 -0800

If I meet someone whose unusual real name I recognize from their profile, is it creepy to say "hey, I think I know you from Metafilter"? Or is it Not to Be Mentioned, like meeting one's therapist on the street?

IRL alerts still buggy?

scody — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:06:45 -0800

IRL alerts still buggy? I proposed a Los Angeles meetup earlier today, and just received a MeMail from a fellow L.A. Mefite to tell me that he didn't receive the usual IRL notification. I'm not following up in this thread because it seems like there may be a separate issue from what we discussed there as the possible culprit (i.e., accidentally setting the location at first for Hollywood, FL, rather than Hollywood, CA). Is there a ghost in the (meetup) machine? Or is it (bizarrely enough) just L.A.? FWIW, I did receive the auto-confirmation after I posted it.

Bug with IRL alerts?

dobbs — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 08:51:51 -0800

Bug? At last night's meetup in Hollywood, multiple attendees remarked that they did not get an IRL alert even though they've enabled it and have (sometimes) gotten alerts in the past. (More than half of the attendees showed because I memailed them about it.)

Mudpuppie, we miss you!

eamondaly — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:59:57 -0800

Pony request! IRL photos in the sidebar. Cortex mentioned the age-old tradition of shout-outs the other day and at last night's meetup we all bemoaned their passing. The Chicago Cabal* thinks a big part of that is due to the fact that photos only show up in the particular event that spawned them, so it's unlikely people will browse photos from other meetups. How about a little box in the sidebar of the last five photo links across all meetups?

Pony Request: IRL notifications

rabbitrabbit — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:51:44 -0800

Hey, look, another pony request! Would it be possible to have the title of the propsed meetup in the notifications we get? Right now, every single one of them says "IRL: New Events Near You" so you have to click on every one of them to see what it is. Yes, I know, it's one click, but when I get busy, I just let them pile up in my inbox without clicking and probably miss some cool stuff, whereas if the title of the meetup was in the title of the notification, they'd be more likely to catch my interest.

My shake brings all the ponies to the yard.

Evilspork — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:18:24 -0800

Eety beety babby pony. I like the IRL site. I like going to events. I like leaving each event's posts in my Recent Activity feed, because I'm incredibly forgetful and that's a good reminder that events are coming up. But right now, unless the user specifically adds it to the body text, you can only see the event info (the who/where/when immediately below the map) if you go to the post itself. I would like for the event's info to also show up in Recent Activity, along with the current title, which site it's on, and the first part of the body text. Maybe stick the event info above the body. Given that Recent Activity is pulling info from all the different Metafilter sites which don't have any analogues to the event info, I understand that this might not be as small a pony as I'm thinking it would be. I will remain hopeful.

(Mobile) pics or it didn't happen

asterix — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:10:06 -0800

Pony-on-the-go request: Can we get a link to photos for a given meetup on the mobile IRL site? I know this was discussed as a potential addition when IRL was first rolled out, but I haven't been able to find any mention of it since then.

I was there!

schmod — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:28:28 -0800

IRL Pony: Can we get an "I was There!" option for past events? Earlier this week, I got out of a meeting early, and made it to an awesome meetup that I didn't anticipate being able to attend. Today, I went back to that meetup's page, and discovered that there's no way to retroactively mark your attendance (or lack thereof) for posterity. It's a silly little thing, but I think it would be nice to mark these things retroactively (especially for the 'Maybes'). As it turns out, I'd already RSVP'd to this particular event before I knew I had a meeting. However, because I'm such a scatterbrain, I'd love to be able to mark my attendance after the event has ended.

Display date for IRL events in Recent Activity

ocherdraco — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:54:15 -0800

IRL Pony Request: Slightly more event information in Recent Activity. I know Recent Activity is a huge drain on the site, and that it is intentionally kept as minimal as possible. However, I think that one small addition would help make IRL a little more functional. Before IRL, often the date and time of the meetup would be in the main body of the post, above the fold, which meant it was visible in Recent Activity. Now, the date and the time are never visible. I would argue that the date and time of an upcoming event are the most important information about it—you don't need to know the specific location until right before the event, but you need to know what day it is so that you can remember to come. Would it be possible to add a line in Recent Activity for confirmed IRL events to display the date and time of the event (or even just the date)?

Weekly meetup?

the young rope-rider — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:04:17 -0800

Weekly meetups in IRL? I want to do something in Brooklyn with the same venue and time, on the same day of the week. Is there any functionality for this? Or is the solution to just post the same thing over and over?

Cleanup on aIsleRL

phunniemee — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:21:56 -0800

Could we revisit the close-a-proposed-meetup thing on IRL? I think the last time this was discussed was July and the discussion ended at just let a mod know and they'll kill it on their end. Since then, several proposed meetups (at least over here in Chicago) have fizzled out. When I was the proposer, I asked pb to close mine up, but now there are meetups hanging out on the sidebar that aren't mine (so pb would probably have to contact the OP to ok it, meaning more mod-side work) and their presence making me twitchy. Is the best thing to do still to let the mods know? (If so, Chicago needs some work...) Or could we have some sort of button option that the OP of the thread could click to close it up on their end? Thanks!

I don't wanna meet no more.

kthxbi — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:49:49 -0800

How do we un-propose a proposed meetup in IRL after nothing ever came to fruition? I proposed a meetup in Oslo while I was traveling in the area and it never happened because no one was available. I noticed today it still shows up as a proposed meetup and when I went to edit/update/confirm it, I found no way to simply close it. Then I noticed there are other proposed events in the same state (for example, the Iceland one). I feel like the original poster should have a way to remove their post from the proposed queue.

Imagine Metafilter, only on the radio

scruss — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:33:03 -0800

Would anyone be interested in a HF radio on-air meetup? There are a few hams that walk amongst us here on MetaFilter. Personally, I’d suggest something like PSK31 on 20m (mainly because so many people seem to have such difficulty with my accent, sheesh). I’ll attempt to put together a sked that meets most people’s locations if there's interest. I’d put this on IRL, but it doesn’t seem to like “Anywhere between Hawaii and Russia”.

Problem with Google Maps and the description of locations

Fiasco da Gama — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:49:31 -0800

Problems with entering cities/suburbs with using the Google Maps plugin in IRL. In the last few meetups organised in Australian cities using IRL, there've been confusing issues about the location information displayed. Australian suburbs have a four-digit postcode, and the plugin displays the suburb in IRL purely as a location without an indication of where it is. IRL either displays a suburb name which may not be specific to a city, or a city name, which may have many identical street addresses (in different suburbs). For example, I entered this meetup in January which displayed as Glebe/Australia, which is technically correct, but potentially confusing---there's a Glebe in Hobart too. Eugenen has entered this meetup for next week for the Glenmore Hotel in "Sydney", but the map displays an entirely different location in the western suburbs, a hour's drive or more from where people are actually meeting. Is it possible to refine the location information that goes into each IRL entry, or could we have a more free-form field to describe locations?

Did the MeFi Marriages begin by MeFi Mail or meetup?

Joe Beese — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:09:40 -0800

Did the MeFi Marriages begin by MeFi Mail or meetup?

Most popular cities?

aqsakal — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:05:05 -0800

Confused about "Most popular cities in the past three months" in IRL What does the "Most popular cities in the past three months" list? We had a meetup in Rome on 10 January. OK, so there were only 5 of us, but we didn't even make a "Rome, Italy (1)" listing. I'm not complaining; I'm just wondering what the MPCITLTM list lists.

IRL RSS and mobile

heatherann — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:59:21 -0800

IRL: the RSS feed and the mobile site. RSS: I'm subscribed to the Toronto events. Today I noticed that the RSS feed shows the same fields as the other sites: title and body text. It would be incredibly useful to see the event's date/time and location as well (or even instead of the body text). Mobile site: I couldn't see how to mark myself as attending without switching to the standard site. It turns out that I can mark myself as attending IF I click on "3 attending, 4 maybe" first. Could we make that more clear? Android, Google Reader, Dolphin browser, in case that's relevant.

Cool! Melbourne Meetup (5 months ago)...

russm — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:00:37 -0800

Are the IRL RSS feeds expected to work? When I saw that IRL had location-based RSS feeds I subscribed to the Melbourne, Australia feed and assumed that I'd hear about it if anyone was looking to get something together... And finally, there's something in the feed! Only problem is, it's from 5 months ago... Do these location-based feeds generally work? Has this just been some minor insanity in Safari's feed-client? Did that item just get nudged because, hell, it's Australia Day and there's got to be something going on?