Which meetup?

June 29, 2009 5:36 PM

Would it be possible to include, in the profile information, the 10th Anniversary meetup (if any) that the user is attending (definitely or maybe)?

I'm attending a meetup with a large number of attendees and I often click on user profiles if I see a comment I like / think is funny / think the user is an asshat etc. If the profile could tell me which meetup (if any) that user is attending it would be a reminder for me to search out (or avoid) that user at the meeting itself should he/she be attending. I know I can cross-reference with the information on the Mefi10 page, but this would be simpler.

posted by jontyjago to Feature Requests at 5:36 PM (27 comments total)

Given that you know which meetup you're planning to attend (and this is at this point pretty much the case for anyone planning to attend one—a few folks might be splitting their decision-making between a couple, I suppose, but the principle holds), it'd make more sense for you to just go ahead and keep track of who you're likely to run into yourself.

That said, I've been to meetups with people who have gotten up my shirt on the site before and never had a bad experience with them. I'm not going to tell anyone that they can't be choosy or let their on-site experiences drive their enthusiasm-or-not toward meeting specific people—do what you've got to do, by all means—but it's not really a line of thinking we want to promote.

Meetups are group fun for mefites in aggregate, we're not going to engineer gratuitous cliquishness in if we can help it, basically.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:49 PM on June 29, 2009 [3 favorites]

Would it be possible to make a script that pulls profile pictures, or name lists, of all the different users that have commented in a particular thread? Or, maybe, click on the users who have commented in the thread for the meetup you're planning on attending? Or, wait, even better, show up to the meetup without doing ANY background checks or prescreening, and be pleasantly surprised when you meet people and find that you enjoy their company...whoever they may be!
posted by iamkimiam at 6:40 PM on June 29, 2009 [2 favorites]

is this an appropriate place to ask how many people are attending meetups? i mean, i can go to all the site pages & look & add up all the numbers, but math makes my head hurt.
posted by msconduct at 6:43 PM on June 29, 2009

Were this feature implemented, I would no doubt end up at the meetup location, alone, crying softly into my glass of beer, everyone else having used technology to avoid me.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:49 PM on June 29, 2009

Stalking is even easier with Metafilter™ brand stalkers.
*gleam*
posted by zerokey at 6:51 PM on June 29, 2009

"Stalky" was also my initial impression of such a feature. In translation, "X MeFite gives me strong feelings. I would like to know the planned location of X MeFite at a specific time."
posted by Miko at 7:28 PM on June 29, 2009

"So as to lick them. Not really. I mean..., wait, no, I mean to lick them."
posted by zerokey at 7:31 PM on June 29, 2009

If I were to actually attend a meetup, I'd be particularly interested in meeting users who are asshats, if only because I'm pretty sure I would end up liking a lot of them in person and find them less asshatty going forward.
posted by brain_drain at 8:06 PM on June 29, 2009

No, I'm pretty sure that if you met me you'd find me even more asshatty.
posted by Justinian at 8:11 PM on June 29, 2009

This could almost be a cool feature if there were some way to use it to find out how many people I could drive away from a meetup just by agreeing to attend.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:32 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

I just had to figure out what meetup would be big enough to hide in. And now I'm checking the profiles of everyone else attending and MAYBE attending (this part is very, very important) to see whose username I will wear on my nametag (if no nametags, I'll find a way to work usernames into conversation).

This all requires careful planning. I obviously can't masquerade as a mod, the kind undertaker, or anyone from either end of the helpful vs asshat spectrum in the list. All way too obvious. I also have to check for gender, marital status, number of offspring, political leanings, religious leanings, general tone, etc.


Aw, fuck it. It's all too much trouble and I'm taking unpaid leave for my MeTa vacation. I'm just going to go to New Orleans and have a fun time. Perhaps I'll claim to be loquacious until he gives me a hug.

On preview: I'll pretend to be IRFH, instead, if he'll come to New Orleans.
Everyone can have hugs.
posted by lilywing13 at 8:35 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'll pretend to be IRFH, instead, if he'll come to New Orleans.

I don't do meetups. It would only end badly when I steal your favorite tee-shirt, disappear the next morning, and never call. I was planning to pay a madrigal quartet to rickroll the Portland, Oregon meetup in my name, but then I got kinda busy and lost interest, so, you see, I can't even be arsed to fuck with the paradigm. Feel free to put my name on your nametag, but I hereby disavow any knowledge of subsequent Shenanigans or TGIFridays.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:48 PM on June 29, 2009

Metafilter: I can't even be arsed to fuck with the paradigm
posted by anastasiav at 8:51 PM on June 29, 2009

I was planning to pay a madrigal quartet to rickroll the Portland, Oregon meetup in my name,

I'm so sad that's not going to happen.
posted by Miko at 8:58 PM on June 29, 2009

Flo, my pretending would never work anyway. I don't have your wit or your way with words.
posted by lilywing13 at 9:14 PM on June 29, 2009

I was planning to pay a madrigal quartet to rickroll the Portland, Oregon meetup in my name

all rollin up in t-shirts that say "IT'S!" and "RAINING" and so forth
all singing old songs in four part harmony like god's own kazoo
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:30 PM on June 29, 2009 [3 favorites]

Were this feature implemented, I would no doubt end up at the meetup location, alone, crying softly into my glass of beer, everyone else having used technology to avoid me.

Not at all. Just remember that the Sydney meetup will be at that new theme bar on Crystal St, Leichhardt. In keeping with the surroundings, we'll all be wearing biker jackets for the event. We drew lots for our individual costumes when you weren't around, and you drew the Comancheros outfit.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:51 PM on June 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

Crystal St, Leichhardt. In keeping with the surroundings

Bandidos para siempre means you'll always be my friend;
Friends for life not just a summer or a spring
Bandidos para siempre.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 11:31 PM on June 29, 2009

You could claim to be fred - just be sure to ask for leads on used cars over the course of the meetup.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:56 PM on June 29, 2009

I'm going to be busy talking to the non-stalkery people, thanks anyway!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:24 AM on June 30, 2009

Okay which one of you jokers sent me an RFID tag and a yellow hat?
posted by disclaimer at 4:37 AM on June 30, 2009

I've been to meetups with people who have gotten up my shirt

I would like to go to this meetup, please. I haven't had anyone up my shirt in ages. Sob!
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:56 AM on June 30, 2009

I plan on trying to make a couple of the meetups, but I ain't saying which ones, that way no one has an opportunity to try to pull that restraining order shit on me.

You won't know I'm coming till it's too late! Then you'll be forced to stand around and make awkward small talk with me!

Mwahaha!
posted by quin at 9:02 AM on June 30, 2009

I don't have your wit or your way with words.

Well, if anybody knows who took them, please drop me a line. I could really use them back.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:35 AM on June 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

I will be at the Toronto 10th anniversary unless I can find a way to get to the NYC meetup. Stalk away.
posted by SassHat at 11:10 AM on June 30, 2009

I've been to meetups with people who have gotten up my shirt

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Did they get to some base-unit with you, to awkwardly attempt to use baseball lingo, or did they over-crowd your attire by co-habitating your shirt?
posted by filthy light thief at 2:20 PM on June 30, 2009

"Stalky" was also my initial impression of such a feature. In translation, "X MeFite gives me strong feelings. I would like to know the planned location of X MeFite at a specific time."

There are certain MeFites for whom I feel a great warmth, so it will be nice to see on yheir profiles which meetup they will be at.
posted by jayder at 7:35 PM on July 1, 2009