IRL Request: When posting, notification of other IRL events on same day July 18, 2013 4:58 PM   Subscribe

As someone who frequently posts IRL events, I'd really love if, when I previewed the post, the page told me about other meetups on that day within a 50 mile radius of my location. It would be awesome, because then I could say, "Oh, so-and-so is having their ice cream meetup that afternoon; I'll just make the post for the next week instead." It would also have the benefit of showing me events that might be outside the radius I've set for my own personal IRL notifications, but that might still be in range for attendees. What do you think? Would other IRL posters appreciate such a feature?
posted by ocherdraco to Feature Requests at 4:58 PM (30 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

Instead of interrupting the posting process, I think folks can take a look at the site and see if there are any posts nearby. I know it's not as handy as having it appear exactly when you need it, but that would help keep the process as simple as possible.

Unlike double posts in MetaFilter, IRL events won't be deleted if they're on the same day. They can also be edited after the fact. You can change the date of a meetup if you need to even after it's posted.
posted by pb (staff) at 5:06 PM on July 18, 2013


You may not realize how unbelievably rare the scenario you're describing is for most users of this website. This sounds like a New York problem.
posted by Nomyte at 9:49 PM on July 18, 2013 [17 favorites]


Whilst a nice pony to have, I dream of having your problem. IRLs in Calgary are few and far between as it is.
posted by arcticseal at 11:22 PM on July 18, 2013


"Good evening, thank you for calling Super Hip New York Dive Bar with Ice Cream and Board Games! How can I help you?"
"Yes hello, I'm from the internet's Metafilter and was hoping to book a reservation for 15-20 people next Friday."
"Oh, I'm sorry, we're already full that night - 16 other Metafilter meetups I'm afraid."
"Oh drat! How about Saturday?"
"Only 4 meetups scheduled here Saturday."
"Splendid!"
posted by mannequito at 12:41 AM on July 19, 2013 [10 favorites]


Is there a calendar? I'd like a calendar.
posted by Eideteker at 3:37 AM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


Ice cream what? Where?
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 3:46 AM on July 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


Considering that we already have MeFi, MeMail, MeFiChat and IRL, Matt is a map, one VC app and a calendar away from becoming the next Google.

Where's my profit sharing?
posted by arcticseal at 3:47 AM on July 19, 2013 [3 favorites]


Considering that we already have MeFi, MeMail, MeFiChat and IRL, Matt is a map, one VC app and a calendar away from becoming the next Google.

You are forgetting about the world's best Internet search engine, but then again, so is Google.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:51 AM on July 19, 2013 [5 favorites]


Eideteker: "Is there a calendar? I'd like a calendar."

Bottom of the IRL sidebar. iCal feed.
posted by zarq at 8:33 AM on July 19, 2013


Ice cream plutocrats, that's why no one told you. We'll end up with your sprinkles all gone, and syrups flowing down a grating in a seedy, crusted cream coated gutter if you guys ever meet, Ice Cream Socialist. And I'm worried you'll get the worst of it.
posted by ambrosen at 8:36 AM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


I live in Charleston. How do I have nothing happening in Charleston? This is crazy. I want to share my favorite bartenders with people.
posted by theichibun at 8:51 AM on July 19, 2013


"Bottom of the IRL sidebar. iCal feed."

But I think an actual calendar on IRL itself would be useful for things just like ocherdraco's complaint (among others; I often find navigating IRL to be a chore). Having a nice sidebar calendar of the current month, where I can navigate easily to near past/future events would be handy (ngl, like facebook's Events page calendar; I find that the most handy part of the site THERE I SAID IT).
posted by Eideteker at 8:54 AM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


So, a box grid by month? or a long grid by week?
posted by zarq at 9:01 AM on July 19, 2013


Most active cities in the past three months:

New York, NY (12)
Brooklyn, NY (10)
Portland, OR (9)
Chicago, IL (9)
Cambridge, MA (7)

The conflicting meetups is probably most likely to occur in NY, but could probably happen in any of the top 5 most active cities. After Cambridge, the frequency of meetups drops to 4 and fewer for the past three months.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:54 AM on July 19, 2013


You guys and your first mefiworld problems.
posted by pracowity at 10:13 AM on July 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


New York, NY (12)
Brooklyn, NY (10)
Portland, OR (9)
Chicago, IL (9)
Cambridge, MA (7)

The conflicting meetups is probably most likely to occur in NY, but could probably happen in any of the top 5 most active cities.


Not really, since the two most active cities on that list are only separated by the East River. It should really be

New York, NY: 23 (12 New York, 10 Brooklyn, 1 Jersey City)
Boston, MA: 10 (7 Cambridge, 3 Boston)
Portland, OR: 9
Chicago, IL: 9

This translates to an average of approximately two meetups per week in the NYC area, versus less than one per week for the next most frequent area.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:55 AM on July 19, 2013


Yeah, I don't think this is a NY only issue, though we do have the most meetups. (Keep in mind that Manhattan folks mostly go to Manhattan meetups, and Brooklyn folks mostly go to Brooklyn meetups. There's not a lot of overlap.) I recognize that there are many, many places where meetups scheduled on the same day wouldn't be a problem, but I know for a fact that NY is not the only one.

"Good evening, thank you for calling Super Hip New York Dive Bar with Ice Cream and Board Games! How can I help you?"

I probably shouldn't be annoyed at this, but I'm annoyed. I host the board game meetups in my apartment, every month, for whatever mefites want to come. I will probably continue to do so, if I ever leave the city. I do not go to hipster bars, nor do most of the mefites I know. We're internet nerd people, just like the rest of you. There are just more of us in one place, since we live in the most populous city in the US.

Sometimes I feel like mefites from other places must have a distorted idea of what living in New York is like, like we're all partying all the time or something. As for me, I'm a student. During the school year, the board game meetup is literally the only guaranteed social time I get each month beyond being with my boyfriend. Other things may come up, but mostly I'm studying, really freaking hard, and for long hours. The meetup is really important to me, because it's my chance to actually see friends, and hang out with people who aren't also doing o-chem problem sets. If I accidentally schedule it on a day when there's another meetup, I'm risking the chance that my one day of social activity for the month is going to have very few people come.

Gah, I don't know, I probably shouldn't get all het up about this, but I kind of feel like I'm being taunted for living where I live, and that sucks.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:00 AM on July 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


Also, pb, that makes sense to me; thanks for your response.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:08 AM on July 19, 2013


Sure. Oh, one thing I meant to mention is the "Find events by location:" search on the IRL front page. Before you post, type in "NYC", click Go. You'll see all scheduled events within 100 miles. Change that to 50 miles, search again, bookmark that page, and you'll have a handy way to find upcoming events that are outside of your current "nearby" setting.
posted by pb (staff) at 11:18 AM on July 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


Ocherdraco, I think you're right, but I read that joke as saying something closer to "a bar like that would be total MeFite catnip if it existed." I mean I would totally go there - whiskey, ice cream, and board games!!! Battleships everywhere, prepare to sink!
posted by en forme de poire at 11:39 AM on July 19, 2013 [2 favorites]


You are forgetting about the world's best Internet search engine, but then again, so is Google.

BURNINATION
posted by en forme de poire at 11:40 AM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


whiskey, ice cream, and board games!

That's like my every night, except my friends aren't really into board games. So there I sit, alone at the dining table, coming up with Alhambra solo rulesets. And my girlfriend just shakes her head with sadness.
posted by Think_Long at 1:00 PM on July 19, 2013


ocherdraco: "I do not go to hipster bars,"

You realize hip and hipster are different, right?

Anyway, I'm more pissed that I don't have any bars that serve ice cream. Although we do have a burger place that does alcoholic milk shakes.
posted by theichibun at 1:32 PM on July 19, 2013


Sometimes I feel like mefites from other places must have a distorted idea of what living in New York is like

Here in Queens I've heard you New Yorkies have the grand life: bucolic parks featuring lemonade springs and whiskey lakes ringed by handout bushes, rubber-toothed bulldogs sitting beside wooden-legged cops who don't even bother throwing you in their tin jails because you walk in, you walk out, who's to stop you?

Ah, that faraway land beside the crystal fountains, New York, where you're bound to stay and sleep all day! What a life!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:14 PM on July 19, 2013 [5 favorites]


Eponysterical!
posted by en forme de poire at 2:25 PM on July 19, 2013


"So, a box grid by month? or a long grid by week?"

Box grid, pls!
posted by Eideteker at 4:39 PM on July 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


I would also love to see a grid calendar.

pb, I've bookmarked that page, thank you.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:35 AM on July 20, 2013


We don't have any plans to add a calendar view. Google Calendar and iCal already do this very well, and we provide iCal files at every level so it's easy to use an existing calendar program to get the view you want. We don't want to reinvent the web calendar wheel.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:05 AM on July 20, 2013


Cool.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:17 AM on July 20, 2013


(Keep in mind that Manhattan folks mostly go to Manhattan meetups, and Brooklyn folks mostly go to Brooklyn meetups. There's not a lot of overlap.)

Really? Bum. I need to double my meetup.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:11 AM on July 20, 2013


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