A new Internet social and networking group has come on the scene but hasnít yet found its way to Falcon, Colo. Meetup.com is an avenue where residents in specific locales can hook up with groups focused on similar interests, from religion to cooking to art to just meeting for fun and camaraderie.ìMeetup helps people find others who share their interest or cause and form lasting, influential, local community groups that regularly meet face-to-face,î according to its website ìget startedî page. Groups can be global as well.Group leaders or organizers can set up groups in any way they choose. Some opt to have guidelines, some donít.Deanna Finch, Colorado Springs resident and a Meetup.com organizer, set up a group in January 2012 called Laid Back Lively Ladies of the Front Range. It’s the second group of Lively Ladies she has started. ìThe first one I started in the San Francisco area,î Finch said. ìA lot of the women’s groups in San Francisco were about dressing up to go out and dance and drink. That wasn’t my cup of tea.îFinch first found Meetup.com when she lived in Sacramento, Calif. ìI was Googling a hiking group when I was in Sacramento, and a Meetup group came up that did hiking,î she said.When she moved to Connecticut because of her work, Finch joined a sushi group. ìWe went out and had sushi Ö I literally didn’t know anyone,î she said. ìI found some great restaurants, and it was a wonderful way to get to know the community in what I considered a very safe fashion.îThe Laid Back Lively Ladies group has a big following. Finch said the original group in San Francisco and the Springs group have hundreds of members. Another member from the San Francisco group also started a branch in Boise, Idaho, when she moved. ìWe have practically 3,000 lively ladies over the nation,î Finch said.The Lively Ladies of the Front Range has had 154 meet-ups ñ about six times per month ñ since its origin, although this isnít typical of the groups, she said.Finch said sheís comfortable with the Springs group members. ìThere are almost 1,000 women in my Meetup group right now, so there are a lot of different personalities, but I’ve never met anyone that has made me uncomfortable,î she said. About once or twice a year, Finch said a man or two will try to join the group. ìI usually send them an email saying it’s a women’s group and recommend other groups to them,î she said.The Lively Ladies group is free to women of all ages. Finch said she tends to stay away from the groups on Meetup.com that charge a membership fee. She said she tries to keep her group open to everyone. ìYou really don’t know who will need a group like this,î she said. A new member of the California group had been diagnosed with cancer just prior to attending the group for the first time. The group became a support system for her. ìIt’s usually women who are in some sort of transition,î Finch said. Newlyweds, divorcees and recent transplants are just some of the people who join a group. Anyone can start a group on Meetup, as long as the group doesnít violate the terms of service set forth by Meetup.com or guidelines outlined on the website. Each group is reviewed for compliance and to ensure itís a good fit for the websiteís platform.Visit meetup.com for more information.
