Seattle Pockets
Musings
Tragedy Inspires Community
strangers. 9/11 didn’t rip us apart. No, we’re building new
community together.” – Scott Heiferman & Meetup Team
Fellow Meetuppers,
I don’t write to our whole community often, but this week is
special because it’s the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many
people don’t know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby. Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles
from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought
local community doesn’t matter much if we’ve got the internet
and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I
hoped they wouldn’t bother me. When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors
in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to
neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they’d normally
ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each
other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being
neighborly. A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring
people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet — and
grow local communities? We didn’t know if it would work. Most people thought it was a
crazy idea — especially because terrorism is designed to make
people distrust one another. A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months
after 9/11. Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it’s
working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups,
Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups… a wild variety of
100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common — except one
thing. Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to
neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and
motivate each other, they babysit each other’s kids and find
other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace
together. They make friends and form powerful community. It’s
powerful stuff. It’s a wonderful revolution in local community, and it’s thanks
to everyone who shows up. Meetups aren’t about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it
weren’t for 9/11. 9/11 didn’t make us too scared to go outside or talk to
strangers. 9/11 didn’t rip us apart. No, we’re building new
community together!!!! The towers fell, but we rise up. And we’re just getting started
with these Meetups. Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011
A hundred pockets?
There are some moments in life I find myself searching for quotations online. Sometimes I’ll visit a quote site, other times, I’ll search for quotes under famous authors or philosophers names.
Quotes help me get motivated, connect with others who experience shared emotions, give me new perspectives, inspire me or sometimes simply entertain.
I’ve recently had the desire to start a new personal blog, but have had a tough time deciding on what the subject matter would be. Two requirements would have to be: a subject I’m interested/involved in or knowledgeable about and one that is interesting to readers.
I spend a lot of time thinking about what to focus on.
Here were some of the ideas I came up with:
- An “Auntie” blog to connect with the “Mommy Bloggers” out there? That sounded fun. But I don’t spend every day with my nieces (though of course I’d love to see them more), and I wanted to connect with readers who don’t have kids or friends/siblings with kids. That said, I do love sharing info about family fun events!
- Reviews on movies/TV (mostly Netflix and Hulu+)? Sure I love watching streaming TV, but is a blog dedicated only to that something I could keep up with? And how interesting would it be to read one gal’s 1 to 10 scale reviews (even though you could feel safe in knowing my posts would be spoiler free)? But sometimes, I watch something that inspires me to write.
- Costume and Makeup ideas? It’s true, I go to a lot of themed costumed events throughout the year, but I don’t have the budget or time to spend putting together amazing creations. Though, I do love to share a good makeup/costume tip from time to time!
- Seattle Events? The city I live in is rich with arts, theatre, DJ nights, live music and more. That said, I’d love a blog that would be interesting to read from thousands of miles away. But, there’s so many good things happening around town, I want to get the word out (and review the occasional event, restaurant, happy hour or venue).
- Relationships, Living and Learning? I’m certainly not one to air my emotional “dirty laundry” out on a blog for others to read. That’s not what I mean by “Relationships.” More, I’d like the opportunity to write blog posts reflecting on relationships (romantic or platonic), interpersonal dynamics, tips on living a more happy and abundant existence and elements of interest that make me stop and reflect on the life I live. Having 100% of my posts be along these lines seemed a bit daunting, but I really love the idea of exploring these themes on a public blog.
- Having Fun & Saving Money? On the flip side of events, there’s a lot of fun to be had while saving money. I’m a huge fan of board games, puzzles, scavenger hunts, reading. And who doesn’t like a good deal? This almost won out as the focus of my blog. However…
I took a look at this list and realized, all these interests were just part of a whole that makes up me. I’d already decided to leave the Social Media news to my business blog and give myself a rest in this space, but which of these subjects should I choose.
Then I came across the quote, once again, from Nietzsche: “When one has much to put into them, a day has a hundred pockets.” I realized: I didn’t need to pick just one pocket. I could share the contents of many and create a vibrant blog.
If you’re reading this in the future, I’d love to hear feedback on what type of posts are your favorites, what you’d like to hear more or less of or any other thoughts you have! If you’re reading this closer to my post date, please share with me what subjects interest you the most!
