As one of the most searched terms on a platform with more than 60 million members, friendship is a core value at Meetup. Connections is the brand new, innovative feature that will make it easier than ever to foster member-to-member friendships.
Imagine you check out a Meetup event and you wind up hitting it off with a particular attendee. By taking advantage of Connections, you and this other Meetup member will be able to stay in touch online, and continue developing that new connection into a friendship by inviting each other to future events!
Learn more about Connections, and discover the powerful role it will play in facilitating friendships and supporting Meetup’s mission to bring people together.
The Connections feature is a contact list of people you’d like to stay in touch with and attend future events with. There are some special aspects of Connections that make it different from a friend request on Facebook, for example.
The new Connections feature is only prompted after you attend an event. Within 24 hours of whatever activity you participate in, you’ll be given the opportunity to “connect” with people who also attended the same event. Here are a few important characteristics that make these Connections unique:
- Connections are mutual — A connection is made when two people who attended the same event select each other from the Connections prompt. In other words, you won’t be on someone else’s Connections list unless you also want them to be on yours.
- Connections aren’t public — There is no “follower” or “connection” count visible on anyone’s Meetup profile. Connections aren’t about prestige or clout, instead, they are about making friends and attending events, together! Only you will be able to see (and contact) the people on your Connections list.
Access your list through the Connections tab on the Meetup app, or the Connections page on the Meetup website. You can remove a connection from your list at any time.
Connections: what’s the motivation?
Since being founded in 2002, the guiding principle of the entire Meetup organization has been about helping people connect in person. Core members of the Meetup team have often described the vision as “using the internet to get people off the internet.” Over two decades and counting, Meetup has fostered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of friendships. In-person connection will always be a pillar of the Meetup experience.
That being said, the years since Meetup was founded have seen the world undergo a profound advancement in technology, comparable only to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its scale and its impact on society. In these times, digital tools are intertwined with daily life. More and more people are getting comfortable using all different kinds of social tech, for everything from working and studying to dating and making friends.
In light of this, the Meetup team wants to adapt its philosophy and do more to facilitate friendships within the online platform itself. The new Connections feature represents a major upgrade in the communications and chat tools available on the app and the website that reflects the needs of members who want to stay in touch and build friendships. The hope is that Connections will improve the way people can engage with Meetup, while still encouraging everyone to attend more events together.
Soon, you’ll get recommendations for events not just from Meetup emails and app notifications, but also from your fellow connections. Try it today—find an event and start connecting!
Learn about Meetup+, a premium member subscription designed to facilitate friendships.
Last modified on December 19, 2023
