Meetup for Buddhist activities

A place to post videos, pictures, and any other sort of Buddhist or non-Buddhist media.
Post Reply
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

I'm trying to use Meetup as a way to spread the word about our humble faith-based organization in Washington, DC. Has anyone here at Dharmawheel used Meetup at all, and if so, what are the ups and downs of it?

I figure if this thing can build a stable groups of local people with a shared interest in Labrador Retrievers or Basque cuisine or whatever, then maybe it can help build stable groups of people who want to practice Mahayana together. There are already a few active Buddhist groups on Meetup within 20 miles or so of ours...

Thoughts?
User avatar
Mr. G
Posts: 4080
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:36 am
Location: Spaceship Earth

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by Mr. G »

Meetup is OK, but if you're looking to "spread the word", I would recommend the following:

Well designed web site
Blog and commenting on other blogs as well as guest blogging
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube vids
Forums
PR submissions
Article submissions

Basically learn some SEO and Social Media skills
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

Thanks for the help.

I have to say that twitter is a first-rate means of making my face hurt.
User avatar
Mr. G
Posts: 4080
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:36 am
Location: Spaceship Earth

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by Mr. G »

Jikan wrote:Thanks for the help.

I have to say that twitter is a first-rate means of making my face hurt.
Use tweetdeck
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

It's still Twitter. #curmudgeon
User avatar
Mr. G
Posts: 4080
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:36 am
Location: Spaceship Earth

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by Mr. G »

Hehe, true
  • How foolish you are,
    grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
    - Vasubandhu
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

It's true I'm a grumpy curmudgeon lacking in 1337 skillz and patience. There's nothing inherently wrong with Twitter, it's just me being a horse's ass.
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

One problem so far with Meetup: zombie sanghas. Like this one:

http://www.meetup.com/Fairfax-Zen-Buddhist-Meetup-Group" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Has 98 members, some of whom have signed up in the last week, but only five meetings, most recently many months ago.

It's easy to start a practice group. It's not at all easy to keep one going more than a few months. From what I've seen, the six month mark seems to be the real test of leadership for a new sangha. My point here is that a web tool can bring people together but it's no substitute for leadership, organization, and commitment.
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Meetup for Buddhist activities

Post by DGA »

Six months on, here's what I've learned from Meetup:

*It may well be going the way of MySpace or Friendster at this point. There's just less activity than there used to be. I may be wrong and they may be able to turn it around, but I suspect the sun is setting on Meetup.

*Many of the people who find us on Meetup come once and never again. I think the system is set up to favor a kind of dilettante-ism: you try the nonduality group, the Zen group, the crystal-gazing group. I suspect that people who are looking for Buddhism specifically have other ways of finding it, such as DharmaWeb or DharmaWheel. Or google.

*So we're trying Facebook. Here's what we have so far.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Ri ... 9327670043" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Post Reply

Return to “Media”