Meetup.com: The 911 Baby and Growing Positive Community
On this decade anniversary of the loss and tragedy of 10 years ago, Scott Heiferman, Founder and CEO of Meetup.com offers an example of enduring leadership and inspiration.
In response to crisis, people often naturally seek to come together and attempt to strengthen community bonds. A few days ago Heiferman, described how the worldchanging events of 911 drove the creation of the “meetup,” an online tool to help people meet, connect and support each other to better their lives offline. He wanted to help like-minded people come together. He wanted to create a “revolution in local community.” Meetup now has 10 million members in 45,000 cities and is helping people “rise up” together in the best kind of way.
Here are some excerpts from his message:
“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…”
“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?”
“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.”
Watch this short video about Meetup.com:
