Thanks to all the WordPress meetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. organizers who responded to our recent survey. We received 23 submissions from around North America and abroad.
Many of the responses were very detailed and thorough. They’re too long to include here verbatim, so we’ve curated some common themes.
We added a bit of commentary in this post, and we’ll discuss these topics in more depth during our Grow Your Meetup! workshop at WordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US. You’ll find us in the Community Room, Room 274.
Tell us a bit about your group
- Many Meetup groups are established vs new, at least a few years, some 10+ years
- Covering a range of topics: beginners, advanced users, development
- Active members are a small subset of overall membership
Comment: There’s an oft-cited model of community participation: 90/9/1. Out of your entire community group, 90% will be passive (lurkers); 9% will be active; and 1% will be very engaged regulars.
How big is your group?
- Ranges from 100’s to 1000’s of total members
- Average turnout ranges from 20-50 depending on the topic
- Presentations attract more people than socials
Comment: 30 seems to be the sweet spot for a reasonably-sized meetup group, regardless of the total number of members registered in the meetup, nor those who RSVP for each event.
How often do you meet?
- 65% meet once a month
- 35% meet more than once a month
- No respondents said less than once a month
Comment: Consistent, routine events are a must if you want to build a strong meetup group. An active meetup group should meet at least once a month. This consistency builds momentum that helps make future meetups more likely to happen.
How do you promote your group?
- Meetup.com is the primary method
- Social media (Facebook & Twitter) and word-of-mouth
- WordPress Dashboard, if part of the Chapter program
Comment: In general, it seems like meetup organizers don’t do a lot of outreach or promotion — we rely on Meetup.com to bring members to us, as well as word-of-mouth referrals through existing group members. This could be a big opportunity for us to find new members.
What’s worked?
- Consistency – same day of the month, every month
- Mixing it up – different locations, times, appeals to different people
- Involve the group – planning, choosing topics, online groups
- Setting topics in advance; focusing on peer/user support
Comment: Two things here. First, consistency leads to routine which leads to habit. But what works for some people won’t work for others. That’s where options come into play: different days, different times, different formats, different topics, different locations.
Issues?
- Finding locations/venues
- Finding speakers/presenters
- No-shows, low turnout vs RSVPs
Comment: Totally consistent with our experiences as organizers, and an ideal topic for our group brainstorming session on Friday morning.
Advice for new meetup organizers?
- It takes time. Start small, persist, keep showing up
- Don’t overthink/overcomplicate; have a structure/template
- Plan in advance, get experts in as speakers
- Have a team of committed co-organizers
Other advice?
- Don’t try to do everything yourself; you’ll burn out
- Recognize other leaders, invite others to step up
- Diversity and inclusion takes effort, but it’s worth it
- You’re growing a community, not just hosting a meetup
…
That’s just an overview of what we’ve heard through the survey. We’ll address all of these points, and much more, during the Grow Your Meetup! workshop at WordCamp US in the Community Room, Room 274.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the survey!
#wcus, #meetups-2
