How neighborly are you? A reaction to Meetup’s 9/11 email

Growing up I lived in a remote part of town off a sporadicly trafficked highway. My neighbors were an empty, cracked, grassless lot  to my left and a 10 ft. cylinder block fence to my right. In short, I became very good at creating my world. But, I always wanted neighbors though. I would see families interact on TV shows and thought how nice it might be to go outside and play in the street with the kids next door. I would have to go out of my way to see my friends. Correction, my mom would drive me out of her way so I could visit with friends (thanks mom). Today, I have my own home and I have neighbors. But, I’m not sure that I still want to go outside and play with them.

Today, we don’t really get to control who our neighbors are. But, we are able to choose whom we spend those extra 15-30 minutes with.  And let’s me honest, for a lot of us, that time is not spent outside leaning against the fence or asking for a cup of sugar. Instead of being restricted to chat with the person next door, we go online and pick who we want to poke, tweet or just plain stalk on Facebook (don’t act like you’ve never done it).

Anyway, my point is that it’s ironic that before, I used to look at TV and like the kids in my favorite shows, wish that I had neighbors to play with everyday.  Now my TV gets little use but I do look into another screen daily. Except this time, that screen is not my  fantasy neighborhood; It’s a real neighborhood! I use my computer to say hello to my virtual neighbors, check-in and see if they need anything or just share an invitation or a smile :-).  Most of them are far from local but I’m closer to them than people that are just a few feet away.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not at home on my computer all the time. I am out in my community A LOT. I network. I work. I run. I do lots. I even still find myself going out of my way to see my friends. Seriously, like four-hour drives (but that’s another blog).  I am part of several online and offline communities but here I would like to briefly mention one of those communities called Meetup.

I am an assistant organizer with the Meetup group Hispanic Professionals DFW and through it I have made some new friends. Our goal with this group is unite Hispanic professionals and do fun, laid back activities. Many of us network all the time and it’s always about business. This group is about friendships first. If there is a professional connection, that’s a bonus! Reading Scott’s email today reminded me of how important it is to go outside and remember to be neighborly, even with those people that live next door to you.

Today on 9/10/11, I got an email from Meetup founder Scott Heiferman. He shared his own story of him and his neighbors and how those relationships changed after 9/11. The impact of that horrific day changed him. Because of that change, we now have Meet-Up. The online site helps facilitates in-person events for people that are united with a specific interest.

His email is below:

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

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Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895
New York, New York 10163-4668

Meetup HQ in NYC is hiring!
http://www.meetup.com/jobs/

Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895

New York, New York 10163-4668

Meetup HQ in NYC is hiring!

http://www.meetup.com/jobs/ “