What are some of your ideas on building an alternative to Meetup.com? #1

pixelyunicorn · 2019-10-14T21:06:47Z

Continuing the conversation from Discord!

pixelyunicorn · 2019-10-14T21:06:56Z

I feel like we should start by copying meetup's functionality (that are most familiar to organizers and attendees), then add features from there!

vunderkind · 2019-10-14T21:09:05Z

I agree. Do we have any Meetup power users onboard? Maybe a list of features for starters.

jmarchello · 2019-10-14T21:09:09Z

May not be a v1 requirement, but something that would be useful for discoverability would be a tag-like system where I can say "I'm interested in X, Y, and Z" and Organizers can say "We typically cover X, Y, and Z topics" Something like Github's Topics perhaps

keyserfaty · 2019-10-14T21:16:34Z

what the mvp looks like to me:

authentication.
create/edit/list organizations.
create/edit/list events.
being able to register for an event.
list people who registered for an event.

Zamy97 · 2019-10-14T21:17:06Z

What @QuincyLarson said just saying it in my words: Seeing what alternatives have done best and kinda mimic it into this would make it great.

QuincyLarson · 2019-10-14T21:25:59Z

@pixelyunicorn

I feel like we should start by copying meetup's functionality (that are most familiar to organizers and attendees), then add features from there!

I agree - we should start by stripping their features down to the bare essentials.

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:26:11Z

adding to @keyserfaty's list, we should implement the queue/waitlist for highly demanded events :)

mantcz · 2019-10-14T21:28:28Z

Also:

allow people to cancel RSVP
ability to contact members:
a. all of them
b. those going to the event

keyserfaty · 2019-10-14T21:29:48Z

Also:

allow people to cancel RSVP

Agree

ability to contact members:
a. all of them
b. those going to the event

Sounds like v2 to me

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:31:41Z

maybe cancel RSVP could go into a V1, it is (soft)deleting the record, contact members is definitely a v2

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:32:19Z

another thing that could go to a v2 is a meetup.com compatible API for those apps that use meetup as a data source.

(similar to those services that have an S3-compatible API for integration purposes)

https://discordapp.com/channels/633401573002969128/633401573002969132/633416435019939874

allella · 2019-10-14T21:33:39Z

Not saying an API is in the MVP, but Greenville, SC we have a simple event API tool to syndicate the Meetup.com and Eventbrite.com meetup event data to show a full tech calendar on hackgreenville.com and allow others to build apps using the open data.

Moving off Meetup.com will basically break our tool until we have a way to scrap or hit an endpoint to get the same data. So, from our own "what will break when people move" perspective, a lack of an API, or at least rich snippets that can be scraped, will break some existing community tools developed by Code For Greenville.

QuincyLarson · 2019-10-14T21:37:16Z

OK everyone - here is my bare bones description of what this tool needs to be able to do. We've already built some of this out here: https://study-group-directory.freecodecamp.org

As a future participant

I arrive at the home page.

-> System will show a search box with "[ Where do you want to attend an event? ]"

I can start typing a city, state, or country name, and it will autocomplete.

-> System will show upcoming events in/around that location.

I can click on one of the event names.

-> The system will show the "show view" for that event's group, with details about the upcoming event, along with a button to RSVP.

I can click the "RSVP" button.

-> The system will prompt me to sign in. It will send me an email with a ticket and add me to the public list of event attendees.

-> The day before the event, the system will email me again with a ticket and reminder.

-> After the event, I will automatically get emails notifying me of subsequent events.

As an organizer

I can create a group.

I can edit details about the group, including a Slack/Discord/Facebook/WeChat/WhatsApp link participants can join to discuss and coordinate events.

I can create events, and set their location and capacity.

I can cancel events.

I can email the entire list of participants.

I can ban a participant whom I believe is toxic or who has previously broken the code of conduct.

I can add a venue sponsor to the event with a link to their website as a way of thanking them for hosting.

I can add a food sponsor to the event with a link to their website as a way of thanking them for food.

keyserfaty · 2019-10-14T21:37:22Z

@allella that's cool. don't think you'll be able to replace meetup with this tool right away. sounds like an important feature but definitely not the first thing we should tackle. but sounds great for v2.

vunderkind · 2019-10-14T21:39:51Z

Great idea to have the homepage dynamically surface events tailored to IP address.

mantcz · 2019-10-14T21:41:07Z

Great idea to have the homepage dynamically surface events tailored to IP address.

That would not work for people behind VPN. I would just prefer decent search engine based on typed location.

allella · 2019-10-14T21:42:16Z

I guess I should ask if the v1, or even v2, is intended to host non-FCC groups, or if this is for the FCC universe?

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:42:45Z

@allella I guess any group, even non-coding related.
@vunderkind Great idea for a v2 or v1.x 😄

nhsz · 2019-10-14T21:44:33Z

Some features we need as organizers because some venues ask for this info (meetup currently has these, fields aren't required though)

an attendee list, i'd be nice to have the option to export/download it (pdf?)
attendes id personal numbers (e.g.: passport number) for security reasons, so custom we need required fields for each event

allella · 2019-10-14T21:45:35Z

Could also be v2, but organizers often will link to an organization landing page and specific event instances. Having public URLs would shortcut the "enter city", "find your group" steps if someone already knows why they are there. Also, having some structured markup, like event rich snippets, on the org and event landing pages would offer at least some basic API alternative until such time as an API could be built.

I'd be motivated to assist with the event markup and API development since I volunteer to support tools that need a way to get at the event data through a script.

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:46:19Z

@nhsz Yep I see those in a v2 probably

francocorreasosa · 2019-10-14T21:48:20Z

~~Thinking about a tech stack...~~

Moved to #2

allella · 2019-10-14T21:48:58Z

I'm sure all cities have different needs, but here's an idea of what we consider a "tech meetup" in Greenville, along with an API behind that holds info about all our organizations in the area, the organizers, where they post events, API endpoint keys for the event service they use.

Might be a nice v2, v3 feature to allow each city to have a similar list of all the organizations by certain tags or categories. Basically, I'd be glad to replace our homegrown orgs and events data and APIs with a service that all cities could enjoy.

Org API
Events API

tazsingh · 2019-10-14T21:52:51Z

Hey, I've built a good chunk of this already. Happy to chat about what I have. The intention is to release it as OSS and would like to collaborate on efforts

pedroroutaboul · 2019-10-14T21:56:01Z

EventoL is the platform that uses the Python Community in Argentina to managing their events
E.g.: PyConAr 2019

edimitchel · 2019-10-14T22:01:13Z

Mobilizon from Framasoft is a french solution that aims to replace Facebook Events and MeetUp applications by a ethic, free and open-source solution (which could be self-hosted in the future).
The project has already collected more than 50000 € for the development. UX designers are already working on it, please consider this solution before recreate something else.

igorasilveira · 2019-10-14T22:16:38Z

Great idea to have the homepage dynamically surface events tailored to IP address.

That would not work for people behind VPN. I would just prefer decent search engine based on typed location.

I think it just be first location based, through the Browser location API and in case of negative response, based on typed location

vunderkind · 2019-10-14T22:27:00Z

Are we going to have a central document holding all the features we've agreed on, and what are the next steps/structure for building this?

Pardon me if these questions are naive. First time collaborating on an open-source project, ever.

itaditya · 2019-10-14T22:42:27Z

How about using GitHub as a meetup platform?

https://mobile.twitter.com/dev__adi/status/1183873754679537666

typeofweb · 2019-10-15T22:26:48Z

Love your suggestions @lorenanicole!

Are we assuming accessibility (a11y) is obvious, or should we point it out explicitly?
Let me start:

the app should pass the WCAG contrast test
it should be possible to navigate through the app using only a keyboard
it all boils down to the fact the app should comply with all the WCAG 2.1 AAA criteria

TechiePriyaRanjan · 2019-10-16T03:25:16Z

this should be in v1 itself😐

As an organizer

I can reschedule/postpone events.

hiddentao · 2019-10-16T04:24:20Z

I helped build Kickback (https://kickback.events/), an Ethereum-based platform which aims to reduce event no-shows. Essentially speaking, each attendee commits a small amount of money (e.g. $10) when they RSVP. If they turn up they get their money back. If they don't show up their money gets split amongst those who did. The money handling is secure, transparent and automated via a smart contract running on Ethereum.

(Most recently we did 13 small events at the Devcon5 conference in Osaka and got an overall average turn-up rate of ~80% on Kickback).

If we're building an alternative to meetup.com how about integrating with platforms like Kickback and/or incorporating such features?

(You can even use our smart contracts directly: https://github.com/wearekickback/contracts).

elmariachi111 · 2019-10-16T08:47:07Z

Hey hiddentao! Met your colleague at EthBerlinZwei and chatted ~1h. Keep up the great work, Kickback rocks! Let me just be slightly two faced here: adopting Dapps is not simple anyway - if you alone need gas to create state changing tx, "real" money will be always involved. If you on top have to "pay" something upfront (even if guarantees are that you get it back (minus gas?) ), I think that'll have a negative impact as well. Nevertheless I think that Kickback already demonstrates today what will be one of the best concepts tomorrow!

hiddentao · 2019-10-16T09:08:26Z

@elmariachi111 You're absolutely right about the gas cost. This is something the Eth community at large needs to solve. Hopefully in the near future this will not a blocker for dapps.

maiya-22 · 2019-10-16T17:40:46Z

Brainstorms:

accessibility
- I think accessibility needs to be build in from the start.
- I'm thinking ... vision impaired, dyslexic fonts options (?)
- What else .. ?
learning for team members
- Maybe a channel where contributors can ask technical questions &/or post tutorials on libraries/technologies being implemented.
dynamic working culture
- A conversation, thread somewhere (maybe on discord) for chats about the working culture, so that new ideas can be incorporated.

allella · 2019-10-16T18:07:47Z

@maiya-22
Accessibility was thumbs'ed up by Quincy and is part of the first post in #5

The #implementation-details-discussions on Discord is pretty close to the second idea, at least for now.

allella · 2019-10-16T18:10:27Z

@maiya-22 also, accessibility was mentioned by these folks if you want to get a conversation issue going on that, or in an existing issue if it makes sense.

List of those who identified as interested in accessibility in earlier comments.

ryandudek · 2019-10-16T18:16:43Z

I'd love to help on accessibility stuff, thanks for the @! I am also on Discord as ryandudek

Dhara159 · 2019-10-16T19:22:53Z

Should we offer some functionalities listed below ( I might be totally wrong ):

Inter-chat functionality between the single collective's user
Separate feedback section where user can easily react instead of typing lot of stuff which can encourage other users to join collective
Section to upload event's slides (i.e. making a part like speaker deck ) so that the collective attendees can get all the things what they want from a single platform!
Allow organisers to add extra beverages which will be provided at the event!
Social media integration
Directly sharable media gallery across collectives and social media platforms

MarkAtwood · 2019-10-16T23:56:44Z

I would very much like for this to use ActivityStreams, so that all the instances of Chapter can federate with each other and possibly even federate with other ActivityStreams implementations such as Mastodon and PixelFed.

MarkAtwood · 2019-10-17T00:06:45Z

If it doesn't start with an API, one will never be implemented without a full rewrite.
If an API is added later, it will never be complete or correct.
If you define an API and then implement the UI/UX so that it works some other way than calling the API, then neither the UI or the API will be correct or safe.
If a feature can't be defined as a set of API calls, it's not defined enough to implement well.
If a unrelated third party can't write a complete and working but different UI/UX on top of the APIs, then the entire project will never get traction.

allella · 2019-10-17T03:00:09Z

@MarkAtwood there are very early conversations about interoperability between Collective instances in #36 and the API folks are mainly talking at #17 and pull requests like #46, so now is the chance to steer those conversations and/or point people to open-source things that already pave the way.

brianrichins · 2019-10-17T18:16:45Z

Haven't seen this suggested yet, but some conversation in a local Slack group pointed out how useful it would be to have "collaboration" or "partner" groups. E.g. organizers could:

see each others' planned (but not published) events
coordinate schedule / resource conflicts within the platform
share resources

This could be both for managing multiple Chapters within a single organization (i.e. myself and 2 coworkers currently run independent meetups, all paid for by the company), or across organizations (i.e. I'd like to not have my events the same night as a couple nearby groups that many of my members also attend).

allella · 2019-10-17T18:27:23Z

@brianrichins it's a useful feature for sure and aligns somewhat with the proposed vision. We have a view of meetup "day of the month" for Greenville, SC to help organizers not plan a new meetup on a saturated day.

Whether this is the responsibility of Chapter, or an app that ties into Chapters, can be determined as the product evolves.

QuincyLarson · 2019-10-17T21:43:08Z

@brianrichins This would be a great feature to have for future releases.

I could see this kind of coordination to be really helpful - especially for the example you gave, where different nearby chapters would want stagger their events so as not to draw one another's audiences.

I don't think internal planning tools are high enough priority for our rougher MVP, though.

QuincyLarson · 2019-10-17T21:45:46Z

I have enjoyed reading the discussions here. So many exciting ideas and directions we could go in. I am going to close this thread in favor of concentrating discussion over on #47

* chore: added speccy to docker compose dev environment * chore: added speccy to dev deps, added/updated scripts, fixed husky warning * test: added test for SomeComponent * docs: updated scripts and added testing * chore: setup jest testing

* basic app skeleton * update readme * remove body parser * tsconfig target esnext * nodemon -> dev dep * api route examples * custom typing for responseErrorHandler * oops fix speccy location * tslint -> eslint * add dockerfile, update installation instructions in README * emptyline at end of eslintignore * Revert "add dockerfile, update installation instructions in README" This reverts commit 8075dc4. * Revert "Revert "add dockerfile, update installation instructions in README"" This reverts commit cf502e5. * fix dockerfile and use npm ci * update readme, update nodemon watch files * add next to the docs * Add suggestions/fixes to skeleton (#1) * chore: added speccy to docker compose dev environment * chore: added speccy to dev deps, added/updated scripts, fixed husky warning * test: added test for SomeComponent * docs: updated scripts and added testing * chore: setup jest testing * no more dockerfile, update docs * add js and jsx extensions to configs * chore: removed unnecessary network, switched to using top level volume (#2) * Mvp/skeleton (#3) * fix(setup) Add note for linux users about docker-compose problem with PWD * fix(client) Use named functions for components * fix(setup) Turn of ts noImplicitAny * fix(setup) Use es6 imports in next config * fix(docker) Remove top level volumes * fix(setup) add newline to end of package.json

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What are some of your ideas on building an alternative to Meetup.com? #1

What are some of your ideas on building an alternative to Meetup.com? #1

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As a future participant

As an organizer

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