Charlotte Observer (SC)

Fee puts online groups in dither

Popular Meetup.com to charge $9 a month starting on Sunday

CELESTE SMITH
Staff Writer

Meet up? Or break up?

That's what some Charlotte area group leaders started thinking ever since Meetup.com -- the popular, free Web site where people of any interest, anywhere, can find a compatible group -- announced it would charge fees starting Sunday.

The news has some groups moving their gatherings to other free Web services or threatening to end their groups altogether.

The fees start at $9 monthly for those who sign up by Sunday, rising to $19 for latecomers. Everyone pays the higher fee starting 2007. The responsibility of paying the charge falls squarely on "organizers" who set up the online groups.

Organizers could then get reimbursed by asking members for dues. But some say doing that would dampen the spirit of their gatherings.

"The fee has me so outraged," said Allison Lachowitz, who heads up a Charlotte area group for Dachshund owners.

"To have the first conversation be, `Hi, how are you, can I have your dues please?' I'm not comfortable with that at all." She moved the group's site to a free service on MSN Groups.

Meetup.com started as a business three years ago by a group that included former colleagues at an online ad agency. With the idea of stimulating community -- especially at a time when people are busier than ever with work and family -- the concept took off. Without any advertising, Meetup.com surged in popularity during the presidential race, when thousands of Howard Dean supporters across the country mobilized through the Web site.

Meetup.com uses a search structure based on ZIP codes to unite people in the same region. The 187,520 groups worldwide cover nearly 5,000 topics -- knitters and politics buffs, jewelry makers and hip-hop enthusiasts, poker players and work-at-home moms, book lovers and people looking for roommates, to name a handful.

Over 8,300 people in Charlotte and nearby areas are members of meetup groups. Until now, services have been free, making it easy for a range of people to get involved, members say.

But building communities online doesn't come cheap, notes Myles Weissleder, vice president of communications for Meetup.com.

Weissleder wouldn't reveal financial information about the 3-year-old private company, but said the New York-based operation, with a staff of 30 professionals, is just like any other business and needs revenues to improve and expand its services.

"It's not something you can build in your garage or basement," Weissleder said.

"What Meetup represents is essentially the very beginning. We're poised and positioned to be the eBay of getting people together."

Weissleder didn't offer any predictions on how many groups might leave the site.

Jim Hickey, who organizes a Charlotte "new in town" group via Meetup.com, told his members he would step down from the role unless they collect dues. He realizes that might end the formal group, although friendships could continue on their own: "Every meeting, we've exchanged e-mails. I think some of us will stay in touch."

Not everyone is protesting the new fees.

When Kristen Lee Brown collected a dollar apiece from members of the Charlotte Graphic Design group, some handed her $5 and $10 instead to keep in reserve for future meetings. On the group's bulletin board, another member insists the fee isn't a big deal: "I don't think we'll kill you if you don't pay ... so don't get scared. OK!"

"I can't imagine people are having a hard time with it, unless the group is small," Brown said. "We're happy that we met each other through Meetup.com, and we're loyal to them."

One organizer who heads multiple groups fears a big bill and will move to Yahoo.

She organizes several pagan groups with members from Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties. Given the group's devotion to old religions, it prefers to stay low profile, but found Meetup.com a way to unite.

"I've had difficulty in the past with intolerance from other people," said the leader, who uses the name Stephanie Arana Melusinawhen online.

"We're losing a very good way for people to find each other. And that's a shame."

Online Groups

Some free services include:

• Yahoo (click "groups" on yahoo.com)

• MSN Groups (http://groups.msn.com )

• Google (click "groups" on google.com).

THE DIFFERENCES

Meetup.com's claim to fame is its setup: People in the same region with the same interests can connect by typing in a ZIP code.

Free services don't have groups organized by region. Instead, they're arranged by topic. However, area groups that have "Charlotte" or "Charlotte, North Carolina" in their description would come up under a search.