Using the Web to Organize Real-World Meetings

Just ran across a link to www.meetup.com in a Dan Gillmor piece. Looks like a great model of self-organizing emerging communities.

Comments

[Jeffry R. Fisher]

Along these lines (forming ad hoc online associations), I've thought of a way to solve the world's problem with digital piracy. I think I know how to make money selling CDs, DVDs etc, even if I let people copy them and sell their copies legally. In other words, we *can* have our digital cake and eat it too.

It would sort of be a cross between EBay and Ameritrade. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about starting such a business, which brings me here. I'm trying to find any EBay officer or director to whom I can describe my plan in detail and perhaps negotiate collaboration on a new venture that might become worth as much as EBay itself.

Approaching EBay's "front door" didn't get me anywhere. I couldn't find the link that said, "Suggest new multi-billion dollar market opportunities here." Pierre, (if I've found the right one) would you be so kind as to connect me with an appropriate business development director within EBay? Thanks.

[karen ward]

hi pierre,

i help curate a small, non-profit tea lounge, net cafe and meet-up space in seattle called 'living:room.'

we are into hosting meet ups, everything from anime geeks and webloggers and game board geeks and mac freaks.

our non-profit arts group has a dream next year to morph an old church building in our fremont neighborhood into a 'third place' community meetspace and art center. i wondered if i might e-chat with you about this?

i'm also a blogger. the amazing, postmodern emergence/convergence changes in the world to flatten time, protocols, distance and hierarchy have made it possible for somebody like me to post to a blog of a titan business guy like yourself.

if you wanna chat about third place meetspaces, i'm here: karen@gracewerks.org. curate at www.livingroomseattle.org
as i'm looking for some assistance to make our larger community third place a reality next year.

cheers