MeetUp
: Scott Heiferman is doing a great job showing this world the weeek in MeetUp: Pugs meetup; PHP in Melbourne (with five geeky guys); Cooper Mini meetup… What should get attention is the fast-growing conservative TownHall meetups, now numbered 300. That is to say that this is just a tool, it’s not a constituency. Anyone can use the tool. Dean can use it. Conservatives can use it. Everybody can use it. And I hope they all do.
: Scott says it’s not just about the global village. It’s local. It’s getting more and more local.
: “Whether it’s MeetUp.com or whatever, the cat is out of the bag. The cat is out of the bag. People know they can organize themselves.”
: Scott says we’re in a new political era. From the 1800s to mid 1900s, it was an era of joiners, organizers, members. From the mid 1900s until now it was the era of TV, the Beltway, PACs, direct-marketing. Now, he says (hopes) that we’re entering the “era of net-powered grassroots.”
: Scott says there are now MeetUps automatically generated for anyone running for governor, Congress and the Senate. (What about local?)
: He says that double-digit percentages of Americans used to get together for meetings. Now we don’t. And the delicious irony is that the Internet — the thing that was supposed to be making us antisocial — is helping bring us out to meet again. The Internet is the ultimate social software.
” The net doesn’t care if it’s chihuaua’s or Kerry…” Right. It’s a tool for all.
: He says the key to success is to “get the hell out of the way.” Right. Hand the keys to the people and see where they will drive.
