Issues

I'm still a little wet behind the ears here, but in poking around since starting my group I've found that there is a message board with each group, and it would apper that any one in a particular state could be designated that states approved message site. (and I volunteer mine:)

There's ALREADY a message board for each, local, Meetup group?! OMG, LOL! how do you find it? hahaha!

I don't think this is accurate. The local meetup sites have a section called "messages", but it is just an archive of email sent through the group email address. Doesn't allow for replies - quoting - threading, etc.

Or maybe I'm simply not seeing it either?

I'm still a little wet behind the ears here, but in poking around since starting my group I've found that there is a message board with each group, and it would apper that any one in a particular state could be designated that states approved message site. (and I volunteer mine:)

There's ALREADY a message board for each, local, Meetup group?! OMG, LOL! how do you find it? hahaha!

I don't think this is accurate. The local meetup sites have a section called "messages", but it is just an archive of email sent through the group email address. Doesn't allow for replies - quoting - threading, etc.

Or maybe I'm simply not seeing it either?

I'd like to know the answer to this! I'm computer challened, and of my Meetup has a forum, I don't know where it is.

Justine,

There should be a way to increase the number of threads that appear on a given page in this forum. I would go with the maximum allowable to cut down on the number of pages people must flip through here to find an old thread they may be interested in.

Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion, Steve. I'll ask my contact at Meetup about this issue. If it can be done, I will ask her to do so.

Justine, are you aware the McCain camp using a company called AdSense to place McCain adds and links to Ron Paul's name/sites as a search criteria? A McCain ad was on the petition to MI GOP and RNC to keep RP inthe debates.

Hillary's doing something of that nature too, I've had her mug staring at me for a couple of days now. I did join a group waiting for a local group only ask them/her to pay for the bus she used in her health care flop, which she hasn't yet and it's been years.

I'm still a little wet behind the ears here, but in poking around since starting my group I've found that there is a message board with each group, and it would apper that any one in a particular state could be designated that states approved message site. (and I volunteer mine:)

There's ALREADY a message board for each, local, Meetup group?! OMG, LOL! how do you find it? hahaha!

I don't think this is accurate. The local meetup sites have a section called "messages", but it is just an archive of email sent through the group email address. Doesn't allow for replies - quoting - threading, etc.

Or maybe I'm simply not seeing it either?

I'd like to know the answer to this! I'm computer challened, and of my Meetup has a forum, I don't know where it is.

Go to you organizer tools. There is a seeting to use either a webforum or a newsgroup format or both. The newsgroup format is archived email threads like yahoo. The webforum is like this forum. It is suggested not to use both as it becomes confusing. Also let you group members know that they can set their profile to provide notification of mesage board changes.

In following these discussions I have a few comments.

1. Don't be afraid to let the "free market" of ideas work here.

2. I don't see multiple groups within a state as a bad thing at all. If it takes multiple groups to give people a feeling of ownership then so be it. As long as the campaign has a way to communicate the VITAL information to everyone, I see no problem whatsoever. Decentralization is good, it makes for efficiency and fresh ideas.

3. I hear a lot of suggestions that sound like traditional "campaign logic". We all have our opinions and mine is that nothing will kill this campaign faster than trying to make it be a traditional campaign. People who think they are in charge of things start telling people "no", and the energy gets sapped.

4. We must be careful to add the neccessary tools to meet the needs of the campaign without turning it into a lifeless beuracracy. We probably have barely a million dollars, but we have a hundred million dollars worth of enthusiasm. Lets not squander either.

Good points, Dave.

Now, I'll try to find this organizing tool you've mentioned.

Thanks, Justine!

Also...how is the fundraising going?

The way I would organize is like this:
Get a website for each state.(They don't have to be pretty, just informative.)
Then get a website for each area in the state.(You would hope people step up and do this.)

We are doing this right now down in Austin, hoping to have our stuff up by next week (around end of May). We'll be implementing both a local site and a TX site as well.

Functionality including but not limited to:
* RSS newsfeed
* php/mysql joinup! page to help us get a handle on who our membership is and what their willing to do (we are literally growing at the rate of around 10 members/day... it's already getting pretty hairy)
* calendar (beyond the meetups - other events, fundraisers, etc)
* a lightly moderated (to prevent spam, flamewars) blogosphere to give our membership a voice

and so on. The state level site will be more generalized, mostly functioning as a gateway to the nat'l and local levels, but also providing organizer tools to folks who don't have a group near them.

Y'all are welcome to copy us... and when you make improvements (as you surely will) we will happily steal them from you :oD

cy