Spring semester is over, the weather is (getting) warmer- it’s a great time to explore Pittsburgh and meet new people! The popular social networking site, Meetup, has a mobile app available for both Android and iOS.
Founded in 2002, Meetup provides an online platform to help people organize groups and events off-line. Access to your phone’s GPS data tells the app where you are. There are tons of Pittsburgh meetup groups to choose from. Events are organized around common interests such as hiking, music, art, movies, politics, dancing, foreign language learning, or computer coding. There’s even a meetup group for introverts!
User accounts are free. However, organizers have to pay based on the size of their event or group.
Within the app, you can:
- Create an account or log in to an existing one. After selecting from a set of general interests, Meetup will begin recommending groups and events to you.
- Join groups to receive event notifications.
- Get event details and view profiles of other users.
- RSVP to events.
- Receive and manage messages from organizers or other users of the site.
There are four main tabs:
- An activity homepage featuring a vertical list of upcoming events, recent comments, and new groups that may fit your interests
- A calendar of upcoming events hosted by your groups, displayed as a vertical list by date and time
- A visual tile listing of groups you currently belong to and more groups you may be interested in joining
- Section for reading, composing, and otherwise managing messages
It could be easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of groups and events featured on the app, but the design is simple and intuitive. The color scheme and layout remind me of the Gmail app, which many users may already be familiar with.
Message notifications are pushed to your phone’s home screen and can be archived to keep your inbox clean. The app also links out to other web pages- some organizations on Meetup have their own websites or an event may require the purchase of tickets on a separate site.
I would highly recommend using the Meetup app this summer, especially if you are interested in learning about inexpensive events around town or just want to expand your radius of activity in the city!