Ukudibana okutsha , Kwaye abantu abangaphezu kwe-1 000 baye ba-RSVP'ed a umcimbi oyimfihlo e-Irving Plaza . Ukuza kweNew Meetup kuthetha ukuba indawo oyibonayo namhlanje inokubhekiswa kuyo njenge-Old Meetup. Kwaye i-Meetup indala-malunga neminyaka esithoba ubudala enyanisweni. I-Meetup ifana notatomkhulu weNew York tech tech, kwaye yindlela uMatt Meeker athetha ngayo. Emuva ngomhla kaMnu. Meeker, xa i-Meetup yayiqala nje, i-intanethi yayiyindawo eyahlukileyo kakhulu. Imemori ye-dot-com bubble's burst eqaqambileyo yayiseyintsha kwiingqondo zabatyalomali. Italente yobuchwephesha obuphezulu inokubakho kwi-Craigslist yezithembiso zokulingana. Kwakungekho lwimi lungasetyenziswanga kwiilwimi kwaye ukuba ufuna idatha evela kwenye inkampani, kuya kufuneka ufumane ukuphuhliswa kweshishini lakho emnxebeni nabantu abaphuhlisa amashishini abo. Awunakuqala inethiwekhi yoluntu okanye indawo yokuthengiselana yemihla ngemihla engaphantsi kwe- $ 10,000; udinga i-250,000 yeedola. Ukuqalisa kwabantwana kulula ngoku kwezi ntsuku. I-Meetup.com: Imvelaphi Kwakungu-2001. UMnu. Meeker wayesandula ukushiya isiqalo esasinikwe i-15 yezigidi zeedola ukwakha i-e-Reader yekhadi letyala elilingana ne-imeyile kunye nemiyalezo ebhaliweyo. Ngelo xesha, i-SMS yayifumaneka kuphela kwiinethiwekhi; Abathengi be-AT & T banokubhala kuphela abanye abathengi be-AT & T. Inkampani inokuba yatshabalaliswa kwasekuqaleni. Ndikhumbula ndibona abanye abantu bethumela ii-imeyile malunga nale nto ibizwa ngokuba yiBlackBerry, utshilo uMnu. Meeker phezolo. Wayethetha ngaphakathi kwe-Studio Meetup ye-Founder, eyayibanjelwe kwikomkhulu le-Meetup e-SoHo, ebalisa ibali lokuba yena no-Scott Heiferman bagqiba njani ukuqala iwebhusayithi eyayiyintlalontle phambi kwezentlalo-kunye neewebhusayithi-zipholile. Ewe, iiwebhusayithi bezinohlobo olupholileyo. Classmates.com, Ndicinga ukuba yayiyinto eshushu leyo, utshilo uMnu Meeker, ehleka. I-Classmates.com yasinda kwingozi ye-tech kunye nokudodobala kwemali ekuqaleni kwe-anth, kodwa uninzi lweziqalo aluzange. Inkampani kaMnu Meeker ye-15 yezigidi yeedola yahamba ngaphandle kokukhupha imveliso; uqhubekile waya e ofisini umzuzwana phambi kokuba aqonde ukuba lixesha lokuba aqhubeke. Waqala ukufumana ikofu noScott Heiferman, awayesebenza naye kwi-arhente yentengiso ye-intanethi i-traffic, kwaye bobabini baqala ukuthetha malunga nemibono yokuqalisa. Babenamaqashiso; Umnumzana Meeker ukhumbula isicwangciso sendawo yokutyela ephezulu, yokutyela enikezela ukutya okuziinkozo kwasekuseni kuphela. Sihambile saya kude kakhulu naloo nto, utshilo. Kodwa baqhubeka bebuyela kwi-Meetup, kwaye zazimbini izizathu eziphambili zokuba kutheni. Enye yazo Ukubhowula wedwa , Incwadi kaRobert Putnam malunga nokuwa koluntu eMelika. Enye into yayikukuba into itshintshile eNew York: Abaphambukeli baqale ukubulisa. Kwakungemva kukaSeptemba 11, kwaye abantu babonakala ngesiquphe besazana. Kwakukho umnqweno wokuhlala, utshilo uMnu. Meeker. Meetup.com yayifuneka. Imowudi yokuqalisa Ke uMnu. Meeker kunye noMnumzana Heiferman baqokelele imali kubahlobo nakubazali kwaye bazama ukukhangela i-cofounder yezobuchwephesha. Bafumene umntu ogqibeleleyo: umphuhlisi onetalente olingana nenkcubeko yenkampani ababefuna ukuba nayo iMetupup. Wathi hayi. Baqhubeka. Uthe kulungile, kodwa kufuneka iinyanga ezintandathu ukwenza iigig yokubonisana eParis. Bambongoza. Wayitshintsha yaziinyanga ezintathu. Bamlandela baya kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya iNewark kwaye bammisa ngelixa wayelinde inqwelomoya yakhe. Xa kucacile ukuba uzimisele ukukhwela kwinqwelomoya, bathenga amatikiti kwaye bamjoyina. Bahlala naye eParis iiveki ezintathu, bethetha ngoyilo lwe-Meetup. Uthe kulungile, ndingene. Impumelelo! Umnumzana Meeker kunye no Heiferman babuyela e-States ukuya kulungiselela ukumiliselwa kwe-Meetup. Kodwa kungekudala, bafumana umnxeba ovela eParis. I-cofounder yabo eyayiza kuba yeyobuchwephesha yayifuna enye iveki. Kulungile, bathi-emva kwayo yonke loo nto! - siya kufumana omnye umntu. Uluhlu lweCraigslist! Umnumzana Meeker kunye noMnu Heiferman babeka isibhengezo somseki wezobuchwephesha. Isibhengezo sasinomdla, sasingenangqondo, kwakungalunganga, utshilo uMnu. Meeker. Kodwa eli yayisengamaxesha e-bubble emva, kwaye baqala kwakhona i-400. Baye banciphisa i-60, kwaye baqala ukwenza udliwanondlebe nabagqatswa- inye ngeyure. Ndithathe iphepha lamanqaku kulowo nalowo. Ndine pad yomthetho kwaye ndibhale iphepha lamanqaku kuyo yonke into, utshilo uMnu. Meeker. KuPeter, ndibhale nje 'uPeter K. - mkhulu.' YayinguPeter Kamali lowo. Umnumzana Meeker kunye no Heiferman baleka u-Kamali ngodliwanondlebe kunye nabacebisi babo bezobuchwephesha. I-CTO yaseBarnes neNoble ithe, 'Kuya kufuneka umqeshe, kuba ukuba akwenzi njalo, ndiza. Uyazazi izinto ebekungafanelekanga ukuba azazi , Utshilo uMnu. Meeker. Isakhiwo sokuhlangana Kwakungo Matshi, kwaye yayilixesha lokuhamba. Umnumzana Meeker kunye noMnu Heiferman boyike umjikelo wenkxaso mali yeengelosi, evala umbulelo kukhululo lwesixhobo eshushu esitsha wonke umntu azama ukusibamba. Umnumzana Meeker uthenge ezinye zezi zixhobo- inkampani ebizenzile ibisandula ukuvula ivenkile eNew York- kwaye wabiza abatyali mali ababemnike ithuba lokubaleka. Ndine-iPod elayishwe ngumculo, utshilo. Ndizakuzisa kuwe naphi na apho ukhoyo ukuba ungandinika itshekhi. Impumelelo kwakhona! Imali esesandleni, uMnu. Meeker ubuze umphathi wakhe omtsha ukuba kuya kuthatha ixesha elingakanani ukwazisa le ndawo. Nge-13 kaJuni, utshilo uMnu Kamali. I-Meetup.com yasungulwa nge-12 kaJuni. Ukuphehlelelwa kwaba yimpumelelo ekufutshane , enkosi kwiphulo lokuthengisa ngobuqili eliphekwe nguMnu Heiferman. I-Meetup yagqogqa i-intanethi kumaqela-amaqela e-Yahoo, iibhlog (babebizwa ngokuba zii-weblogs ngelo xesha) kubathandi beepug, abathandi bebhiya, iWiccans, oomama beHockey, imisebenzi. Bathumele ii-imeyile ngokwazisa la maqela ngeholide ezizayo ezizayo – Usuku lwaMazwe lwaBathandi bePug kunye noMhla wamaHlakanipha oMdibaniso, umzekelo –bayala ukuba baye kwiwebhusayithi ukuze bafumane apho badibana khona kwizixeko zabo. Sibuyele impendulo enomdla, utshilo. Abantu babenjengoko, ‘Kukhulu! Enkosi ngokundazisa! ' Namhlanje, kukho amalungu angama-40,772 ka-194 Ukudibana kwePug amaqela kwihlabathi liphela. Emva koko uMnu. Meeker uxelele ibali ukuba wonke umqeshwa omtsha we-Meetup uyeva kusuku lokuqala. Joyina i-Howard Dean Meetup yendawo yakho Kwakungo-2004, kwaye umqeshwa okwinqanaba eliphantsi ogama lingu-Will, 23, wayegxeka uMnu. Meeker malunga nokubeka amaqela e-Meetup egxile kwezopolitiko. Hayi, Mnu. Meeker wamxelela kaninzi. Umncinci, iinzame zakhe zazingonwabanga, waphumela ngaphandle wayokutshaya kwaye wafunda INew York Times , eyayiphethe inqaku malunga nomdemokhrasi ovuthayo ovela eVermont owayebalekela umongameli: Howard Dean. Ngaba ngokukhawuleza wangena ngaphakathi kwaye wabiza iofisi yegosa kwintlanganiso. Emva koko wacela uMnu. Meeker imali yetikiti likaloliwe. Emva kokuba ehlafuna umqeshwa wakhe omncinci ukuba angabinakho ukulawulwa, uMnu Heiferman wajoyina uWill ukudibana noMnumzana uDean, kunye nomcebisi wakhe uJoe Trippi ukuze bathethe ngendlela irhuluneli enokuyisebenzisa ngayo le webhusayithi intsha. Amadoda aqhagamshelene kwangoko, icala ngalinye lichukunyiswe yimishini yenye. Asinamali, asinambutho, utshilo uMnu Dean. Kodwa ukuba uyakundixhasa ndiza kuthi 'joyina uHoward Dean Meetup wakho wasekhaya' emva kwentetho nganye. Ewe, iphulo likaMnu Dean laqala emazantsi ngendlela engazange ibonwe. Ulahlekelwe kukutyunjwa, kodwa uzukisiwe ubuvulindlela ekusebenziseni i-intanethi ukulungiselela ulungelelwaniso lwezopolitiko . Unogumbe weendaba uphumelele u-Meetup kwisizwe. Ngo-Epreli 2004, indawo yayinayo ngaphezulu kwesigidi esinye samalungu . #Indibano entsha UMeeker ushiye iMetupup ngo-2008. Ngoku ungusomashishini ohlala eDogpatch Labs, isifukamisi exhaswa yiPolaris Ventures exhasa iinkampani ezili-15 ngexesha, zibanika indawo yasimahla kunye noqeqesho ngaphandle kwentambo - kungekho zibonda, kungekho zithembiso zokuqala . Uyakhuthaza kwimeko yezobuchwephesha yaseNew York. Kwindawo eyiyo kanye, utshilo. Andiqondi ukuba liqamza. Iinkampani ezikhokela phambili ziinkampani zokwenyani ezinengeniso yokwenyani. Enye yezo nkampani yi-Meetup, ngoku ineminyaka esithoba ubudala kwaye isomelele ngamalungu ezigidi ezingama-7.2. Umnumzana Heiferman, ngoku u-CEO, utshilo e-New York Tech Meetup (umbutho omkhulu kwezobuchwephesha eNew York, onamalungu angaphezu kwe-15,000) ukuba u-2010 wayengunyaka wokuqala wenkampani onenzuzo-ingeniso ivela kwimirhumo yabaququzeleli eqala ukuqala amaqela. Kwaye siyenzile ngaphandle kokuphulukana nemiphefumlo yethu, wongeze watsho. Kodwa ibali le-Meetup alikapheli, kwaye ngoMvulo siza kufumanisa ukuba siza kuba yintoni isigaba esilandelayo kwimbali yayo. Okwangoku, jonga i-10 New York Meetups enesandi esimangalisayo. ajeffries [kwi] observer.com | @iamfanlalisa
