Several times, I've tried to get a meetup started at Purdue. However, each time I post on LW that there might be a meetup if enough people comment and say that they want a meetup, only 3ish people will even comment. However, I know that there are at least 8 people at Purdue who read LessWrong, so I've decided to leave this meetup up on the site for a long time so that people on the site will see it.

Good plan. I'm the organizer in Vancouver, and It took me a while but I learned that you just have to make something happen and tell people to show up. Not "let's do something, who's interested?" not "When should we do this thing?", but "I'm going to be holding a meetup here at this time; see you there."

Then of course you adjust for what information you can squeeze out of them about convenient times and places, but again, don't put anyone else's actions on the critical path to something happening.

As I see it, the job of the organizer is to take responsibility for all the agency and do-ness that the group requires. Even expecting people to show up of their own accord has a mediocre success rate; you get much better results if you get people's contact info and specifically bug people like "Hi [person], how's that [thing you're working on] going? It was good to have you at the meetup that time. We're have a meetup at [time and place], you should come!". Seriously, direct orders are way more successful than vague suggestions. (keep it polite of course).

My biggest obstacle has probably been all the little cultural aversions against siezing power and treating other people like they don't have agency. That fact is people really appreciate having leadership, and they want to use their agency on other stuff. Make it easy for them. Build it and they will come.

Are you on lw-organizers? Do you have a mailing list or some other means to organize outside of these meetup posts?

I hope my ramblings are useful to you in your noble quest to build a meetup. More meetups are always good. Good luck!

I will attend if my schedule permits. I'd been hoping someone would set something up but apparently had not seen the earlier attempts to do so.

Hi, so the meetup is tomorrow. The location on the map is showing latitude="40.4337827", longitude="-86.9248483". Is this the exact place of meetup? Is there any classroom or place already designated for the meetup?

Please notify me. We spoke in person and I'm interested.

+1

Please notify me. I am looking forward to this meetup. Cheers Ravi