I just created a Meetup group and paid for 3 months of service. I just discovered that I can't turn off Group/Activity ratings. I personally find the whole idea of ratings for the Group and its activities unsettling to say the least. While I can understand the value of ratings for products sold on the web, I find it distasteful that this concept has become a compulsive part of social media, whereas people so blithely judge and rate each other. I also want to spend my time organizing a good positive group and don't want it tainted in any way by negative reporting (someone having a bad day for example, or someone who might have constructive criticism but could simply call me). Organizers should be respected and given the option of allowing ratings or not, as they think appropriate. I have paid for 3 months of service and while I like the potential of this site, its clear to me after reading some response to similar suggestions that Meetup has decided that they know better than Organizers what is best for them. I feel so strongly about this that if at the end of my 3 months I feel that I can't find a way around the rating system, I will, even if it is inconvenient, move my site elsewhere.

Dear Meet-up:

Can you kindly highlight for organizers the meaning of RSVP. Etiquette continues to evolve around societies ever changing mores and values however the RVSP in my opinion is an important standard that sets expectations and assures both the Organizer and Invitee.

This social contract allows the organizer to accurately estimate attendance for a successful event and assures the invitee admittance, a place at the table, enough wine etc.. Now at times things come up and an Invitee cannot attend and may need to send their "regrets" on short notice but I am seriously taken aback that I RSVP to a Meetup event and am denied entrance.

Weeks ago I RSVP'd to attend Fall into Fashion Show, Copley Place. Free Cocktails and Apps. Thu Sep 22 . 6:30 PM and had planned to meet my girlfriend and others at the event. The day of the event I politely sent an email to confirm directly with the organizer. To my great disappointment and frustration was told tickets needed to be per-purchased online and the event was sold out.

No where in the invitation sent to my email was it noted that tickets where to be per-purchased. Now I am not opposed to paying at the door when I arrive to an event if it is noted in the Invite and the RSVP puts me on a guest list which is a common practice moreover I dont have to wait in a long line or worry I wont gain admittance. But in this case prepayment was not noted on the invite, this was a group of under 20 people, and payment was through the organizer's website not the venue.

This is the second time I have used Meet-up RSVP in Boston to be let down. The first time was for an event to benefit Haiti and I actually paid online upfront and arrived at the venue to find the owner knew nothing of the event and the place had four people at the bar including the 2 people I invited and paid for and the bartender. My in that case I just hope my donation was helpful not pocketed.

Secondly since it is hard to assure trustworthiness of online transactions I would encourage a strong policy in this regard including secure transactions options such as PayPal and austere methods to mitigate concerns.

Please make certain this type of rude (or fraudulent) misuse of the RSVP ends or I suspect Meetup.com will have a rather short lifespan due to reputation issues and lost goodwill.

Best Regards,

Sean T. Canty

When placing a note on the calendar which is not a "formal" Meetup
requiring an RSVP, say a notice that a there's a concert at some venue,
the text of the note appears on the calendar.
At the same time it appears under the second box on the right hand
column of the home page in the box headed "Upcoming Meetups." When the
date of the note has passed, the details of the note then default down
to the "Past Meetups" box which is right below the "Upcoming Meetups"
box. Beneath THIS box is a line entitled "Past Meetups" which is
clickable BUT when it defaults to the page showing "Past Meetups" the
ONLY Meetups that are shown are those which required a formal RSVP.
It just seemed a bit illogical to me that if the notes appeared first on
the "Upcoming" and then on the "Past" Meetups sections of the home page
that they did NOT appear on the "Past Meetups" default page.
Take a look at our Meetup group and you can see what I mean:
http://www.meetup.com/americans-in-cph/
No big deal - just didn't seem to be consistent. Trust you can follow my
reasoning
Thanks for having a look.