I really don’t know what to think here. I have been watching what has been transpiring over the past week and am still just as unsure how things will end. What I do know is that a lot of people are going to stop using the site sooner rather than later. And OSS software like Drupal’s organic groups module and hosting options like bryght.com that offer more for their money.

Here are just a couple of notes that I have received regarding Meetup charging that seem to sum up the situation:

“Unfortunately, this will be our last Meetup posting, as the site is moving to a fee arrangement which ONA cannot meet. Fortunately, I have a list of emails of everyone in the area who belongs to ONA and will add emails from the meetup list to that as well and use that list to inform folks of future events. If anyone has any other ideas on how to keep communications going, please let me know.
thx,Steve”

“Add me to the outcry. A lot of groups are not making money at all. How the hell do they expect those groups to cough up $20 month after month?”
-Sean

“Wasn’t the point of Meetup for grassroots organizing? Whether a politics group, religious group, or anything else, how are they going to pay? It can’t be long before they realize their groups can’t pay, or before something else takes their place and respectably relies on advertising for their income.”
-Bonnie