I run the MeetUp group I Want To Do That, Just Not Alone. Our group is the best in Cincinnati for two simple reasons.
I want everyone in our group to have a good time. If you need help or have any questions, please call/text the DudeistJon helpline at 513-99-HAPPY
The point in our group is to make friends. Friends know each others names, friends know what each other look like, friends treat each other with respect.
With that in mind, here is a list of Good Meetup Manners that will help everyone be good human beings.
There are other ways of dating and finding someone to do the no pants dance with. People join our group because they want to make friends. To do that I offer them a safe and comfortable way to meet new people and make platonic friends.
The Oxford dictionary defines “friend” as “a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of romantic, sexual or family relations.”
If someone hits on you, PLEASE let me or another organizer know. All you have to do is notify the host of the event you are at. If it is online send me a screenshot of the message you received. You aren’t causing trouble. You are helping us keep the group safe and fun for everyone.
My members are my people. I protect them the same as I would my Mom, daughter, son, or best friend. If you hit on my friends, I will drop a ban hammer on you faster than you can say “Hay chickee baby, waz happen ning”.
I am DudeistJon. I run the entire group “I Want To Do That, Just Not Alone”. Individual events are hosted by different organizers. A good analogy is we are like a neighborhood. I am in charge of the neighborhood watch. Different neighbors/organizers have their own houses. At their houses they have different kids of events with different rules. Just like you get to make up the rules for your house, they get to make up the rules for their events.
Because of all my events and running this group I receive to many alerts, emails and notifications from MeetUp. There is no realistic way for me to keep track of them all so I stopped trying.
If you want to talk to me, ask me a question, or share an idea, the ONLY way to do so is to call or text the DudeistJon HelpLine at 513-99-HAPPY.
Meetup+ is a $10 monthly fee that allows people some unfair advantages like line jumping. That money goes to MeetUp and not me or our group. It also causes problems for our organizers with scheduling. To keep everything equitable, some events will block anyone using MeetUp+ from attending.
Face pics are not required for our group but they are highly recommended. Some organizers may require them for their individual events. The point in our group is to get out and make friends . Friends know what each other look like. People feel more comfortable coming to events when they know what others look like. If we are trying to find each other at a concert or bar, having clear, recent face pics is going to make things much easier.
Think about it this way, photos of real estate agents are typically
Realtors share those because they know it is important to be recognizable. That people knowing what they look like, helps people trust them.
The pics we see of bank robbers are always from strange angles, far away, they are wearing hats and sunglasses, the pic is blurry or weirdly colored. This makes people hard to recognize.
Your profile pic should look like a real estate agent’s, not a bank robbers.
If you were introducing me you might say:
“This is DudeistJon, he runs our MeetUp group and is a social worker. He’s a righteous dude.“
You would never say:
“This is Jonathan Adam Smith and he lives at 123 Main St. His phone number is 513-994-2779. Jon’s ex dumped him because he was emotionally unavailable. He has been going to therapy every week for over a year so now he has really grown and is one of the coolest people I know.“
You certainly wouldn’t lie, use fake information, or hide your face:
“Hi, I am Studmuffin154. I am 38, and the wax paper over my face is because I don’t want people to see my wrinkles or the grey in my beard.“
If it is info you wouldn’t share when introducing someone, don’t ask someone to share that info with you. At the same time, the information we do share should be honest. For some people the world is a very scary place. Let’s not add to that by being dishonest or intrusive.
Be a kind and honest human while respecting that other people may not have the same level of comfort you do.
You wouldn’t cancel last minute on a friend would you?
Or even ruder, not contact them and just no show?
If you are going to a party the first thing you do is walk up to the person who arranged the party and thank them, right?
Would you leave a party without saying thank you and goodbye?
Show kindness to our organizers. They are what make our group great so they deserve the same respect and consideration we show our friends. If you disrespect my organizers, I will kick you out.
DudeistJon
513-99-HAPPY
Reverend Mark says:
Greetings from California. Hi my name is Reverend Mark and I have been ordained for a little over a year. I ran across your site while looking for a group like yours. I think you have a great idea with your meetup group. Since I am relatively new, I wonder if you know of any groups like yours out here in California. I live in a small city and I’m pretty sure I’m the only minister in my area. It would be nice to discuss Dudely ideas and thoughts with likeminded Dudes.
Dudeist Jon says:
My MeetUp group isn’t limited to Dudeists, as far as I know I am the only Dudeist in the group. You can go to Meetup.com and search for groups in your area. Most of the Dudes conversate on one of the FB groups.