Ask HN: Have IRL tech meetups rebounded in your area?
10 comments
Non-tech meetups have definitely rebounded.
Tech meetups still seem to be mostly Zoom. In particular there was a local company that hosted an OpenHack night once a month where you could just bring your computer and hang out and work on your personal projects and/or chat with other people there. It got about 20-30 people there usually, provided pizza, and you could bring alcohol if you wanted.
It stopped entirely (not even Zoom) when the pandemic started, and it still hasn't come back yet. I miss it. :/
On the other hand, with most of these being Zoom, I'm able to attend more of them, as I can attend some that aren't even hosted in my state.
Tech meetups still seem to be mostly Zoom. In particular there was a local company that hosted an OpenHack night once a month where you could just bring your computer and hang out and work on your personal projects and/or chat with other people there. It got about 20-30 people there usually, provided pizza, and you could bring alcohol if you wanted.
It stopped entirely (not even Zoom) when the pandemic started, and it still hasn't come back yet. I miss it. :/
On the other hand, with most of these being Zoom, I'm able to attend more of them, as I can attend some that aren't even hosted in my state.
Sadly no, but they were going downhill before the pandemic. Where is your community located? I’m in Dallas, TX and used to really enjoy the meetup scene, but they take a ton of dedication to keep going.
As I’ve gotten more experienced in my career, I’ve wanted a new type of meetup that appeals to more than just software.
As I’ve gotten more experienced in my career, I’ve wanted a new type of meetup that appeals to more than just software.
I'm in the SF Bay area.
Me too, moved to SF area recently. I’ve been to a in person meetup and planning on going out more. Hit me up if you wanna talk tech or ideas sometime, I’m new here and looking to make friends.
I think we’re in that phase similar to 2001-2007ish, where there was a waning of tech meetups, and then a resurgence for a few years as new languages and frameworks really disrupted things.
FOSDEM was as busy as ever this year unfortunately. BTW were you unhappy with the replies last time? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34265385
Last time you wrote that you'd have an update for me after FOSDEM, but you didn't post until I posted my question again.
The reply window had closed.
I’ve been yearning to meet cool people in tech, so I started a conference!
Come hang at Outland on August 26 in Palm Springs, California :)
https://outland.sh
Come hang at Outland on August 26 in Palm Springs, California :)
https://outland.sh
The security group meetups are back and popular, it probably doesn't hurt they are held at a bar.
These days, it's very hard to find events in my area that aren't online. And the online events are usually prerecorded videos and marketing pitches. Even extremely popular topics (like web development) have basically zero IRL presence within a 50-mile radius.
I'm not sure the community will rebound. If the office is dead, tech community is deader. I've started a group of my own, but it's also very slow to grow.
Have IRL meetups and communities in your area rebounded to 2019 levels yet?