Recently MeetUp, a then free group organizing web service, has decided to charge registered groups for its services. A Meetup meeting organizer must now pay $19 a month to use their software. Having spent the last 8-9 months as the organizer for the Northern NJ Linux Meetup I’m somewhat saddened by the fact that this move will most definitely mean the end of the group. Averaging 3 members for ever meeting we’ve had so far (with the exception of the day I brought someone from Ubuntu Linux to gives us a talk… that day we had 7 members!), it just doesn’t make sense for me to fork out the money. I’ve been toying with the idea of starting my own Linux User Group but it seems to me that:

• There aren’t enough Linux enthusiasts in Northern NJ;
• People don’t feel the need to get together and “geek-out” once a month;

I have posted a final note on our board urging people to come out of the Linux closet and make themselves heard. If by next week I don’t hear anything I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to resign. :-