HYPER online meetup groups and events policies

1. Guidelines to help members and organizers succeed on HYPER online meetup

✔ Offer a growth opportunity

Meetup events should offer opportunities for members to better themselves in some way. This could mean:

Teaching or learning something new

Developing a skill
Meeting new people
Building community
Volunteering for a cause
Supporting each other

Increasing awareness about a specific topic
Encouraging a passion
Pursuing a goal or a hobby
Getting fit and active
Exploring new places

Furthering one’s career

✔ Host events that create real human connections

Meetup is a platform that helps people make real-life connections—it is not a platform for only advertising sales or special promotions. Events must focus on creating an experience that adds value for attendees. This can mean learning something, playing a game together, making new friends, or enjoying each other’s company. People should leave Meetup events feeling inspired or more connected to their community in some way.

Here are a few examples of what’s acceptable to post as a Meetup event:

Discussions that offer new perspectives

Adventures that get people out of their comfort zones
Hangouts that allow people to get to know each other
Tours that help people discover new places and ideas
Workshops that help people sharpen their skills
Group speakers that spread new ideas

Games that connect people through fun, shared experiences

Here are some examples of how businesses should and should not use Meetup:

✔ A hobby group that hosts get-togethers like reading club or game nights.

✘ A gaming company that hosts events that solely advertise daily happy hour times and prices

✔ Meet in real life

Meetup should not be used only for hosting online meetings, conference calls, or webinars.

✔ Have a host present at events

All Meetup events must have an in-person host present to help connect attendees, manage relationships with venues, and bring structure to the events. The host must, at a minimum, make members aware of the event platform (Zoom URL etc), and act as a point of contact during the event. If Meetup receives reports that there is no one present in-person hosting a Meetup group’s events, we may remove the group at our sole discretion.

✔ Be honest and transparent about your group’s intentions

Meetup organizers must always be honest and transparent with their members so that everyone knows what to expect at the group’s events. Group and event names and descriptions must accurately convey sufficient information that allows members to make informed decisions about their participation. This includes, at a minimum, being clear about:

The nature of the group’s activities, interests, and intentions
The group’s membership requirements
Fees or dues (All Meetups has to be free to participants)
The group’s affiliation, if the group is associated with a business, organization, or any other third party

If Meetup receives reports that a group is not accurately disclosing any of this information, we may remove the group at our sole discretion.

Prohibited group and event practices on Meetup

There are a few types of communities that we cannot support on our platform due to safety, legal, or ethical reasons. If Meetup determines that your group or its events fall into any of the following categories, we may remove the group at our sole discretion.

Meetup does not support groups and events related to any of the following themes.

✘ Violent, dangerous, or criminal behavior

Groups must not contain content or promote events that could promote or facilitate illegal or violent activity, such as:

Buying or selling firearms or drugs  
Pyramid schemes
Acts of physical harm against other people
Animal abuse

Acts of vandalism

Groups must not contain content or promote events that could threaten public or personal safety, including:

Advocating for, inciting, or making aspirational statements or threats to commit violence against any group of people, individual person, or specific location
Weapons and explosive-making
Calls for violence in response to private or public events

Exposure of an individual’s personal information
Promotion or glorification of self-harm (for example, suicide, eating disorders or substance abuse)

Groups must not contain content or promote events that incite hate, violence, or harassment against individuals or groups of people based on personal attributes such as race, color, religion, descent, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or a medical or genetic condition.

Groups must not contain content or promote events that organize, promote, provide for, distribute services for, or recruit for terrorist organizations.

✘ Targeted to individuals under 16

Meetup members and organizers must be at least 16 years old. Meetup groups and events must be only targeted to people over the age of 16.

Family groups are more than welcome on Meetup, but all children present at the event must be supervised and accompanied by an adult guardian.

✘ Harmful misinformation

Groups must not contain content or promote events that contain medical misinformation, including:

Assurances of health cures or mental cures

Unrealistic health, diet, and weight loss claims
Claims that have been scientifically disproven and that may pose a public or personal health risk

Groups must not contain content or promote events that contain financial guarantees, including:

Assurances of financial gains
Promises of specific returns on investment

✘ Misrepresentation or concealed intentions

Groups must not contain content or promote events that conceal or misrepresent the primary purpose of the group or its events, including:

A group created with the purpose of deliberately spreading false or deceptive information
A group created with the sole purpose of making a statement or sparking controversy

✘ Pick-up artists or seduction techniques

Groups must not contain content or promote events that involve pick-up or seduction techniques, or wingman tactics.

✘ Sexual exploitation

Groups must not contain content or promote events that promote or facilitate sex trafficking, prostitution, or any other type of sexual exploitation.

✘ Pornography, nudity, or sexual content

Groups and events must not contain pornography or publicly shared nude or sexual photos.

If nudity or sexuality is part of a group’s identity or lifestyle, organizers must keep the group private in order to limit access to this content to members of that group. Meetup expects organizers to monitor this content.

✘ Mature interests that are not honest and transparent

Mature interest groups must follow additional requirements. In the group description, organizers must clearly describe rules of participation and informed consent, be clear and explicit about activities that will occur, and outline safety considerations. Mature interest groups must always have their group visibility settings set to private.

✘ Legal or medical services

Groups must not contain content or promote events that involve regulated services provided by licensed medical or legal professionals. Meetup does not validate professional credentials or licenses.

✘ A doctor or nurse that offers a healthcare procedure

✘ A lawyer that offers assistance filing for divorce