The number of participants in Dean Meetups ultimately peaked at about 143, 000, spread over about 600 locations -- a huge number in those days -- and engagement in the face-to-face local groups dramatically affected how involved volunteers got with the campaign.

CNN: From Howard Dean to the tea party: The power of Meetup.com

The tech meetups in Silicon Valley are likely more dispersed, but the single largest meetup group, of all meetup groups, resides right here in the Big Apple.

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Attend free conferences or meetups in your area.

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Each community is rallying to build up these meetups in their local regions, and some have even started going out and soliciting sponsors to donate free food and drink at the conclusion of the run.

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What was involved in getting the RunKeeper meetups set up?

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He moved to NYC and spent the year developing relationships in the startup community by attending meetups, blogging, volunteering at conferences, and organizing Startup Weekend and the Enterprise Tech Meetup.

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We shouldn't really expect to see hundreds of local Meetups for a presidential candidate at this point in the process, for three reasons.

CNN: From Howard Dean to the tea party: The power of Meetup.com