The most important change is account owners' ability to create "Worldwide Meetup Days" for their communities. This allows organizations to initiate a Meetup theme and date on their Meetup Everywhere page, making it easier for them to mobilize fans around a particular activity or topic. Once the Worldwide Meetup Day is created by the account owner, it shows up on each community's Meetup page as an event. Members can then RSVP to attend, or step up as an organizer by locking in a venue and adding event details.
Users can still create their own Meetups, but the process is now much more collaborative. Any community member can suggest an idea, but leave the date, venue and details blank. Other members can then fill in those fields, making a team of co-organizers to put the event together. The beginnings of this tweak came in late 2010, but have come full circle with the ability to suggest only a topic. The best part? Other communities on the organization's Meetup Everywhere page can then "steal" ideas from fellow communities and make them their own. "It is way easier to team up to plan Meetups suggested by the main organization or based on ideas of local members of the community," says Meetup Vice President of Strategy Andres Glusman.
Aesthetically, the big change you'll notice is on the map. Instead of your average Google Maps flags, Meetup has created pins out of its logo that show the number of Meetup communities in an area. As you zoom in, clicking on each community's flag brings up the exact location of that community and its number of members.
Overall, the new Meetup Everywhere makes it easier to follow a local community, helping organizations and their fans engage more effectively. It comes at a time when many large organizations are changing their marketing efforts to show a more local presence.
Some organizations have already begun taking advantage of Meetup Everywhere's new capabilities. E-commerce site Etsy today launched a Worldwide Meetup Day to mobilize its 596 communities to craft valentines for the elderly. The New York Jets have initiated AFC Championship watching parties for its communities, while BabyCenter is celebrating Guilt-Free Parenting Day.
Mashable is also jumping on the Meetup Everywhere changes by launching Pre-SXSW Meetups. Visit our page to see if there's one in your area and look for a post on Mashable next week with details.