United Kingdom

Suited and Booted

By Mike Butcher

. . . And it's not just the be-suited business crowd that's getting together via the web. Among the UK's tech scene, hardcore geeks are emerging, blinking into the light, using Meetup.com to coordinate monthly drinks in London.

Meetup.com was co-founded by Scott Heiferman in New York just after September 11. Its main revenues come from the bars and cafes it uses to bring together tens, sometimes hundreds, of people through their doors. It now boasts more than 50,000 members. They meet to discuss almost 600 topics, ranging from investing strategies to Jack Russell terriers, in 525 cities around the world. . .

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/internetnews/story/0,7369,798910,00.html