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MeetingWave Makes Dates, Taps Yelp for Meeting-Spots
01/29/09
posted by John
Newly beta-launched site MeetingWave, which helps users facilitate offline meetings from online connections, is tapping into Yelp's enormous database to help users find the best venues for get-togethers.
The service follows in the footsteps of other open-ended networking invitation models launched by sites like craigslist or MeetUp. But it's more personal — and more focused, asserted John Boyd, the company's CEO and Founder.
Meeting organizers, for instance, have more control over the meeting. After posting an online invitation — which can range from a "strictly business" morning coffee to post-work drinks with a new friend or romantic interest — the organizer can target certain viewers and approve attendees, based on their response or the information provided in their profile. The organizer can then use partner tools, like Yelp's database of maps and reviews, to arrange a convenient meeting spot.
Much of MeetingWave's features read like a mashup of social networking, personal planning and dating/meetup services like WooMe.com. In addition to profile pages and double-blind site messaging capabilities, users can integrate personal calendars and contacts, set up meeting reminders, and alert themselves via email when new invitations are posted that match specific search criteria.
The service also supports mobile platforms (i.e., iPhone, Blackberry), so people can follow through with their plans from on the go.
Indeed, many MeetingWave invitations seem tailored to other busy people seeking short-term, potentially useful connections. Presently, the most common posts come from people that need help solving business problems or from job-hunting professionals, writes Mashable — much like interactions on LinkedIn.
Invitations are spread all over the US: In New York, a user asked for someone to share best practices in technology; in Louisville, KY, another invited first-time home buyers discuss the process. MeetingWave is also global: users hail from Pakistan, Lebanon, the UK, and Canada, among others.
The service is free at present, but MeetingWave plans on eventually offering premium membership. It also plans to garner revenue by availing sections of the site to marketers seeking targeted advertising opportunities.
In the future, it will likely sell a closed version of the service to conference organizers, so they can use the platform to help attendees arrange private networking meetings.
In December, the company filed for a patent on its geo-location social networking technology, which uses cell phone positioning to determine the user's location to provide updates on weather, traffic, and travel, as well as sending them newly posted invitations or events in the area.
Source: http://www.marketingvox.com/meetingwave-makes-dates-taps-yelp-for-meeting-spots-042963/
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