Read This

So is Meetup social software? I guess it is. And after saying software doesn't change anything in the post below, I will say Meetup has been there to support an emerging social networking experience, where it has provided an unobtrusive infrastructure to allow for that.

Meetup knows its place. It plays a background role to whatever people have in mind to meet about FIRST, similarly to Ebay playing a support role to people trading their junk and jewels. It is a servant to a social urge.

It has had a profound effect in political terms. Read this.

[Disclosure: I know several people who work at Meetup and know an advisory board member there. I've attended Meetup's for the Dean campaign.]