System and a method for organizing real-world group gatherings around a topic of interest

摘要

A computer-assisted method, computer system, and program product provide the functionality of a portal for persons to find, based on a topic of interest, the nearest relevant in-person gathering of other persons interested in the topic as well. The system provides for the automated creation of groups and for their automatic sustainment through automatic scheduling of periodic gatherings. Strangers in geographic proximity are automatically brought together into chapters formed around the topic of interest. Chapters may be led by organizers, and gatherings may have hosts. Automatic functions for venue selection, venue voting, cancellation, and feedback are provided.

主权项

1. A computer implemented method for organizing in-person gatherings of topic-related interest, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving at a server via a distributed communications network a request from an organizer to start a chapter; automatically creating at the server the chapter, wherein the chapter corresponds to a topic and a geographic locale; receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from a plurality of users a respective same selection of the topic from a plurality of predefined topics; receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the plurality of users a respective same indication of the geographic locale; receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the plurality of users a respective same selection of the chapter; adding the plurality of users to the chapter as respective members; receiving at the server via the distributed communications network from the organizer a selection of a date, time, and physical venue for an in-person gathering of the members of the chapter, wherein the physical venue is associated with the geographic locale; transmitting from the server via the distributed communications network to the members data corresponding to the date, time, and physical venue; identifying, by a computer or the server, a subset of users that plan to attend the in-person gathering based on user input; automatically, by a computer or the server, determining when the in-person gathering has taken place based on at least one of the date and time selected by the organizer; and automatically, by a computer or the server, polling the subset of users after the in-person gathering has taken place by sending a feedback request to the subset of users, the feedback request configured to obtain quantitative and qualitative information regarding the in-person gathering.