Bay Area Link Up
6 ratings since posting on Friday, August 4, 2006|
(submitted by
Amanda
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Overall Rating   based on 6 ratings |
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I moved to the bay area from Dallas in 2007, knowing absolutely nobody. I found out about Bay Area Linkup 2 1/2 weeks before moving and joined immediately. I was signed up for 12 events before leaving Dallas, the first just two days after arriving. I haven't looked back. The entire experience has been great. It is a vibrant organization with lots of interesting people hosting events that appeal to their own tastes, opening a world of opportunities to others looking for activities, outings, and get-togethers. I've heard all the complaints about the founder and have found him to be not only an open and interesting person, but have seen for myself how much he cares about the organization that he has been instrumental in forming. What has been most appealing to me about this organization is the very thing that other comments here pan, the emphasis on individual accountability that Bay Area Linkup demands. I know that when I sign up for an event, or host one, the people who are listed on the guest list will be there. I've heard stories about Meetup events, where 20 people sign up and five people show up. That never happens on Bay Area Linkup. I would guess that of the 300 or more events that I've attended over the past three years, over 98 percent of those who signed up, showed up. That is very important to me. This organization was so important to me in helping me adjust to living in a new city. I can't imagine how I would have adapted without it. I've met many interesting people, have more friends in the bay area than I had in Dallas, where I lived for 50 years, and I now know tons of places to go and things to do that I never would have experienced with Bay Area Linkup. For me, this organization was a life-saver and I will continue to defend Firinn and his system to anyone who suggests that he expects too much. I think his expectations protect the integrity of the organization and allow participants to attend events confident that they won't be the only one there. And by the way, guys...the women commenting below are right...often more women than men at events...lots of opportunities to meet quality, active women. I highly recommend Bay Area Linkup. - Doug F , posted 05/13/10 |
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I joined Bay Area Linkup 3 years ago, when I was looking for people who enjoyed the same types of events I did and were available at the same time I was. Voila! I found out about things going on in the Bay Area and other people's interesting ideas, and even if I wasn't available to attend, I sometimes went to that show or restaurant or event at a different time. The site is extremely user-friendly and well-organized, and well worth the $4.95/month. This website has rules, to be sure, but they are very reasonable ones. In my life outside of Linkup I've been frustrated at times by flaky people who said they were interested in something and would be at a certain place at a certain time, and weren't. Well, Linkup vastly reduces the likelihood that that will happen, by making people accountable for their actions and trying to create a "flake-free" environment that benefits us all. When I didn't see events that interested me on a given day I was free, I created my own... Lo and behold, I have developed a network of lasting friends through the events I have hosted and attended -- people with like-minded interests and reliability. Thanks, BAL!! - Carol , posted 05/03/10 |
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I have been a member of Bay Area Linkup since 2004. I have attended and hosted many events and all of them have been successful. The reason I joined was that there was no 'dating' pressure, as BAL is not a 'dating' service. Bay Area Linkup is an excellent way to meet new people and discover adventures in your area, indoors and out. I don't you step outside your door and see what great friends and adventures you can meet, give Bay Area Linkup a try today (or a linkup in your area). Cheers! - Scott , posted 04/26/10 |
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Whether you're new to town or a long-time resident, Bay Area Linkup is a great resource. I've been a member for almost six years now and have totally enjoyed it. I've joined other BAL members for a "limo crime tour"; done a day trip to Napa for wine tastings; had fresh-caught BBQ'd salmon at a potluck; and gone to countless art exhibits, theater productions, concerts, dance performances, outdoor shows and restaurant events. In the process, I've: --made new friends and widened my circle of acquaintances and activity buddies who thrive on new experiences -- learned about events and places that I might not otherwise have known about, and --gotten recommendations on repairmen and other small businesses, which has saved me hundreds of dollars on quality service and workmanship Some of the most popular events on BAL include hikes, camping, dinners and wine tastings, but the events run the gamut, from book discussions to the annual St. Valentine's Day pillow fight; from travel to volunteering (blood drives and Habitat for Humanity events, etc.); from lecture series to the annual Chinese New Year's treasure hunt; from the opera to an event at Sunset Scavengers artist in residency program. If you want a leisurely walk with a group through a scenic part of the Bay Area, you can have that. If you want to climb a mountain with other adventurous types, there's that, too. In other words, there's a range of events for everybody, with something interesting happening almost every single day, and in all parts of the Bay Area. (Another cool thing is that you can also connect with Linkup members in other cities that you visit, a real plus if you're traveling alone.) Another plus is that the BAL site is very well designed, easy to navigate and use, and regularly gets refined with the addition of new features and services. Once you sign up for a given event, it shows up on a personal page for you with links to all the info (date, time, place, price, contact info) that you need, and you get an automatic reminder of the event a couple days beforehand. Hosting an event, attending one or keeping track of events is easy as can be. BAL gets some heat from former or would-be members over its "flake" system, but as someone who's both attended and hosted a large number of events, I'm fine with the "flake" system. I can't imagine setting up an activity group restaurant event or a dinner event at my home, for example, with no real idea of how many people are going to show up (something that anyone who's been on a Yahoo-type group has seen happen again and again). So, if you want to meet interesting people, if you enjoy a range of experiences, and you appreciate a Web site and operation that's intelligently put together, my recommendation is to check out Bay Area Linkup. Hey, at a cost of just about 5 bucks a month, it's worth a shot. - Paula , posted 04/20/10 |
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The group is great.. Holding people accountable for their actions works, but the founder Firinn Taisdeal is a problem. He's a controll freak times 10. He will edit your events, is incredibly rude to people. When he hosts events he can't even come up to even the most basic standards of what you'd expect a host to do. e.g. telling people to be there on the dot, yet he himself shows up 20 min. late without excuse, not welcoming people having signed up for his events, refusing to shake hands or talk to members, if they try to introduce themselves to him at an event, that he's hosting (happened to me). Throwing people our of BAL for anything he doesn't like. Basically, he's created his own little kingdom, where he can play god (and not a nice one) and noone can call him on his unacceptable behavior, because they just get thrown out. Totally corrupted by his own power. I've seen articles, where he claims to be measuring integrity, with his system, yet is it still integrity, if there's a reward/punishment system attached? Isn't integrity about what people do when they think no one's watching? One important human component in integrity is 'fairness' and that's something the founder does not have. You can't insist on being plaintiff, judge and hangman all rolled into one and not give people the chance for a fair hearing without losing your integrity. - michaela , posted 08/19/07 |
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I had a horrible experience with this online social group/ event planning group. Supposedly, it's suppose to be a fun and warm place to meet new people and have fun in various social activities. However, the people who actually run the group (i.e. the administrators) are not very friendly or cooperative. I contacted the customer service department ask questions about an event I was thinking of posting and ended up with several very rude messages in response. I would avoid this site as you can easily meet people and plan social activities using one of the free sites out like (such as tribe net, yahoo groups, and Craigslist). In my opinion Bay Area Link Up asks it's users to stick to behave ethically but then it's agents behave like petty, embittered jerks. - Amanda , posted 08/04/06 |
Bay Area Link Up was recommended for:
- Tribe: SFUNDERGROUND
- Tribe: SFRaves
- Tribe: UC Berkeley
- Tribe: 510
- Tribe: San Francisco Late Night Coalition
- Tribe: SFNightlife
- Tribe: sfbay
- Tribe: Cal Bears
- Tribe: SF Geeks
- Tribe: 415
- Tribe: SF Bay Burner EVENTS
- Tribe: UC Berkeley
