Groups

Groups with their own boards, organised by city, profession, campus and hobby - which are the four lines along which people actually find each other.

What groups are for

A board for a whole country is too broad to be useful. A group for engineers in Kathmandu, Nepali students at one Korean university, or people who climb in Pokhara is narrow enough that a question gets answered by somebody who knows.

Professional groups are the under-used ones. Both countries have small professional communities where reputation travels fast, and a group is how work and introductions actually circulate.

Starting one

Worth doing if nothing covers your situation. What makes a group survive, from the ones that do:

• A specific purpose, not general friendship.
• A fixed rhythm if it meets in person. A known date survives; "when someone remembers" does not.
• Two or three people sharing the work, because every community group runs on a handful of volunteers.
• Answering practical questions, which is what members actually want.

Where else to look

Groups here sit alongside what already exists offline. In Korea, joining a club and nationality groups cover the established networks, and city global centres run their own programmes. In Nepal, community and foreign community cover the same ground.

For a one-off gathering rather than an ongoing group, find a local meet-up is the right board.

What makes one last

From the groups that survive rather than the ones that start.

A narrow purpose. Engineers in Kathmandu beats professionals in Nepal, every time. A fixed rhythm, with a known date, even if the group is small. Two or three people sharing the work, because one organiser is one holiday away from the group ending. Answering practical questions, which is what members actually want from each other.

Expect to be small for a while. Three reliable people for a month is how most groups that matter began.