xkcd: Meetups Forum

With the introduction of the internet expanding the domain of comics, the ways in which comic-based communities formed and interacted changed drastically. Before web forums and online chatrooms, people had to actually physically meet in groups (the horror) [1]. Now, through the convenience of personal computers, the need to meet in person has been eliminated, but not the demand [2]. While online communities are capable of generating strong bonds between peoples that share specific interests, it still appears there is demand for physical interactions. This demand could stem from a range of reasons from difficulties in digitizing to a fundamental want of face-to-face social activity [1].

xkcd, being a massively popular webcomic, has a large subsection of its digital community that strives to maintain a sense of personal connection in addition to the strings of text posts that link online users together. In the earlier stages of the community, the forum had no real demand for a "meetups thread", but once the follower base grew in numbers, users began to realize that xkcd fans were basically everywhere, and the urge to find them emerged. The organized collective created a long series of threads dedicated to coordinating in real life meetings of local xkcd readers: the "XKCD Meetups" section of the category. This behavior is similar to conventions in a sense, with a meeting space designated and advertised mostly through the web [3]. The xkcd-specific meetups, however, apply only to a single shared interest, whereas conventions are a conglomeration of various broadly related items.

Since this phenomenon isn't possible without a large number of followers (or without localized groups, at least), it isn't observed very frequently in relation to webcomics. That doesn't mean that it's limited to xkcd, though: Homestuck meetups often occur in the form of cosplay crews.

1. Cocciolo, Anthony. 2017. “Community Archives in the Digital Era: A Case from the LGBT Community.” Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture 45 (4): 157–65. doi:10.1515/pdtc-2016-0018.

2. Zimmerman, Julie N. and Alissa Meyer. "Building Knowledge, Building Community: Integrating Internet Access to Secondary Data as Part of the Community Development Process." Community Development 36, no. 1 (2005): 93-102.

3. Salkowitz, Rob. Comic-con and the Business of Pop Culture : What the World's Wildest Trade Show Can Tell Us about the Future of Entertainment. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012.