For the last three months my meetup.com members lists have been plagued by trolls or ghost members. I wanted to keep this problem to myself, but it’s getting ridiculous. Am I imagining things? Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

In May I organized the first meetup under the name Web2NewYork. In the six or seven preceding months I had worked with Brett Petersel and his Social Networking Web 2.0 meetup groups in combined meetups under the name Web 2.0 Business Meetup.

When the ratings came in for the first newly independent meetup at Retreat they were disappointingly low. The same thing happened a month later after (and during) the first Web2NewYork at Gallery Bar. Then I realized something fishy was going on.

One member was consistently giving me one-star ratings on all my meetup groups. “Jason Kleinman” had signed up with Meetup.com ten days before the May 22nd meetup. He was member on all six of my Meetup.com lists, which is very unusual in itself, and two of Brett’s lists.

I had never met this Jason at the meetups. There was no personal information on his profile. So I sent him an email. And never received a reply. I concluded it was a troll. I have no idea who was behind it, but clearly someone was determined to screw up my ratings and kill my reputation.

After removing “Jason Kleinman” from my lists and tightening up screening for new members I hoped the problem would be solved, but this month the same thing happened. The ratings on the New York Web Entrepreneurs and Business Starters lists look perfectly healthy, because there are plenty real members voting on those lists.

The problem is on the newer, smaller groups: Advertising 2.0, Media 2.0 and Marketing 2.0. Even when I give myself five stars - which I normally wouldn’t do - the ratings stay stuck around three stars. Someone is still handing out one-star ratings.

Legitimate criticism is great, but one star? I put a lot of time, effort and money in my meetups.

Using the ‘Recent activity’ view in the members lists there was really only one possible one-star rater: Jacob Stetson*, member of five out of six meetup lists, member since June 17, 2007, no tracable information on his profile, don’t remember ever seeing him at the meetups.

So I sent him a friendly email:

Hi Jacob,

I see you are member of several meetup groups that go to the monthly Web2NewYork meetup. Have we ever met at the meetups?

From most members I have a general idea who they are and what they do. Can you add some information about yourself to your profile?

Like, what’s the name of your company? Where do you work? Can you give a URL to a blog or personal site?

Thanks,

Peter Verkooijen

…

I added my full home address and phone numbers. Jacob replied from a gmail account:

Hi Peter,

I work in advertising at C2 Media in Manhattan and previously worked for the Meredith Corporation on ad placement and strategy.

We had briefly met last month at the NY Tech Meetup (People say I look like Bernard from the TV show Lost).

Jacob Stetson

No address, phone numbers or URLs. I don’t remember meeting him at NY Tech Meetup, but I have lousy memory. My first impression was that I had been wrong. I sent an apology:

Hi Jacob,

Thanks for your quick and clear reply.

I had to ask. Last month I’ve discovered a troll/ghost member that never showed up at the meetups but was consistently giving me one star ratings and leaving negative comments on all my groups.

I’m open to any legitimate criticism. Let me know what I can do to improve the meetups.

Regards,

…

Then Jacob replied with this overly friendly email:

My pleasure, Peter. I’ve heard other Meetup organizers tell the same tale regarding members who do not show up for events and leave negative comments. Unfortunately, the Meetup platform does not perform well - anyone can claim they attended the Meetup and leave any type of feedback.

In regards to your Meetup things are going well. I had attended your previous events with Bret. I went to Bret’s event in June and he said you are doing some new and exciting things with your group, so I signed up for yours as well. The Gallery Bar is new and fun. The layout is simple and the projector/screen placement is well set.

I hope my feedback was helpful to your group.

Jacob Stetson

That made no sense for a number of reasons. For one thing, I knew with reasonable certainty that Jacob Stetson had been giving me low ratings. So now everything’s fine?

Time to verify. I called C2 Media HR department. There’s noone working at C2 called Jacob Stetson, not in Manhattan or anywhere else. Web searches on the name with C2 or Meredith come up with nothing.

Jacob,

I called C2 Media’s HR department. No one with your name works at C2. Can you give a URL to any site that mentions you outside Meetup.com?

thanks,

…

Jacob Stetson replied:

Peter,

I am employed by C2 Media through an agency, which explains my not being listed under their employee roster.

Please inform me if you wish to contact an employer/ company I work for/with. I respect your privacy and ask that you do the same. I enjoy your events and look forward to them, but please do understand the boundaries that occur offline.

Thank you.

Jacob Stetson

This email explained nothing. Why no name of that agency? Why still no URL to a blog or LinkedIn page? I do respect members’ privacy very much, but this is a business networking community. It is highly unusual for members to be this secretive about their professional life.

So I removed Jacob Stetson from the five groups with the comment: ‘Could not verify identity.’ Jacob responded:

Peter,

Why was I removed from the Meetups?

Jacob Stetson

I explained further:

I couldn’t verify your identity.

It’s not a privacy issue. There’s no reason to hide where you work or who your employer is. Web2NewYork is a business networking community. Most members are proud to share what they are doing professionally.

You can prove me wrong by coming to the August 14 meetup at Gallery Bar. Then I’ll apologize to you in person. Or you can call me.

…

Phone number included below. I did not receive a phone call. Instead this email:

Peter,

I am quite upset about how you handled the situation. I verified my place of employment through an agency. I don’t know of any other Meetup organizer who calls each member’s place of employment to validate their presence. Did you do this to the other members, too? You invaded my personal space off-line, and, like I stated above, I’m upset you did so.

Jacob Stetson

Again no substantial information. Calling a company to ask if a certain person works there is not an invasion of privacy. I am a journalist. I do it all the time.

The tone of these emails is the same as an email exchange with another “new member” I had two weeks ago. That exchange was along very similar lines and ended in the same disturbing mix of accusation and evasion. I invited that member to come to last Tuesday’s meetup to prove me wrong as well. He did not show up.

I really have no idea who’s behind these trolls. It could be anyone. But it is unsettling and I hope this person cleans up his or her act.

* I’ve changed the name of the second troll (Jacob Stetson) in case I’m wrong after all and a real person wants to sue me for posting this email exchange.