New social groups on Nextdoor’s Bayside, Newport Beach site teem with activities
Jessica Strobel, then a newcomer to Newport Beach, was bored one day when she went on the hyper-local social media platform Nextdoor to see what might be going on in her neighborhood.
She had moved in December 2019 from Corona, where she raised her kids. Now that she was single and living in a new city, she was looking to make new friends. But when she looked at Nextdoor’s Bayside, Newport Beach site she found just two groups offered, neither of which was quite what she was looking for.
In January of 2020, shortly before the pandemic caused the economy to shut down, Strobel decided to start a group on the Nextdoor app called Newport Singles. The first event she planned was a happy hour at the Bungalow in Corona del Mar. Six people ventured out that January evening to meet one another. The new group was officially launched.
“We get together as friends,” explained Strobel. “It’s not a dating site, in fact we encourage people not to date within the group.”
She had belonged to a group in Murietta and experienced some of the pitfalls of dating within a group such as bad-mouthing each other after relationships sour.
Through the Newport Singles group, Strobel, a real estate agent, met Iris Pogue, a skin care line representative, who instantly became the themed party planner. Originally from Missouri, Pogue has lived in Newport Beach for 7 1/2 years and refers to herself as a social butterfly. She saw a different direction for the group and thought that it should be open to all, not just singles. She formed a new entity on the Nextdoor site she called Wonder Group… I Wonder What Event We’re Doing Next?
“I started the Wonder group separately when the singles group started fizzling out because of COVID,” explained Pogue. “I kept hearing on the news how people are going into deep depression by not going out. I wanted to include anybody and everybody, not limit [membership].”
Pogue noticed with social distancing still intact that some of the people from the singles group were attending her Wonder events. She approached Strobel with the idea of combining the groups so that they didn’t exclude anyone. “Let’s put them together and see what happens” Pogue suggested.
The combined group started meeting again toward the end of last summer when pandemic restrictions began to lift. They held a well-attended Halloween party and a Christmas party at one of the member’s houses in Newport Coast.
The only combined event so far this year has been a themed Easter party planned by Pogue, “Hares and Honey Bunny,” held at Lookout Point in Corona del Mar.
“We’re trying to get going again, with our next meet-up for happy-hour at BossCat Kitchen this Wednesday,” said Strobel. “I want to become more active doing something at least once a week, to include outdoor activities, like hiking and cycling now that everything is open and people aren’t scared.”
The age range for the Newport Beach Singles & Wonder Group so far has been 30 to 70. Newcomers and longtime residents alike comprise the group and it’s open to anyone in the area.
While the Newport Beach Singles group has 405 members, there are never that many at an event. According to Strobel, the average attendance is around 20. The group, however, has experienced some growing pains, and as the administrator, Strobel monitors posts and tries to address issues that pop up.
Some of the feedback from members was to keep it singles only and to eliminate advertising.
“We seemed to be getting more couples [participating] and changing back to a singles group gives an opportunity to meet more people and makes it a more exclusive group rather than for everybody,” said Strobel. “And [we’re] also leaving out advertisements so it doesn’t look like we’re just there for business.”
They recently decided to go back to listing the two groups separately, with Strobel and Pogue now acting individually as administrators, which allows them the freedom to move in different directions.
Pogue’s Wonder group, which boasts 147 members, can now focus more on social events and business opportunities, include couples and support love connections, while Strobel’s can remain a single group.
The separate listings provide more choices for members, yet the groups remain connected though shared activities. The most important commonality between both groups is cultivating lasting friendships.
“Iris is one of the first people I met in Newport Beach and I consider her one of my best friends.” said Strobel.
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