The BPL website has been a really useful place to talk to new people, get new ideas, tips etc. With people contributing from all over the world, particularly the USA.

However, it would be nice to be able to identify those members who are a little closer to home, i.e. the UK.

I was wondering whether there had ever been arranged any 'BPL Users Group' type meets either here in the UK or anywhere else for that matter.

The forums are great places to keep in touch but it would be interesting to put faces to some of the names. Meeting people in this virtual world is good but backpacking, well, it's out there!!!

Are there any other site users from the UK who think that some form of group meet, loose association etc might be a good idea or worthy of discussion? (After all, it's easier for people in the UK to get together than it is for those in the States simply due to geography).

...where everyone is from. I frequent another site where we can post where we live on a yahoomap or googlemap or something, and I was surprised to see how many folks lived near each other.

It was cool because it gave people the option to make their local known, and then form a group like the one you're suggesting if they wanted.

Town, State, Country::

Let me know if there is any opposition to this. That would be a neat feature and easy to add quickly.

Ryan

Instead of posting town, state, country... could it be dynamically populated for logged-in members that shows "distance from me?"

I personally don't care about postings like this one under a psuedo name, but tend to be overly protective of disclosure of any supporting data in conjunction with my real name.

I would like that feature as well! Then I can see who else is here in Colorado :)

I have no opposition as long as it's optional. I would be inclined to provide State and Country but maybe not Town. I've already posted in the forums numerous times that I am from Colorado. The location info will also help in giving and getting advice, particularly on gear lists.

I like that idea. It also gives you a great idea as to where others the post on this site are from. Heck maybe some of us could meet up for some ultra light backpacking!

Sounds great as an optional feature. I like this idea.
-Mark

I like Ryans idea about displaying location. I had read somewhere on the site that BPL were looking at the idea of creating User Profiles and I guess Town, State, Country could be linked into that. It might be kind of cool to have a user profile with space for a bit about yourself, your current kit list, favourite gear etc. However, the security point raised above is valid and therefore it should be optional instead of compulsory.

Just so you all know, I live in Luton, Bedfordshire in the UK. For those who don't live in the UK, it's a town of just under 200,000 people just 30 miles north of London. However, I live right next to open countryside (Only 60 seconds walk away).

It would be good to see BPL related users getting together in their own part of the world, where they choose to do so.