Top Social Networks and Meet Ups (Free and low cost)

Free Online Foresight Social Networks to Consider Joining

1. Global Foresight - Facebook
For general futures and foresight networking. Free. 132 million general users.
2. Global Foresight - LinkedIn. Join us by clicking http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/3037/535E6A2B648E
For business futures and foresight networking. Free basic. 23 million business users.
3. Shaping Tomorrow's Foresight Network (STFN)
For professional futures and foresight networking. Free. Great discussions.
4. Foresight Education and Research Network (FERN)
For foresight/futures educator networking, and improving foresight education. See FERN Wiki.

Other Free or Low-Priced Foresight Networks in Primary Foresight Specialties to Consider Joining
ACUNU Millennium Project (35 'country nodes')

They publish the annual State of the Future report and the occasional Futures Research Methodology report.
Meet annually. (Founders, Jerry Glenn and Ted Gordon)

Association of Professional Futurists (APF)

$195/$50 per year. 400+ members. Active. Great discussion list, great professional network. For those who:

• Know the tools and perspectives of futures studies, and use them to enable others to identify options, decisions, and actions in the present
• Employ long-term thinking and planning and encourage others to do so
• Encourage the application of the tools and perspectives of futures studies in public, private and professional endeavors

Australasian Futures and Foresight Association (AFFA)

$330/165 per year. 40+ members. Started Feb 2008. Same joining criteria as APF.

European Foresight Monitoring Network (59 global correspondents, thousands of foresight documents)

For those doing government or industry foresight work in Europe or elsewhere to share research publicly (Mike Keenan).

For foresight/futures educators to share and improve foresight education curricula. See FEP Wiki.

World Future Society (WFS)

$49/$20 per year. 25,000+ members, but no known online discussion groups.
The oldest and largest futures organization. Nonpartisan, broad-based.

World Futures Studies Federation

$70/$45 per year.200+ members, active lister discussion among the world's scholarly-minded practitioners.
For persons and organizations "committed to futures studies, strategic foresight and future-oriented societal change."

World Transhumanist Association

$50/$20 per year. 4,840 members. Active. Many free discussion lists.

Higher-Priced orSecondary Foresight Specialties Networks to Consider Joining
American Academy of Actuaries (Unknown size)
American Statistical Association (Unknown)
Association for Strategic Planning (Unknown)
Global Business Network (Unknown)
Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning (Unknown)
International Actuarial Association (Unknown)
World Future Council (Unknown)

Free General Futures/Foresight Social and Discussion Groups to Consider Joining
ASF Future Salon Network (1,530 members, 15 Yahoo!/Google/MeetUp/Facebook Groups)

Free local social salons that regularly discuss futures issues in 15 cities around the world so far (start your own!):
China
* Beijing Future Salon (aka Beijing Futurists Society) (Facebook Group, 23 members, active)
Philippines
* Manila Future Salon (Yahoo Group, 211 members, active)
USA
* Atlanta Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 25 members, presently inactive--needs moderator)
* Bay Area Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 815 members, active)
* Boulder Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 63 members, active)
* DC Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 92 members, semiactive--needs co-moderator)
* Honolulu Futures Salon (Yahoo! Group, 13 members, active)
* Las Vegas Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 210 members, active)
* Los Angeles Future Salon (Yahoo Group, 651 members, presently inactive--needsmoderator)
* New York City Future Salon (Meetup Group, 168 members, active)
* Philadelphia Future Salon (Google Group, 115 members, active)
* Phoenix Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 28 members, presently inactive--needs moderator)
* Seattle Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 59 members, semiactive--needs co-moderator)
* San Diego Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 165 members, semiactive--needs co-moderator)
* Santa Cruz Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 86 members, active)
* Second Life Future Salon (Yahoo! Group, 137 members, presently inactive--needs co-moderator)
* Tucson H+ Future Salon (Facebook Group, 132 members, very active--weekly meetings)

ASF North American Future Salon Network - Talk (163 members, semiactive). (USA, Canada)

Open discussion group for attendees of US and Canadian future salons, of any type. Free.

ACUNU Millennium Project (Jerry Glenn and Ted Gordon)

They have thirty five "country nodes," from Argentina to Venezuela. These folks contribute to Millennium Project (State of the Future) foresight work. Great contacts for setting up local foresight groups in these countries!

Applied Foresight Network (254 members, semiactive. Canada, global.)

Broad discussions of "big picture" futures topics (sustainability, ethics, vision). Free.

European Foresight Monitoring Network (EFMN) (59 correspondents. Global.)

Excellent EU-funded foresight materials aggregation community! Includes results of over 1,200 (so far) European and other national foresight studies. Great contacts for meeting foresight researchers.

Extropy-chat (unknown number of members, active. USA, global).

Oldest transhumanist discussion list. Some futures studies, deep thinkers. Mild libertarian bias. Since 1991.

Long Now MeetUps (318 members, 5 groups, global).

Prompting "Slower/Better" foresight thinking globally. Based in SF, USA. See Long Now Foundation for blog, videos, and more.

World Transhumanist Association (4,840 members. Active.)

WTA Discussion lists. Topical and regional. WTA Talk is is the main list. Moderate volume.
Transhumanist Student Network Facebook group. (1,353 members. Active.)
Roughly fifty free local chapter lists, from Argentina to Venezuela. Fourteen in USA. Most onmailman platform).
Roughly eighteen WTA chapters meeting monthly. WTA-affiliated online groups and members:
Croatia
* Croatia Chapter (Yahoo! Group, 15 members,active)
Germany
* Munich/Berlin/Bonn Chapter De:Trans (37 members, active)
Mexico
* Mexico City Chapter (Yahoo! Group, 77 members, semiactive)
Russia
* Moscow Chapter. RTD website. (Google Group, 117 members, active)
SloveniaSlovenia
* Slovenian Chapter (Yahoo! Group, 15 members, semiactive)
Uganda
* Kampala Chapter (Yahoo! Group, 15 members, semiactive)
United Kingdom
* Cambridge, Cambridge U. Ethics & Emerging Tech. Society (14 members at FB group, active)
USA
* Phoenix, H+ Club (30 members, active)
* Tucson, H+ Club at U. of AZ (100 members, very active: weekly meetings)

Fee-Based General Futures/Foresight Social and Discussion Groups to Consider Joining
WFS Chapter Lists (Africa/Middle East, Asia/Pacific, Europe, No. America, So./Central America)

A number of futurists are listed as "chapter heads" with contact emails. Small annual chapter fees.
Chapters with websites (and any known online discussion groups, if any).
South Korea
* Seoul (Korea Node of the UN Millennium Project, size unknown, activity unknown)
USA
* Austin (Central Texas Chapter, size unknown, semiactive)
* Boston (Boston Chapter, size unknown, presently inactive)
* Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs Chapter, size unknown, presently inactive)
* Dallas (Dallas Chapter, size unknown, presently inactive)
* DC (National Capital Region Chapter, size unknown, active)
* Madison (Madison Chapter, size unknown, semiactive)
* New York (New York Chapter, size unknown, activity unknown)
* Philadelphia (Philadelphia, size unknown, semiactive)

Know other active general futures or foresight groups or networks, anywhere in the world? Add them here!
Email the GF administrator (johnsmart{at}accelerating{dot}org) if you are uncertain where they go.