Sociologist Ray Oldenburg made a compelling case for every person's need for a third place. That is, we're social creatures that crave a place to spend time at, other than our homes or where we work during the day. And in the book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam makes a pretty compelling argument that the United States had its third places dwindle substantially during the twentieth century.

Scott Heiferman read Bowling Alone and, instead of commiserating about the idea, decided to do something about it. The idea for Meetup.com was born out of the hypothesis presented in the book. It encouraged people to create groups online that members of the local community could join, and periodically, the members of the group have to meet in person, offline.

Ten years later, in the era of Facebook, the site is a little bit dated, but the spirit of what Heiferman was trying to do is certainly important. Human beings need to belong, and need a group to identify with. This is why the coffee shops I regularly go to always seem to have the same half a dozen or so people lurking around outside smoking and sipping coffee. Starbucks isn't just in the coffee business; they're in the business of offering a third place to people who want the whole "Cheers" vibe from someplace that isn't home or work.

I don't know where you live, but most places I've ever visited in this country have a community shortage. (Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places for it.) With this in mind, though, perhaps there's the opportunity to start something that creates community. For those of us who are fortunate enough to have basic needs and safety needs taken care of, maybe we should move up Maslow's hierarchy.