When housemates Amber Fenner and Steve Knapp planned a spaghetti dinner with some friends, the 40-somethings originally hoped to have a few acquaintances over for a low-cost, low-effort evening of catching up. When all but one of the anticipated guests were unavailable, they took their invitation to social media, in hopes of making some new friends instead.

The response to their post in a public Facebook group was almost immediate. Within minutes, every RSVP was taken. By the time they opted to expand their guest list by a few people, they’d already heard from scores more than they could possibly bring into their home at once. Others said they planned to host similar events of their own, given the massive response.

“It exploded that day,” Knapp said. “We’re still getting a bit of tractio

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