This isn't a part of the website I visit often. It seems to me that it would be useful to have a facility to locate members in a specific geographic area and message them to try to organize interest groups/workshops. Does that facility already exist?
I recognize that I can use google and search for "Minnesota site:arduino.cc" and find posts by members who've put that in their profile info. It doesn't make it real easy to find and message then.
I also realize that there would be some danger that spam might come our way if local electronics distributors used such a facility, so some safeguard would be desirable.