I went to my first New Media Cincinnati meetup last weekend. The three questions you should be asking yourself now are:
- What is New Media Cincinnati?
- What is a meetup?
- How could I benefit from either New Media Cincinnati or a meetup?
What is New Media Cincinnati?
From the about page of their website:
New Media Cincinnati is a group of people passionate about and interested in social media and new media technologies, including, but not limited to
- blogging
- podcasting
- social networking tools (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
I discovered the group via Twitter and through a fellow tech-enthusiast Joe Budde Jr. The general idea here is that its a group of people who are all interested in web-based tech stuff.
What is a meetup?
A meetup is an event where a bunch people who are interested in the same things or pursuing the same goal all get together and talk about it. (That is not the official definition.) A more official definition and incredible useful service can be found at Meetup.com.
How could I benefit from New Media Cincinnati or a meetup?
In terms of the New Media Cincinnati group, it obvious, if you are interested in this type of topic – you should attend the events and networks with the community. I intend to continue going to the events and really look forward to meeting more people who have the same interests as I do.
Regarding meetups in general, you need to get plugged in to at least one of these things. Pu yourself out there and meet people who are interested in the same things you are. I want to take the meetup plunge soon and try out a few of the events that catch my eye over at meetup.com. This is a great networking opportunity but more than anything, it fuels the fire you have for your hobby or profession.
If you are even just a little bit interested in any of this:
- Check out Joe Budde’s summary of the latest New Media Cincinnati meetup and read more about the group and their other events at New Media Cincinnati’s WordPress blog.
- I am really impressed with Meetup.com and therefore adding it to my Good Ideas link list on the right. Any thoughts on what other people or services should be added to the list? Leave a comment and let me know.
- Daniel Johnson Jr., New Media Cincinnati organizer, uses Eventbrite to distribute tickets and schedule events. I enjoyed how easy it is sign up for one of these events and have it on my radar as a potential solution to a client’s need. I thought I would give it a shout out in case it would be helpful to anyone.
I would be really interested to hear about your experience with a meetup you attended. I think attending one of these events for the first time can be daunting. Leave a comment and let us know how it went or how you think a meetup could improve its “first-timer” experience.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It was nice to meet you and chat, even if so briefly, on Saturday, Matt!
Thanks for sharing your first Meet-Up experience and advice to others to “jump in”. Social Media is all about being social and a Meet-Up is the best way to accomplish this in addition to picking up some new knowledge, tips and business contacts. The New Media Cincinnati January 2009 Meet-Up was my first foray into Social Media meet-ups. I think the thing that got me wanting to come back was that Daniel Johnson Jr. did an exercise on Social Tagging that got participants moving around and interacting with each other. It proved to be a physical example of tagging disguised as an ice-breaker. The end result was that it got people up and out of their comfort zones, small groups, etc. to interact with others. That is the true message of social media: interacting/connecting with others. Since then, I have become active in several local groups and am loving every minute of it!!!
Thanks for posting!
Daniel – Great to meet you – I’m looking forward to connecting again in the future.
Michelle – I wish I could have been at the January meetup. It sounds like it was the perfect way to start out and have the experience of meeting people in different “groups” and fields of interest.
Also – I liked your thoughts on the “Social Media is Like a Buffet Table” article. I too need to work on how I describe the value of social media to those outside of the circle.