What’s the Point of a Tweetup?

This post is in response to a conversation I had with Melanie and Justin Edwards last night at the Orlando Tweetup II. Justin was wondering about the value of the Tweetup we were attending.

Late last year, I wrote about my first Tweetup. I’ve been to several more since then. Just as a refresher, a Tweetup is a gathering of people in a city that are all on Twitter. It’s a way for them to meet face-to-face.

So at yesterday’s event, my friend Justin questioned the usefulness of hanging out with a bunch of strangers. Everyone has their own reasons, but here are mine.

1. They’re people that get it. I’ve done a lot of networking with local groups that cater to women older than myself. These women tend to not speak my language (you know, “blog,” “tweet,” etc.). To be in a group of 20-40somethings that do speak my language is a relief. I can get my social media geek on.

2. Business contacts. Now, admittedly, I don’t walk into a Tweetup and come out with $10,000 in new sales. But you don’t get that from any kind of networking. I find that meeting in person helps confirm that professionalism that people see in me online, and gives us the chance to discuss how we can work together. I don’t often go to the profiles of the people I’m tweeting with, so I may overlook that you also run a PR firm (that could benefit from my skills). In person, that inevitable “what do you do?” question comes up, and it’s led to some pretty fruitful relationships.

3. It’s good to get out. I don’t know about you, but I need to get out of the house! Working from home is great, but getting out and away from my office and my son is a breath of fresh air, and I come back that much more ready to work.

4. I learn something. I know my husband thinks I think I know everything, but I don’t. And at Tweetups I like finding people smarter than me. And I learn things. It might be about swine flu or angel investors, but I come out ahead.

So now Justin (and everyone else), does that answer your question?

And here are some tips to get the most out of a Tweetup (or any networking meeting for that matter):

• Be social. It doesn’t really work for the guy at the bar who’s just tweeting and not talking.
• Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. People are there to mingle.
• Stand. If you sit, you won’t mingle.
• Ask questions. People love talking about themselves.
• Get cards. Or write down Twitter ids. Not everyone has cards (but should).