Tweetups – Invaluable Networking Events

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Last night I attended my first ever Tweetup,
organized by the Lucky Strike Social Media Club.
LSSMC is a NYC-based real estate social media discussion group that meets monthly in NYC to chat about real estate, the web, and social media. The group was organized by Rob Hahn and Stacy Ret.

So what exactly is a Tweetup?
A tweetup is simply a gathering amongst like-minded people who have established a virtual relationship via Twitter. Social media, Twitter in particular, is all about building valuable relationships; a tweetup allows you to break down the barriers of the web and further that relationship with an in-person meeting.

Well, what’s the value of Tweetups?
Tweetups are exactly like other networking events. Social media allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your field and make connections, it’s the actual in-person meeting that transforms that relationship into business. Much like social media, you need to put your reservations aside and get involved in the conversation. By nature I’m a shy person and this being my first ever tweetup only made me more reticent. However, from the moment I got there the group made me feel welcome and comfortable. I feel this is the nature of any tweetup. This was a unique group of people who decided to put themselves out there and work hard to develop new connections. In today’s recession economy it is these types of people that will be successful; the type of person that takes initiative. You have to go far beyond the status quo to succeed.

How should I Prepare?
Being a true first timer, I made the mistake of only bringing a few business cards. When meeting 15 or 20 people in one night, it is extremely difficult to keep the names straight in your head. It’s imperative to bring a lot of business cards. If you don’t have business cards, get some made. I used a free service called vistaprint.com, they have tons of templates and formats and all you pay for is the shipping.

Here is the card I made:

I recommend adding your Twitter handle to your card, because, after all, this is how people know you and how they will continue to follow you after the event.

So how did I benefit from my first Tweetup?
A lot of great things came from my first tweetup. I met a number of people who share my common interests of real estate, blogging, entrepreneurship, and social media. I met Sarah Bandy, Perri Feldman, Jeff Bogert, and Sherry Chris to name a few. They are each involved in the field, run their own blogs, or are working to start their own company. These are the types of people I can learn from and want to stay in touch with.

As a student looking to enter the job market it’s so important to not only be involved in social media, but have a strong understanding of its impact. Tweetups are a great way to see your hard work online really pay off.  By establishing your common interests online, tweetups almost ensure that everyone will get along and have something to talk about. I took the initial steps to building relationships and I look forward to building upon these relationships at next months event.

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