Thursday I got up after the previous nights bike ride and was tired. Tired beyond belief and my scratchy throat had turned into a barking cough along with runny nose and those heavy eyes you get when you have a cold. Lucky then that I had got my bag of stuff for Thursday nights #themeet140 at the Lansdowne Bar in Glasgow sorted on Tuesday night.
I set off after work and drove along the motorway in eagerness about seeing old familiar faces and also excitement about meeting new 'familiar' faces. Familiar in the way that via Twitter you 'meet' people online and seem to connect but the real test is real life meetings and so far i haven't been disappointed. Tonight was the second #themeet140 Glasgow hosted by Mark ( @markofrespect ) and Allan ( @allanbarr ) and if that last one was was anything to go by I would enjoy it very much. I have to admit, there were over 100 people who RSVP'd YES to the Twtvite and this made me slightly nervous about going. I did wonder if it would be too big, would you get a chance to meet new people?
I arrived earlier than i thought and wandered into the Lansdowne Bar about 6.25pm. There was a small gathering of folk inside already and the first one i met was Ali McGill ( @ali_mcgill ). I was delighted to meet him as we've been tweeting back and forth for a little while now and he's a good guy. I wandered through and met a few familiar faces and it started to get busy. Then another person whom I've wanted to meet for a long time came in. The wonderful Brian ( @BriTimeAssist ). He's been someone who I instantly warmed to over Twitter. Isn't it strange when you just get these connections? Personally I love it. There was a proper chat with lovely @AllanBarr a bit of a gossip with ladies @JulieBee and @LadyMiller (when are you changing that picture?) a sit down with the now familiar Ross ( @Thirdsectorlab) and a chance to meet Rosie. A good catch up with Nicola ( @LilacSwizzle ). A chat about the pictures I post with @FissionCreative. A chat with @GlasgowOsteo about those initial hellos - are they awkward? A great chat with Elizabeth ( @Holistic_tweet ) about everything from IT bands to college to t-shirts and grey suits!! and then there was @GeeeBeee - who I've been tweeting for ages, it was only by chance that he happened to pop into the Lansdowne. Great to finally meet him! Plus loads more new meetings (really sorry not to mention everyone!!)...
Faces appeared that I recognised from avatars and faces I didn't (I didn't see that Dave @social_penguin though!...). And you know what, once upon a time I would NOT have been comfortable in this situation. I mean me walking into a bar on my own in a city that is not mine. Talking to people I've only met in real life once or twice (others I've met lots). Then meeting new people that perhaps I've only just started to tweet with. A few months ago this was not something I'd have been comfortable with at all. But I think Twitter is a conduit that allows us to connect with people no matter who they are. As someone who has no real connection with social media other than being a huge fan of Twitter and blogging and the like then I think it's fantastic. I've connected with the most unlikeliest of folks. I've mentioned all of this before in a previous post here.
There were people I wanted to meet but unfortunately never got around to *sad face* and there were brief and fleeting hello and goodbyes with folk I wanted to have a proper real life chat with but didn't... (@Pavedwithgold1) Judging by the growing popularity in #themeet140 then I'm sure there's plenty of opportunities for these chats. I for one am looking forward to them all. So if we didn't meet then I'm really sorry and let's sort that out and if we did meet then I was very pleased to meet you *happy face*.
I'm going to give a special mention to @StuGlen as we've met twice but never get the chance for a proper chat. Stuart, definitely at the next one! You can find more blogs and takes on the night here by Allan Barr
Overall it was another good night that allowed me the chance to meet more good people. It also allows us to communicate in more than 140 characters! Although I do need something to introduce myself as? I mean I'm no guru, I'm not a marketer nor do i work in social media, I don't have my own business (yet!!) and I'm not really great at bigging myself up. So if you've got any suggestions drop them in a comment below :-)
Thanks again to Mark and Allan for organising. Oh and also to Chris Hall for the inception of it all. Good stuff guys!
Ange x
I have no photos (and we all know i like to take a photo) but you can find some here.
Bowery Mural
Showing posts with label Themeet140. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Themeet140. Show all posts
When Bad Weeks Go Good – Themeet140 Glasgow
Saturday, 29 May 2010
A few weeks ago I’d seen a hash tag being floated about on Twitter: #themeetup140 People were tweeting and retweeting it. Then came a tweet from Mark ( @markofrespect ) asking if we were going along. From what I’d read about these meetups (from the London one that is) it would be an informal get-together of a group of people with a common interest in social media. My first thought was ‘yes I’d love to go but not being a social media professional in any way, I’d stick out like a sore thumb’... how wrong can you be.
I decided only a few days beforehand that I would go along after seeing the number of people I knew (online knew that is) would be going along and there were people whom I’d been tweeting for a few weeks and months that I really really wanted to meet in real life ( @ThirdSectorLab @TartanCat to name a few). Feeling somewhat stressed with 3 days of car garage trouble and a hefty car repair bill I became brave and booked my place at themeet140 and a few days later set off on the train to Glasgow. A text came in from Nicola (@LilacSwizzle) asking when I’d be at the train station. We met and headed on the underground to the Landsdowne Bar. (A lovely friendly venue with a good atmosphere on the two occasions I’ve been so far. I will be back there!).
It was great to see Mark again, it had been too long since he had cancelled a lunch date on us. Sorry Mark I’m not going to let you forget that one!! When we got there, there were about 12 people, we tagged onto a table and were introduced to a few people. I scanned the room and there were faces I recognised and faces I didn’t. More people started to arrive and the room started filling. The sun was shining into the conservatory, people were chatting and introductions were being made. The atmosphere was good. The introductions mostly consisted of “I’m so and so and on Twitter I’m x” and the penny drops and you realise and smile at finally meeting these friends in real life. Being the introvert, I’m quite happy to sit and listen to people’s stories about who they are and what they do. But here I found myself mixing and engaging with people I never thought I would. I mean my interest in social media for now is strictly personal as I am but a humble administrator. But like I’ve mentioned in previous posts I do love social media and all that it has done enrich my life in the past couple of years (whether that be through this blog or via Twitter). Not once did I feel that I didn’t belong. All the people I met and spoke with were lovely. And those who I’d been tweeting with beforehand did not disappoint in person either. I mean I almost let out a yelp of joy when Julie ( @juliebeee) came across and said “Ange?” then told me who she was (She doesn’t have a picture avatar you see!). We’ve only been tweeting for a few weeks but I already know this lady will be a friend. This sentiment applies to a lot of people I met there that night. Since Wednesday evening I’ve engaged with them on Twitter and had some good practical advice on things and I hope to catch up again at the next #themeet140 Glasgow!! There were a couple of people missing as they couldn't make it along so until next time...
Chris ( @chrish10) has written a great post on how he and Mark came up with the whole idea, you can read that here. In it he says: “there’s nothing better than following the hashtag the next day and seeing the impact the night had on everyone’s mood and week” I don’t think you realise what an impact it has on someone like me, a quiet person who finds it hard to strike up real life conversations except with people I know. But Twitter and now #themeet140 has allowed me to find a voice, and like the mountains, to find somewhere I can fit in in my own unique way. The energy and enthusiasm is infectious so much so that I think I’m finding the confidence to push on with my little crafty idea I have!! (And for which I might need some help and advice from a few of you guys?).
For anyone that is unsure I recommend you try to attend one of these nights wherever they may pop up. You can follow @themeet140 on Twitter for more updates and details of future events.
Thanks to Mark and Chris for dreaming up this idea and more importantly for putting it in to practice. Brilliant!
And that was the story of how my bad week turned good. #themeet140 is where it’s at!
Ange x
I decided only a few days beforehand that I would go along after seeing the number of people I knew (online knew that is) would be going along and there were people whom I’d been tweeting for a few weeks and months that I really really wanted to meet in real life ( @ThirdSectorLab @TartanCat to name a few). Feeling somewhat stressed with 3 days of car garage trouble and a hefty car repair bill I became brave and booked my place at themeet140 and a few days later set off on the train to Glasgow. A text came in from Nicola (@LilacSwizzle) asking when I’d be at the train station. We met and headed on the underground to the Landsdowne Bar. (A lovely friendly venue with a good atmosphere on the two occasions I’ve been so far. I will be back there!).
It was great to see Mark again, it had been too long since he had cancelled a lunch date on us. Sorry Mark I’m not going to let you forget that one!! When we got there, there were about 12 people, we tagged onto a table and were introduced to a few people. I scanned the room and there were faces I recognised and faces I didn’t. More people started to arrive and the room started filling. The sun was shining into the conservatory, people were chatting and introductions were being made. The atmosphere was good. The introductions mostly consisted of “I’m so and so and on Twitter I’m x” and the penny drops and you realise and smile at finally meeting these friends in real life. Being the introvert, I’m quite happy to sit and listen to people’s stories about who they are and what they do. But here I found myself mixing and engaging with people I never thought I would. I mean my interest in social media for now is strictly personal as I am but a humble administrator. But like I’ve mentioned in previous posts I do love social media and all that it has done enrich my life in the past couple of years (whether that be through this blog or via Twitter). Not once did I feel that I didn’t belong. All the people I met and spoke with were lovely. And those who I’d been tweeting with beforehand did not disappoint in person either. I mean I almost let out a yelp of joy when Julie ( @juliebeee) came across and said “Ange?” then told me who she was (She doesn’t have a picture avatar you see!). We’ve only been tweeting for a few weeks but I already know this lady will be a friend. This sentiment applies to a lot of people I met there that night. Since Wednesday evening I’ve engaged with them on Twitter and had some good practical advice on things and I hope to catch up again at the next #themeet140 Glasgow!! There were a couple of people missing as they couldn't make it along so until next time...
Chris ( @chrish10) has written a great post on how he and Mark came up with the whole idea, you can read that here. In it he says: “there’s nothing better than following the hashtag the next day and seeing the impact the night had on everyone’s mood and week” I don’t think you realise what an impact it has on someone like me, a quiet person who finds it hard to strike up real life conversations except with people I know. But Twitter and now #themeet140 has allowed me to find a voice, and like the mountains, to find somewhere I can fit in in my own unique way. The energy and enthusiasm is infectious so much so that I think I’m finding the confidence to push on with my little crafty idea I have!! (And for which I might need some help and advice from a few of you guys?).
For anyone that is unsure I recommend you try to attend one of these nights wherever they may pop up. You can follow @themeet140 on Twitter for more updates and details of future events.
Thanks to Mark and Chris for dreaming up this idea and more importantly for putting it in to practice. Brilliant!
And that was the story of how my bad week turned good. #themeet140 is where it’s at!
Ange x
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