@missusP yeah the writing juices were flowing ;-)

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@missusP More useful now to spark social campaigns involveing user, and seed “word of mouth” campaigns; people trust what other people like.

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Finally responded but cause of delay is revealed ;-) @goodridge @PerkettPR @missusp [link to post]

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Holy reply Batman! (Thx!) RT @JoselinMane Finally responded; cause of delay revealed @goodridge @PerkettPR @missusp [link to post]

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Since I helped start the focus of this blog post, I figure I should contribute. :-)

* Is there a generational gap in networking?
I see the younger generation at more tweetups than the older generation, which makes sense because as you mentioned not only is distance an issue but also parenting. Most of the tweeple I speak to often have 1 or 2 days during the week where they can be social. One of the reasons why I started @BostonTweetup, with Rachel Levy @BostonMarketer, was to let people know which tweetup would be the one to go to if they could only attend one or two.

* Is it a sign of career dedication (or lack thereof)?
It is completely dependent on what the career is and what your career goals are. I don’t think that you can say that just because someone doesn’t go to events that they are not dedicated to their career. I also don’t think you can say that people who attend a lot of events are the most dedicated. Dedication is subjective and while being social and attending events is important to me and something I find very valuable, I have seen people who are very active online accomplish great things without attending any/or many events.

* Do you gain business value from every event?
Yes I do, but everyone has different reasons for going and has different expectations. I attend for not only the social aspects and for the business opportunities, but also to study tweetups. With my project @BostonTweetups, I am interested in observing every aspect of tweetups. I take note of everything from the location, to the time, to the subject, and how the people react to all of the different elements. So for me, because I have so many reasons for attending, I do end up gaining business value from every event.

* Does it hurt to attend less events or is online networking just as valuable?
I think it eventually does hurt because there is only so much relationship building one can accomplish online. Since we tend do business with people we know, like and trust, online networking can only really increase the knowing part of the equation and possibly the liking.

In my opinion, tweetups are the second phase in the Social Media business development vetting process. First phase is the online connection, where we can get to know a person, and by know, I mean get a sense of who that person is by the type of information they communicate about. Since everyone’s online footprint provides informational data about one’s work history and current projects its relatively easy to find the people you want to connect and/or partner with.

I think that tweetups are the ideal social setting for strengthening the relationships that you initially start online. It is a relaxed environment which will allow you the opportunity to see if taking the business relationship a step further is the right move for you. It’s also a great environment to meet new people that you stay connected with when you get back online.

The key to both of those scenarios is follow-up. For those people you just met, an email or public “great to meet you” tweet is generally the way to go. For those people you already knew online a follow-up email, phone call or lunch is a more appropriate follow up if you want to strengthen the relationship even further.

It is those tweetup follow ups that are the most essential in the overall equation because that’s where the trust portion of the saying I mentioned earlier starts forming.

Now in regards to the “geographical disadvantage”, as The Sharper Image Review calls it, and one’s family obligations, the answer is simply balance. The best thing to do is look at what’s going on that week and decide which one makes the most sense for you to attend. I am fortunate to live close to public transportation or can easily drive to almost all of the tweetups/events that are located in or around Boston.

One of the goals of @BostonTweetUp is to give people that can’t attend every event an opportunity to make an informed decision about which event(s) to go to. And considering that there are at least 9 different online social/event calendars, not many have the time to search thru them all.

Tyson your right, I wouldn’t attend as many tweetups under all those conditions ;-). However I think the difference wouldn’t be that great, again because my objectives are a bit more unique then the typical person attending tweetups. I like studying the dynamics of tweetups to determine what makes certain one’s successful and others not. This knowledge I have used to help start similar city based Tweetup services in different areas as well as provided consulting to certain tweetups here.

I hope this was helpful and please pardon my delayed response, I have been busy following up with all the people that I have been meeting at tweetups. ;-p

@JoselinMan

@missusp, @perkettpr, My (late) comments on “online vs. offline networking”….[link to post]

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I think it’s absolutely a lifestyle, personality and generational thing.

If Joselin (sorry to pick on ya Joselin, but you know where to find me!) was married, had 2 kids under the age of 5, and lived in the burbs, he wouldn’t attend every tweetup. If he did,well, he has a VERY understanding wife, and some kids who would miss him a lot…

And, to Kate’s point above, as an entrepreneur and a business owner, how much is it REALLY worth your time to meet some people in the space? A couple times a month is good, but I’d rather spend my time working with clients and finding new ones (I don’t often find new clients at tweetups)

Third, I have been VERY unimpressed with some of the social skills of some of the younger people I meet at these tweetups. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but if someone I meet at a tweetup is checking their iphone when I first meet them, or they are talking about their blog or themself, I tune them out pretty quickly.

Tyson
@goodridge

Great synopsis. I think part of it also comes down to business goals. I know I go through spurts where we focus on direct business acquisition (therefore major prioritization of outreach efforts, and (unfortunately?) industry events tend to fall lower on that priority list)… So, for instance when you ask if one gets return from each networking event… that’s part of what goes into prioritization. Busy times require at least us to deprioritize more “casual” events.

However, I do agree with you that there is NOTHING like face-to-face contact, especially with people in your industry. Do I wish I could do more of it when business priorities are such? Yes. So it goes. I would actually love nothing more than to network with many of the wonderful people in our industry on a much more regular basis (I got flack from @mikelangford the other day for going MIA for a few weeks!).

Additionally, for some odd reason summer always gets booked by about March :-) Maybe sometimes that goes away too!

Cheers, Perhaps I’ll see you at an event sometime soon!

Kate

It sounds like more than a generational gap, it’s a commute gap for most. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.

Like Sherry suggested, a lunch or breakfast meeting is nice to do if you can’t make it to after-work events. And I love Tamara’s approach of at least one per quarter – that’s doable and smart. Even Stuart agrees that you can “skip a bunch” but don’t skip them completely.

Jim – you make a good point about two things: cost/benefit analysis (not always easy to assess though until after-the-fact) and the fact that when you do go, you have a great time. I feel the same way and I do walk away thinking “I really need to do more of this.”

Jason – your questions are intriguing. I believe yes, absolutely, there are people who excel at online relationships and cannot bring themselves to talk to people in a room. It’s understandable – the online anonymity factor makes it easier, I’m sure. But it makes me hope that we don’t lose our social graces and skill set either as online activities continue to infiltrate our daily lives. Will we all turn into the 90s DotComGuy?

And while I also love Chad’s idea of a Chuck E. Cheese TweetUp… I have a feeling it wouldn’t be very productive :)

RT @jimstorer: How do you feel about “Online vs Offiline Networking?” – [link to post] – nice post from @missusp on the topic.

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How do you feel about “Online vs Offiline Networking?” – [link to post] – nice post from @missusp on the topic.

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So for me it’s a cost/benefit analysis and often I choose to spend time with my kids and/or not fight the traffic. With that said, EVERY time I make the effort to go to an event I have a great time, meet great folks and walk away telling myself I need to go to more. I guess we need to come up with a way to teleport ourselves. :-)

Great post Christine! It got me thinking.

@jimstorer

My solution for that is taking time to have lunch or breakfast with the people I would interact with at those events I can’t make. It’s not the perfect solution, as I obviously can’t interact with as many people at once; but at least it helps to solidify the online relationships I’m trying to foster.

Can it be similar to learning, where some people are visual, others auditory, and still others tactile? Are some people at their best connecting in an online forum, while others like podcasts, and others only get true satisfaction from an in person meet up? Are there broader consequences for connecting through the just right medium?

Online vs offline networking : PerkettPRsuasion – The PerkettPR Blog [link to post]

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I try to attend one event a quarter, spread out between industry associations like MobileMondays, and local events like Providence Geeks, AMA Boston, or RI Tweetup. I also think a few structured events and conferences a year (like Mobile Marketing Forum or New Marketing Summit for me) help make sure I am “in touch.” I think when you are past your 20s and early 30s the appeal definitely drops off for many of the reasons you have mentioned. Maybe you should post a poll.

@Stuartcfoster did you weigh in on this? [link to post] I think we may have been 2 of the youngest there, interested to hear ur take

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RT @BethHarte @pprlisa: Online vs offline networking? Do those who miss events miss out? Is it generational? [link to post]

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