A Twitter meetup, or “tweetup,” is an arranged in-person gathering of people on Twitter. As an extension of the virtual network, tweetups bring together people through shared interests, but they sometimes coalesce perfect strangers with nothing at all in common. Following are ten reasons to participate in tweetups:
- You meet new people at tweetups. This is an opportunity to finally connect with people you’ve met online. Face-to-face interactions take relationships and friendships well beyond 140 characters and virtual personas that don’t always reflect reality.
- Tweetups assist you in making important business connections. If you have short- and long-term goals you want to actualize, tweetups can help you achieve them because you link your business to other organizations willing to collaborate with you to advance everyone’s interests. In short, tweetups can prove to be lucrative entertainment.
- You support local businesses and worthy causes. Tearing yourself away from your computer and actually visiting a bar, park, museum, or charitable organization infuses much-needed interest, energy, pride, and money into your community.
- Tweeups add a unique vibrancy to the community. They create a buzz that most everyone appreciates. Business owners look forward to crowds of excited, like-minded people pouring through their doors. Perhaps of greater importance, tweetup participants expand important discussions and thereby expand a community’s cultural literacy, which benefits everyone.
- You improve your awareness of how to use technology and be a part of the future. Call it the Information Age or Technological Era, but either way, complaining about accelerating technological innovation and pining for the “Good Old Days” belies reality. There’s nothing charming in being a Luddite.
- You expand your social network. A number of online services are designed around tweetups, which are, in turn, linked to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on.
- When you arrange a tweetup, you are improving your planning skills. For instance, it’s a good idea to plan for more people to arrive than what you initially expect, ensure that someone will serve as the onsite point of contact, and include other social media tools like Facebook and email to get the word out. You’ll also want to reconnoiter the venue you’re considering, and choose a date that should work for a majority of prospective attendees.
- Arranging a tweetup helps you develop your leadership skills. Getting the right people there and then directing them toward your goals will inspire confidence and teamwork. Accordingly, you become the guide, the director, the point of contact to whom everyone turns for direction.
- Orchestrating a tweetup can enhance your reputation. If you manage a successful tweetup or play a role in making a tweetup fun and interesting, then people will like you, respect you, and want to see more of you. You will make a name for yourself among your new acquaintances.
- Tweetups allow you to see the world in a unique way. They work opposite of how social media friendships usually work. Instead of moving away from others through technology, you meet them in person after encountering them online.
Tweetups are popular because they’re fun, and they represent an aspect of the future that can’t be overlooked. They’re common throughout the country for good reason. Sometimes, the thing to do is pull yourself away from your computer or smart phone for a while and enjoy the company of others at a tweetup.
