Last night was the kickoff meetup for the Fort Worth chapter of Social Media Club... hosted by Lauren Vargas...
I caught wind of it through Richie on Twitter and decided to check it out.
Unfortunately the group was mainly comprised of PR/HR folk, I being a lonely developer there... and the physical setup of the location wasn't as conducive to introductory meetings as standing up and mingling would have, but I did meet a few people and talked about drop.io and other social media topics.
I'm still unsure if I will be attending the rest of the meetings, I heard a whisper that the Dallas chapter has more developers, but it's too far of a drive :: grin ::
At any rate... thanks to Richie for pushing me to go... and thanks to Lauren for putting it on!
It is true that PR/HR/Mktg folks are a plenty at most Social Media Club events, but we see a lot of developers, teachers, engineers, lawyers, doctors, non-profits, etc. too in various cities - it really depends on who helps to launch the group and how well we do our job at getting the word out.
I think the important thing is to help get Ft. Worth going, this was the first meeting and I would love to see it expand - so invite some of the developers you know to help keep the group balanced. The goal is to hear from lots of voices, from different industries, with varied roles and skill sets. It is what sets SMC apart from other gatherings I know of as we wish to 'cross pollinate' to ensure the sharing of knowledge through every channel...not just through PR professionals or developers. Through everyone.
Thanks for the comment... I'm still up in the air at how my involvement will be, but your words are encouraging and I look forward to seeing where this goes...
Now onto figuring out how I can talk at one of these meetings...
You weren't the lone developer...meet Todd in the comments of my blog post. Also, this was an informal meet and greet session to discuss what people are looking for in the group. Future topics include case studies from high profile companies in DFW and new application demos. We will meet in mid-cities location...most likely a board room in HEB hospital or other office venues. Please return...we will be in a more quiet environment.