Last week, I attended 2 offline networking events that were related to online social networking.  The first was the monthly meeting of the Sacramento Social Media Club. The SMC holds monthly meetings that include speakers on various topics related to social media.  This month, the topic was education and social media.  The topic of education was very interesting and the ways to use social media and Web 2.0 to enhance education are limitless!  I hope that our education system can embrace all of the positives that technology brings without being too scared of the negatives that accompany it.  What is really great about the Social Media Club is how they explore the uses of social media in so many different industries.  The meetings show the possibilities of social media, as well as how flexible it can be.  There are so many uses of social media as a tool, and industries are coming up with new uses every day.

The second event was the Sac Tweetup.  This was a chance for Sacramento area Twitter users to meet face to face.  The event was great!  Every person I met was genuinely nice.  The idea of Twitter being a relationship tool, and not a sales tool, was extended to the face to face meet up.  I loved being able to meet in person so many of the people I follow and interact with on Twitter. For someone who is not very comfortable in situations where I don’t know anyone, the fact that I already interacted with many of the people on Twitter, made the experience much easier.

It is well worth it to attend offline networking and learning opportunities.  It just strengthens the relationships you have made online.  As well as allowing you to meet some completely new people!  Search out the tweetups happening in your community – or create one yourself!! Continue building your relationships!