Why DO I Like Tweetups
Recently, I was at the #nwitweetup (Tweetup in Northwest Indiana) and Kyle P Lacy was a guest. It was great to have a guest at our tweetup who really “gets” twitter. The success that he has enjoyed serves as a bit of a reminder that this communication tool is more than just a tool. He was a bit inspiring, if you will. Of course, as a guest he was treated to every hospitality, including the one he probably gets everywhere:
“Would you like to address the group”
“not really”
“Thanks, I’ll go introduce you”
OK, it wasn’t really that bad, but he was pressured a bit. He seemed unsure for a moment what to say and then he did his magic. What engages people more than any info about yourself? A question about YOU. He started with this gem:
“Does everyone here like tweetups?”
“Yes! Great. Why? What do you like about them?”
- silence -
Wow, why do we like tweetups?
I am going to phrase my answer as both a twitter user / social media junkie and as a photographer. First, I try to cultivate online relationships using twitter and it is work sometimes. Maintaining my twitter presence is a job sometimes. The tweetup is a reward for these efforts, I see these tweeps and I get a deeper understanding of them (which helps me to improve my twitter use). They recognize and want to engage with me, just as I do them… that’s a bit of personal validation that feels good. I see the people in my twitter lists and how they interact with others which gives me deeper understanding of the true segmentation of my followers/followees. These are the things that make tweetups useful and enjoyable to me as a social media person.
Now, as a photographer do the tweetups do anything for me? Heck yeah? I often bring my camera and when I do, I treat the tweetup as a gig. A good tweetup shouldn’t have a budget (#nwitweetup – if it aint for free, it aint for me), they can’t hire a photographer. So when I go with my camera, I try to intermingle and get good photos. I go home and (usually) that night I download the photos and put them on Flickr and Facebook then I tweet the links. This one carried a bit of Celeb power through Kyle P Lacy and that helped to. The influential people at the tweetups (@davewoodson, @natfinn and others at ours) will tend to retweet your links for these free pictures – because they GET it. You are participating in the proper way in a twitter community (do good and it will usually find its way back to you) and they do see it and reward it. I also try not to tag people too much in the photos, by doing this, if people want to be tagged they will do so… which puts your picture (link to you) in the feed for their friends to see (for example, Kyle P Lacy tagged himself in one this time, that CAN’t hurt my reach.. thanks BTW). I tend to gain a few followers, deepen a few relationships and increase traffic to my twitter outpost each time I photograph a tweetup. None of this monetizes directly, if you are looking for that you might as well start a “tweetup company” and see how many people will BUY your tweetup product. I know I won’t. I love what the tweetups do for me and I would LOVE to hear what more I can do for the tweetups (this time I put my photos in a slide show which made it the nwitweetup.com website).
Lately, a new trend has emerged… combined tweetups. Wow, allowing another established group access to our group! Help them out, raise them up. The same WILL happen to us. I am all for it! Chicago, Detroit, Indy, Cincinnati katgenhorst is ready for the tour. I would be thrilled to go with a group to those places and represent #nwitweetup. Learn from them, help them where possible. Tweetups rock! More than those cities, let’s really show what the great group at #nwitweetup can do… How about helping start a #starkecountytweetup, #medaryvilletweetup. To paraphrase Brogan “The more people you help up, the more your genuine reach grows”. People ALLOWING you to help them is a service you should thank them for. I really plan on developing how I, and my community leverage the awesome power of the tweetup. I hope none of this sounds selfish, you should have personal reasons for what you do. Just be it known, my personal reasons are that I love to help and I wish to grow and helping others and being helped in this environment will accomplish that.
Kyle P Lacy, asking that simple question showed your deep mastery of the platform. Thanks for making me think, reach and grow. Dave Woodson and Nat Finn, thanks for a rockin’ tweetup. #nwitweetup thanks for existing!
Tags: #nwitweetup, kyle p lacy, photography, social media, tweetup