Going Local. Why Social Media is Transforming the Business/Networking Landscape.

One of Social Media's most admirable tenets is the desire to do good and help others. Now how does that translate into the cutthroat world of business networking? Surprisingly well. A niche has sprung up around the country for conference organizers, power networking, job seekers, and those of us who may just want to have a beer and talk shop. This explosion in blogs, twitter accounts, and people actively seeking a way to connect has become very prevalent.

Boston is no exception. One of the more interesting things about Boston is how Start-Ups are formed. Start-up founders recruit within their own school. BC, Harvard, Bentley, and MIT are hotbeds for this kind of activity. However, unlike the West Coast the desire to work together is shall we say "somewhat lacking". We are ruthlessly competitive and generally don't like to share. It's the New England way...but contrary to the spirit of openness, transparency and innovation that is social media. Nevertheless, groups in Boston have sprung up to capture this enthusiasm for events.

I've been hitting the ground hard... You may have noticed this my fellow Bostonians. So I've recently been able to delicately (who are we kidding, I've used blunt forced trauma/loudness) meet a lot of cool people. Who I've probably already blogged about. However, thus far only one group is trying to take this to the next level:

That group is @BostonTweetUp. Organized by @JoselinMane and @BostonMarketer (Rachel Levy) this group is focused on all the exciting events, conferences, and meet-ups in the Boston area. It's been rapidly taking off. Mainly because the audience in Boston is already in place and already engaged. @BostonTweetUp can sit back and aggregate until the need arises for expansion. I can't wait to see what they will be doing next .

The need to have these organizing bodies revolve around the Social Media Events (specifically tweet ups are rapidly taking off). Here are some of the things that have been great for me in terms of inserting myself into the Boston narrative.

1. Brick and Mortar Events. @RobertCollins said it best in response to a Social Media Breakfast: "This is why Twitter is awesome". It allows you to put a face next to a handle and actually form a relationship beyond the online sphere. Plus, it's amazing how interesting some people are once you get them to talk in more then 140 character bursts.

2. Invaluable Contacts. So awesome for a job seeker like myself. I've met so many cool peeps at these local events...and what was my foot in the door? A blog, a twitter account and a tendency to be extremely loud . I promised no name dropping today...so I will spare you here.

3. Instant Recognition amongst a highly connected group of people. I'm proud that at least two people know who I am in Boston. Micro-celebrity means something. It definitely is a leg up on other job seekers and consultants in your field. Half the reason I started this blog was to share my knowledge base with a variety of people and showcase my unique personality/branding.

Needless to say...Going local is changing the way interactivity and social connection online is being done. It is being leveraged into real world contacts, friends and relationships. Last but not least, here is an open invitation to all who have never really had the experience to meet me: I want to meet you. I really do. So lets take this local thing a step further and actually have some coffee to talk about whatever. My treat.

Here's my contact information:

Stuart.foster@thelostjacket.com
Cell: 207-752-2960
Hope to hear from you.

tagged as Boston, bostontweet, bostontweetup, local, Social Media