First Triangle Tweetup of 2009

Like 150 other people, I attended the Triangle Tweetup last night at edge office. I have absolutely no idea what the topics of any of the presentation were. I think they were something like How to use Twitter to increase your online coolness, How to use Twitter to make a million dollars, How to use Twitter to pick up chicks, score high on the LSAT, increase your penis/bust size (not at the same time), whiten your teeth, etc. It’s not that I’m not interested in what was being said – OK, I really wasn’t interested. I still find it hard to believe that anyone in attendance gained anything from what seemed like common-sense, basic marketing sermons. Granted, I’m sure there are people who are brand spanking new to the internet – or at least to Twitter – and some people really don’t have marketing talents or backgrounds, but, in my opinion, since it was a Triangle Tweetup, there would have been better things to talk about. It’s a captive audience; bring in someone from the museum or the Durham Performing Arts Center or a local politician. Instead of talking about Twitter to people who are on Twitter, open up the forum. Now Ginny Skalski (@GinnySkal) did suggest turning it into a food drive – which was a great idea – so I won’t say it was without any social impact.

The real reason I attended last night wasn’t to learn anything about social marketing, but I do enjoy real (offline) social interaction and seeing the people who I, admittedly, met via twitter but who I’ve come to consider real friends. It’s also good to put faces to avatars, but my favorite experience is meeting new people and being able to honestly say, “Hey, I knew you before we followed each other.”