Social Media gets ‘social’…and we like it! Welcome to THEmeet140

28th Friday, 2010  |   All we got, MOO: Cowbell Blog, what's new  |  15 comments

They say the best ideas are the simple ones! I’ve worked for over 20 years now and across all the marketing disciplines I’ve been involved with I must have come up with or shared thousands of ideas for products, services, events, brands, concepts and communications.

None of them have made me rich (Yet! but my day is coming) or provided me with as much pleasure as what happened when a friend and colleague of mine (the legend that is Mark Jennings from D8 in Glasgow) and I came up with something.

Let me explain…

If we build it…will they come?

Both Mark and I work in the online world. He runs a successful web development, design and marketing company in Glasgow. I run Cowbell, which tries to clear up the confusion surrounding social media and integrate digital marketing with traditional. The key to the story is that we both like to work hard and by god – we both like to play hard, which in our world means having a beer.

After a few chats over the odd beer (again!) we felt that social media needed to stop with all the ‘Top 5 ways twitter will make you a billionaire’, ’100 ways that social media will cure all diseases’ and ’43 reasons to have to have a Facebook account or your house will burn down’ and well how else can I say it – get social!

About 30 minutes later #themeet140 was born and our connections and others all became part of & shared owners of our dream.

The premise was, and is, simple! Anyone from within the social media world is invited to a pub or bar in a town near you to meet up, have a few drinks and mix with people who have similar interests and lives as you and everyone can ask others to come. I know that most of you reading this can do that at any time across your week but for some reason this is special.

Ask anyone of the 100 plus people who’ve already been to one and they’ll tell you about the special atmosphere, the way that no one sells to anyone else (this is an unwritten rule and will not be tolerated), and how they immediately felt welcome and part of the whole group from the minute they walked in.

My epiphany for on all of this happened on Wednesday night during the amazing #themeet140 in Glasgow. Before it began I knew one person, by the end of it I had 30 new friends and everyone of them has connected with me again since the event. I looked around the room at about 9.30pm and all I could see was groups of people who had never met each before engaging, smiling (actually, laughing most of the time) and drinking.

There are no presentations, no agenda, no egos and no bullshit.

Happy Days

Instead there’s a sea of people connecting, engaging, sharing and all wanting to know when the next one comes back to town.

Glasgow’s night was full of special people who all brought their own essence and flavour to the night. London and Cheltenham did the same, and as I said to Mark later on Wednesday night

“there’s nothing better than following the hashtag the next day and seeing the impact the night had on everyone’s mood and week”

Those who were at the London and Cheltenham events have said which was better out of the five or six so far? The truth is none of them and all of them. Each one has brought something completely different because each  brings new people.

Both Mark and I are passionate about these nights. They bring great people together. #THEmeet140 is a case study for social media success as it’s supposed to be a communications tool where new connections are made, or repaired, listened to and engaged with. Business can never think it can only sit within the status updates, 140 character messages or network activity. We have to get out there and meet and communicate directly with people.

As Mark said to me yesterday

“If it ends tomorrow…then Twitter has been worth it!”

Let’s hope more and more people and businesses can say the same thing over the years to come.


The future

There’s no agenda and there’s no plan because if we do that then it loses everything it has become – a fluid and fun night that changes as each conversation is in full flow. If our accidental events are something you might want to go to then can I suggest that you follow us on twitter and keep up with the hashtag.

More nights out across the country will be happening soon. For those of you who’ve been before then let us know what you love or hate about them. For those of you who might come along then by all means introduce yourselves in the comments and keep in touch.

Details

Follow me or Mark on twitter

Follow the hashtag – #themeet140 or the twitter account Themeet140

  • http://www.ayeright.com/ Stephen O'Donnell

    I for one, had a great time at the Glasgow meet, and have now followed most people I met, and connected with several people I may be able to help, do business with, or can help me. No sales-pitching actually works.

  • http://moviecom.tv kevoneil

    Hi chris, it was a real life Twitter, instantly made to feel welcome, and full of people who share the same interests, but most important shared with honesty and passion – no bullshit. Looking forward to the scotland, Bristol and London events. Well done to everyone who attended, cheers kevoneil

  • Chris Hall

    “Real life Twitter” and “the social in social media”. Perfectly put Kev. Here's to the summer of more

  • http://en-gb.facebook.com/hojomo Howard J Moorey

    Great gathering in Cheltenham too! Something magic happens when people with LikeMinds come together with no plan other than chat, drink & merriment! There's plenty more people & places, start a few more! You too can Make Meeting Easier – great on & offline. Roll on the next one, thanks Chris (& hi again Mark!)

  • http://scottgould.me/ Scott Gould

    Very cool mate – very cool :-)

  • http://twitter.com/Beth_Carroll Beth_Carroll

    As we both know, the only way to move forward in our space is through collaboration. That's the lovely thing about The Meet 140. All the real people getting together to make change. Massive props for harnessing it and attracting the beat personalities. You'll see me at all the London events and all the fun in between. Forever impressed with your work Chris and excited about our projects. Social clarity all the way. :)

  • http://www.SOFIANO.com Lucy Sofiano

    Chris and Mark are enthusiastic, engaging, interested and fun. I've met up with many people via Twitter all have become friends and all who become a part of your everyday life. I'm yet to make a meet140 but when I do I know I'll have a ball. Thanks for sharing the love :)

  • georgejulian

    Loving the honesty of you pair…so it's an excuse for beer; sounds great to me, can't wait to find date I can make. Down w snake oilers :)

  • http://twitter.com/markofrespect Mark Jennings

    Thank you for the post Chris, and especially to those who commented.

    The truth of it is that this is nothing without the great folk who attend. Well, it would be a perfectly pleasant drink between Chris and I but no more – if those who came were silent, or came with a sales agenda, it would fail. I guess what I am saying is that we are delighted than something we believe in is so shared. It will never be more than it needs to be, and that is just fine.

    My wife, who grew up on the foothills of Kilimanjaro, told me today about 'umoja' – which means togetherness, or oneness in Swahili. In a word, that is what it means to me above all else.

  • http://twitter.com/paw1a Paula Livingstone

    It certainly was a great evening and, although I had to be one of the first to leave, I was still left with a sense of the wonderful potential for these meetings in the future.
    Its nice to know that such a group of people with nothing in common except a shared drive and enthusiasm for social media can be found just around the corner as it were.
    I'm immensely looking forward to the next one I can attend and hope to get to know those people I didn't have the chance to get to know last Wednesday.

  • Olivia Hill

    Nice post Chris and I love #themeet140 – always a great atmosphere and no egos which means that everyone always feels included whether you're a newbie or not. This is a real success story for an online/offline combination, which is when social media is particularly powerful.

    I also find it interesting from a work point of view – like minded people talking passionately about how social media is helping their clients. There is no chat about how successful any of us are, it's all about how we can be better, how we can provide the best possible service to our clients and how we all want to cut through the b.s. to maintain a good, clean reputation. Long live #themeet140

  • http://angeprojecteverest.blogspot.com/ Angela Higgins

    Great post and great night. Thanks to Mark and Chris for organising #themeet140 – love it!
    The friendly faces, the chat, the atmosphere and the infectious enthusiasm of the people there made my journey from the shire worthwhile. As a 'newbie' I never felt out of place. So a big thanks for that!
    Now, when's the next #themeet140 Glasgow!?!
    :)

  • http://twitter.com/JamieForster Jamie Forster

    I havent as yet had the opportunity to come along to one of #themeet140 's yet, but will certainly do so sometime soon…mid Dorset just isnt an easy place to escape!!!!

    I do love the fact its real life merging with social media after all, thats what its all about ultimately.

    From the responses already received, looks like youre onto a winner and @chrish10 and @markofrespect couldnt be more deserving and decent chaps :D

  • http://johnnylaird.net Johnny Laird

    Good post!

    I love how – for those who are prepared to inhabit it without too much of an agenda – the digital world we're living in these days allows us to be so connected, and it's especially exciting when the virtual relationships become actual ones.

    I'll be followin you on Twitter from now on.

    J

  • http://www.topleftdesign.com/blog/2011/03/02/cheltenham-%e2%80%93-where-cafe-society-meets-social-media-a-guest-blog-by-betti-moser/ Cheltenham – where Café Society meets Social Media – a guest blog by Betti Moser « Improve Your Presence Online – Blog for Top Left Design

    [...] The #meet140 apparently started out in Cheltenham too, or at least it was started by @Chris_Hall1, who is based in Cheltenham. More about the story behind it here [...]