Ballywho News

At Ballywho Interactive, we think about social media nearly 24/7. A few of us even have dreams about Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare— you name it. But even for us, sometimes it’s important to remember our messages on social media don’t live in a vacuum.

Real people with real opinions are reading the content we’re sharing online every single day. And since hundreds, in some cases thousands, of them never respond back, it’s easy to forget they’re out there. So when Mashable, the Social Media Guide website we scan religiously, announced its inaugural Social Media Day we couldn’t have been more excited.

The site’s goal was to “connect thousands of people face-to-face in their local communities, provide resourceful discussions around social media, and plant a seeds for ongoing monthly meetups that enable people to network and learn from one another” on June 30 worldwide.

The organizer in Tampa, social media strategist Kyle Williams (@kylewilliams2 on Twitter), said when he first heard about Social Media Day, he got started on the plans to hold it at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company in Ybor City right away.

And word of the event spread quickly online. Of course, we were in. And so were the dozens who showed up including many well-known Tampa tweeters: Tampa Tribune food writer @JeffHouck, Blue-haired blogger @missdestructo and writer and producer of Midlife Road Trip @McMedia.

A few TV personalities including WFLA-TV chief meteorologist Steve Jerve (@sjervewfla) didn’t want to miss the event, along with his Storm Team 8 coworkers Megan Hatton (@meganhatton) and social media newcomer Brooks Garner (@brooksgarner) who admitted he’d never been to a tweetup of any kind before.

Even semi-retired film critic Bob Ross (@bobross48) showed up. He admitted he likes his place on Facebook more, but did manage to tweet from the event: “Just attended my first mashable meetup. Great fun, but everyone says I need to tweet more. I’ll try.”

Mashable hopes the next Social Media Day meetup will happened worldwide on July 28. Will you be there? Here are some tips before you go:

1. Bring plenty of business cards. Don’t be caught off guard when someone asks for your contact information.
2. Introduce yourself to people you have already “met” in the social media world. It’s important to put names to the avatars.
3. Introduce yourself to people you haven’t met. If you’re not normally outgoing, you may want to go with a friend or group of friends.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about social-media related things you don’t understand. Many people who go to these events have a wealth of knowledge or can at least point you in the right direction.
5. Make sure your smartphone is fully charged. You want to be able to tweet, Facebook, take pictures, etc.
6. Be a gracious guest. Thank the organizers and tip the wait staff or bartenders.
7. Follow up with people you met online. Accept their friend requests, follow them back on Twitter— stay connected.