A few years ago, we began a Johnny Appleseed-like trek through Central Iowa, pitching the benefits of blogging to augment ones business voice.
I'd meet 'students' at Panera on University and soon, a networking web exploded. About two years ago, we began meeting informally on the First Friday of each month. Just a handful of folks at first. Now — we fill the restaurant with Central Iowa Bloggers.
From my (limited) perspective, it's a great meeting for three reasons:
- It's an offline example of the blogosphere/twitterverse. From the outside, the din of multiple conversations sounds like noise. But examine each conversation close-up – and there's value in each and every exchange for those engaged.
- A support system and listening crew. At one point, we were all new to this conversation place. Many start wondering if anyone will listen. In Central Iowa, you have a built-in launching pad of a community base 50-75 strong. Nice!
- A great networking opportunity. There is no agenda/schedule for our meeting. Very informal. A great place to announce new plans, collaborate on new ideas, and exchange best practices. I get jazzed every time we meet.
And the next one is this Friday. 8:00 AM. Panera U (our campus at 6740 University Ave, WDM)
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Find Your Social Media ROI
I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.
