FreshNetworks Blog

FreshNetworks and e-mint last hosted a community manager meet-up in our very own Holborn last night, and it was great to hook up and talk shop (and other stuff) with some really interesting social media professionals.

Community managers were well-represented, but we also hosted a couple of curious print journalists, CEOs of exciting new start-ups wanting to learn about UGC and social media integration and product managers.

The wine flowed and the nachos and snacks went down easily (a little too easily in my case) and even the shyest attendees were circulating and meeting new friends and contacts.

Hosting meet-ups like this is an essential part of promoting community management, collaborative working and helping bring people together to share experiences and knowledge in an informal, relaxed setting.

The nature of social media work means that a higher proportion than in most professions are home-workers, which is fantastic, but missing out on water cooler conversations and the novelty of looking someone in the eye when you’re discussing the impact of iPhone apps, out-of-hours moderation or greater broadband penetration in all socio-economic groups is a welcome treat.

We’re planning on running a similar event in a few months time, and will be arranging a speaker and tweaking the organisation on the basis of feedback – in this modern world, good old paper nametags are still a requisite we’ve learned.

If you attended, would like to attend or are interested in speaking at our next event, please do drop us a line.