It’s important to preface this post by saying that I am a huge geek. From VLOOKUPs to PivotTables to OFFSETs, I’ve spent way too much time tinkering around in Excel and can give you a lecture on why I think spreadsheet software should never move completely to the Cloud. But this isn’t about me. This is about an entirely different set of geeks. This is about Social Media Club Seattle (or, as you may refer to their events, #smcsea). This is about a place where I fit right in.
Over the past year since I’ve moved to Seattle, SMC Seattle has provided a number of events and functions to help me meet other folks in the area. Buena Vista Social Club was about dancing and music, this social club is about tweeting and Facebook. I’ve listened to talks about crowdsourcing and corporate Tweeting and carried on lengthy conversations about WordPress and Facebook. It’s rare to find such a large range of people, all unified by two common denominators: geekdom and a love for social media (though they may go hand-in-hand).
If you’re a Seattleite, and you love tech, their events are absolutely worth attending – they’re filled with intelligent, informed and interesting people engaged in social media. Their board members also include some of the most influential folks in social media, so they know what they’re doing when it comes to creating captivating events. It’s also an extremely tight-knit group, and I consider myself fortunate to have become friends with many SMC Seattle regulars.
These events are different from gaming or tech conventions, where the vast majority of people have a similar background. SMC Seattle events have plenty of programmers and developers, yes. But you’ll also find marketers, program managers, baristas, copywriters and even former airplane pilots.
These are experienced geeks. They are well-versed in the language of social media, and they’re not afraid to show it. But that doesn’t make them unapproachable either. All conversations are welcome at SMC Seattle, whether you’re talking about new ways to improve your social media ROI or just learning how to put together your Facebook Fan page. It’s a forum for learning and discussing.
However, SMC Seattle is not without its inside geekery and name-dropping. If you’re at an event, you’ll hear Chris Pirillo’s (founder of Gnomedex and SMC Seattle board member) name dropped a half dozen times. You may find yourself involved in a half dozen conversations that are way over your head. But just ask questions if you don’t understand, and you’ll find people willing to help explain things. The beauty of SMC Seattle (and social media in general), is that though we’re all geeks, we were all new to this thing less than five years ago. The learning curve isn’t as steep as it may seem sometimes, and you’ll always find a helping hand.
Though SMC Seattle attendees may all be geeks, they’re also all extremely different and interesting in a multitude of different ways. So come out to the next SMC Seattle event, and introduce yourself to a dozen geeks you’ve never met. You’ll learn a great deal about technology and social media, and you’ll meet some lovely people. It’s an absolute win-win.
Photos from LifeAsArt
