360DigitalInfluence

This weekend saw the New York Knicks host what they billed as the first ever fan #tweetup, at their home court, the legendary Madison Square Garden here in New York City. They put together a very impressive panel to chat social media and catch a game, and really pulled out all the stops: three big screens broadcasting tweets, official #tweetup t-shirts and those cute little tweetup nametag stickers.  The event was sponsored by Discount Tire: definitely a little different than your run of the mill ‘few folks in a bar’ #tweetup.

The panel featured Amy Jo Martin, head honcho of @digitalroyalty (the folks who did, among other things Random Acts of Shaqness),  Peter Robert Casey ( the first ever media accredited micro-blogger, he covers St John’s basketball here: @Peter_R_Casey), Jim DeLorenzo (a VP at Octagon, the guys who have developed Twackle, a sports tweet aggregator), and Jack Dorsey* (founder of Twitter and Square).  Three sports/marketing folks, and one guy who hand in inventing (or popularizing, depending on how you look at it) micro-blogging. A serious panel indeed.

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Is this how you engage your social networks?

As a digital strategist and frequent blogger, I spend a lot of time engaging with friends and brands while facing a computer screen or holding a mobile phone.  Always seeking new ways to connect, I’ve discovered tweetups as a great way to connect with influencers, yet make more of an impression than an online interaction.

What’s a tweetup?  A tweetup is an in person event where brands or individuals who share a common interest get together.  Usually, tweetup participants are active on Twitter, but that is by no means a requirement.

As a tweetup enthusiast and a creator of tweetups myself, I’ve seen what works well and what does not achieve the desired result.  For those considering tweetups as a means to connect with a key audience, I ask - is a tweetup the right forum for your brand or cause?

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