Meet-ups have been popping up like dandelions after a spring rain, and we all are thrilled to see how they are enriching our community thanks to your enthusiasm.
Since they are a fairly new phenomenon, it seemed like a good idea to post some guidelines to makes sure each meetup is as great as possible. If you organise / attend a meetup, feel free to mention any other tips you think could be useful, based on your experience.
- To propose a meet-up, create a thread in the lounge.
If you have a place in mind, choose an informal venue like a café, where people can get drinks, and give the address and clear directions (google maps, we love you).
It doesn't have to be a café : one daring member has proposed a picnic in a park ! geeks out in nature, what a novel idea ! the perfect occasion to show off the amazing legibility of e-ink in full sunlight ! genius !
- Use the "Meet-Up!" thread prefix !! Alex made it specially so your meet-up will be easily visible.
- Location, location, location ! (oh, and date !!) Mention the city (if you know it), region, state (if in the US) AND COUNTRY in the thread title (you'd be amazed at just how many countries have a "north-west". Most of them, it turns out), and date (mid april, september 24).
Example :
"Edinburgh, Scotland MR Meet-up; Mid August?"
"Washington, DC Area MR Meet-up: Aug 23rd in Herndon (USA)"
- give one to two months' notice !! some people have really full calendars !
- Tell a mod when things start taking shape (look for the names in green) and we will make an official announcement so nobody misses it ! Remind us near the date when all the details are confirmed ; we will make a reminder announcement as well.
- BRING YOUR DEVICE if you have one. more than one is encouraged !
- Planning to come ? reply in the thread, and mention which device you will bring.*
- chat it up ! and not just amongst yourselves : if random strangers are intrigued, explain to them what the devices are for and write down the MobileRead URL (site address) so they can get more info.
- be visible and find each other easily !!! there's a pdf of the mobileread logo attached to this post which you can print out to make signs, so all the mr members will be able to find each other ! it's A4 size but it's a vector format, which means you can print it larger if you want. i've left a bit of space under the logo if you want to write in a message. you can also print it smaller if you prefer.
Any member can start a meet-up in their area ! don't be afraid, it's a matter of choosing a friendly café and a date, and starting a thread. easy !
Meet-ups are the perfect occasion to take a look at a lot of different liseuses in one place, and talk to actual users about their experiences. Perfect if you're trying to decide which one to buy !
If no meet-up is scheduled near you, or you just want to see one specific device and don't want to wait too long, also don't forget about the official "
see a device in your area hook-up thread" to set up a one-to-one demo.
That's all i can think of for the moment. Now go forth and congregate !
*Thanks Slayda for this tip.