Blogging With The Locals

The new year is a great time to create something.

Last year I posted Making Social Media Really Social, where I considered creating an in-person bloggers’ group. And last month, I did! While there are Meetup groups in other New York City boroughs, I wanted one for the people of Queens, the largest of the five. Ten people have signed up so far. A couple of weeks ago I hosted our first meeting, at the local library, and two fantastic women attended. The conversation alternated between content, dashboards and life. Saturday night’s was scheduled at a craft store, the idea being that many bloggers are makers, bakers and mommies. But the side roads were still challenging so that one was a bust.

Side note about those side roads: I didn’t feel the need to dig out my car after the blizzard last week and instead, spent a couple of hours on it Saturday. I started chipping and tossing packed snow and ended up with a wet, almost slushy mess. All so I could get to the non-meetup. Oh well, Trader Joe’s is in the same shopping center and it wasn’t too crowded. Their yummy balela chickpea salad might have been intended for a couple of people but I ate it all as soon as I got home. The shoveling paid off.

Blogging is fun but often solitary. Most people outside the little community of Bloglandia know nothing of the craft, making it not a great topic of conversation. So, I founded a group for the diverse local population. I envision it as a monthly-ish meeting at diners and libraries where we can encourage each other, share knowledge, offer feedback. I can’t wait to learn whatever the members have to offer.

And in the spirit of reaching out to other bloggers, this post will be part of the Blue Car Painted Green Linky. Not sure how that works but it’s all part of the learning process.