How to Host a Flock Meetup
What is a Meetup?
A meetup is a local event where a bunch of folks interested in the same thing get together, and shoot the breeze. There are as many different types of meetups as there are things to be passionate about, but common meetup groups include blogging, photography, programming and even knitting. Usually, it involves a bunch of these people meeting at a restaurant and spending the evening together sharing stories, joking around, making new friends and generally having a good time.
Start Small
Your first meetup will likely be a small. It takes a little time for word to spread and everyone that wants to come won't be able to. If you hold more meetups and people have a fun time, you can bet that word will spread.
Find a Venue
Finding a venue is a good first step. Try to find somewhere central in your area. Cafes, delis and family restaurants make great locations. Call to make a reservation for something reasonable, keep any eye on the RSVPs and be sure to let them know if it grows larger or if you expect fewer people. Meetups and beer are fun, but please drink responsibly and consider venues that don't refuse minors - Flock fans can be any age.
Pick a date and time
Check event websites like Meetup.com and Upcoming.org. and try to find a night in the next 2-4 weeks that doesn't have any complimentary events at the same time. The more time you give people, the more likely they will be able to reschedule any conflicts, find a babysitter, etc. Once you have the date, time and venue try really hard not to change these - not everyone will see the changes.
Post on your event
We suggest posting on both Meetup.com and Upcoming.org, both are popular event websites. Point people to both and include some contact info so they don't have to sign up for a new service just to RSVP.
Invite people
Invite your friends that might be interested in Flock. Send an email out on the Flockstars mailing list announcing the meetup and inviting anyone in the area. Post on the Flock forum or Flock groups on social networking sites. Local groups that are interested in online communities, cool technology and computer culture are great sources of interested folks. Be sure to include the links to the event on Meetup.com and Upcoming.org. We'll pick it up and post it on the Flock blog too.
Tell Us
Email Community Ambassador Evan Hamilton at evan at flock dot com and let him know you're holding a meetup. He can post it on the Flock blog, and if given enough of a heads up, can send you a sweet swag package.
Have fun
Make new friends, share stories, take pictures, make a video - most of all have a good time. Blog it, send us an email and let us know how it goes.
Sample Invite Text
"Join us for our first/second/third [your city] Flock meetup. Meet other Flock users and find out more about the social web browser. Share what you like about about Flock, what can be improved and what new features you want to see. Whether you use Flock already or just want to know more before you try it out, come on down!"
