I managed to slip away for a few hours of networking and “shmoozing” last night, once again taking in a local social meet-up… Sure, maybe it wasn’t a GeoGeek event, however, there’s still plenty of value to be had and reasons for you to consider doing so yourself.

Have you attended similar events in your area? The reason I ask is that I noticed a good blog post  by a friend/colleague in NOCO, Dave Bouwman (@dbouwman) that inspired me to share some details in this post. In his post, Dave discusses the topic of technical innovation and creativity and wonders how other companies foster creativity within their team – Think incubator. There’s a number of ways to do this… for myself (and many of you I suspect) getting out to local meet-ups is one way to get the wheels turning. you might think, “oh, another tweetup or geekup”… perhaps, however, regardless of the main topic on the menu, I find these local meet-ups particularly valuable, even if they aren’t specifically Geo in content or topic. You never know who you’ll meet at such events, you’ll meet and mingle other local innovators, you’ll hear about technologies and ideas that perhaps you can incorporate into your business processes, you’ll interact with your local community. There’s a number of intangible benefits for taking in such events (I could easily go on), however, for the business owner, technology innovator, contractor, or budding Entrepreneur you’ll extend your local reach, exercise your mind, and most important help you to Co-operate locally and compete Globally… Think about it!

To locate similar events in your area I suggest you search out such common buzzwords, search terms, and hashtags as GeoGeek, GeoMeet, TweetUp, SocialClub, MeetUp, Ignite, Pecha-Kucha, any kind of “camp”  etc…  via your local, social media contacts. Keep an eye open for  OpenGov meets, “camps”, devmeets, MeetUps and other un-conferences that might be taking place near you and be sure to also check out popular local event resource listings from Eventful, MeetUp.com, EventBrite, Mashables monthly social media event calendar, and events promoted on industry facebook groups and LinkedIn groups. Finally, be sure to go with an open mind, meet some new people, have a beer, ask a couple of questions, take a few notes, and share what you liked with others, particularly your co-workers.

Some useful topics I’ve learned about that aren’t specifically “Geo” but are useful in our business include: tips on creating short videos, how to give n ignite presentation, how to plan an event, how to work with difficult people, how to take a good photo, using foursquare for business, success with Google business listings, intro to html 5, youtube success tips, what makes a good blog post, how to get re-tweeted, and many other valuable tips and tricks!

Here’s a few pics from a recent SMCvictoria meetup, pics from an OpenGov meet, and some images from a Geo DevMeetUp I attended in Colorado