"Not a fan of meetups? Here is why you should."

One way to meet new people, to make friends or practice your social skills, is going to meetups and conferences.

Over the last six months, I've gone to a dozen of Meetups, conferences, and events met some fun people who later turned out to be my friends. I haven't created or run any groups myself, yet I see how that have potential. This article will share what I've learned.

The first problem you face in the meetups are colleagues; there are always elder people in the groups but no peers. From the meetups, I have attended I rarely saw teenagers. But I never worried about the social dynamics of meetups. Some of the events I participated are big where everyone circulates and mingles at a pub. Other activities are smaller and more activity-focused, like five people getting together to go for a hike. Below I'll focus on the bigger meet-and-greet type, but some of the ideas will apply to the smaller ones as well. But definitely, you get at least five new friends from every meetup you attend. Sometimes they will be CEO or CTO's. Pretty much everyone gets nervous before their first meet up or two, ( for me it took up to five meetups ) especially if they're going alone and everyone is new. It's an uncertain, unfamiliar social situation, and it's only natural to feel some anticipatory anxiety. Keep in mind that it will be only for a short time. At smaller meet ups the dynamic will be that of a casual group conversation, and you'll automatically be part of it as soon as you show up. At larger meetups, you need to mingle actively, but the reason everyone's there is to talk to new people, so starting or joining in a conversation is very easy. The simplest way to start talking to a single individual is to introduce yourself. Once the conversation begins you can ease into it by spending a minute or two asking about nothing-fancy topics such as: "Is this your first meet up?" "How long have you been in town?" "Do you work or go to school? / "Where do you work?", "What are you majoring in?" "What kind of stuff do you do for fun?" I If the group is hobby-related, you can ask about your shared interest. Approaching groups are just as straightforward. You can go up and introduce yourself, or saddle up to them, listen to their conversation for a bit, and then chime. From there you can stay in the group discussion, or if it seems appropriate, turn to someone beside you and have a one-on-one chat with them. If you've been at the event for a few hours and have had your fill, of course, it's fine if you want to take off. However, at social meetups, it's not unusual for a smaller group to stick around and decide to go somewhere else after. If you click on them changing venues can be a good way to bond further and feel like you're getting to know each other and are on the road to becoming friends. Memorize these words: "Can I introduce myself?" That's it. Four magic words that will let you start a conversation with anyone, at any tech meetup you'll ever go. I have used this to meet strangers for last six months. No one has ever said no.