As the FB invites and upcoming feeds will no doubt have informed you the December meet has a bit of a festive flavour — we’re going to go crazy on glühwein and sausages at Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market.
Meet under the singing moose at any time after 6pm – Tuesday 9th December, retire to a local pub (the Wellington [EDIT- confirmed]) when you get too cold.
Singing Rudolph by roogi
Why did I enjoy last night’s bloggers’ meet (ask me about the apostrophe) more than any other? It was partly because we did more than sit in a pub, partly because we did sit in pub and partly because new people came. However I think it was principally because the bloggers meetings are increasingly ripe with opportunity and optimism.
Jo Geary talked to the folk in the early part of the evening about Friday’s Birmingham Social Media Cafe, (time and venue here). For those who are new to the idea it’s inspired by the the principles and ambitions of the Tuttle Club in London, established by Lloyd Davis as a place/occassion where those professionally involved in social media can meet, share skills, knowledge, contacts, opportunities, invent and reinvent. I’m going to break my tuttle duck a week on Friday.
So Birmingham will tuttle thanks to Jo’s organisation and some coffee sponsorship from the Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves. Why this excites me is who it brings to the city. Andy Dickinson is heading down from Lancaster to share his knowledge of video, it will be my first chance to meet Christian Payne, Paul Henderson is coming from Rural Net, Dave Briggs and I’m told, I think, Ewan McIntosh. (correction Ewanspence – Mr M is of course also handsomely welcome.) Obviously lots of other lovely people will be here too.
The evening also gave me a chance to catch up with Stuart Parker who has written here the blog post I would have composed had I said anything on this site about government plans to spend £300 million of laptops and broadband for the poorest. It echoes earlier arguments. Steve Cooper came for the first time and thought we were pretty friendly but expressed something I’ve heard a few times:
Bit difficult to really break into a group, still was my first time as an attendee but hopefully will get round to speak to more at the next one.
Steve also took some top photos of All the People in All The World, the Stan’s Cafe show which very kindly played host to us for our first hour or so. Jon Bounds and I provided them with www.thericeshow.com, a simple aggregator site for online reactions to the who. They added the statistic in the image above whilst we were there.
Other people it was good to see coming along were Brian Simpson and Simon Howes plus David Louis who blogs to support his product design business and is very passionate about Jewellery Quarter heritage. There were two people that bounder tells me were from www.diceproductions.co.uk, if you read this please remind me of your names! Other first timers who’s names or blogs I didn’t recall please let me know – praps leave a message.
I think the effort to do more than just go to a pub led to some who’d been reluctant to come, or come back showing more interest. I didn’t see either Bobbie Gardner or Kate Chapman, but I was delighted that they had said they would try and make it.
Any more ideas for events where we might meet very welcome. I know I haven’t mentioned everyone, so apologies and thanks all for such an enjoyable evening.
If you think you’ve read this before, you have. First posted here.
Tuesday September 23rd 2008.
PART 1: CAFE AT OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN ALL THE WORLD 6.30 PM – 8PM (AE HARRIS Northwood Street)
PART 2 8PM TILL WHENEVER – QUEENS ARMS PUB CHARLOTTE STREET.
This time we are meeting in two places, a show and then a pub. From 6.30 pm we are all more than welcome to meet in the cafe that has been set up to accompany Of All the People in All The World - also known as the rice show. Stan’s Cafe theatre company will be delighted to waive the £2.50 entrance fee to the show for any Birmingham Bloggers. (map) Also in the cafe at 7pm Joana Geary will be around to talk to folk about the first daytime meeting of Birmingham’s Social Media Cafe – which is next Friday. The location is below and the photo on this events page shows you want to expect to find when you get to AE Harris (see picture below).
The 2nd venue is a pub, the Queen’s Arms on The corner of Charlotte Street and Newhall Street (map). I’ve chosen this because a number of people have asked for venues a bit more convenient for railway stations and although this is 5 to 10 minutes walk from New Street it is nearer than other parts of the J Quarter. See pic below:
For more information see the events page on facebook.
Tickets are now on sale (at £35 or £70 if you’re feeling philanthropic) for the two days of WordPress geekery that will be WordCamp UK. It’s to be held at The Studio (formerly the Orange Studio) just off New St in Birmingham. Saturday and Sunday 19th & 20th of July
I’m trying to organise some sort of social events around the weekend, an informal drinky-poos for those in town on the Friday and something more involved on the Saturday night. Any ideas or offers of help are welcome (email me or have a splurge on the wiki). We should show these bloggers a good time in Brum if we can.
No agenda, no fixed time (turn up and leave when you like on “Monday Evening”, just a social — unless you know/want different.
The venue is a nice pub by the canal (sort of behind the ICC), friendly and alternative-ish by memory. According to Danny Smith: “flap is nice been refurbed (coat of paint), dead on a monday and if its nice we can sit outside, plenty of room out there”
If there’s something you’d like to talk about raise it here so we can all have a think 
Join in — use this space to talk about anything web-ish in Brum. You can sign up for yourself on the talk-board (Paradise Forum), or if you want to blog drop us a line.
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