White Plains Examiner TweetUp: 5 Reasons to Attend

There are at least five excellent reasons to attend The White Plains Examiner TweetUp to be held October 18 at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Restaurant in White Plains:

1. The pizza.
2. The people. Because this event was organized exclusively through social media — with virtually no expense and very little effort — the attendees are primarily people interested in networking with others who share their interest in leveraging technology for the purpose of building communities, engaging audiences and amplifying their message.
3. The drink specials.
4. The wings.
5. The Prizes.

I don’t know about you, but for me, a free sampling of pizza during the dinner hour would be reason enough. Throw in some free wings, drink specials and gift cards to be raffled off, and it’s a sure thing. Who wouldn’t sign on for that?

But the best reason to attend Tuesday’s TweetUp is the people who will be there. A look at the online invitation shows that forty or so of Westchester’s most influential people in the social media community have already signed up. I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended meetings with many of these people — and I’ve learned numerous priceless social media tips and strategies along the way.

As much as I appreciate the value of social media, there is nothing that can take the place of real, in-person networking with people who know their stuff. I’m confident that Tuesday’s event at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza Restaurant will be such an event with great opportunities.

About two years ago, I helped organize the First Westchester TweetUp at POUR Cafe and Wine Bar in Mount Kisco, along with Andy Barovick, Chris Dessi, Anthony Colasacco, Sarah O’Grady, Polly Kreisman and the publisher of this newspaper, Adam Stone. The group later became known as Westchester140, and went on to organize five highly successful social media events before the founders went on their separate ways.

I believe those early social media events were influential for many in the Westchester community, and that the effects continue to be felt today. Certainly, each of the Westchester 140 participants continue to influence and shape the Westchester social media community today — as award-winning journalists, content creators, community builders, television personalities and more.

Those events also led me to meet others with unique and diverse viewpoints, talents and ideas with respect to social media and new technology. People like Gerald Stern, Rhonda Hurwitz and Denise Treco — each of whom helped me take social media to a next level, possibly without even realizing they had done so.

Some of the people listed above are already signed up for Tuesday’s event, and I guarantee you could learn something valuable from every single one of them. There will be dozens of others there that night as well, and I’m looking forward to meeting as many as possible. They all have a story to tell, and I’ll be listening. If you make it to the event, come over and tell me yours.

Chris S. Cornell is the Director of Social Media at Thompson & Bender — a Westchester-based PR, advertising and marketing firm. He manages several online communities, and consults, speaks and writes about social media. You can follow Chris on Twitter, or join the community he manages on the Westchester Social Media Facebook page.

Adam Stone

Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.