If you’re in Reading or anywhere in the wide surrounding area, mark your diary for Friday March 13, 2009 at 10:00am for the inaugural get-together of the Thames Valley Social Media Cafe.
Inspired a great deal by Lloyd Davis and what he started in London with the Social Media Cafe aka the Tuttle Club, TVSMC (or will it become known as the ‘Reading Tuttle’?) is a venue/idea/connector for anyone who simply wants to meet up at a convenient and pleasant location in the heart of the Thames Valley.
Quite a few people have been in parallel thinking about setting up something in Reading. When I tweeted some thoughts at the weekend, I discovered that Drew Benvie and Matt Brady were also discussing this idea.
So the ideas have now come to fruition – how much more discussion do you need other than “let’s do it”? – and the first TVSMC will take place next week at Workhouse Coffee on the Oxford Road in Reading. This place comes highly recommended by Drew (and has a good review). No wifi, though, so I guess we’ll all have to talk to each other. 
Thanks to Benjamin Ellis for setting up the the wiki. Signing up is easy.
Looking forward to it!
(Note: the image above of a compilations of public Twitter avatars is illustrative only and doesn’t suggest that anyone recognizable is planning to be at the TVSMC!)
Twitter Comment
[Blog] Social media cafe comes to Reading [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
London to Thames, social media cafes are up. Shd we have 1 in India? Maybe one of the coffee chains can sponsor. Pls RT [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
I think its a great idea to have such cafes where people can catch up with each other and indulge in their long pending gossips and conversations and reconcile. Tie-up with a coffee chain is definitly an added advantage since coffee shops have always been associated with long chats & friendly meetings.
However, I would love to know more as to how social media comes into the picture and makes the concept a different one. Why would a coffee chain sponsor it? Do we really have a scope for something like this in India where people stick to the most conventional of things??
There is also a fortnightly tweetup in Reading. You can find more details at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1844808/
Great to see this happening Neville,
I’d been speaking with Bryan Person about setting up Social Media Breakfasts for the UK. So it seems like we’re all on the same page when it comes to our desire to network more in the real world.
I’m also looking at starting regular informal Thames Valley Tweetups with @timalmond (starting in Swindon I think).
I look forward to the first meeting of TVSMC