It's Not the Shuttle Launch that Makes NASA's Tweetup a Success - It's the Right Topic + Right People

Given some stereotypes of social media users (I just told
a reporter from the German Press Agency that the Star Trek ones are
true :) ) this group is not a bunch of people who prefer to stare at their
iPhones instead of making eye contact.  In fact, their most defining
characteristic is the ability to have a great conversation.  They're
interesting and interested.  Their hyper sharing online translates into
hyper helpfulness offline.  And given the friendly nature of the
technical social channels, there's much more of a "we're all in this
together" feel than you would find at a space-focused industry
conference.  So this tweetup, far from comprised of 100 geeks who can fill out
an online form really fast, is a precision filter for knowledgeable,
passionate and uber-information sharing members of the new media. 

And since EVERY
company works in a sector where people are passionate about its ideas,
ANY company can enjoy similar success with atweetup.  No space shuttle
required.

(Cross-posted at SellingTomorrows.com)