Creating Community

It was 2005 when I signed up for Facebook and explored this world of pictures from last night after they’d been uploaded from an actual camera, and statuses that changed more frequently than AIM away messages. I adapted to this new way of communicating and interacting, a way that at the time seemed to focus more on what happened when we got together, and less about the online world we were creating.

In 2008 I signed up for Twitter after hearing about it from a friend. I didn’t quite understand it at first. Why would I want to be connected to a bunch of strangers? But eventually I started to feel a part of a community where maybe I wouldn’t meet any of these people, but I felt like I really knew them. Their interests, what made them laugh, where they stood politically, and who they knew in real life.

Eventually I started to attend tweetups – gatherings, usually at a bar, where a group of Twitter users meet in person. And after years of being on Twitter, I started to have friends IRL who I met on this network. In fact, I even met my previous roommates through Twitter!

After all these years of living online, one thing I’ve noticed is how I’ve grown to crave community that exists beyond a screen. It was partly for this selfish reason that at Pravda Media Group I pushed to create #B2BTalks – events that occur regularly to bring together B2B marketers in Israel. At these events we have two goals: bring people together to meet and network, and provide valuable content through panel discussions, workshops, and more.

So far we’ve had three bar nights and a breakfast workshop, and our next event is taking place June 22nd – sign up here!

In this digital world we’ve focused on bringing people together in person first. Now we’re taking a look at how we can grow our community to reach people internationally. We invite you to join our newly created LinkedIn group where, in addition to updates about the #B2BTalks events, you can find articles on all aspects of B2B marketing, discussions on the challenges marketers face today, and more.

I look forward to growing this community with you, and maybe even meeting in real life.