What would make you attend a network for professionals in your niché?

Question

We're a consultancy who are currently in the planning-phase of a new initiative where we want to establish a professional network for our clients (or anyone else interested in the tools and products we work with).In Denmark where we reside, we have a term called "ERFA-group" ("ERFA" is short for the danish word "Erfaring" which means "Experience" - thus an ERFA-group is a place for people to meet and exchange ideas). Typically an ERFA-group is a mix between a facilitated session (eg presentation of a daily topic) and an open discussion or workshop between the participants.I've both hosted and participated in groups like this before, but I feel like the crowd here on HN could certainly help me improve on the concept. I'm sure quite a few people in here participate in professional networks like this one - either open source projects or just professionally related arenas in general.The question is really:- What is it that keeps you coming back to a group like this?- What kills your motivation to join a group like this (eg "subtle selling from the organizer")?- What traits do a good professional community have in your eyes?- Would you ever be willing to pay to participate in a group like this?- What are the most important take-aways for you, when you spend time in networks like these (networking, knowledge, inspiration, peer-reviews etc.)?

dieselgate · Accepted Answer

Potentially some of this will depend on how one defines "attend a network" - like a networking "event" or an existing "network of individuals"? I've been a big fan of tech Meetups (Ruby and JS mostly) in various cities (meetup being capitalized because meetup.com is the proxy). They're free and "opensource" and nobody is selling anything really - there are opportunities to give talks and listen to talks. The biggest thing I like is maybe seeing the same people multiple times and having a "local" focus because people most likely live in the area where they're attending an event. I'd be willing to pay a cover charge to help support the organizational budget but would not personally go to a "proprietary" meetup/event. That's kind of what separates a conference from a meetup in my opinion, as well as conferences being longer.

Shinmon · Answer

- meetups with rather specific topics (e.g. python, local startup meetup, ...)
- regular schedule (every other monday, first monday in the month, ...)
- selling from the organizer definitely kills the motivations to go there regularly
- group traits: good mixture of junior and senior people => different levels of experience and know-how
- I would not pay for regular meetups, but probably for one-time networking events if I trust the organizer to make it good or if the company pays.
- I like short talks + discussion formats. barcamps are pretty cool, too. not gonna lie.

kopipe · Answer

Nothing. I'm physically disabled. Reaching everyone isn't possible.