Hello!

As always, I apologize for giving you yet another site to login to. Hopefully this will change eventually, whenever Twitter implements OAuth (a way to pass your verification on to outside sites without having to share your password). But for now, the best way to find out about new tweetups is simply to join the group. Please note: if you do not edit your zip code, it will set your city to the default for this group, which is Norfolk. Afterward, please make sure to edit your profile for this group and put your Twitter name (at least) in the section that mentions Twitter.

Now that you're a member, it'd be a good idea to follow @tweetup757_, as this account will post very important things only. @tweetup757 chit chats from time to time, but @tweetup757_ will post "tweetup in 1 hour at location, call xxx if you're lost", and "disabled veh in HRBT East" (if I know about it, anyway), as well as "tweetup moved to another location after ruckus". It is highly advised that you disable text alerts for @tweetup757 if you do not want a deluge, and enable them for @tweetup757_ as those will be important.

That's about it for joining. If you ever want to know when the next tweetup is, you can text "whois tweetup757" and you should get a response with the info.

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The original plan for meetups is simple: Hampton Roads is big, and it takes a long time to get from newport news to norfolk. Let's not make people drive too far. On even numbered months, we have smaller "local" tweetups, which will probably work well for Virginia Beach and Norfolk but not so much for Newport News and Williamsburg since people there don't use Twitter. On odd numbered months, we'll have a single meetup, and we should be alternating that between southside and peninsula to enable the local groups to 'mingle' with the area group.

Because you have a life (don't you?), you're not always available. That's fine. I just ask that you tell us when you are. We'll try to find a time that works for the most people, and rotate which day of the week the meetup is on to help out. You can also tell us where you'd like to meet up. If you'd like to plan your own tweetup, you can do that too.

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I have been thinking about using direct messages on twitter to notify people of tweetups, I just don't like doing it because there is no indication of a new DM except in e-mail or a twitter client (is there?). I have also been thinking of direct messaging the over 150 people who follow @tweetup757, are local, but aren't in the meetup group. This post is actually being written for them, so that it can be easy to see that joining is a good idea. If I could code (or find some assistants who can help me build some web software, either in php or ruby or something), I could spec out some excellent software to manage this kinda thing.

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Don't forget to check out other meetups in the area! They may be relevant to your interests.