Presented at PodCamp Nashville 2 "Some of the best things in life creep up on you. Kelly Stewart worked a year to break into social networking, build street cred, and to intentionally create buzz around his new media endeavors. However, quietly under the radar (and outside of premeditation) his outdoor club Nashville Hiking Meetup was building at an incredible rate. In summer 2008 he realized this little club had become the connected, energized social network that new media douchebags dream of. Hear lessons learned and the potential pitfalls of calculated (versus accidental) social networks."

1. Accidental Social Networks
Kelly Stewart
kelstew@gmail.com
twitter.com/kellystewart
twitter.com/nashvillehiking

2. Background
• Designer and project manager
pulled into sales
• Interactive marketing guy
• Pretty pictures backed up with data
• Connector
• Organizer of Nashville’s first
BarCamp and PodCamp

3. This…is a story…

4. This…is a story…

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Stewart
kelstew@gmail.com
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17. Nashville Hiking Meetup
• Hiking and outdoors, social events,
community service
• 1699 members, adding 4.9 members per day
• 5 events per week
• Collectively gifted 1870 volunteer hours

18. Lessons
• The mall effect of Meetup.com
• Work with the end in mind
• If you don’t have data, go out and get it
• Embrace multiple networks
• Nothing beats real life interaction
• Treat your hobbies like a little business
• Real life doesn’t happen as fast as the stuff
on the tube(s)

19. The Tubes
• http://kellystewart.com
• http://nashvillehiking.com
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nashville-
Hiking-Meetup/98083045540
• http://twitter.com/nashvillehiking
• http://twitter.com/kellystewart
• http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?trip
Id=334808
• http://cinnamonpants.com