I attended my first Social Media Club function this morning (does 7:30 AM count as morning? Or is that still part of last night? It was eeeeearrly).

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a very friendly group, open to newbies and veterans alike. There was about 30 minutes of general gettin’ to know ya, and then a very loosly moderated conversation, led by Bryan Person of www.bryper.com and the originator of Social Media Breakfasts. The conversation could have gone on for hours. My favorite feedback was was around how to introduce new people to the overwhelming world of social media. I immediately raised my hand and said ‘moderation’ (start with something you already like, and start small. Don’t add 500 people to Twitter or you’ll have so much clutter you won’t be able to find the ‘gems’). Someone else raised their hand and said he tells them what to STOP doing (stop going out to sites, instead adopt RSS, stop adding bookmarks on different computers, adopt del.icio.us, etc.). I do those things already, but never though to explain them to people that way (stopping vs. starting), it was insightful.

It was a good primer for SXSWi (which, I can’t believe, is almost upon us). Pardon me while I sleep for the next 10 days because once the festival starts, there will be none.