Q1: What is the best way to reach an active audience in the real world? #mybxb

Q1 We've tried different events aimed at different parts of our audience - concerts, monthly happy hours, etc. #mybxb

#mybxb q1: Actually being in the real world. We hold monthly get-togethers where staff and readers can mingle.

What kind of turnout do you think works best at get-togethers? #mybxb

Q1 Gone into it knowing that not everyone will be comfortable in every setting. It depends on what else is going on #mybxb

Not sure there is a best, but community events are also great places to engage your readership. Being a part of the community. #mybxb

#mybxb It's easy to forget people on the web are real people — hence the nastiness in comments sometimes. In person events counteract that.

agreed w/@gsamek on #mybxb Q1. we've done street fairs, fests, conferences... @me3dia, you do this a lot. what are your best practices?

#mybxb Q1: @TheRapidian's done monthly get-togethers; sometimes we get creative. picnic potlucks, ice cream socials, happy hrs

@michelemclellan We've never had more than about 50-60 people, but when you are talking dozens, not hundreds, the more the better. #mybxb

#mybxb @michelemclellan Not sure how to answer that. We get anywhere from a dozen to hundreds, depending on if there's free beer. ;)

#mybxb For 1:1 interaction, smaller is easier, but the editors & I are still able to meet lots of people in the larger events.

Q1 @michelemclellan same as @me3dia; we've had 12 and we've had 150. It just depends... #mybxb

#mybxb @dennetmint I make sure to wear a @gapersblock t-shirt, so I'm easily identifiable.

#mybxb I make sure to move around and say hi to new faces. It means not getting very deep with any 1 person, but connecting with many.

ooh here's a #mybxb follow-up: as silly as it sounds, our attendance is heavily affected by weather. how have you contended with that?

@dennetmint it's been weird for us. Our biggest crowds always come out when the weather's the worst. Go figure #mybxb

@dennetmint We have the same weather related problem. #mybxb

Besides beer, what motivates folks to show up at get-togethers? #mybxb

#mybxb @dennetmint Deep cold often makes attendance drop, but otherwise we Chicagoans tend to ignore the weather. ;)

@michelemclellan we've found social media influence matters a lot. get the big names to tweet, rsvp and others take notice #mybxb

#mybxb @michelemclellan We get folks who are interested in promoting something of their own, fanboys/girls, friends of staffers...

@michelemclellan they'll come out just to have a chance to engage with each other & contributors offline. That's enough sometimes #mybxb

#mybxb Q1 We've co-hosted tweetups, happy hours, etc. & we co-sponsor cultural events including an arts festival and lit conference.

#mybxb Q1 We'd like to do topical civic forums as well, at some point. We also go to events where people are vs. just hosting our own.