Proposed Ciao Meets > Reviews (16)

ARE YOU A MAN OR A(NONY)MOUS(E)?

Participating actively in an online community – whether through Ciao, Facebook, Twitter, DooYoo and many others – is a slightly surreal experience. These on-line communities sometimes operate by a slightly different set of rules than “real” life. A carefully selected photo (or none at all), a generalised user name and the remote interaction through an internet connection offer relative anonymity. People deal with that in different ways. Some choose to create a new persona altogether that is different from how they behave in real life, others are exactly as they seem, with the internet simply an on-line extension of themselves. The reality is probably somewhere between the two.

One of the advantages of Ciao (over DooYoo for instance) is that if a photo is submitted , it is (in most cases) a decent representation of the individual. No doubt, most of us choose something that shows us in our best light, but at least it’s not our progeny, a flower, a bit of scenery or some other such avatar. Society makes a lot of judgments based on initial appearance. Ciao is no different, but here we only have a carefully selected photo, writing ability and on-line behaviour to guide our impressions. The remote connection robs us of the ability to read body language, listen to the tone and timbre of a voice, and the ability to make eye contact – so the information on which we base our judgment of people is far more limited.

THE MEET & GREET

Anyway, enough philosophising. Behind every username there is a real person, someone with a character, a personality, a point of view and a reason to be on Ciao. So, here’s the challenge. Why not cast aside the cloak of invisibility, the mask of anonymity and the shield of your PC for an evening and join a few of us for a drink and a chinwag, after work, in London sometime in the next month or two (World Cup permitting)? I already have a few names who have bravely thrown their names into the ring. I will publish a list of those who have expressed an interest in attending unless specifically told by that person not to. Anyone who wants to preserve their anonymity is free to divulge only their username on the night.

THE SKINNY

If you are interested (or, in true Ciao style, just wanted to express an opinion on it) either leave a comment or send a message to my guestbook so I can gauge interest and numbers before proposing some dates and potential venues (likely to be Central London). Any constructive suggestions would be very welcome. I will (optimistically) set up a Gmail address and update this page in due course to help coordinate things, so it might be a good idea for you to bookmark it in your Favourites if the idea appeals.

I could also use a hand with organising things as I am in full time work at the moment and time is at a premium.

So there we have it. Join us. What’s the worst that could happen?

LATEST (as at 4th August)

Venue

AllBarOne
44-46 Ludgate Hill
London EC4M 7DE
http://www.allbarone.co.uk/allbaroneludg​atehill/findus/

We will be meeting from 3pm onwards

The location is about 5m walk from St Paul's tube station (Central Line) which provides good connections to most major London access points.

The No.21 bus from Waterloo also stops nearby if you are using that station.

For bespoke directions, try the Journey Planner on the TfL web-site (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/).

We have NOT booked a separate area for the Ciao Meet, but have been assured by management that the bar is quiet at weekends and rarely gets busy, so spotting us should not be a problem, and there will be plenty of space to go around.

There will be no planned activities or events - this is a simple meet and greet - conversation and a few drinks should be plenty enough for us to generate both entertainment and atmosphere.

Thanks to the Ciao Team!

The Ciao team will be sending me a box of gifts and freebies to give away to attendees. I will have enough stuff for the list of attendees as it stood on 27th July. You are free to join us at the last minute anyway, there's just no guarantee there will be enough stuff to go around...

POST-MEET WRAP UP

A big shout out to those who made the effort to turn out.

Thanks to/for:

plipplopfromdooyoo
For his shades, lager shandies, and commentary on fashion crimes

duskmaiden
For the tour of St Paul's and being an all round good egg

torr
For turning out to be the legend I always imagined he'd be.

rosebud2001
For making the trip down from Scotland and not being nearly as cynical and curmudgeonly as she claims to be

hishyeness
(that's me)

hiker
For being good company on the never ending stairs

sghawken
For finding us a venue and getting it spot on

catsholiday & Emma
For continuing to let us travel the world vicariously through her experiences, and for bringing her lovely daughter along

hogsflesh
For his late entrance, which was worth every minute of the wait

wolfey59
For getting me to buy her a drink I'd never heard of

TempusFugit
For a welcome reunion

Richada (& Adrianna)
For lending an air of gravitas to proceedings

D i a n e
For being brave enough to travel in with two adorable pre-schoolers in tow

Olly_Plimsoll
For the banter, the catching up, and the cracking conversation

mattygroves
For Long Island reminisces and American beer

Marymoose
For making the long trip down to the Big Smoke and the promise of a lanyard review

Soho_Black
For being such a solid, stand-up geezer and a pleasure to get to know

Fuzzy98
For turning up - better late than never!

You all made the effort and organisation absolutely worthwhile. Looking forward to the promised lanyard and Post-meet reviews and photos. 8^)

© Hishyeness 2010