So What is the YNR Social Hour?
David made mention of the YNR Social Hour (it’s actually about two hours long) in a previous post and I figured I’d explain it a little for those who are wondering what the heck he was talking about.
David spearheaded the formation of a somewhat regular (every two or three weeks) event which aims to get together entrepreneurs (attempting, current, and past) in a social environment for networking. Part of the reason Coty and I started our irregular dinner series was to get folks to know each other in a focused setting by having the number of attendees small and manageable. David’s events are on the other end of the spectrum - mass amounts of people (relatively) in a social environment where you can get to know people and what they’re working on. It isn’t a setting to talk about deep business issues but that isn’t the point.
Both of these events are important for our community building efforts in Atlanta. But how do you know when the next event is? That is part of the strategy we’ve had for both events. We’ve kept the timing and location controlled so that we don’t experience a huge influx of non-entrepreneurs (read: vendors). There are enough events in and around town where you can find vendors. We don’t need to start another one.
So if you want to be involved in this community and get the benefits of knowing people locally, start networking with folks. It’s pretty likely that people you already know have attended either one of these events. And when you find that person, ask to be invited - but only if you truly are an entrepreneur yourself or are looking to work in or with a startup. David’s story of how one engineer is consulting with someone he met at a mixer is the whole point of the events. You’ve probably got two weeks or so before the next mixer so get out there and and start helping yourself and others so you too can be invited!
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One Response to “So What is the YNR Social Hour?”
David Ratajczak
February 22nd, 2007
Thanks for the description, Sanjay! Just to add to that, if you are reading this blog and are interested in coming out, it’s not necessary to find someone you know who has come out or to learn a secret handshake or something. Just send me an email at dratajcz AT yahoo.com and I’d be happy to include you.