[This is a post from Geraldine's blog, originally posted August 2010]

Stranger: One who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance?

That is how the dictionary defines a stranger. I added the question mark because I am not sure I agree. To me a stranger to me is just someone I haven’t got to know yet, someone I haven’t talked to or connected with.  All sensible personal safety issues aside, there is something about meeting or connecting with someone for the first time that is a special experience.

So I found myself thinking about strangers, the guy who I say good morning to at the bus stop, have a brief chat about the weather or the state of the bus service, is he a stranger? I probably know more about his bus habits than his Mrs., which songs he listens to on his iPod, which seat he likes to sit in and why he gets off one stop earlier than he should. Does that make him a stranger? The woman who is usually in front of me in the queue at Starbucks, I know her coffee habits, on a Wednesday she goes to yoga so only has decaf, on a Friday she always has fruit toast because she goes straight to a morning meeting; is she a stranger because we only chat in the Starbucks queue? Not to me, these people are a part of my life in a small way, they will never be my close friends but they form part of my morning and I wonder where they are when I don’t see them. I often wonder what they think of me, am I just the chatty bird that they dread seeing every morning or like me, do they enjoy our brief passing observations on life? Strangers in the queues exchanging glances, strangers in the queue exchanging triple shots !

On Thursday I took a leap of faith into a room full of strangers’, if we are going by the correct definition. I went along to my first #themeet140 at the Lansdowne Bar in the West End of Glasgow. A bar I have been into many times but never to meet people who were ‘neither friend nor acquaintance’. I had a crap 9 hour day at work, crammed in three hours of study and had a very annoying call just before I got there, so you can imagine my mood.  However within five minutes of meeting @SkelptArse and @allanbarr the mood lifted.  My fear about not being in Social Media but merely being a Twitteraholic quickly lifted and when the conversation turned to how to eat custard creams and where to buy the best cowboy boots and hats in the USA, heaven ! Where else in the world would you have a lawyer, an investment bank analyst, researchers and a skelped arse chatting about dipping your toe in JR’s pool? I could go on forever about the various conversations but to say that these ‘neither friends nor acquaintances’ made me feel welcome would be an understatement. No longer ‘strangers’! My biggest regret was that I could only stay for a short while and the fact that it took me half an hour to get out the door says it all.

Thank you so much to @markofrespect for being exactly as I thought you would be and @allanbarr for the PMA lecture and for the compliment, I had a wonderful time and the next time I will have loads of questions for you expert Twitters on how to use it betterer as my godson says!

Apologies to @tartancat @Ange77H @pavedwithgold1 and anyone else I missed will hopefully get the chance for a chat the next time.

So I am definitely going with Will Rogers quote …“A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.”

Until the next #themeet140

We’re gearing up to celebrate our first birthday next month and looking back on an amazing year of meet ups. We’ve been lucky to have met some truly inspirational people through themeet140 so we’ll be sharing their posts with you over the next few weeks.

What started out as a small gathering in a pub in London has led to 20 fantastic events taking place all over the UK with lots more planned for the future. As themeet140 is all about people, we’d love you to take a few minutes and give your feedback and any suggestions you might have for events going forward.

Click here to take survey

When it comes to planning themeet140, we like to choose venues that are unique, easily accessible and with a great atmosphere. The people who come along are what makes themeet140 a success but we pride ourselves on hosting somewhere that you can feel relaxed and have some great food and drinks too. Here’s a look at our venues for upcoming events in February.

Aberdeen – Thursday 3rd February 2011

Musa is our fantastic venue for the monthly meet up in Aberdeen. The restaurant/art gallery/live music venue is on Exchange Street in the heart of Aberdeen’s up and coming Merchant Quarter.

themeet140 takes place on the mezzanine upstairs and the staff do a great job of making everyone welcome and keeping you stocked up with their great selection of BrewDog beers. They also have a fantastic menu of locally sourced food, Scottish with a twist! The duck stovies are a personal favourite!

Follow them on Twitter @MusaAberdeen

Glasgow – Thursday 10th February 2011

themeet140 Glasgow takes place at The Lansdowne Bar and Kitchen on Lansdowne Crescent in the West End, easily accessible from Great Western Road and the Kelvinbridge underground.

The basement bar and restaurant is big enough to accommodate the 100+ that usually attend and you’ll find themeet140 crowd up at the back. With both a kitchen and a bar menu, great food is served until 9pm.

Follow them on Twitter @lansdownespy

London – Thursday 3rd February 2011

Our London event takes place at Tibits on Heddon Street just off Regent Street. You’ll find themeet140 gathered in an area downstairs.

Tibits is a vegetarian restaurant, but if you’re a hardcore meat fan, don’t be put off. You’ll find a huge selection of hot and cold dishes, all fresh and all delicious. Help yourself to a plate, load up with as much as you like and it’s charged by the weight. There’s also an extensive drinks menu with some great cocktails and organic ciders.

Follow them on Twitter @tibits_uk

One of my most favourite tasks that I’m asked to do in my line of work is to create a brand identity.

There’s something very special about being entrusted to visualise the persona of an individual or company, but there are also many dangers so it helps to be working with someone who is equally passionate about achieving the right outcome.

When I was asked to design the logo for @themeet140 I jumped at the chance. I consider Mark and Chris to be among my most closest friends and I am 100% behind what they are achieving with the concept.

Read More »

Last Thursday, 13th January 2010, saw the first #themeet140 by the sea in Brighton. Myself and Steve Ward (@cloudninerec), my partner in crime co-organiser, were both really excited about the event. There’d been a great buzz in the build up to the event, with a brilliant crowd of Sussex based twits keen to get along to their first local #themeet140 as well as some London based #themeet140 veterans registered to come along.

Tweet from @Alice_Reeves

You can read the full round-up on Abi’s blog and the next Brighton tweetup will take place on  Thursday, March 10th, 2011 – RSVP now!

2010 was a huge year for themeet140. We held our first event in April and since then we’ve had been in London, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Cheltenham. What started as a small group of twenty people having a few drinks has grown into a highly anticipated event that draws a diverse and unique crowd who love to get social both online and offline.

2011 looks set to be even bigger! We’re kicking off the year with themeet140 By the Sea, our first ever event in Brighton this Thursday 13th January. Hosts Steve @cloudninerec and Abi @abisignorelli have planned a fantastic event starting with some fun on the pier before heading to The Thistle Hotel on the seafront for the main event. All details and invite here.

With events coming soon in Aberdeen, Glasgow and London, themeet140.com is the best place to find out what’s happening soon in your area and all the news from recent events.