What are some good ways to build a social network of likeminded people in a new city?

Question

- I recently moved to Oslo, Norway
- I want to pursue the path as an independent maker.
- I know it's impossible to be happy and productive without good social interaction

Are there any good ways to:
- Find other indie-makers/digital-nomads
- Satisfy the human need of social interaction
- Avoid getting unhappy by working only alone

Thanks ✨

Olga Trykush · Accepted Answer

Hey Lars, I would advise to start joining local communities of your interest in Facebook, Slack and Reddit. The best strategy is visiting small local meetups, but due to the Covid time, this option may be impossible, but actually as far as I noticed very often such meetups run discussions somewhere, you only need to find out where and join them. Also, LinkedIn can be an option - both personal messages and groups. The most important thing is not to be afraid to start chatting, good luck with that 🙌

Jan Zheng · Answer

@olha_trykush Not sure if this is true in Norway but I've had great success in the past with Meetup.com. There are also pockets of "serious" makers who don't tend to go to a lot of meetups (because they're working) and they can be harder to find, but they might lurk around in product design / development meetups and more area-specific (like health tech) meetups. Also a good idea is to find all the coworking spaces and go to the places where makers tend to hang out (worked really well in Budapest and Amsterdam).

Buuuuut again, I have no idea what's going on in Covid times

Lars Karbo · Answer

@timz_flowers This is inspiring to hear! Sounds like something I could really try. Only thing I am afraid of is the drinking aspect. Will I only be able to be social while drinking? Will I only find people that go to bars? (might be some good people that don't). Thoughts like that

Sam Bauer · Answer

@larskarbo that's a very good point and I'm happy to hear that you are aware of it. I think in Corona times things have changed anyways already - these kinds of bars and clubs do not exist anymore, and that's perhaps good, due to the mentioned dangers. Perhaps the message of my posting was: Do things that you really deeply enjoy, then your instinct leads you to interesting situations, people, and opportunities. Sometimes the notorious things are good for finding innocent and fruitful connections. I don't know how to translate this to a Post-Covid-19-World in Oslo. But creative people always find a way to connect and enjoy life. And keep me updated - it's so exciting to be alone in a new city, your entire life has now the potential to change and you to become very happy.

Sam Bauer · Answer

I assume this depends on the city and you as a character. When I arrived 11 years ago in Berlin, I knew nobody and now my entire life, business, family and community is centered in Berlin (or I'm centered in it). The way to go was: Go directly into the most creative area and there into the most notorious bar and talk to as many people as possible about every interesting topic, everything from poetry to music, physics to business, ethics to religion, politics to history. Everything that came into my mind and intreagued me, was topic of the evening. I was greatly rewarded: I met very interesting people, was taught interesting concepts and ideas, got beautiful flats from generous landlords and met my wife, business partners and best friends. So what's the name of the most notorious bar in Oslo?

Pavi Tweety · Answer

A smart thought is to discover all the cooperating spaces and go to the spots where producers will in general hang out worked truly well in Budapest and Amsterdam. 
Thanks. https://blackfridayvpn.net/

Lars Karbo · Answer

@olha_trykush @yawnxyz This makes sense Jan, seems like meetups are slowly starting again here after covid, so there are plenty of communities to check out.

Lars Karbo · Answer

@pavi_tweety Do you find that some co-working spaces are better than others? Are there some that are more focused towards companies/teams/startups and others more tailored for solo people?

Lars Karbo · Answer

@timz_flowers btw, do you have a twitter handle? Thinking of sharing this response on twitter, if it's ok for you 👌

Lars Karbo · Answer

@timz_flowers Thank you! It's definitely a good mindset to have, will adopt it

Lars Karbo · Answer

@pavi_tweety Cool! Do you know @yawnxyz? He said the exact same. By producers you mean makers?

Lars Karbo · Answer

@olha_trykush Thanks!

Sam Bauer · Answer

@larskarbo I've no private twitter account - and for the company that's perhaps too privat - thank you for the appreciation

What are some good ways to build a social network of likeminded people in a new city?

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