About SMC_MCR

SMC_MCR is a monthly meetup for anyone and everyone interested in digital innovation and social media in Manchester. We get together, share ideas and learn from each other.

It’s an informal event and welcomes a mix of regular attendees and those new to the scene. We feature a mixture of talks from invited guests and unconference-style sessions proposed and held by members of the community.

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How SMC_MCR began

SMC_MCR started in 2008 under the name Social Media Cafe Manchester, after Julian Tait and Martin Bryant met via a blog comment thread. It was clear they both shared a desire for a regular event in Manchester that would allow people to gather around the emerging possibilities of social media. Gathering a small group of likeminded conspirators to concoct a monthly meetup, they were surprised when 80 people turned up at the initial event.

Events over the next three years saw talks about the future of blogging; the impact of the Apple iPad; hyperlocal news and many more topics. It’s inspired a wide range of related events and projects around the city and beyond. With the additional support of Rajesh Joshi amongst others, SMC_MCR has grown to become one of the largest regular events of its type in the UK.

Reboot!

In September 2011, Social Media Cafe Manchester relaunched as SMC_MCR, a name that had been used as the event’s hashtag and nickname since the beginning. In the three years since the event’s launch, ‘social media’ had become a rather pedestrian phrase as online social tools became a part of everyday life. SMC_MCR keeps the spirit of the original Social Media Cafe events, but allows us to explore a broader variety of innovative uses of digital tools by innovative people in Manchester and beyond.

Image credits: Julia / Martin