Remember back before we were all so connected on-line?  Before we sent so many tweets, e-mails, instant messages?  Before we updated our status on Windows Live, Facebook, and LinkedIn?  Back then, to be “social” meant actually socializing with people face-to-face.  In person.  Actually talking.

I think we’re seeing a resurgence of this old school, off-line, social interaction between people.  The more on-line technologies bring us together, the more many of us want to take the next step and actually meet some of these smart, fun, fascinating people we’ve found on places like Windows Live, Facebook, and Twitter.  It was this interest by a lot of people in our broader Windows Community that originally sparked the idea behind the local Windows 7 launch parties.

If you didn’t apply to host a launch party, or if you weren’t selected (we had way more applicants than we had capacity to support), we’ve just created another option for you.  It’s the Windows 7 Meetup site, and has everything you need to plan a gathering, invite your guest, and be a successful host.  We’re using some of the “new school, on-line” social tools like Facebook, Meetup, evite, twtvite, and Upcoming to help you with your event.

I hope you’ll use the opportunity of the Windows 7 launch to bring back some of this old school social networking!

- Marcus, Windows Community Manager