Last week’s Brazen Careerist meet up in Washington, D.C. was an important milestone for our team. We’ve reached a point where we can finally take the community we’ve created online and use it to establish relationships offline.

I can’t think of a more important goal to be able to meet as an online community manager. Because while we all know the Internet can be a powerful vessel for cultivating relationships, nothing beats the personal touch of face-to-face interaction.

So while I just wrote a post giving advice to would-be community managers, I don’t mind reiterating one of my most important points. If bringing your online community offline is not one of your principal objectives you’re missing a big part of the equation.

Social media use has a short shelf life for many users.

This is true for blogs especially. Most won’t last more than 2-3 months. Even within a strong community good bloggers can lose focus or get bored.

I think it’s because online just isn’t enough. You can spend all day connecting with people all over the world–no boundaries–by the click of the mouse, but you’ll be missing out on a whole lot of life. Sometimes a few boundaries are exactly what people need.

Bringing people together on a local level is exactly what some people need to stay engaged on a global level. While talking to some of our Brazen bloggers, it was great to hear people say the meet up gave them motivation to go home and write. It got me motivated too. And we all need that little boost of encouragement sometimes.

Global communities lack local appeal.

When you have a community of like-minded people online, and there are enough of them in proximity to each other to bring them together offline, don’t miss out on that opportunity. It’s a great way to strengthen the group in a way you normally can’t accomplish via the web.

What was really cool about the D.C. meet up was that it won’t end after the initial night. A few of our D.C. bloggers are in the process of making Brazen Careerist meet ups more regular. And you know when people don’t need an open bar to get together that you must be doing something right.

Tim Ferro put it best. While he was thrilled that we came up and put together the event, he wouldn’t mind doing it on a regular basis, with just our local D.C. crew.

“I’d pay for my own drinks just to get this group back together,” he said.

A great way to connect your community with other organizations.

CORT Business Services, the official sponsor of Brazen Careerist, D.C., is a perfect example. Not only were they absolutely amazing hosts, but they also knew how to connect with a Gen-Y audience without trying to hard sell us on anything.

Brian Keating, CORT Account Executive, spent the entire evening chatting with community members who could totally relate to what their company does: Help young people like ourselves deal with the stress of job relocation by making the process more seamless and worry-free.

It was great to see a Gen-Y friendly company like CORT come to the meet up. Not only did they benefit from a night with an engaging group of young professionals, but we all enjoyed engaging with a company that’s creating solutions to make twentysomething life a little easier.

So for all of you online community managers out there, don’t get too lost online. Always look for ways to bring your community together in the real world. It will not only strengthen what you’ve created, but give you a gauge for where your community can go.

I for one can’t wait for our next Brazen Careerist event. It gives me goose bumps thinking about where we can take things next. In my head, the wheels are always turning. But I’d love to hear what you think too.

How can online communities bring more to their members’ offline lives?

Click here to check out more photos from Brazen Careerist, D.C.

UPDATE: Brazen Careerist, New York City is underway! Click here for more information.

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