January 21 marked the third anniversary of #AVintheAM, a popular Sunday morning Twitter chat led by Chris Neto.
The theme of this week's chat—held on Sunday, Jan. 24—was reflecting on previous #AVintheAM events.
One of the questions Neto asked was: "#AVInTheAM has shown that it can come together to help each others. We’ve helped people looking for work, we’ve sought and given advice, we’ve sent gear/swag, and we’ve lifted up colleagues that needed help. Tell us what this community means to you in your own words."
Here is a roundup of answers:
#AVinTheAM is a great community. Feels so good to connect with someone on LinkedIn and think, "Thought we were already connected!" Or meet in real life and feel like you've already seen each other many times before.
I've made connections, achieved higher learning, and really connected with my inner-professional. Being around other pros has made me want to be better! And, having my opinions liked and retweeted by other pros really helped kill that imposter syndrome.
It's been an amazing place to learn from others, share perspectives, and find equals that I can use to measure myself/set as role models. I'm thankful for the friends I've made and the conversations we've had, even the ones that got a little heated!
#AVintheAM is an amazing/unique platform. There are many #AVTweeps out there who read but never participate. My hope is that more start opening up. Community is about growth. I've seen so many changes in others and at a personal level thanks to this community! Keeping giving people!
It’s a community that's centered around a shared love for what we do—we come from all diverse backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, religions, and creeds—but we all love AV. We’re a community and I love that about #AVinTheAM because we can disagree and still have beers together.
Love the common thread of #community in the responses! Support, advice, guidance, and confidence over and above call of duty from superlative #AVTweeps in #AVInTheAM and #AVHappyHour when I needed it most and was at my lowest in 2020—I'll never forget those who checked in with me!
As an end user, this community means that there’s a place I can commiserate with/encourage others about this unique industry. While I speak up more on various Slack channels than Twitter, I really appreciate that accessibility of my fellow #AVTweeps on #AVInTheAM.
It's like I live on the outskirts of a lovely town #AVinTheAM, and on occasion I go into town to buy bread or stop at the local pub for a pint. Casual conversations with folks I don't know that well lead to inspiration and gratitude. I wouldn't live anywhere else.
#AVInTheAM has let me make new friends, expand my network, contribute content, explain my views, and hear and learn from others. It's also allowed me to help a load of people behind the scenes. For those and so much more I'm eternally grateful!
For me, this vast, diverse, and sometimes random group represent friendship, sounding boards, lifelines, support, guidance, camaraderie, and entertainment. I love knowing I could go anywhere in the world and have AV friends I’d like to see, or meet in real life for the first time!
Click here to read the full Twitter thread.
Editor's Note: Some responses have been edited for style/length/clarity.
