by Jeri Dansky

Francine Hardaway, founder of Tech Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Karoli Kuns.

The messages go out on Twitter and on the Coastsider Web site, reminding people that the first Tuesday of each month is Tech Tuesday in Half Moon Bay. The events are the brainchild of Francine Hardaway of Stealthmode Partners, an accelerator for technology companies. Hardaway said she started Tech Tuesday back in September 2009 “because the geeks on the coast needed a place to meet and share information locally without having to drive over the hill.”

And now each month, that’s just what happens. In February, the conversation was half technical, half not. On the technical side, topics included Flash versus HTML5, eBay data mining, the  future of MySQL now that Oracle has bought Sun, and Facebook’s release of HipHop for PHP. Not quite that techie? There was also an extended discussion about Twitter etiquette, and both smart phones and social media in various forms are common topics. Jobs in technology is another common theme.

On the non-technical side, there were discussions about sailing, kids and pets — with the pets ranging from English mastiffs to a tiny kitten.

Monique Hodgkinson, an Internet strategist and Web designer, came to Tech Tuesday for the first time in February, re-arranging her schedule so she could attend. “I really enjoy talking to other people who share my interest in technology,” she said. “This is a great group of very interesting, enthusiastic local tech people.”

That’s a common reaction. “I’m always interested in comparing notes with other techies about new platforms and applications,” said Sunshine Mugrabi, a Montara-based social media and PR consultant. She also noted that Tech Tuesday makes her “feel more connected to the local community.”

Ask people why they come to Tech Tuesday, and you’ll hear a lot about making connections. “I own a small recruiting and human resources consulting company, and for the most part I work out of my home office,” said Kathleen Nelson Troyer. “I look forward to getting out and connecting with folks at Tech Tuesday. We talk about all sorts of things: jobs, phones, software and local politics. I usually come home having been introduced to someone interesting and something new in the tech world. And the pizza is good, too.”

The meetings are informal, with people buying their own beers or other drinks. Usually someone orders a pizza for the group to share. On warm, clear evenings, the group meets on the patio; on cold or stormy nights, the gathering moves indoors.

Many participants first “met” each other online, and appreciate the chance to now meet face-to-face. “Meeting the people behind the tweets … translates into better online interaction,” said Debbie Wolfe, a semi-retired freelance technology project manager.

Ian McGee, co-founder of Expresso Fitness and a social gaming consultant, echoed what others have said. “Tech Tuesday gets me out of my home office. Online is great, but it’s nice to mix in non-video face time as well.” McGee also said he met several Coastsiders that he already knew through Twitter — but never realized they were locals.

If you haven’t yet attended a Tech Tuesday get-together, and if you have any interest in technology, come join what Hardaway called a “meet-and-greet for geeks.”

As John Troyer, who works at VMware, said, “Communities are built   by neighbors coming together — in civic groups, in church fellowship, and even with the regulars at the coffee shop. Tech Tuesday is an example of an old-fashioned community group being built with new tools like Twitter. It’s great to be able to meet neighbors and turn them into friends, and it’s important to create   those connections in our small-town  community here on the coast.”

Or, as Martin Stein summarized on Twitter: “TechTues — share, tell stories, pizza, beer. Networking. Bliss.”