So, you're a new webmaster and you're wondering - What's the deal with these webmaster parties and chats online? Are they a waste of a time? Is there anything to gain by attending and participating in any of them? Should you feel compelled to attend any or all of them? And the ever so popular - what does a "first-timer" say?

Hopefully, this little article will help answer these questions for you. (Amazingly enough, webmaster tend not to ask questions when they don't understand something which of course results in less productivity as the unknown often has it's rewards!) Almost all chats and parties online for webmasters are like many other things in our industry... tools for success. Now, let's address the above questions individually.

"What's the deal with these webmaster parties and chats online?"
There are many online parties and webmaster chats that occur weekly which are available for any webmaster to attend. (No, on many you do not have to be a webmaster participating in the sponsor program or webmaster resource that is sponsoring the chat or party. Although that does have it's own rewards which we'll cover a bit later.)

The parties are usually nothing more than a scheduled time to kick back and relax and enjoy some music, company and sometimes even a bit of craziness. These still can be a very valuable tool in the success of a webmaster as it gives the people a chance to interact/network with other webmasters. A person never knows who they might want to do business with in the future and if the future business venture participants have seen each other and chatted at one of these parties, a deal is usually that much easier to arrange as you are then "known" to that person. As a bonus, many of these parties have prize giveaways. This stuff is not of a carnival giveaway nature! Prizes always have some value such as free traffic, content, hosting, scripts, graphics, electronics and more as a complete list would be an article in itself.

The online chats/workshops on the other hand are usually centered around a specific topic or course. The basic break down of this means - FREE INFORMATIOM! These chats or workshops are a great learning tool and can range from html help to graphics to selling techniques/styles and so forth. These, like the parties, are offered for free and require nothing more than a bit of your time to attend.

"Are they a waste of a time?"
There is an easy answer to this one - NO! Anytime you can network(and have fun!) as well as get information is time well spent. The parties provide a nice relaxing atmosphere where a person can get to know their fellow webmasters and relax at the same time. Remember, relaxing a little every so often often leads to new ideas and we all deserve to have some fun at one point or another. The chats/workshops provide a informational setting where a person can get real time support in regards to the present subject. Most places that have these chats more than welcome input as to what people would like to see in the future as well.

"Is there anything to gain by attending and participating in any of them?"
This question has probably been covered enough above. Networking, information, fun, prizes and such is a rather obvious gain and speaks for itself. Considering the no cost fact other than a little amount of your time, both the chats and the parties have their own unique attributes that can make them yet another useful tool in your arsenal of webmaster knowledge.

"Should you feel compelled to attend any or all of them?"
There is no reason to feel obligated to attend a workshop or a party but as explained above there are many benefits to participating when you can. The message boards are a great place and they never could be replaced although sometimes, a thought or a question can only be addressed properly in a live real time chat situation. Even at the parties there are business discussions and sometimes even deals made, so you can kick back and have some fun at one of the parties and still do some work by making yourself visible to the webmaster community.

"What does a "first-timer" say?"
OK, you're ready to attend your first online chat or party and now you're wondering what to say to everyone.... A good place to start is as simple as saying hi. Most people are truly amazed at the friendly atmosphere in the parties and chats when they visit one for the first time. It doesn't take long to realize it's just a bunch of folks wanting to help or wanting to have a fun time. There is no reason to be shy or overly nervous when attending a function for the first time. These parties/chats have the experienced webmasters to the newer webmasters so there is a wide variety people giving information and asking for it. The adult webmaster community is a serious, business minded bunch of folks but we all still know have to have fun while we relax and work.

"In Closing"
Now that you've read through all of this, you're ready to start making your party/chat appearances! Just in case you still have unanswered questions though, the recommended place to visit is The AdultNetSurprise Chatroom as they offer assistance 24/7. (Do keep in mind that since this is a 24 hour chat room, that many times people are working in another window while they are also in the chatroom so a response might take a little extra time occasionally) In addition, AdultNetSurprise also offers a weekly schedule of some chats and parties here. Enjoy your networking and good luck winning a prize sometime!