Your first "DO"?
 

I am quite new to this board, but have been reading A LOT. Some days ago I got a pm from somebody who is going to arrange a Prague-do and it sounded interesting but kind of scary too.

Please tell me about your first "DO". Did you go alone, did you know anybody else who was going, did you feel like "billy-no-mates" because everybody else knew somebody else, what "triggered" you to meet up... etc... Are there mostly men on the "do's"? Any women met up by their own?

Thanks! :-D

(PS. Maybe a stupid question, but what does "do" mean?)

Xxx.

My first "DO" was the LJU (Ljubljiana, Slovenia) DO. I went alone. I knew none of the attendees personally. I did know one by name in advance, with whom I exchanged a few PMs regarding a Coupon Connection exchange about a year earlier.

I had planned to be in Croatia around that time and since I would have to fly into LJU to get there anyway, I thought it would be a good way to meet other FTers and see a city with a group of individuals with which I had at least something in common--FT. FTers are a most welcoming group of people, I never felt like "billy-no-mates."

That DO was almost evenly split between women and men; there were married couples, married people without their spouses, and single travellers, both male and female.

We explored the city together over 2 days and shared our evening meals at a pre-selected restaurant. There were impromptu parties in hotel rooms after dinner, which were open to all, but no one was required to attend. As a woman, I found it especially nice to be able to wander a foreign city at night with other FTers, as that is something I would never do while travelling solo.

It was also the DO where I was dubbed "Pat with a bunch of numbers" since there was another Pat attending and it made it easier to distinguish us.

As for the term "DO," it is a slang expression for an event or something "to do."

pretty much what my esteemed colleague with all those numbers ;) said ^. my first do was this and it was great and i was made to feel right at home. my advice is go & expect nothing/go not knowing what to expect and be very pleasantly surprised (and if you're not careful, you could become engaged ;))

It was me !
 

Hi no-backpacker,
Hi folks,

This "somebody" who was writing no-backpacker an email several days ago was me. I'm kind of surprised and also disappointed that my email was considered as "scary".

After exchanging several PM's with another FTer, the idea of a PragueDO came up. So I went through a lot of posts regarding "Prague" and also was looking for EU based FTers who might be interested in attending such a DO. I wrote them a short and polite PM with the few basic information I had at this time, as several others certainly may confirm.

I received an overwhelming responds within a couple of days and I'm more than happy to give something back to everybody who will attend. FT has been such a great source of information and help throughout the years I was just lurking. Without all of you, I never would have been able to experience many of my fantastic trips I did in the past.

@no-backpacker, sorry if my PM was misleading.

To anybody else, I hope you'll have a look at my PragueDO thread and hopefully also join in.

1st was CO DO II in Houston Jan., 2006, hosted by Continental.

2nd was ELP I in EL Paso Feb., 2006.

3rd was the same Ljubljana DO attended by Pat with a bunch of numbers in Sept. 2006.

Cities where we've attended DOs and/or met up w/ other FlyerTalkers that we originally met at DOs:
The Prague DO is appealing except that we were there recently. If you're interested in Prague & the timing is right, don't hesitate!

Servus!
 

Oh no, I am sorry some of us misunderstood (could be my not so perfect English). It was not at all scary to get the PM from you, it was very appreciated, it was more the thought of meeting up with lots of "strangers" that was scary! :) However meeting up with people from message-boards is not new for me, but then it has been within my profession, so I knew a lot of them beforehand. AND there are mostly women in my profession.

Thanks for sharing your first do's! Anybody have any funny stories? :)

My family is waiting for me. They think I am addicted to FlyerTalk... :-D

Xxx.

Around here it's perfectly normal to fly off to a strange city (often on another continent) and meet up with strangers that you know only by their internet nicknames! :D

I'd be much more cautious with one-on-one encounters with people who aren't already known to you, but events such as the Prague DO should not be a concern.

My first and second DO where the Seattle ones! I attended with my daughter and we were very fortunate to meet so many wonderful people! I encourage you to attend. You will have a great time with great people!

Mine was a late lunch/early dinner in Boston a few years ago - ozstamps was passing through on a layover (on an ANC-DEN-BOS-SFO-SYD itinerary only requiring one SWU), so I came down for lunch - it was a group of maybe 8 of us at a Legal's in Southie.

Since then, I've been to DOs in Atlanta (a couple there), Houston, Anchorage, Minneapolis, Las Vegas (and probably more), as well as quite a few get-togethers with 1-2 other FTers for a dinner or drinks somewhere.

And in some cases, stay at their home. ^


Agreed.

The first time I met a few Flyertalkers was at the CO Presidents Club at EWR. In those days, you could just walk right through the airport to the lounge. Interesting group... discussing miles and points. ^

A few weeks later, I met several FT'ers for dinner in NYC. Hmm. More good talk about miles and points. I listened and learned.

Several months later, at the now legendary CatmanDo3 in NYC, I volunteered to help out. That's where the Brooklyn Reality Tour (now known as BRT 1 ;) ) was born. Both events were my first major events. That was almost 10 years ago.

no-backpacker, whether it's a small gathering, or a major DO, you'll somehow find a few (a lot) of people that you can relate to. ^ After 10 years on Flyertalk, I've managed to make a few friends. :o ;)

dh

I've not been to any of the big ones, but have put together a couple dinners here & been to Atl for a great bbq lunch do. Numbers wise they've been small. But at each I've meet folks for the first time. I can honestly say no one I've meet has been a stranger. Just like I knew them all along. Flyertalkers are the greatest folks on earth^. Working at the airport I get occasional "heads up" from folks passing through. If possible I try to meet them & maybe have coffee or a meal time permitting.

Most of the time I do not talk to people I don't but with Flyertakers I already know you so most likely will talk you to death:D

Gosh... my first DO was meet up with MSP people for drinks and dinner. Talk about the good and bad things at NW before the merger and travel stuff. :)

This one was my first:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...o-fun-hnl.html
And here's the most recent:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...-2-2010-a.html

During the 2.5 years in between, I've been to 7 or 8 major ones, and a handful of smaller ones. I now have several good friends made via FT, people I'll do stuff with even outside the miles/points manifold (including attend a Greek tragedy in one case :)).

In my experience FTers run the gamut of ages, experiences, and interests. The most consistent theme is that they're good people, and very welcoming. Speaking as someone who flew off to Hawaii not having met any of the other attendees in person and had a great time, I also encourage you to attend a Do. :D

It looks like our first Do was http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...h-11-25-a.html (2005), though my first FT event was an MR seminar a few weeks earlier.

Most of the Dos we've attanded have been in the Bay Area. The only Do we've specifically traveled to was the 2010 SIN Do.

Virtually all my DO's have been in the Bay area as well, but my first one involved only three FTers (including me) and was in London.

My first FT DO was in Singapore in January this year. I just happened to be passing through at the right time and was made very welcome. Will be fronting up on Friday night for OzFest No:7 in ADL.

Have also attended a DO from AFF last year and hopefully again later this year.

As frequent travellers we need to remember that strangers are friends we haven't met yet.:D

Of course always take safety precautions and look after yourself but don't close your self off to opportunities to meet good people.

My first Do was in London in Feb '03 (which has now become a tradition). I had just started reading FT in ernest the month before, was going to be in London anyway, and decided to attend the dinner being organized by wingnut. I remember being nervous (some FTers would be surprised to know I'm a bit shy when in new situations, even though I don't come across that way!), even dressing up a bit to make a good impression, got to the restaurant, and said I'm here to meet...and the hostess said, "oh you're w/ that group of people that doesn't know each other" :D And my love of FT and friendships w/ FTers (both virtual & in person) began that night. :)

Since then I've attended small and large dos, organized a few, and attended a lot of meals & get-togethers. Until recently when I lived in LA, I got to see lots of FTers as LAX is a good mileage run location. No one does mileage runs to where I live now :( I've stayed w/ FTers, they've stayed at my place. I've given advice, gotten advice, and have developed a lot of friends along the way. Some I've met in person; some I hope to at some point, even though we're friends now.

As mentioned, the # & type of attendees varies - from young to old, male & female, married, single, in relationships, gay/straight, with kids, without, gamut of professions, interests, and personalities.

If timing allows, go & enjoy. Plus, IIRC there are some Norwegian FTers. You might want to see if they're organizing anything local, and 'start out small'.

Cheers.

Thanks again for sharing!

You might not believe it, but I started with "data-communication" way before internet was usual, at least in Norway. I think I started calling up BBS in 1992 with a very noisy and slow modem...:-) I was usually the only girl/woman and I went to lots of "real life" meetings, but my husband was usually with me, so it wasn't that scary. I met lots of great people and some of them are still among my best friends today! (But I also met some "weirdos" who called me up in the middle of night etc... etc...)

I admit that going to a "DO" is both tempting and scary, however, I think that's how life is...? :-D My parents and my husband sometimes think I am too simple-minded when it comes to meeting up with people from message-boards. They were just a little bit scared when I, last year, went to Chicago to visit some "internet-friends". :-D I guess that's why I had to ask somebody else how scary it *is* to attend a "DO" :-D

Xxx.

SkiAdcock: Aw, thanks for telling me you were nervous. Everybody here seams to be very confident! :)

I haven't seen that many Norwegians here, but I will look around. :) However I am more often in London and the rest of UK than I am around Norway/Scandinavia, so might look for anything happening over there too. :) Thanks again!

Xxx.

I know exactly what you mean.

My first Do was a meeting of KLM flyers in AMS, about 2 weeks before the London Do in 03 that SkAdcock references (I think - was that the mega do, or am I out by a year?).

Anyway, I was petrified - flying to AMS to meet people I didn't know from the internet, how stupid does that sound?! :eek: I didn't tell my parents, as I knew my mother would freak out. I was so paranoid, the only things I left in my hotel room were things I wouldn't mind leaving - so if it was really bad, I could just bail, find another hotel (since we'd confirmed where we were staying) and generally bolt for it.

And the group couldn't have been more fun, had a good chat about all things KLM, the organiser, ralfkrippner was a star and it couldn't have been more reassuring or relaxed. Drinking what seemed like quarter pints of Baileys at the end of the night seemed perfect!

Two weeks later I went to the first megado and was amazed that some people even recognised my handle. Within 2 years, I was organsing my own dos (and always very mindful of how I'd felt on my first do! :D), and I've been been a mega Do organiser myself. And I became a mod in the Do forum about 2-3 years back now....

All from a petrified attendance at AMS - which was also, incidentally, the first time I'd been landside at AMS, despite being a top tier elite for a few years. My fellow do attendees couldn't believe me when I told them that :D

The Great Delta Board PBI-FLL Meet was not only the first organized gathering of FlyerTalk members that I have attended, but it was also the first FlyerTalk event for virtually all of the other FlyerTalk members who attended as well.

Due to our warped sense of excessive humor, a second thread pertaining to the event was necessary: PBI-FLL Meet: The Serious Version.

It is amazing how well we got along even though none of us had met each other. Of course, now that we have all met...I did not know that!

Who Will Be The Next FlyerTalk Member To Post? An OMNI Game LIVE and In Person:LJU DO

You do (no pun intended — ah, all right, it was intended) realize that the idea came from the Who Will Be The Next FlyerTalk Member To Post? An OMNI Game LIVE and In Person:ELP DO while we were in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico when chrissxb asked me where the next Who Will Be The Next FlyerTalk Member To Post? An OMNI Game LIVE and In Person FlyerTalk member gathering will take place.

I simply shrugged my shoulders and said the first thing that came to my mind: “Slovenia?”

The rest is history.

We really need to resume the Who Will Be The Next FlyerTalk Member To Post? An OMNI Game LIVE and In Person series of FlyerTalk member gatherings...Both are listed above.That is amazing when you think about it, isn’t it?!?

By the way, I keep a list of all of the FlyerTalk members I have ever met in person in the A List of FlyerTalk Members You Have Already Met in Person thread.

yes, there are always unknown but if one never tries anything new....

My first Do was a Chicago Do (big one) in the early 2000's. I didn't show up for the Friday or Saturday night dinners as the thread was stating there were issues with seating and who was going to which dinner. So I decided I just go to the Sunday brunch, afterall it is just brunch and if it wasn't my scene I'd just split.

I arrived a bit late and there was only one seat open at the multiple tables that made up the Flyertalk group. I now know why this one particular seat was open as I sat next to the most arrogant, self-absorbed person I've ever met, added with the disdain this person displayed towards most people, I very quickly thought that if this was the typical FT'er, I didn't need to meet any more of them in person. Thankfully she is no longer on the board and the awesome hosts of the Chicago Do 'rescued' me from this person. Been going to FT Do's ever since and loving it.

Whoa--good thing you stuck with it long enough to be rescued by the organizers. I consider myself a social person, but a first impression like that would sap my enthusiasm pretty quickly.

I'll also be attending my first Do in January, and I couldn't be more excited. I frequent another message board/online community, as well, and have attended several meet-ups, an endeavor which has ultimately resulted in some lasting friendships.

I was almost on empty when a friendly "hey are you Willie?" was asked from one of the Do organizers at another table. I don't recall if I went back to my original seat or not:)

Ok, I think you have convinced me, I will attend a do and maybe the Prague one. Hahahaha, when I asked my husband what he thought about it he said: "Well, I think it can be good for you to meet up with like-minded people (read: geeks, nerds, FlyerTalk-addicts...)!" :-D He even said he might come with me! (He pretends he doesn't care and he teases me because I am a "point-slut", but he likes to travel with me! And I can assure you he was very happy for the FlyingBlue Gold card when we were upgraded to business from Amsterdam to Toronto and met the dreaded ash-cloud on the way back home and we had to use our gold-cards more than three times. :-D)


Xxx.

Welcome to your newest addiction :)

In 2001, I agreed to host a Do (Sea Doo 3) before I had attended a do, or had met any other Flyertalkers.

Then I attended one in Tucson, just so I knew what I was in for.

Since then, I've probably attended 100 Do's (and one greek tragedy ;) )
and planned/help plan half that many...

The only one I can think of is peppes (think, pizza!) but out of a quarter million FlyerTalkers there must be a few more. peppes is in the Norwegian navy but stationed at a NATO facility in Norfolk, VA.

I attended the Oslo American School for three years and help to arrange reunions both in Oslo (2002 & 2005) & stateside.

For March, 2007, I tried to arranged an Oslo DO to coincide with the annual Nordic competition at Holmenkollen but was thwarted on two fronts:

1. Mention "snow" to FlyerTalkers and they will run like lemmings in the opposite direction. Do not ever tell FlyerTalkers that it will be cold at a DO, nor that there's the slightest chance of snow at a DO, nor that the DO will be centered around winter activities, e.g. ski jumping.

2. Skiforeningen pulled a fast one on us (and lots of other people) and scheduled the annual jumping competition for the third Sunday in March instead of the traditional second Sunday of March. I was one keypress away from buying plane tickets for the 2nd weekend when I figured maybe I should double-check the date. Lucky me! peppes bought his ticket for the wrong weekend.

There's a large DO in London (Presidents Day? next Presidents Day is 2/21/11), and there's also the annual Advents Brunch in Frankfurt (1st weekend in Dec. this year). Those would be great first DOs for anyone.

+1

And I might add that you are unlikely to have time for any further addictions once this one takes hold.

6/28/2000, Rauxa, Somerville, MA. It was very small - maybe half a dozen
people, but then FT was very small then, too.

Attending my first Do this year!
 

I will be attending my very first FT Do this year in Saint Louis with a friend of mine who is another FTer and this will be her first Do as well. What finally motivated me to attend a Do was the fact that I am friends with so many FTers online via the forums, FB, and Twitter. I tend to relate with FTers the most and enjoy talking to them the most so it makes sense that I finally venture out and meet some of them. I am always reading posts about all the various Dos that are planned and how much everyone enjoys them. I am a very social person by nature so a Do is something that is right up my ally. :)

I got roped into organizing the first Do I ever attended in July 2001. I sweated out making the minimum guarantee for our Saturday restaurant that was being held under my credit card. As I left work at midday on Friday, I wondered if I was insane to be throwing a weekend party for 60 people whom I did not know. It ended up being a blast, and I made some great friends. Since then, I've hosted events in three continents and four countries, and attended in a whole lot more.

Sweet Willie hosted my one and only mini-DO so far. I was nervous, hubby declined to go as he absolutely does not 'get it'. I arrived at the restaurant, and the hostess gestured forward saying that some in my party were here. I didn't panic, but explained that I had no idea what anyone looked like.... which of course elicited a strange look.

We had a fabulous time! I stayed far later than I had planned, chatted with people who spoke FT, and am very eager for the next one!

Enjoy your DO.

It was a fun time! Just a suggestion, always look at this thread to locate FT'ers by where they live: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...-all-live.html

Just so happens there are more than a few.^

-

After about two years of posting on FT, I attended my first Do.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...y-13-15-a.html

I had found FT Chat a few months earlier and had gotten to "know" many of the regulars there (Chat was much more active back then) and many of them were going to be at the Do. It was really nerve-wracking for me to show up to a bar and not know anyone there by sight or (in many cases) name. By the end of that weekend, I had made many friends, many of whom I'm happy to keep in touch with to this day. By my rough count, I've met 13 members who have posted in this thread at various DOs. Others have been kind enough to point out that I met the love of my life at a Do, so I guess I'll always be passionate about this particular topic. :)

Meeting FTers in person took FT to a whole new level of addiction for me and it made me really feel like I was part of a Community and just not a bunch of random posters. Isn't it amazing that there's this whole group of people out there from all walks of like, corners of the world, and holding just about every point of view there is and yet are all united in their love and appreciation for miles and points?

[QUOTE=SkiAdcock;14012704]

Since then I've attended small and large dos, organized a few, and attended a lot of meals & get-togethers. Until recently when I lived in LA, I got to see lots of FTers as LAX is a good mileage run location.
[QUOTE]

And one of those local LAX dinners was my very first "Baby Do." I think it was in 2003, at Siam. I probably only had less than 100 posts then and zero "street cred" on Flyertalk, and I was absolutely terrified to show up without knowing a soul. But I'm glad I went, because I met three of my closest Flyertalker friends there. (The other two being delacpa & Mr. delacpa.)

My first really big Flyertalk Do was Roachfest '04 in Philadelphia, with the US Airways forum crowd.

The more Do's you attend, the more people you meet, the better you get to know them......and the more Do's you ultimately get roped into attending because the people you have met at previous Do's will be there.

I sense a trend forming.

To the OP, I know there are some Norwegians because after a LOT of beers at StarMegaDo1, they wanted to put together a "Get Naked" Do for next month. Something about saunas & jumping into cold water. :confused: Hmm, it was a lot of beers. Maybe they were from Finland? ;) :D

On a more serious note, there are a lot of good people on FT that you'll meet at Dos, as well as some that you won't be as fond of, as SweetWillie pointed out, but will still have miles/points in common. It's like any community.

And FT does become like a family. When my sister had cancer a year ago, we started "Operation Postcard" and FTers from around the world sent postcards to me to send to her to keep her spirits up. There were literally hundreds of cards sent, and it meant a lot to both her and me. And when she died, missydarlin came to help me close out her house, and arrived with a gift basket, a gift card & some $$ to go towards my sister's dogs kennel bill, all collected from FTers. BTW - in closing out the house I found every single postcard that had been sent to Cheryl. She had kept them all. Recently I did a breast cancer walk in Cheryl's honor, and FTers generously donated to the cause to help me reach my goal.

So go to your first do, and enjoy yourself.

Cheers.

I can say there's only 1 person that I'm not fond of. Considering the multiple hundreds of Flyertalkers that I've met, my batting percentage is ^

FYI, the BRT in my sig below has hosted ~250 people over the years. :cool:

Mine was the New Years DO in NYC. It was full of warm, fun people as seriously interested in flying commercially as I that I'm hooked into going on SAMD2. A big factor is that the planning for DO's is as detail-oriented, thorough, and credible as we'd all expect them to be. Most of my friends can't travel because they just can't get down to details.

My first "real" FT Do was TLS as part of chrisxb's Tour De France back in '07 but there have been dozens of mini-FT Do's here in YEG and even one in YYC I've attended. SEADo last summer was also highly enjoyable all thanks to the mighty missy. ^

This was the first DO I ever attended. We had a tour of the ATC tower ( this was pre 9/11), saw how the dogs are trained, and had a great time. I was the only HP PLT present and took a lot of ribbing. My kids thought I was nuts to fly to SAN to meet with a bunch of strangers. One of those strangers I even ended up dating for a while ;). ( Pre my marriage to Evil_sensei of course :p)