Get the word out!

Communities are always in flux. People move away, others arrive; older members retire, and younger ones graduate from school.
Because of this, it is important to let the right people know that we are still here and active!

This takes effort, and we could use your help.

To ensure we are on the same page, this article explains in detail how you can help spread the word so that new friends can find us and join our community.

From the heart

You might not know this, but others really want to know if you enjoy being here! Your experience serves as a signal for newcomers to decide if they could enjoy it too. Being vocal both in person and on social media about the things you enjoy works wonders for the community and would be a huge help to us.

• Say thank you to the presenter in Discord.
• Make a social media post about something you enjoyed at an event.
• Write about an idea that inspired you.

Doing these things helps with future planning and gives the people who inspired you a sense of belonging.

Every event is unique

There are two practical realities we cannot ignore. First, the ways people engage with and work in technology have become much more diverse in recent years; gathering specialists in any one specific niche is even harder now than it was just a few years ago. Second, the number of active English speakers in Kansai is lower than many might expect.

Because of this, when you talk about OKTech, it is important to emphasize that every event will be different and have a different focus.

The next event might have a completely different vibe or depth. It helps us immensely if people understand and embrace this variety!

• Let people know what is different about this specific session and why you think it’s great.
• Highlight that the goal is to create an enjoyable experience, even if someone doesn’t understand every technical detail.
• During and after events (including online), asking and answering questions helps us showcase our community.

Fitting in

A core goal of OKTech is to be unapologetically English-speaking. These kinds of spaces are rare in Kansai, so it is important that we are upfront about it. As such, people who are not eager to communicate in English may not find this a good fit.

From experience, most people joining our community are 25 or older; those under 25 rarely join. Most members either work in technology or are interested for tech to be more than just a hobby.

Due to the overtime-culture in Japan, many people find it difficult to attend events during the week. While weekend spots are typically conducive to this, our current schedule is not ideal for those with busy social lives or families.

Additionally, decision-makers in Japan are often very busy; while some do attend, we aim to be a group of equals, which can make it difficult for high-level executives to join regularly.

Finally, we noticed that many people who come solely for the money have been disappointed in the past. We want to reward genuine interest in technology. When sharing information, it might be good to keep the following in mind:

• People looking only for profit will not be satisfied here.
• People from all walks of life are welcome, but our core group consists of “geeks” who are slightly older.
• English is encouraged and fostered at all events.
• We love diversity in thought and origin.

Love for Kansai

We firmly believe that Kansai is a great place to be, with all its quirks and local oddities—including our members and presenters! We love the diversity and the unique challenges that come with this region.

• Highlight anything you learned about Kansai in your materials.
• Talk about the connections you’ve made within the city.
• Celebrate the locals, even if they moved here from another country!

Where to be found?

The signal needs to cut through the noise. Many things are happening in Kansai simultaneously; how would someone who fits our group look for us?

For years, our primary answer was Meetup.com. It is a reliable index for English-speaking events in the area and is easy to find. While our Meetup group has many members, most—like many other groups—are “ghost” accounts that haven’t attended in a long time.

• We have a volunteer role to send out Meetup updates! You can really help us out by taking this on.

In recent years, we have also used LinkedIn and Discord to spread the word.

The best way to grow our Discord is to ensure it isn’t a space that people ignore. Previously, we had a regular update for English-speaking tech events; this was highly valued by members and helped our growth immensely.

• You can volunteer to get those regular updates for English-speaking events in Kansai back into the Discord!
• Help us make the Discord an engaging place rather than a muted one.

LinkedIn is currently our only other active platform. We chose it based on a suggestion and have maintained it since.

• You can help by volunteering to write articles for the LinkedIn page.
• Liking and sharing posts helps us reach new people!

If you are eager to help us grow even further, social media like Facebook is surprisingly still very active in Kansai and would be a great place to mention OKTech.

Human first, professional second

Using tools like Grammarly or LLMs to ensure your text is free of grammatical errors is a good idea if you feel insecure about your writing. However, there is charm in imperfection.

Many people in our group are professionals, but their fields and experiences vary widely. By trying to present ourselves as “strictly professional,” we risk creating expectations that might not be met, which could lead to disappointment or pressure that would reduce engagement. Therefore making mistakes is fine within our community, since we’re all human. The charm to human imperfection makes our interactions feel personal and that is what we like to embrace.

We are not a corporate organization promising career results or academic certifications; we are a community first.

• In your communications, ensure both passion and professionalism are represented.
• Many members are from different backgrounds, focus on their passion and skill rather than just their credentials.
• When contributions are made, be transparent about how those proceeds benefit the community as a whole!