Get together face to face, guys.
We have a group here in Calif., now up to 31 of us, who have get togethers monthly, and have lots of fun. It is a total success. The real benefit, however, is the face to face help we can get from each other, moving a machine, instruction on how to do something, borrow or lend a tool or the use of a machine, and lots more. The more important stuff happens between the meetings, mostly one on one or in smaller groups. We also do field trips to various places that are interesting to machinists. It is an active and useful group, and the group has fostered many close friendships. We have a private groups.io internet site that serves as a focus for our little group. Nearly all of our members are also H-M members, and that appears to benefit both us and H-M. Our members have also become more active here on H-M because of our group, and we have brought new members to H-M. One of our members is also a H-M staff member.
Send me a PM if I can be of help to get more local groups going among H-M members. They serve an important social and safety need in a hobby that is often solo, lonely, and dangerous, and also helps keep us working smart. It is a definite win/win for all.