We’re proud to announce the addition of a Los Angeles branch to the ever-growing Hacks/Hackers nationwide network.

Thursday, July 8, more than a dozen members of the Los Angeles journogeek scene joined up for the first introductory Hacks/Hackers LA meetup at Redwood Bar and Grill, conveniently located across the street from the LA Times.

Our first meetup was a mingling event for our community members to get to know each other and for us, the organizers, to get a feel for the kinds of ideas and interests floating around the Los Angeles community.

What we talked about

Most of the conversations throughout the night were in small, circulating circles. A few recurring topics:

Data visualization: What works, what’s possible, what has fallen flat in the past.

Multimedia strategies: One man-band strategy vs. the in-house multimedia inspection team.

Journalism education: Yes, it’s a topic that has been discussed over and over again in journogeek circles, but for a good reason: we all agree that it still needs work. A few memorable notes from discussions about journalism education:

• Many students still care too much about the “grade” rather than the value of the experience they gain. This isn’t the fault of the students, but of the general mindset and educational structure upheld by traditional institutions
• How valuable are entrepreneurial journalism classes/programs? Can you truly teach entrepreneurialism in a classroom setting?

And, just for fun: Hidden food gems in the Southland: Korean clambakes and SF/SD-worthy burritos

What the Twitterverse said

Now that we’ve all had the chance to meet and talk, future meetups will be more structured and thematic with speakers, panels, presentations — you name it. We’re open to ideas from everyone.

Keep an eye on this blog for and our freshly-created Facebook page for updates on the place and theme of the next meetup.

Michelle Minkoff, Eric Zassenhaus and Lauren Rabaino are co-organizers of Hacks/Hackers LA.