This is pretty interesting in light of my hosting Hacker and Founders in Silicon Valley and San Fran (Meetup on thursday if you're interested http://hackersand

This is pretty interesting in light of my hosting Hacker and Founders in Silicon Valley and San Fran (Meetup on thursday if you're interested http://hackersandfounders.com http://hackersandfounders.com ). We've tried a lot of different formats: coffee shop, lectures and presentations. None of them work for us quite as well as going to a bar and chatting. We've thought a lot about this over the past two years. People instinctively understand that when they go to a bar, they are there to relax and have a good time. A lot of times, people are really stressed out from a long day at work, and would like to have a drink, unwind and chat. People don't tend to unwind in a coffee shop or a restaurant. While I've certainly enjoyed the lobby chat at conferences I've been to, but bar talk with the geeks at hackers and founders tends to be a lot better imho. I'd also say, that the best business relationships that I've developed have involved social alcohol. I grew up in a teetotaler household, and I've made a point of learning how to drink socially and responsibly. Frankly, it requires practice. I think it's actually a pretty valuable social skill to have in the startup world. Final point. We've pretty much standardized on having alcohol at every Hackers and Founders Silicon Valley, and I have yet to see a single person get drunk, or concern me that they were going to be unsafe while driving.