Potentially some of this will depend on how one defines "attend a network" - like a networking "event" or an existing "network of individuals"? I've been a big

Potentially some of this will depend on how one defines "attend a network" - like a networking "event" or an existing "network of individuals"? I've been a big fan of tech Meetups (Ruby and JS mostly) in various cities (meetup being capitalized because meetup.com is the proxy). They're free and "opensource" and nobody is selling anything really - there are opportunities to give talks and listen to talks. The biggest thing I like is maybe seeing the same people multiple times and having a "local" focus because people most likely live in the area where they're attending an event. I'd be willing to pay a cover charge to help support the organizational budget but would not personally go to a "proprietary" meetup/event. That's kind of what separates a conference from a meetup in my opinion, as well as conferences being longer.