Between the historical architecture, the artsy vibe, and the undeniable charm of the coastal towns, you’re going to want to get out and experience the local flavor. But as any savvy socialite knows, one of the biggest obstacles to having a rich social life is budget. How do you attend the hip events, the great parties, the gallery openings, and the chic wine tastings, all while maintaining a reasonable budget? As it turns out, being in the know is the most stylish way to do it.
Opportunities abound in Massachusetts, but it’s all about knowing when and where to cut costs, while still looking fabulous. The problem many face is that they don’t quite know what to say, especially when it comes to networking events, opening nights, trendy brunches, and all that jazz. But if you take a moment to consider the opportunities at each of these events, you’ll see that they all have one thing in common: conversation. You’re going to be talking to people, and those conversations are valuable. You never know what opportunities or insights you’re going to gain from a casual conversation with someone at an event, or with the person sitting next to you at brunch. To make the most out of your interactions, you need to come prepared with some talking points. You need to know what you’re interested in, what would be valuable to you to learn, and how you’d approach a conversation with someone you want to meet. And the more specific you can be, the better.
But what do you do when you want to take notes about something someone says to you? When you want to record a conversation for posterity? If you’ve ever wondered the legality of recording conversations, the answer can actually be found in the same place that you’d find the answer to where to go for brunch after a night at the museum. Massachusetts law requires the consent of both parties to record a conversation. That’s a two-party consent state. While many states operate under the “one-party consent” provision, Massachusetts is not one of them, and you’ll need to ask someone’s permission. If someone says “yes” that’s fine. You can go ahead and record them. Eye-rolls and frowny faces on your part are not advisable; this is about being high-class, remember? You may be a little too eager in your recording, so do your best to be respectful. Here are the tips: Don’t be too nervous about this, either. You may find that some people are perfectly fine with having the conversation recorded, especially if you explain the reason why you want to record it. This can happen, so keep an open mind, and you’ll be golden. Now, if you were denied permission, you can simply record notes instead, or remember the most important points of the conversation. Alternatives to note-taking include sending a text to yourself or using the voice-to-text feature of most phones now. As an added bonus, you’ll immediately upload these notes into the cloud storage of your phone, meaning you won’t even lose out on the opportunity to file your notes conveniently. What didn’t he just say he’s going to make a movie about your life? Send them right up to the cloud, put the copy on a flash drive, and forget about it until the day you can sell those notes for millions. Whereas for some social media is second nature, others are still getting used to the concept. Be wise when it comes to your own expectations for where social media is taking the site of dining, entertainment, and business, and how it impacts your social style. Understanding how other people use social media can give you the upper hand with your conversations and networking. You now know how to properly attend events on a budget, by conducting yourself properly, being stylish, and walking away with new understanding about your world (and a few digits here and there). You also know how to navigate state law. You’re already a rockstar. Hang on tight to what you learned here, and do so with style.