You’re not alone in the Salesforce.com world! It can sometimes feel that way when you have your head down in all the daily work you do. You wonder if there’s a better way to get your work done. Who works in the same type of environment that you do and has something to share? Who has already solved a problem you’re now seeking an solution to? I can think of a place.

In 42 cities or countries around the world, there are local user groups of people who want to meet you. Each one of those groups are led by one or more people who are passionate about getting users, developers, administrators, and executives together, face-to-face and sharing ideas, innovation, and success. They want to show you what they’re doing and they want to hear what drives your success with Salesforce.

I may be a little biased personally, considering I lead one of these user groups, but then again, it also helps me validate that these groups are important and that they work. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from our group and they consistently talk about the ideas they pick up and can put to use often times, the very next day.

Here are my five reasons I encourage you to join a group near you.

1. These groups exist for you – You’re a user of Salesforce, and so are we. There aren’t that many opportunities to meet face-to-face with other users so take advantage of these times.
2. You have something to share – Whether you’ve a Salesforce guru or new user, your input is valuable.
3. You’ll be more informed – User groups are opportunities to learn from experts about new features within Salesforce and how to get the more out of the features you already have. Some of the topics of our last three meetings were the new Customer Portal, integrating maps into dashboards, strategic account management, analytics mashups, project implementation best practices, and data management strategies.
4. You’ll be heard – Salesforce listens to user groups.  It’s also a way of promoting ideas you’ve put into the Idea Exchange.
5. You need to get out – Sitting heads-down in your work day in, and day out, you need a break for social interaction that is business related. User groups have fun. Ask the people involved. Those two hours away from the office can be very well spent in the midst of people who will help inspire you to greater work and productivity.

User groups exist for and are made successful by people like you who get involved and share ideas. Check and see if there’s a group near you and join one to find out when the next meeting near you is. You’ll be glad you did.