When I founded PHP Hampshire, I had no idea what I was doing, nor what I was letting myself in for. That said, I had a great time learning the ropes, learning more about what people will expect of you, and crucially—meeting new people in the field. The core purpose of a user group is to gather like-minded people together. Whether the folks attending use this for networking, socializing, or learning is entirely up to them, so one important facet is to ensure the platform you set up will cater to everyone.