People around the office know that the first thing I do after registering for a conference is jump into BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) and create a group. It’s my thing. I already have a group for this year’s BlackBerry® Developer Conference (registration is now open by the way) and I haven’t even heard from Adam if I’m going yet (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Why do I love BBM Groups? Well – first, I’m a BBM addict anyway. Before I think of picking up the phone or starting a new email message, I try reaching out over BBM first. Having a group lets me quickly message all the members so that everyone is in the know on what’s going on. At conferences, the BlackBerry App World™ storefront crew uses BBM Groups to trade booth duty shifts, let each other know about how sessions went, and make plans on the go.

My team here at Research In Motion® (RIM) manages all the development tools used to write great apps for BlackBerry®. We use our “BB Platformers” group to share notes about apps, share blog posts on development topics, update each other on our projects, and have a little fun during our weekly video game challenges. Last week, I played net for the first time at pick-up hockey and used our BBM Group to share a photo of myself in goalie gear. I’m sure our team down in the Sunrise, FL office appreciates the Florida Panthers sweater.

Using BBM groups goes beyond work too. My wife and I use our own group to keep appointments up to date. Summers are always busy with weddings, showers, and cottage weekends, and using the shared calendar feature in our group ensures that I never forget anything, as I was previously known to do.

I’m often asked what makes a group great – and I’d say the number one reason is that they can be started so quickly. A few weeks ago, I was getting ready for The Hills (don’t judge me, it’s addictive) when I decided to create a quick group. It took me just under a minute to create, and then I added some friends and even posted a group barcode on my Twitter feed so others could scan and join. My buddies RJ and Bryan joined to make fun of me while they watched the MLB All-Star Game, while my friend Brenna from RIM PR and I spent the hour mocking the events of the episode – all in real time!

What do you use BlackBerry Messenger groups for? Head over to MyBlackBerry and let us know!