The Power of THIS Community

What I love most about my role as community developer is the opportunity to build relationships with people making incredible, creative things happen. Beyond the hope that we can all find a way to make a living off this stuff in the coming months and years, I really just enjoy meeting and spending time with people who are out there trying new things, building great stuff, and having fun while doing it. The “asshole level” in the social media space is fairly low. Most folks I get to spend time with in a given day are just rockstars and amazing givers. I believe that spreading encouragement and developing camaraderie amongst all the various folks working in this space (be it blogging, podcasting, videoblogging, second lifers, etc), becomes core to building this community up and out.

There are people out there highlighting the work of others every day, by building link love into their blogs, and pointing out each other’s work on Twitter. There are people seeking out collaborations and experiences that form the communities around action, and build us all up with something to really sink our hearts and minds into. And at every turn in the road, there are people out there doing great things for each other, just because it’s the right thing to do and because we all want each other to succeed. It’s not all kumbaya and “peace, brother.” It’s a common bond we’re all feeling towards wanting to figure out this personal media revolution and do our best work within it.

We know how to have a good time, and we seek each other out. The people in this photo above are from Hawaii, Georgia, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and California (and the guy behind the camera lives in Massachusetts). It’s a big group, and we’re growing bigger all the time. And yet, we are HYPER-CONNECTED. We know what each other are doing all the time. We follow each other’s work, and we stay close through the tools we’re discovering, developing, and using the HELL out of.

There are brilliant minds among us, doing amazing work. We’re givers at heart, and so there are hundreds and hundreds of people sharing their best knowledge without reservation through a series of passionate experiences. Through PodCamps and Boston Media Makers to New York Video 2.0 to your local gatherings, there are people getting together and sharing information, exchanging secrets, tips, wisdom, and advice. We’re a community of sharing people with a love for seeing the other guy get his chance.

So think on this, and share the best of what you know and who you are with those who are in this with you. Don’t just think about how to create your own best stuff. Work on helping your friends, colleagues, partners, and new media leaders with the best of what you can offer.

In a culture where even our rockstars stay human and reach out to the people around them, it becomes important to encourage people to live their dreams. Reach out. Do what you can to support your friends. Give them phone calls at random throughout the week. Make sure you keep everything open. Don’t be afraid to talk to people in this space that you think are somehow more famous. It’s not like that here. We’re all humans here.

So get out there. TODAY. And connect even more. Bring your best to the community. Share your ideas, collaborate, unite! Gather under bigger, bolder flags and put forth your best ideas, your best efforts, your most talented and yes, your hare-brained ideas! Because somewhere, out there, is a tide. And we’re all the little boats. And when that tide goes up for one of us, it goes up for all of us. Get out there and lob depth charges. Dig up sea monsters. Whatever it’s going to take.

Be heard. Be seen. Be loud. And if you’re not “the talent,” and you’re someone who supports others, great! Do it. Carry shields. Deliver water. Heal the sick, the downtrodden, the weak of spirit. We’ve got nothing but now, and you’re the most important people in the world. Can you use your powers for good? Hell yeah! And will you do something with your skills that’s NOTHING AT ALL like what you’re doing today? Here’s hoping. Because once you get up that hill, once you go beyond delivering the experience you set out to deliver, there are even greater challenges for our community to tackle, that aren’t anything to do with the people you see around you in these pictures. We’re just starting here.

That’s the word for today, friends. That’s the word.

Photo credits, roadieshow, me, me, me, and CC Chapman