Our little community is really starting to gather some momentum here in the DC area. There has been much talk recently, on this blog and others, as to the state of affairs with regards to the growing tech community. Even though everyone has somewhat differing opinions, one things is clear, the common thread is that the community here in DC is on the cusp of special things, it may just take a little time.

We are a community in our infancy here in the DC area. We try to compare ourselves to the likes of Silicon Valley, Boston, and Seattle, but there is really no comparison. However, that should not make us upset or jealous, we should accept what we have and move to make it grow and mold it into our own special. The DC area is unique, as are all of you and we should embrace that, embrace our culture and learn to thrive from it.

And as an infant, so to speak, we depend on each other as we did our parents for support and guidance. There are many among us who are bringing their ideas to fruition and working hard to bring their thoughts to reality. It is a hard process along a bumpy road and everyone can use a little help. Our mission right now should be to all pitch in and help. Help to place more and more stones on the foundation we quickly see forming around us. We are not competitors.

Here is my proposition to all of you within reading distance of this statement. If we hope for this area to one day grow into the community I know we all envision, we have to stick together. I keep going back in my head to a statement I have read a thousand times over at WashingtonVC:

grows companies through the exchange of complementary technologies and marketing services.

The exchange of complimentary services ... We all have talents that we can share and exchange. Maybe we are not all web designers or php developers or marketing mavens, but we all have something we can offer. So go out and share them. Maybe its testing a new feature, maybe its help with a bug someone just cant figure out or a social media/pr question. We all have something we can offer I am sure. Offer them. We are the ones who will build it. Nobody else. We can't expect VC/angel $$ to just come our way, so let's show them why it should. If we build it, they will come.

Now I know there are some out there who may be saying, "Why should I give my time and may not receive anything in return?" I can only tell you that you will receive satisfaction of helping good people succeed and you will be helping to continue to build the foundation. I saw this update on twitter from our friend Keith Casey of WhyGoSolo just yesterday, and it fit so well with the thoughts I have been pulling together:

I love kicking around good ideas with good people.. especially when I can help make the idea better. The success of friends is always good

In the end, it will benefit us all. It is kind of like that "Pay It Forward" movie I once saw, or the karma in "My Name is Earl". Kind of cliche, I know, nonetheless most likely true. If you help one person "make it", do you not think that you have ally that may come in handy one day. Someone you will be able to reach out to and say "Heh I need some help".

There are those out there doing this already I know, and this is not groundbreaking stuff. I just wanted to put it in black and white, in simple terms. Not so long ago our friend Aaron Brazell (Technosailor) took his time and worked to make a group, @dctwits, that the community here could use to get the word out to the community at large. Now as we all know, there are no groups within Twitter as of yet, but Aaron took his time and made it work. What did he get out of it ? He got our thanks and the knowledge that should he need help, we stand ready for him. It are these types of acts and people that will make us stand apart from the noise and the crowd.

My door is open. If I can help any of you, please let me know. Need the word put out, I will write about it. Need a new facebook app you are working on tested late one Friday night, I will test it. Need some help with a technical issue, I will work it. Have an ad, I will place it on the site. I trust many of you would do the same. And in doing so we will only work to make the community grow cohesive and stronger and make people from those "other places" take notice. Soon it no longer will be "Why did you start your business in DC?", it will be "Look at that community there in DC, thats the place to be"