The day started off with my alarm at 6 am. After meeting up with my brosephs Charles and Caleb at Starbucks we set off to the UTD campus for some early registration, an hour early to be precise. But I wanted to make sure we got great seats. Plus I was excited to meet some new people and hear from all the speakers.

Speaking of meeting new people, I had the pleasure of meeting Cali Lewis, from GeekBrief.tv. Cali started geekbrief.tv a few years ago with her husband to pursue her passion in new media. She was by far the best speaker at todays session. Her energy and passion for new media and building a community was very refreshing. Below are some of my notes over her presentation.

7 Rules for Building a Vibrant Community

What is it you want people to walk away from your blog with? Cali said that for geekbrief.tv it’s a smile. I think for myself it would have to be a sense of belonging or that you learn something.

Rule #1 – Know thyself… Know they Blog!
* This can take a while and plenty of practice to know yourself and what you have to say. I kind of feel like I’m still getting there, but am gaining traction.

Rule #2 – Start compelling conversation!
* This is what I’m doing with chatcreative.com by attempting to bridge the gap for the design community, one step closer. This is what people like Aaron Irizarry, David and Marc Perel and others are doing with their blogs and videos.

Rule #3 – Be an asset!
* Add value. Start a conversation. This pretty much ties in with the previous rule.

Rule #4 – Make Friends Not Fans!
* We don’t want to talk “at” our community, but rather talk “with” our community. Take Gary Vaynerchuck as the perfect example. Cali talks about meeting new media stars who treat their community as fans vs. friends. We don’t need to separate ourselves as “unique” and “special” but just as ourselves… ordinary people who make mistakes. And when we have a great group of “friends” then they are much more forgiving when we make a mistake.

Listen to your community doesn’t mean we have to change what we’re doing.

Rule #5 – Show Appreciation!
* Cali really hits the nail on the head about being responsive and thankful to everyone who connects with us. Setting up google alerts is a great way you can watch what people are saying about you, and then respond.

Rule #6 – Take Breaks!
* This is something that I believe in whole-heartedly. Taking time to step away from the computer and get some fresh air, or whatever, is essential to regain focus. Take today for example, if we didn’t have breaks every hour I would’ve gone crazy. There is only so long I can sit in front of a computer before I feel disconnected and burned out on ideas.

Rule #7 – Always Be Upgrading!
* We all have to start somewhere. Don’t be afraid to make those first steps. But also, don’t get stuck in a rut of doing the same thing over and over, especially if it isn’t working. And remember, we can upgrade more than just our equipment. Think about your technique, whether in writing or designing or video blogging, and also the depth of your content. I always like to think there is room for improvement.

Some Last Words

I really enjoyed getting to meet some new people today and hear what they do. Among them were two really talented young men, 13 year-old Jackson Fall of livingdigitally.tv and 16 year-old Clay Griffiths who is working on a new theme called Headway. I was able to get a sneak peek at the theme on Friday night and have to say it’s going to be a game changer for all other theme makers.

The first day of WordCamp Dallas 2009 ended on a high note at Sherlocks pub and grill with friends, both new and old, and a few beers. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and hearing from Matt Mullenweg.

Today I wanted to let you guys know about the Dallas Wordcamp that will be going on next weekend (June 27 and June 28). Please register if you haven’t already, there are going to be a ton of great door prizes and some great speakers. Matt Mullenweg will be speaking on Sunday afternoon about the state of WordPress as well as a Q&A session. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Also I touch on an all too common subject… being honest. More importantly about not being afraid to voice our honest professional opinion. We don’t have to be a jerk to say how we really feel, but if we never speak up no one will know. There’s no such thing as a mind reader.

Managing my client relationships is something I’m learning right now. And I have to say that I haven’t always been the best at it. It’s easy for me to be laid back and wait for them to contact me instead of being more proactive. But the more independent work I get the more I see how important it is to stay in touch with my clients and make sure their needs are being met. Putting just a little bit of extra effort in can go a long ways.

Please forgive the camera shaking. I was holding it by hand and didn’t realize how sensitive it was. I need to use a tripod next time.

Links Mentioned

Caleb White – Thanks for lending me the Flip Mino camera
Dallas WordCamp – Register now before it’s too late
Garth Humbert – Looking forward to meeting this guy

1. I won’t over load your feed with nonsense
2. Because twittering lowers your cholesterol
3. My middle name is Andrew
4. Two words, Twitter Tools
5. I like to DIGG
6. I know how to FLOAT
7. Like Adelle says, Just Tweet It
8. Or like Dwight says, “Don’t think about it, just do it, 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 -1″
9. I prefer quality over quantity
10. BEER ME
11. I’m extremely organized
12. I’d like to use one of my life-lines
13. My breath doesn’t stink in the morning
14. I’ll be gentle … promise
15. You WON’T shoot your eye out
16. Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see!
17. I always wear my seatbelt
18. I think “going green” refers to sexual relatioins with the Jolly Green Giant
19. I won’t play games with your heart
20. I’m a good listener
21. I found Carmen Sandiego … but still looking for Waldo
22. Part of the DFW WordPress meetup
23. I would rather vote for Ron Paul
24. I know THIS GUY
25. Because words like death don’t scare me
26. Willing to share my knowledge about the BARF diet with you
27. Can offer advice to your intermediate WordPress questions
28. Enjoys my morning cup of tea
29. I love to meet new people
30. I know who killed the electric car
31. Because you can never have to many friends
32. It’s WAY faster than email
33. To sum it up, I’m pretty much awesome

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