If you had a magic wand, what single thing would you change about your city? What if using your magic wand required you to learn a magic word and say it three times backwards? Still worth it right? What if using your magic wand meant waiting 5 to 10 years for the result? Would it still be worth it? What if you had to wave your magic wand and say the magic word each day of those 5 to 10 years? Would you use it then?
You really do have a magic wand you know. Your abilities, influence and passion are extremely powerful. Don’t think they’re powerful enough? What about when coupled with the abilities, influence and passions of your friends and neighbors? And not just your friends, think about the exponentially increased power of a crowd that includes friends of friends of friends. Social networking tools move this possibility from the realm of theory to the every-day practical. Sound a bit like herding cats? You might find inspiration and a few wrangling tips from these guys:
Seth Godin – Seth’s book Tribes (Amazon affiliate link) will fuel your desire to accomplish something and assure you that it is possible.
Chris Brogan – If you’re new to online community building, Chris’ weekly newsletter is a great place to start.
Jono Bacon – Jono’s book The Art of Community (Amazon affiliate link) provides content useful for building communities of 30 to 30,000.
So…if you had a magic wand, what would you change about your city?