BIG OMAHA THIS WEEK - THEN WHAT?
We have now reached the week that Omaha will play host to one of the most exciting tech/entrepreneur/social media conferences in the country - Big Omaha. Starting Thursday night, thought leaders from Omaha and around the nation will converge on our city to listen to a great line-up of speakers, meet new people, and talk about all the great things we’re working on. There’s tons of excitement surrounding this event and there seems to be a real interest on the part of the out-of-towners to see what Omaha is all about. I have no doubt that they’ll find a city filled with very bright people who want to make a difference in the way our world operates. I couldn’t be prouder to call myself an Omahan and hope all of you feel the same.
But I have this nagging question that’s been bugging me for a couple of weeks now. What’s next? Big Omaha will be here and end before we know it. After it’s over, will we be energized enough to take action to affect change? Will we truly embrace the movement of collaboration and help one another succeed rather than try to keep each other down?
Knowing how passionate each of you are, I think it’s safe to say we’re going to be just fine after this event. But there is a legitimate concern about how we will keep up the momentum. We can’t rely on the organizers of Big Omaha to do it for us. There needs to be a grassroots effort to sustain this energy and continue to bridge gaps between us. Tweet-ups are a good way to do this, but we need more of them. And we need to spread the message to those in our community who don’t have access to technology. In many ways, technology can cause us to deepen the class divide in our country. If we’re going to lift our neighbors out of poverty, then we need to reach out to them and see if they are interested to joining the conversation. I also think we’re excluding some of the older members of society who have a tremendous amount of knowledge to share. Many of these people are looking for a way to share what they’ve learned, and we can be the recipients of that knowledge if we just take the time to listen.
In no way am I trying to say I have all the answers. I don’t even know if I have the skills to organize something after Big Omaha. But I know a lot of you reading this do. All I’m proposing is that we make Big Omaha a 365-day conversation. Those of you willing to lead should take this opportunity to do so. It could be as easy as reaching out to a local nursing home and hosting a Tweet-up at their facility. Or teaming up with Girls, Inc. to show the students how to use technology to change their lives. It could be pretty amazing what we come up with. All it takes is the desire to affect change.
If you’re in Omaha on Thursday, May 7, feel free to stop by the SecretPenguin/What Cheer studio at 6 pm. We’re hosting a pre-Big Omaha party and would love to meet you. You can find the invite here.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
great post. I’m inspired by the possibilities of this week and the long-term effects that we will continue to enjoy after the workshops and luncheons and parties are all done. I’m eager to meet you too!
May 30th, 2009 at 7:18 am
[...] wrote a post right before Big Omaha called Big Omaha This Week - Then What? I was concerned that Big Omaha would come and go, and we’d get back to our lives as if [...]