Matt Helt | SecretPenguin Blog

Seth Godin sent out one of his daily posts this week with this video attached: GUY #3. I was mesmerized by the analogy this video so dramatically represents - the power of momentum.

For those of you who’ve been following my posts recently, you’ll know that I’m super excited about a ‘bridge’ concept I came up with. The goal is to link the coasts with the talent we have here in the Midwest. At first, my idea was to only promote Omaha businesses. But then others approached me about applying the concept to their communities. Now we have BridgetoMilwaukee.com and BridgetoToledo.com in the works.

What’s amazing to me is that Seth’s video came to me early Wednesday morning. I watched the video and could only say, “Wow!” Then a few minutes later I received an email from Mark Pannell (@7son75) saying he was moving forward with BridgetoToledo.com. He was my Guy#3. The timing couldn’t have been better.

So now my idea isn’t some crazy, dreamt up idea that won’t go anywhere. It’s happening. It’s a movement. We have momentum. All it takes for you to join is your willingness to participate. It won’t be easy, though. There’s some work involved. But if you’re a thought leader in your community you owe it to those around you to start your own ‘bridge.’

Send me an email if you’re interested in getting your community connected. I’ll fill you in on what we’re up to. And don’t worry if you aren’t in the Midwest. We want you and your community to thrive no matter where you are.

The last week has been really exciting for me. As more and more people hear about the BridgetoOmaha.com concept (B2O), the more emails I get from people who want to participate. I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt the need to collaborate with other tech/creative shops to get the word out about the talent that exists here in Omaha. Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. If you haven’t yet, feel free to send me a note and I’ll make sure you’re involved in the conversation.

I had a chance to sit down with Chris Rikli of Anova Solutions (@chrisrikli) yesterday to discuss this concept. We had a great conversation, during which he mentioned that not only do we need to advertise Omaha to the world, but we need to build community as well. Every participating company in B2O needs to know all the other companies involved. The site we develop is only half of the solution. The other half involves all of us getting to know one another, sharing information, building real bonds so we can lean on each other if necessary.

I saw a program on PBS last night that highlighted the modern Art and Crafts movement in the U.S. The thing that amazed me is that all of the artists involved themselves in some sort of community where they can spend quality time with like minded people. No one is interested in competing against each other. They come together to learn, to talk, to become inspired. And because they do that they are all better off in the end. There is no reason for any of us in tech/creative to operate alone anymore. B2O can help us connect with the world, but maybe more important, connect with each other.

And this isn’t limited to Omaha. Scott Wintheiser of Lightburn in Milwaukee wants the same thing for his community. He went ahead and bought BridgetoMilwaukee.com so that he can start a movement in his hometown. My hope is that more and more of these bridges will be built in towns similar to Omaha and Milwaukee. We’ll start these bonfires of thought that the coasts will no longer be able to ignore. We’ll also bridge the gap between these communities by linking all of the bridges together.

The next few weeks are crucial in the development of this site, and this community. We welcome your voice in it.