Less fragments, more collaboration

One of the things I’ve been thinking a lot about is how fragmented the world is.  In this networked, connected world, there is the idea that we are talking to each other, but most of the time we are just talking to ourselves. The non-profit world talks to the other non-profits, real estate agents talk to other real estate agents (through ActiveRain), credit unions talk to other credit unions…you get the picture. So we have this sense that because we are blogging and a few people are reading our blogs that we are all connected.  But where’s the real conversations between diverse groups?  What would happen if mission driven businesses, developers, non-profits, and church leaders spent a day talking? What could we all learn from each other? That is the goal of Community Building Camp.

I’m in the process of organizing Community Building Camp as a barcamp in Seattle. I have a few people helping but need more volunteers. The goal is to make it a free or near free event so finding a venue is the most critical element. Here’s the list we are choosing from:

• Blaine School in Magnolia
• The Big Picture
• Hugo House
• Phinney Center

I’ve left messages with a couple of churches to see if they would be interested in providing some space but I haven’t heard back. I don’t want to get started about the dead space and huge overhead of churches. That’s another blog altogether.

If you know of a space that could work please let me know. Here’s a link to the wiki for more information. Community Building Seattle 2007.