You hit the nail right on the head. Selflessness and leadership should (SHOULD) go hand-in-hand. I see that a lot in the non-profit work we do. But taking the lead and earning it are two completely different things!

So glad you stopped by the kitchen. I hope our paths cross IRL soon!

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

My feeling about whether someone is doing an activity for personal gain or for the general good is “who cares?” Really.

If you create something awesome for other people (which will only truly be awesome if you have others in mind first), and your secondary motivation is to raise your own profile, that’s great! I don’t know anyone who is actually selfless enough to create something of value for their colleagues and/or prospects and just stumble upon the realization that being a really cool, helpful, fun, thoughtful, caring person might also be good for business, too.

So I say, as long as the effort is sincere, and the event, activity, or content well-done, then I’m all for increased brand recognition as a potent side-effect as a result.

“The problem is this. If Person X were to organize a barcamp, or podcamp, or whatevercamp, my first assumption is that they are doing it to improve their personal brand. Not for the tech community. Thats just the way things have gone. Everything people do is suspect.”

I admit I have had it before and felt its impact before. Its not fun and hurts at a very personal level. Regardless of everything that has been posted its this issue at an individual level should be addressed.

I was asking why someone in Des Moines isn’t emerging as a leader, or a national figure as the people of Boston have done. The closest anybody has accomplished on their scale would be Drew McLellan with his Age of Conversation efforts.

Is it necessary to have a shiny beacon for the world to see here? Not if we keep things status quo. And as Nathan has said, maybe everybody is just working hard to do good things for their clients and families. And that’s ok too.

I was just asking the question, albeit in a smart-ass and somewhat hurtful way: Why doesn’t Des Moines have the kind of “global” social media leadership Boston has, considering the amount of social media “experts” it houses?

I guess the best answer I have heard is “because we are too busy locally” or “we simply don’t have a need to be renown.” Both of those are good answers. Unfortunately, if we are to move the city forward in terms of tech/web there has to be *some* kind of recognition or voice that is heard nationally to bring us that attention.

At least that’s my opinion.

Andy B. and others have told me to “get my feet dirty then.” I have. But people don’t notice. Every time I am on the Daily Source Code or No Agenda with Adam Curry I try and mention Des Moines. Every time I do a podcast, I use “Iowa Podcast Network” which nobody seems to want to join. I do more schmoozing nationally than locally because, well, they seem to listen to what I have to say, and it gives me a national platform to plug Des Moines.

And when I asked the Des Moines social media community for one re-tweet for a charity event I was organizing I got nothing… not even a reply.

You can read my post many ways, but the bottom line is I *AM* proud of what the city has accomplished, but we are no better off than we were when we “started” 3-4 years ago. To move forward we need leaders to call attention to our efforts. I tried once and failed, now I’m an outcast and no matter what good I do is going to be seen with cynical eyes.

And the sad part is I meant to get people riled up to bring some energy back into things, but instead I feel like Ive alienated the very people I was trying to rally to the cause.

And subconsciously, I may have been trying to get YOU to help me kill my blog. (see http://www.troyrutter.com ‘s latest blog entry)

No matter how you feel about me, keep doing good things.