Every year when I attend SpiceWorld, the Spiceworks Technology Conference, in Austin, Texas, I arrive at the same conclusion: The power of community has more impact than all the marketing and advertising from all types of media put together. OK, so that might be overstating things a bit, but I think you get the message that I have observed that community is a formidable force for spreading the word among those of a like mind. The Spiceworks community is only one example of how members of a collective can pool their resources to create something greater than ever imagined. Linux is another example of a global community coming together to create a disruptive product that has literally changed the world. Hyperbole aside, the significance of what these global communities have achieved shouldn't be minimized, and neither should it go unnoticed.

Community isn't anything new or spectacular. Barn raisings, for example, were a popular community project in days of yore, where a group of folks would come together to help one of its members create a structure that would give back to the community as a whole in the form of storing hay, housing livestock, or even hosting a barn dance. Imagine if the farmer had built the barn himself, using only his resources, the desire to share his handiwork with the community at large might have taken some convincing. When every community member gives and participates, every member benefits.

Technology communities provide common areas where everyone on the experience continuum, from the greenest newbie to the most highly seasoned expert, can come together and have mostly civil discussions about all things tech. It's a safe haven, where we all prop each other up and share insights and commiserate over our collective pain points.

The community works. It fits our innate need to band together for a common purpose, lending strength in numbers. Community succeeds.

These communities have not only built dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of profitable companies, but they've also proven that we, as a global community, don't have to submit to virtual arm-twisting in selecting our technologies. We have choices. We have community. And we have the power to change the status quo.

This piece is not meant to have a political bent to it, nor do I want to sell the idea that "it takes a village"; rather, I want to shed light on the effect that technology communities have had. In the case of Spiceworks, that community not only answers questions and shares code but also vets products and builds new companies. A number of products have been tested, vetted, and released as a result of that community's participation. Startups can provide limited releases of their products to a highly technical and highly active community to have them "battle tested" by potential users and administrators. The community suggests improvements, finds bugs, and stretches an idea or product to its limits. If a product, idea, or company survives this rigorous process, success is all but guaranteed. The reason? It not only has the stamina to withstand a tough initiation process, but now those who tested it will become users and evangelists. Community investment. Community success.

Community isn't just about products or technology; it's about sharing and being part of something greater than its individual parts. It's about giving of oneself without the thought of personal gain or accolades. It's also about lifting up and recognizing the rare community member who, by his or her actions and contributions, has pushed the community forward.

In the words of Desmond Tutu, "A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

Ken Hess * ADMIN Senior Editor