Sadly, I think it will always exist. Similar to any product’s life cycle – there will always be the early adopters who will collaborate on, and share with others, this cool widget they just came across. Soon it will hit mainstream and that’s when the “land grab” seems to occur. There’s nothing wrong with the mainstream (I would say I fall into that category more times than not) but the trouble lies in the motives behind it. Are you jumping on the bandwagon for fear of missing your piece of the pie or are you doing it because you truly feel you have something of value to offer?

There’s a lot of people touting collaboration right now, but in many cases it seems the definition of that word has been muddied.

I think it’s great that speaking events, unconferences, coworking spaces, and others all blend and meld into the tapestry. They build and learn from each other, and they all have their own lifespans. If new things suck, they’ll die. If they’re good, they’ll find an audience.

For me the only driving rules are to support (or at least not badmouth) other peoples approaches, and to not try and proclaim a Right and a Wrong way. We’re all exploring different paths, and that diversity is what makes exciting things happen.

This is the same “herd mentality” that is the driving force behind human progression. Some (many) will fall in the process, some will not survive, but the strong-willed, passionate ones will thrive and continue to lead the way for the herd.

The key is knowing when to start your own thing, and when to support others already on the same path. I think anybody starting a new venture should be required to answer Brent’s questions first.

Phoenix has a lot of great things going on. Let’s support and build on them whenever possible, instead of stepping on peoples’ toes in rush for self aggrandizement.

At the same time, let’s also realize that there is still a lot of room for new ventures and innovative ideas and support those who are charting new territory, even if it means we have to take a step back and let others ‘be the hero’ every once and a while.

It’s the goal of many people to be intrinsically motivated, but far, far too few people are like that. They need and want extrinsic signs that they are doing the right thing, that they are liked and that they are appreciated. It is that way because they have small minds. They don’t get the big picture.

Social media has allowed anyone access to everyone else without barriers. No longer do we have to attend all the right parties in all the right places in order to even be heard. We should, of course, still network as much as possibly, but that trip to NYC or Tokyo or LA is no longer the barrier it has been for so long.

Our biggest problem is that we try to be too much. Everyone wants to be a member of gangplank, a participant of Ignite, a presenter at PodCamp, on the planning committee for ImprovAZ, a speaker at Radiate and a regular attendee of one of the FNs, but it’s just not possible to do so. We need to stop celebrating what makes us the same (for most people, simply being in the same place at the same time) and focus more on what makes us different. We need smaller, invite-only groups that don’t require public support. We don’t need to seek sponsorships of everything in order to make it worthwhile.

Hacknight is an excellent example of a step in the right direction for this. Everyone is allowed to show up, but only 4-5 ppl actually stay late doing something. They WANT to be there. They aren’t sponsored. No one else know that they’re there. They aren’t trying to control anything beyond their influence.

It’s amazing that, for me, the single most influential event every year has the most anonymous of planners. Sure, there are leaders, but no one is writing articles about them. They aren’t out to invite the world, they just want doers, not watchers to participate. Why we don’t have more events like PodCamp, I don’t know.

We all need to be more honest with who we are, what we can contribute and what we expect.

If you look at % of participation, the conference market is poor. 10/10 poor. The biggest tech event in Boulder has a 1% population attendance, which is by far the highest I have heard about. We are still fighting for any level of acceptance.

So I would challenge everyone to think of the advice they are giving and what it would have meant to SXSWi when it was a conference for CD rippers. Hungry hungry people trying to build brands can be just as self promotional as those trying to shoot their ideas down…

Is is about how many people you can get to show up in one place? Then you’re doing it wrong.

Is it about getting press or recognition? You’re doing it wrong.

Is it about changing something or sparking dicsussion, or giving something to someone. Then you’re off to a right start.

I’ve never seen a strong, creative winner of a campaign that wasn’t a collaborative effort. Yes, most great work starts with one beautiful idea, but it doesn’t become great work until it’s nurtured by a group of minds with a variety of talents, perspectives, and experiences.

These days, everyone seems to not just WANT to lead, but to feel they are entitled to. In my experience, the best leaders enjoy spending some time following, because we learn an awful lot when we do.

I’m not anti-ownership (and I’m certainly not anti-intellectual property), but I’m very pro-collaboration. Exceptional work comes from it. And seriously, I know a lot of people were raised in that “Everyone’s a winner!” mindset, but frankly, there aren’t that many genuine experts.

There is no shame in being a vital part of a great team. In my opinion, it just doesn’t always have to be about me me me.