I just wanted to write a little blurb to give props to the crew at IgniteOKC! They hosted a fantastic event that is sure to get better with time. Here is my two cents on why you should attend an Ignite event in your town, but first a little history lesson. Ignite began in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then, hundreds of five minute talks have been given across the world. There are thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, Portland, Paris and NYC, to name a few. This world-wide movement has ended up in our backyard and here are a few reasons why you should go:

1. Passion: If you are like me, it is always refreshing to find people who are passionate about a topic, any topic that moves their soul. Personally, the subjects of the talks tend to fade away as I peer into the personality of the speaker. This is one of the main reasons I went to IgniteOKC; passion is contagious and who knows what I could contract!

2. Connect: Social media becomes much more personal when we know the flesh behind the account. Here in OKC, everyone wore a name tag with their real name and their Twitter name. In my experience, it was great to put Twitter names with real faces. This validated people that had previously existed solely in a digital form.

3. Learn: There are so many people that care greatly about their city. Sometimes these people come to the forefront but most tend to stay behind the scenes. Ignite can give the opportunity for people to connect and share a common goal. Throughout the evening, I met people that wanted to promote our city, and we formed valuable friendships over that bond.

GO! Even if you don’t think you are interested in the subject of the talks, GO. We can always use a little community and inspiration, and I for one would love to meet you.

IgniteTulsa – March 4th

Blue Dome Diner

http://ignitetulsa.org/

Tickets on sale now.

IgniteOKC – Summer 2010

Location TBD

http://igniteokc.com/