Community — Pat Dryburgh

We have a great community on the web. Thanks to blogs, Twitter, Dribbble, and trusty old Email, we have an unprecedented connection to people doing amazing things all over the world.

Even with all of these connections, it is easy to feel lonely. Though I love being part of this community, I still live in a town where I have no friends (next to a city where I have many), work independently, and am still living the bachelor life (three years and counting).

Since the beginning of January I’ve been in Cupertino working with a client of mine. It’s been fantastic to get into the office to work directly with the team. The creative energy is palpable. The only downside to the whole trip has been living in a hotel in a city I don’t know. It’s an isolation I wasn’t expecting.

Frequent trips to San Francisco has helped. Working on weekends from a coffee shop filled with people has been good for my psyche.

But, no coffee shop could replace the incredible feeling of community I’ve felt over the last few days.

This past week, Macworld | iWorld was in town, and with it brought countless Mac and iOS geeks from all over the country. Included in the flood were some of the very people I’ve felt such strong community with through our various social connections online. People like Shawn Blanc, who I have known for almost four years now, and Ben Brooks, who I’ve known about a year and have worked with on various projects over that time.

I got to meet the intelligent and inked Brett Kelly, hear the southern drawl of Stephen Hackett, enjoy a salmon sandwich by the pier with Thomas Brand, share a pint or two with Matthew Panzarino (still have your room key, bro!) and Matt Alexander (thanks for the biggest margarita of my life!), and celebrate the beautiful socialism of Canada with Mike Vardy.

I also got to meet and drink with a couple gentlemen whose work I have admired for as long as I’ve been on the internet: John Gruber (thanks for pulling us from the couch next to the bathroom to have a drink with you) and Scott Simpson (I’ll be checking out the comedy festival this week!).

For those who were at the expo but we didn’t get a chance to connect: let’s make a point of making that connection next time we’re in the same city. For those who didn’t even make it to San Francisco for the expo: shame on you. You missed on one of the best experiences of any Mac-geek’s life.

I’m still in the Bay Area for at least a few days (my plans for heading home are up in the air, currently). So, if you’re free tonight or tomorrow and want to grab a drink, be sure to get in touch.

※