The Door64 Manifesto

This is not your father's social network.

On the surface, this is a website. Sure, for starters we have discussion forums and blogs, an event calendar, and a job board. If you work in high-tech in Central Texas, from a student to a seasoned professional, then this MAY be for you. Like some, you can sign up, sign in, and sign out...but that's not what this is about. This is more than a website.

So what is this all about? Well, I'll tell you:

• We're about online conversation...
• We're about promoting our local tech scene...
• We're about making employment - hiring and finding work - more efficient...

WE are a community, an experiment, and a movement to positively impact Austin's local high-tech economy.

This is not just another case of the Mondays.

The news informs us about economic conditions like weather conditions, as if we can do nothing about them. After all, when a hurricane hits, all we can do is run for cover or get out of town. But when adverse economic conditions hit, what can we do? Are we all victims, or can we do something besides hide? Here, we take the storm head-on. As a community, we weather the hard times better than we would alone, and multiply the good in the good times.

I believe we can choose to act rather than react, to redirect rather than recoil, to drive rather than spectate. Who constitutes our local economy? YOU do. I do. We all do. The economy is not nebulous - it IS us. Students, professionals, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, start-ups, corporations. It's all of us. People can't survive without some type of employment, and companies can't survive without the right people. We are the local high-tech economy, and we need each other.

This TPS report does not need a cover sheet.

Did you get the memo? Past performance is no assurance of future gains. The job market is changing. Will you work for the same employer from college to retirement, as did previous generations? Is it alright to only know the people you have worked with? Meeting your peers through networking has not become popular by accident. The few have realized networking is a career necessity.

We need each other, whether we know it or not. Can you find a job without a network? Maybe. But why would you want to limit your opportunities to only those positions listed on some job board? Most jobs are found through your network of contacts, so the more people you know, the more opportunities you have to further your career. And because you can't build a network overnight, starting now is essential.

By the same token, when our local tech companies are successful, so are we. So I ask: How does your company find talent so you can be successful? Are you hunting for them, or are they pursuing you? Better yet, are your employees on the lookout? Mobilizing is the new recruiting. Make sure the people you need know you and your story, and they will find you. Amplify your presence with every employee who is involved in Door64, and you have effectively gained recruiters in a community of technology professionals. Let your existing employees recruit the right people by doing what comes naturally: helping their friends.

Moreover, our members want to hear about your company. They want to learn about what your company is doing. They want to talk to you. Door64 is the venue for these conversations.

This is not about drowning.

In high-tech, the skills required to do your job change frequently. Trouble is, how do you keep up? How do you remain marketable, and stand out from the crowd? Through your experience and continuing education. It's better to surf the wave rather than drown in the wake. If a vibrant community identifies trends, then that same proactive community can line up development opportunities. Imagine courses, community-supported bar camps, lunch-and-learn sessions, and employers taking an active role in building the skills they need in people to be successful. Everyone can win. It just requires a community of professionals to communicate what they see and anticipate where it's all going. One for all, all for one.

This is not a ketchup popsicle.

What I have just described is what door64 is, and is to become. This may all seem impossible, but that's only because it has not been done before. I'm not selling you on a future that I don't believe is achievable. If none of this resonates with you, please email me and I'll gladly remove your account; I don't want anyone to feel obligated to participate. But if you're on board with this vision -- if you understand the need, then we need you. We need you to participate. We need drivers, not spectators.

The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will be blogged, tweeted, and instant messaged.
The revolution will be live.

Matt Genovese
Founder, door64.com