I just want to take a moment to talk about why I think it is important to start a Flash user group in central Pennsylvania, or any type of user group for that matter.
From one, to a few
One of the reasons why I see many freelancers wanting to become hired by a company is because of something that is missing when working solo, a team. Sure you have your personal best practices and your particular ways of working. But as many people know, two heads are better than one. Well what about half a dozen? Two dozen? Now you are working with others and learning new skills. There is information being shared. The company now has their particular way of working together and standards are starting to develop.
From a few, to many
But again, that only gets you so far. Sure you are working with others and information is being tossed around, but with that close internal group, it is possible to get stuck in isolation. You only know the processes and procedures of your internal group. What if there is a better way to structure your sites or provide proposals. It would be great if you could share some knowledge with others outside your company and receive some in return. There are a million ways to do one thing. How do you know yours is the best or that there isn’t another way to do it?
This is where a local user group comes in. This is a place where your peers from other lands (companies, firms, and freelancers) can come together to learn and share ideas with one another. A group of trusted and qualified people who we can all network with. To create business relationships, friendships, and that pool of potential new hires/freelancers that companies are always looking for.
Call to Action
I am in the process of forming this new user group. If you would like to help organize or contribute in any way, please contact me. Also let me know if you have anything you would like to see incorporated into this group.
