In the last few months (what many are referring to as) the DC “Tech” community has really ramped up. I first started seeing it after Barcamp and since then there has been the addition of lots of interesting events in the DC area and even the online formation of the DC Tech Community on Ning.

First off I want to say I hate calling this the “DC Tech Community”. While yes it is sort of “techy” I think it paints the picture of Urkel-esque socially inept nerds who sit around and code all day and then go home and have LAN parties. While there is nothing wrong with that (I do have a few friends that fit that bill.. and I love them to death) the people who show up to these events don’t all really fit that MO. I would prefer to call this community the “We Know our Way around the Web” kids. They are back-end developers, front-end developers, designers, marketers, lovers of social media, twitterers, and business owners. Most of them know there shit and some of them like to act like they do. Everyone shows up to meet new people and they all have one thing in common… they are hungry to learn.

Thats what has me so addicted to many of these events, I love to learn… and there are people willing to teach out there. Everyone has something to offer and these events provide a casual atmosphere to make those connections in.

I have a LOT of print designers ask me how I learned web design (html, CSS, IA, User Experience) and other than the tutorials on the web, a few books and sheer determination I have to give all the credit to my friends. I have friends who were willing to teach me (and thank god for their patience). A lot of times a great first step in learning something new is just meeting the biggest bad-ass out there doing what you want to learn and find out if they are willing to teach you.

So come on… get out there.. there is so much to learn! If you are interested in finding an event to take part in near you try upcoming.org. Some events to check out…

RefreshDC (local and National)
Refresh is a community of web designers, developers, and other new media professionals working together to refresh the creative, technical, and professional aspects of their trades in the Washington, DC, area.

Barcamp (All Over)
an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants

NextDC (local and NYC)
Our mission is to connect young people both socially and professionally who have a stake in future of tech and new media in Washington DC.

MashmeetDC (local and National)
A Gathering of those interested in the world of social media.

Web Standards Group (all over)
The Web Standards Group is for web designers & developers who are interested in web standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT etc.) and best practices (accessible sites using valid and semantically correct code).

Social Media Club (all Over)
is being organized for the purpose of sharing best practices, establishing ethics and standards, and for promoting media literacy. This is the beginning of a global conversation about building an organization and a community where the many diverse groups of people who care about social media can come together to discover, connect, share and learn.

Type Directors Club (all over, but mostly NYC)
Love Type? well so do these people.

Art Directors Club (local and Global)
People who love design.. you don’t have to be an “art director”

Did I miss any? Please feel free to add on!

Being designer can sometimes be tiring. I will never say it sucks or that its a crappy job because that is just not true. It is a privilege to be a designer and in my opinion it is the best job in the whole world, but just like any other creative occupation sometimes you feel a little burnt out. I don’t mean burnt out like Vanilla Ice burnt out or Danny Bonaduce burnt out, I mean sometimes you come home and think to yourself… “how the hell am I going to squeeze one more droplet of creativity out of this dried up sponge of a brain today?” Its not even the how, its the why. If you are ever feeling this way try and recount all the ways design makes you happy….

Thursday evening a few colleagues and I visited the interactive offices of the WashingtonPost.com. With super impressive digs the folks over in their Arlington offices are doing some multidimensional work that ventures far beyond the expectations one would have for a local news paper.

When taking a look at the Top 20 Online Current Events & Global News Destinations from Nielsen//NetRatings for September 2007 you will see the Post hanging tough amongst national and global news leaders such as CNN, Yahoo! News, Google News, ABC and CBS. While the Post is not the only local new paper on the list (the NYTimes hold tight in the top 5), it is in a minority amongst large national and global news organizations.

What I find so fantastic about the WashingtonPost.com is the quality of their online media. While a percentage of their content is repackaged stories from their print edition, they have a hefty number of reporters and videographers who are exclusive to the online addition. The team’s online video coverage of Hurricane Katrina won them an Emmy for outstanding achievement in content for non-traditional delivery platforms in a category where they were match up against other major players such as MTV and National Geographic.

My background is in print design. I was a real pain in the ass when it came to accepting the ways of the web, so when the age old argument of print vs. web surfaces I really can say I understand both sides of the spectrum. There is a certain comfort and experience in holding a printed piece of paper in your hand. There is the way it feels, how it smells… the convenience of having it to roll into a tube to wack* your cat’s ass when she jumps on the kitchen counter for the umteenth time. The Washington Post is an interesting experiment in this arena, a news organization operating both in print and online very successfully. The Washington Post’s average weekday print circulation is 635,087 for 6 month circulation yet they receive 8 million unique visitors to WashingtonPost.com every month. Honestly, I am not going to figure out what the hell those numbers really mean. I don’t need quantitative data or stodgy old stats to support my perspective… I just need you to go and watch Gladys Mitchell recount “being so close” to Dr King on WashingtonPost.com….
http://specials.washingtonpost.com/onbeing

I can not see how a printed article or photograph could evoke the same emotion that prickled down my spine as I watched her hand jesters, her eyes flutter, and heard her southern accent peppered with long deep pauses. You could argue that broadcast could bring you those same feelings, but the magnificent difference is the user’s capability to look through the comments, join the conversation, and control their online experience. The user can reach out and connect with others who were just touched by the same spine-tingling feeling run down their spine… that is the beauty of digital. That is what you call interactive news, and while print will never die it will never provide the same level emotion that an online newspaper has the capability of delivering.

For more insight into the cool stuff thats going on at the WashingtonPost.com check out Apple’s awesome Pro video on them.

*When I say “wack” I mean make a loud noise… not really hurt her. I would never hurt my cat, and I do not endorsing anyone hurting theirs. If you are interested in helping some local cats please check out http://www.mcatdc.org/