• 1 broken HVAC heater at the onset of winter
• 1 casual comment about said broken heater and the impending freezing weather to two Twitter friends
• 2 weeks of Tweets and emails between myself, my two Twitter friends and THEIR Twitter friends about some kind of online campaign to “rescue” me from the cold
• 13 people that answered the “call” to “rescue” me from the cold
• The realization that, in spite of what the media wants us to believe, people DO want help each other out of the spirit of goodwill and “family” that we all long for in this fast paced, online world we live in today.

How do you express your sincerest gratitude to folks that have offered to help you out? How do you thank someone that you’ve never met in person? Folks that you have only exchanged tweets and/or emails with? And, even folks that you have NOT met, but rather, are friends of someone you have exchanged tweets with. Obviously, there is Twitter or email and even Facebook. And yet, these all seem to me to be horribly inadequate methods of thanking someone.

Mirjam Spronk (aka @QualityLMiriam on Twitter) is definitely my unsung hero for 2009.  Standing up and offering her time and expertise, from the other side of the world, means more to me than I can possibly express.  This post simply CAN’T convey my gratitude and thankfulness to her. She is definitely a true and real friend. 

And, if it weren’t for my conversations about the Squirrel Nut Zippers with Joi Murugavell (aka @joidesign on Twitter), none of this would have happened.  Therefore, Joi is my second unsung hero for 2009 and another true and real friend. With luck, I will give them both thanks in person someday.

I would add the other 11 people that contacted Mirjam to help out, but sadly, I mostly just have their email addresses, so at this time, I will just say that they deserve “Unsung hero” status too!  However, they are in my thoughts and deserving of the hero status as much as Mirjam and Joi.

What is BarCamp Nashville you ask??? Well, from the official website:

BarCamp is Nashville’s free “un”-conference for the digital and technical community. The BarCamp format was brought to Nashville by Marcus Whitney and Dave Delaney in 2007. It’s free to attend — thanks to our generous sponsors — and the un-conference format encourages community learning: attendees are also encouraged to sign up to present a session. (Did we mention it’s free?)

BarCamp has become the premier technology conference in Nashville, bringing together the best minds and representation of the hottest companies in the internet, entrepreneurial, new media, and software industries, among others. Over 300 people attended the first year, and 2008′s attendance was nearly double. We’re projecting great growth for 2009. Sign up today to attend, and consider signing up to speak as well!

Pretty cool, huh?!?! It was 7 hours of sessions, all 30 minutes in length with lunch available and even drinks from the bar! There were sessions on everything from blogging and podcasting to programming for the web and the iPhone to legal issues surrounding digital content and even how to network at gatherings. Dave Delaney gave a tremendous talk about what happens to your online presence after you pass on entitled, “We’re all going to DIE!!”

I have attended various conferences and workshops in the past and I can honestly say that BarCamp was far and away more informative and beneficial than any other “professional” event I’ve ever attended. We, here in Nashville, have a vibrant and active “tech” community that seeks to not only encourage collaboration among the many tech folks and companies in the area but also to put Nashville on the tech “map” so that we can not only grow the tech community but so that our community can be a leader in innovation in the tech community at large.

I originally heard about this conference from a friend (one of my kayaking buddies) who was on the planning committee for this year’s BarCamp. She suggested I should come since she knew I was looking for something better to do for a “job” and knew that at the very least, I’d have an opportunity to get some good information but also to meet some like-minded tech savvy “geeks”. And, let me tell you, she was absolutely right.

Thru BarCamp, I have made a number of new friends. And, this might sound weird, but for the first time in my 45 years, these friends were NOT related to my work or my school or my family. For the first time in my adult life, I’m making friends without the benefit of these other arenas. And, it is a little strange for me. But, at the same time, it is also wonderful.  Ah, but I digress.  This will all be covered under one of the upcoming Best of Blog Challene 2009 topics, so stay tuned.

The biggest thing I got out of BarCamp was the knowledge and inspiration to take a big step forward and to launch a website based on one of my passions: helping others achieve their dreams, as I mentioned at the very end of my post for the first day of the Best of Blog Challenge.  BarCamp gave me the strength of mind to start The Dream Shepherd.  And, while it’s definitely a work in progress, it is my baby and I am hoping to make it a place for others to find inspiration and the tools necessary to excel and/or achieve their dreams.  After all, it’s better to start a trip than to plan it out forever.  As Lao-tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”  And, the knowledge gained at BarCamp gave me the courage to take that first step.  My journey has begun and I feel awesome!