TOTO, I CAN’T WAIT TO BE IN KANSAS…

and am looking forward to meeting a few hundred small town wizards at Jeff Pulver’s 140 Characters Conference Small Town. 

On September 20^th hundreds of small town and small business enthusiasts will convene in Hutchinson, Kansas to share their own “State of Now” stories regarding how social media is helping and enhancing not only rural America but those in small towns around the world. 

I’m coming from California to attend this conference.

As Becky McCray (co-host of the event) posted recently:

“This is not just a Kansas event. It’s not a local 140. It’s an international event that happens to be held in Kansas. 

And it’s the only international “high tech” event to talk small towns and go to a small town to do it.”

Just how AWESOME is that?

There are plenty of comparisons that one can draw between the Wizard of Oz and those who live in small towns and are participating in the “State of Now” via social media.

Here are 3 that I came up with (as cheesy as you might think these are):

1.  The Wizard of Oz is about self-sufficiency.  That’s huge in rural areas.  But at the same time those who live and work in small towns know the value of getting those in your community to come together to help out.  That’s a big part of small town living ~ knowing and helping your neighbors.  It doesn’t matter where you live geographically, social media now gives each of us a chance to either develop our own small towns (meaning our connections via our own social media platforms) or become part of one by finding our own niches.

2.  At the 140 Characters Conference Small Town we’ll hear lots of social media success stories regarding how qualities such as courage and heart converge to help small towns and small businesses.  I bet we’ll also see how those same qualities can transfer from rural areas to be used quite well in big cities too.

3.  The Wizard of Oz is about hope.  The characters in the book are hopeful that if they work hard they’ll get what they want and will be rewarded in the end.  Those living and working in small towns know and live that same scenario, with the “end” being the quality of life that one finds in a small town.  At this conference we’ll hear how and why social media is helping make life easier for those living and working in small towns.

So the bottom line is ~ whether you live in a small town or are part of a small community via social media, the 140 Characters Conference Small Town is for you.  We’re coming together from all over the country to share small town experiences, learn from each other, and enjoy the love of small town life that we all have.  I CAN”T WAIT to get to Kansas and I look forward to meeting you there!

Register for the 140 Characters Conference Small Town here.