A friend of mine started a women’s networking group in the Denver area eight months ago. This group is based on the idea that when "cool women we know" get together, something good is going to happen.

New members are found through word of mouth–there is no website. Still, the group has grown from a handful at the first meeting to nearly 100 on the mailing  list. The monthly in-person meeting attracts 25-30 women. Those who can’t attend make sure my friend knows not to take them off the list. A LinkedIn group helps everyone stay in touch between meetings. The LinkedIn presence has also spawned requests from women outside of Colorado, asking about joining or starting a Coolest Women We Know group in their own area.

I attended my first meeting last month, intrigued by the concept. What happens when the best of each of our networks meets in person, around the topic of helping women succeed in high-tech? I was not disappointed.

These women are alive, fully and completely, and they interact in a way that makes you want to know more about them. No shrinking wallflowers in this group.  Not all of them are extroverted like my friend. Some exude a quiet confidence. Others know how to connect with others to put them at ease. Still others share their wisdom with generous hearts. This is a group of women who willingly give their gifts to each other.

What I’m learning from this group as it relates to the principles of A Bigger Voice:

• Not every community needs to grow to large numbers to have impact. It just needs to fill a gap in the world. I have no doubt that over time, if this is something the community wants, there could be Coolest Women We Know chapters across the country. But for now, this group fills a hunger for 100 women, and in doing so, the power of those 100 women increases and has a ripple effect on others around them. Twice a year, CWWK has a Bring Your Mentee meeting, where the goal is to inspire and encourage women who are up and coming by "experiencing the intoxicating climate of amazing women." Quite honestly, at 47, with my own biz for the last five years, I don’t consider myself up and coming and I still am inspired and encouraged by this group.

• Branding is important in attracting a community of kindred spirits. Just like Yarn Harlot (www.yarnharlot.com) has an attitude, so does Coolest Women We Know. The essence is not only confidence, but also generosity. Women invite others into the group who they consider cool, who they want to share with the rest of the group. Four words–concise and descriptive–automatically attracts those who immediately resonate with this community.

• Networking is at the core of this group, in how it grows and what it provides. Those one-on-one relationships feed the community and vice versa, creating a virtuous cycle. Last week, I called one woman in the group who brokers requests for customized software with software development groups. I asked for help on behalf of two of the ABV consultants with a business opportunity. She’s been incredibly generous with her time and expertise. Will I be likely to do the same with someone else from the group? Absolutely. It also encourages me to think of cool women I know to invite into the group, to share the wealth, so to speak. In the end, all of this serves to strengthen the community.

• In-person communities provide something that virtual communities can’t match. The spontaneity of live voices, seemlessly joining together in a fast-paced conversation, is something that the virtual world can’t replicate. Nor can the virtual world provide us with the juicy silence that comes from an anecdote that ends in a profound truth. And I believe that a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual holds the promise of even more. Think both/and instead of either/or.

• Vibrant communities have both a diversity of voices and a common love that binds the members together.  For CWWK, it’s a love of helping other women be successful, of sharing stories, of being in high-tech as a woman, all in an authentic way. My friend makes sure that the community hears the richness of perspectives with a single question that everyone answers at the beginning of each meeting.  Last month, the question was, "What advice would you give someone struggling with their career?"

• If community-building doesn’t come naturally to you, observe a great community-builder in action.  My friend is a natural AND there are observable things she does to foster a community. From picking topics that everyone can talk about, to recognizing members of the community publicly, to making sure that the community is not about her, great community-builders know how to engage multiple voices in the conversation.

This last bullet leads into one of the best pieces of advice on community-building that I’ve heard recently:

Join a community to enrich your life. Get involved to get the rewards.

Whether or not you are on the path to A Bigger Voice, this is good advice. My deep appreciation goes out to the Coolest Women We Know group for giving me the opportunity to observe, learn, and participate. I’ll be back.