There are many tools in the community building toolbox, marketing should not be your primary tool. Silicon Beach. Silicon Prairie. Silicon Beltway. Silicon Alley. Silicon Bayou. Silicon Desert. Silicon Harbor. Silicon Forest. Philicon Valley (my fav so far). These are all spins and a feeble attempt to ride along the brand of Silicon Valley. Most of you have rolled your eyes whenever we hear someone utter one of these phrases.  (You think that is troublesome – try sitting in a meeting of community leaders where someone actually offers up the local variant.) Why do passionate and motivated leaders fall into this brand trap?  There is an easy answer – many think that there are shortcuts to startup community development. Where might this thinking come from, you ask.  If you have never been involved in a startup (as a founder, early employee, investor, lawyer) and your knowledge originates from the media, your assumption is that companies appear and then are massively successful.  Its human nature to start your understanding of a phenomena when you first heard of it.  The problem is you are basically unaware of the prior months/years of effort.  Most of us only see the public-facing marketing and attribute the company …