Importance of Giving Back: Lessons from Defcon Experience

Focus less on those who helped you, and more on helping others.

I didn't really 'know' anyone there -- like a lot of young hackers, I was part of one of those vBulletin board hacker crews that have been lost to time.

I felt lonely and lost -- it was the first year they had those cool electronic badges, and at the time they were only given out as entrance tokens for an exclusive party that was the talk of the con.