There is so much noise, so much information, so many tools, there’s too much. We’ve become a digital society that celebrates the tools of the process not the process or the end product. It seems we’ve put so much time and money backing the how-to rather than the doing. It’s simple to see why though, there’s no risk involved. With no risk there’s no failure, with no failure there’s no ownership of choices made. We are the greatest digital society but we are cowards.

Many might suggest that this is a fallacy of the precepts of our society but then why are there more blogs published on how to publish blogs telling others how to publish blogs.

Are we really sharing what matters most?

Are we really connecting with others?

Are we only posing to be connected?

When we reach out with something that matters to us we truly reach out with our hand hoping others will grab ahold. This is a matter of faith in motion not faith looking into a cloudy mirror only to vaguely see itself. When we leave the nest of familiarity we leap into a world that is hungry for genuine connectivity. It is dangerous to walk away from the herd, it makes us second guess every decision we make but those very dangers is what enables us to possess real ability to change not only our surroundings but the world at large.

Do we simply want to connect with only others who do exactly what we do or do we want to connect with people who seek change that matters?

Everything we choose to do matters, it only depends on who it matters to? To ourselves, our digital egos, our colleagues, or real people who struggle with the very thing we’ve solved?

Are we propagating the problem or the solution?

Is it the journey or the destination?

When we risk we choose to live.

So I had attempted to install the new version of WordPress and something messed up during the installation and made me not be able to log into my account. Then I had to attend to a few projects so I had to set aside my blog for a little while. Tonight though I was able to restore from my backup and have the site back up and running now. Eric helped me get the database restored successfully. Thanks to all who dropped messages to me with your concerns, it was much appreciated.

So I know I’m behind on all of this but tonight I installed a plugin that allows you to view my site on the iPhone without viewing the site you see on a desktop. Hopefully it will help those of you reading my blog on your iPhone, I heard that it is hard to read my blog on the iPhone so now it should be much easier and definitely faster.

I read your emails how difficult it was to read so hopefully everything works properly. Let me know how it looks and works for everyone.

UPDATE: Plugin provided by Content Robot, Eric did the background logo for me, thanks.

How do rockstars engage with their audiences better than websites?

First off, if you measure your level of engagement by how many unique visitors you have at your site then I think you might misunderstand what I’m saying.

Does a rockstar care how many people showed up to the concert?

Of course.

But what do they really want from their audience?

Engagement!

When they begin to vocalize the lyrics they want their fans to join the party, to sing, to shout, to jump, maybe even start a riot. They thrive off their audience getting involved, as they pour out themselves through their talent of song and music they eagerly await the audience to jump in at any point.

This is engagement!

It are these moments and moments like these that help keep the rockstar doing what they do everyday. Sure they like to travel and meet new people but anyone can do that, they want the thrill of standing in front of thousands of people and having them interact with them. That is a feeling that cannot be replicated.

So why do websites, bloggers, podcaster, content creators, and creative people lack this vital aspect?

I believe that more often than not most of us forget that we need to involve ourselves in the conversation. Or we simply don’t know how. If you remember the rockstar begins by singing first which then the crowd leaps in to create a completely unique song and experience. It’s hard sometimes to remember that we need to be moving forward and always creating and attempting to involve ourselves with our audience.

Ask anyone who has community involvement what it feels like when they get a flood of comments on their blog and they respond. Does the real rewarding work happen in the original content or in the augmented, aggregated content that follows? This is an important question to ask. Does a rockstar get more satisfaction from writing the song once or performing it a thousand times?

My father once told me that what good is it to be innovative and creative if no one gets to experience what you created. Not just see, touch, smell, hear, taste but to interact with those who have similar interests or even opposing interest but nonetheless still be involved with one another in some sort of utopian community that is effortless and free from manipulation. Isn’t this what being a creative of any sort is about?

Sure you have talent and sure many can partake in your genius but does your audience play a part in your creation? Should they? Does community involvement in the creation process help or detour?

Overall, I think that rockstars definiately have a pulse on something that many creatives don’t, allowing everyone to get involved. It’s not only exciting but it helps fuel you to keep following your dream.

What do you think?

Do you let your audience get involved?

I was reading one Chris Brogan‘s most recent posts about “Keeping the Blogging Fires Burning” and it was just at the right time. I have been experiencing some success with my blog lately but as usual I get busy and end up letting it go and putting it to the side. Then I usually end up avoiding it because I get into a sort of writers block, it was his post that reminded me one of the most important aspects of writing. Reading.

Reading helps you write, helps you push forward when your stuck. I have been avoiding reading one of my books I started because simply I was too busy but I finally decided to sit down and just read and before I knew it I finished the last 100 pages and was finished with the book. And it sure put a fire in me, I started writing ideas and topics and couldn’t wait to write again.

It’s funny how sometimes we fall so quickly in and out of love with something, especially writing sometimes and even when you haven’t embraced for some time it invites you back openly.

Here’s an exceprt of Chris’ post:

“Read constantly. I blaze through over 1000 blog posts a day. I don’t read them all, but I process about 1000. How? Quickly. I skim through, find points that interest me, and then REALLY read the ones that matter to me…..The point is, the more I read, the more I’m exposed to good ideas. Ditto with podcasts…..I’m stumped from time to time on what to write next, and then, at other times, I can churn out 100 blog topics for a single post (most comments and trackbacks to date on that post, by the way). But having a text file I can open and peruse gives me plenty of material to choose from.”

If you don’t follow Chris on his blog or Twitter you should.