iTunes + MySpace x Music Geeks = MOG

Again with the music passion! Seems my blog is helping me rediscover one of my first loves - music. MOG is a recently-launched Web site that brings the beauty of the original Napster to the social networking era. The premise is that people you trust (friends and musicians) are the best source of music recommendations -- discovery is a social process. A process like leaving your blog to look for stuff.

I joined a few days ago. Already it has connected me with a nice group of other junkies. Its got a few little bumps. The path of discovery is littered with them. In the process, I discovered digg. More social network. And somehow we're all get connected. Whether anybody realizes it, matters not.

read more | digg story

Discovering Enthusiasm

Mack Collier - shares tips/advice/wisdom on creating and growing a blog here

Thanks for the 1st comment ever to this blog, Mack!

Hopefully, I haven't lost you by creating the link to his post :) so if you're still here, this is my take. Mack's first point is pick a passion to blog about...this is where it starts. The word passion is a bit over used these days. Discovering one is no simple task. And discovering one to write coherently about is tough. Passions are personal. Our US culture seems to devalue being personal in public. It's tough to be understood when little value is placed upon something. Posting to a blog is both personal and public. Its a little risky but without risk would anything get done?

True passion breeds enthusiasm. The real ones stick over the long haul. Most of the time passion isn't like being struck with a lightning bolt. It begins with a spark. Passion might smolder for a long time. It builds in small increments. We really care about our passions. Life is about the journey and not the destination. So is the growth of things you are enthused about.

For me, a true passion has at its center the human quest to learn and to share. All of my passions center around learning and sharing over a lifetime. Today, I'm thinking a lot about my love of music. I came upon a great music sharing link yesterday. It's still beta but I set up a MOG. Think Music blOG. As mentioned in previous post, Street Music Week was a huge success. I've been playing for about 6 years. It is only within the last year that I began jamming with others. The increase in enthusiam is astounding while I learn and share. Yes, I played with the bluegrass bunch. New chords, new tunes. If you read the story please take not of its intent. It's not just about being a "busker"- its about sharing the value of public art. It's about the feeling that you just can't wait to play some more. Its about passion and enthusiasm. The bonus is when people listen.

This blog then will talk about learning, sharing, and storytelling. Exactly what a good newspaper and information source does. Its only a matter of the channel we choose.

Thats it for today!

A Garden of building community

The Viral Garden: Viral Community News has a terrific marketing idea - and it has to do with one of my favorite subjects - music!!! Check it out. This is a groovy blog - beyond Madison Avenue - and it is a little ironic that my previous post linked to a NYT article - oh well.

Speaking of community - its Street Music Week in my town. Officially declared and everything! Today I jammed with Jim - bluegrass guitar extraordianire, Aaron - 10 y/o fiddle player that will pop your ears off, and Denise - forever known as Aaron's mom and a fine mandolin player. Check it all out if your downtown this week.

As time goes on I'll get more links to blogs that are in my feed. For now - I better get back to work.

one at a time

An article in today's NYT, coining the word Googlism, with an emphasis on social networking. While some find MSM irrelevant, I happen to feel its what we got - so use it or lose it.
Social networking is a pretty broad term. It can be technically defined and refined through wikipedia. To me, it means building relationships and quantifying them - one at a time. Google does a pretty good job of offering the channels to build these relationships. Blogger happens to be one of them.

online video study

The Center for Media Research does a good job presenting a variety of studies. Often times they are short on detail but you always have the option of digging deeper. Their daily brief is one that lands in my email inbox - and I actually read it. Today they suggest that advertisers best be ready to tap into the online video. The main item for me is 2/3 of people access the web with broadband. See the report here

try try again

just what I need - a 2nd blog