February 25, 2007 14 Comments

Community and Rockstars

Tara and Uncle Seth Performing Community doesn’t stop at the conference. One thing my boss, Jeff Pulver understands deeply and tries hard to communicate is that community is what drives a conference, not the other way around. We saw this yesterday, and into last night.

People who spend time embedded in the community get the bigger return on their time. Just hitting the sessions and sneaking off to get other stuff done is rarely as fulfilling (provided the community at large at an event is empowered to make it happen). It matters to make human connections. It’s important to spend the bonding time. It’s vital to the value of your overall experience to embed yourself with the community.

If you are a “rockstar” in your community

Spend time with your community. Get in there, give back, develop other people as the most important people in the room and not yourself. Share the love. Do whatever you can to give roadramps up for the people around you.

If you’re passionate about a community

Get involved. Volunteer. Share your voice. Give as much of yourself as you can to your passion, and slide as gently as you can into the conversations around you. It will make a world of difference to the experience.

That’s all. I have to give a session to a room of great people.

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  • http://www.charlotteann.wordpress.com Charlotte Ann

    So true.
    Watching the sessions from home. Enjoying them very much. Sending you all loving vibes. :)
    Julien’s video is up to 7 views on YouTube. Whose camera was that? Was it the same one that followed Tara and I to the TWIG interview?
    Talk to you later hun!
    Love,
    Charbunk.

  • http://www.charlotteann.wordpress.com Charlotte Ann

    So true.
    Watching the sessions from home. Enjoying them very much. Sending you all loving vibes. :)
    Julien’s video is up to 7 views on YouTube. Whose camera was that? Was it the same one that followed Tara and I to the TWIG interview?
    Talk to you later hun!
    Love,
    Charbunk.

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    Ironically, I suspect very few ACTUAL rockstars WANT to spend time with their community and hand out roadmaps. Perhaps that’s the IDEAL version of a rockstar…

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    Ironically, I suspect very few ACTUAL rockstars WANT to spend time with their community and hand out roadmaps. Perhaps that’s the IDEAL version of a rockstar…

  • http://flacklife.blogspot.com Bob LeDrew

    YHou’d be surprised. Maybe not Springsteen (actually, let me rethink that) — maybe not Michael Jackson, but the REAL talent that’s out there — people like the members of Uncle Seth, or Suzie Vinnick, or the people who just do their thing, make their music, and don’t turn into media creations. They actually LIKE the people who like their music. And there’s definitely community there. That’s one of the big things about Myspace that is/was good.

    And I would like to thank both you and Chris Penn for founding podcamp and giving the dedicated people who worked to make this podcamp a reality. I have spent a LOT of money on conferences and didn’t learn as much — in or out of the ‘official’ sessions — as I have here. So one more shoutout to Leesa, Jay, Julien, Brent, and anyone who I missed.

    Feelin’ the love,

    BLeD.

  • http://flacklife.blogspot.com Bob LeDrew

    YHou’d be surprised. Maybe not Springsteen (actually, let me rethink that) — maybe not Michael Jackson, but the REAL talent that’s out there — people like the members of Uncle Seth, or Suzie Vinnick, or the people who just do their thing, make their music, and don’t turn into media creations. They actually LIKE the people who like their music. And there’s definitely community there. That’s one of the big things about Myspace that is/was good.

    And I would like to thank both you and Chris Penn for founding podcamp and giving the dedicated people who worked to make this podcamp a reality. I have spent a LOT of money on conferences and didn’t learn as much — in or out of the ‘official’ sessions — as I have here. So one more shoutout to Leesa, Jay, Julien, Brent, and anyone who I missed.

    Feelin’ the love,

    BLeD.

  • http://www.inoveryourhead.net julien

    great post chris. you’re on point about this subject– people need to get involved more in what their community is doing. the rewards of that are deep.

  • http://www.inoveryourhead.net julien

    great post chris. you’re on point about this subject– people need to get involved more in what their community is doing. the rewards of that are deep.

  • http://www.musicface.com/uncleseth Tara

    Community is so important to music.
    Also you’ll miss out on a lot of amazing connections and good times if you don’t get involved.

    Music is not a spectator sport.

    Thanks for making Podcamp so wonderful.
    You can have free hugs anytime.
    Love you,
    ~Tara

  • http://www.musicface.com/uncleseth Tara

    Community is so important to music.
    Also you’ll miss out on a lot of amazing connections and good times if you don’t get involved.

    Music is not a spectator sport.

    Thanks for making Podcamp so wonderful.
    You can have free hugs anytime.
    Love you,
    ~Tara

  • http://brokenengine.blogspot.com brokenengine

    Hi Chris,

    Jay Moonah tells me you had nice things to say about us, so thanks for that. Also, we had a lot of fun Saturday night, and I understand we have you to thank for that as well.

    So, thanks!

    TIm
    +nurse

  • http://brokenengine.blogspot.com brokenengine

    Hi Chris,

    Jay Moonah tells me you had nice things to say about us, so thanks for that. Also, we had a lot of fun Saturday night, and I understand we have you to thank for that as well.

    So, thanks!

    TIm
    +nurse

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