One of the reasons that lead me to blogging, is my will to study the journey of ideas from brains to reality. I think the making of the Age of Conversation ebook is indeed a first in its own genre and so is worth a post documenting what happens to be a quite interesting and unique process. I tried to make a visual to illustrate the passage(s) between the world of ideas (imagination, virtual) and reality.
Let’s use the metaphor of a simple drop of water to symbolize the original idea Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton raised together. Now, the first transformation (the proposition) is important and grew through a limited network of connections. Thinking about it rationally we may say the initial situation is : “2 bloggers, each one of them with a small network -small, as compared to the wider net- of blog readers, who see them as authentic and respectful bloggers.
The idea is embraced, followed and lifted up by that small network, making them all instantly what one could call a community. That community shares something in common around the original idea and its projection into reality. Why? Because it is impossible not to (did you ever think about that?). Rationally again : it is a WIN-WIN-WIN situation (...and we could eventually find even more Wins). Who wins? Everyone does!
- W1 : a good cause gets the benefits
- W2 : authors helping W1 and being part of the project
- W3 : readers contributing to W1 and getting great content.
Book is then “published” and gets a first opportunity to reach reality. Two keys are not dissociable and make the book’s positionning special :
- A good intention with VALUABLE CONTENT.
- Immediate, REAL BENEFITS to charity.
After writing their chapter, the 100 authors use their own small networks of blog readers to spread the news about the book. Networks of networks embrace the idea and it spreads the internet, lifting the impact on reality up at the same time. Book spreads the net, spreads its content, and the benefits to Variety the Children’s Charity grow at the same time. The original small drop of idea-water is now a huge wave of positive emulation.
Now... I don’t think this is a one-shot example. Even if Gavin and Drew (once again: thank you for launching this guys) confessed that they never imagined the size this “drop of water” would take, I believe this process is now serious FOOD FOR THOUGHTS. I think more projects could help bring more good values into reality, giving people the opportunity to do good for other people who need it. If the first step of the Age of Conversation is "linking us all around good values"... the second step might be finding paths for positive ideas to reach reality and generate good "REAL" POSITIVE ACTIONS.
Dream? Utopia? ... or reality?
What's your take on this?
PS: And by the way, if you read this and have not bought a copy of the book yet... just do it! You won’t regret it. : )
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