Tonight I give a speech at the Sedona Conference called "Fostering Creativity in a Digital Media Age." How appropriate that this marks the the day I write the 174th of my weekly e-zines to my friends and colleagues.
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ANNOYING AD: I WILL STOP INSERTING THIS AD WHEN I HAVE ENOUGH SUBSCRIBERS!

I recently attended PC Forum. I'm doing a special edition of "The Outside
World," Stealthmode's e-zine for the entrepreneurial value chain, about what the
technology market trends look like from the inside. In fact, I may do several
editions, since so much was discussed. Sign up now at
http://www.acteva.com/go/outsideworld and you will get this edition with your
annual subscription.
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For over three years I have sat down at the computer every week and let go a piece of my mind. The audience has grown to over five hundred people, in the US, India, Pakistan, London, New Zealand, and Canada. (Looks like it's skewed heavily to the former British Empire!) I write about what interests me, which is usually the place where technology and humanity intersect.

This place where technology and humanity intersect is very special to me, because it's my means of creative expression. It's not that I didn't know how to write before the Internet was around -- it's that there was no one to write to, or for. No way to reach the audience without a publisher.

The Internet lets us all find our audience. Whether we're a garage band, a porno site, a medical information purveyor, or a short filmmaker, we now can be seen and heard. What's more, we can get in a dialogue with our audience. This was nearly impossible previously.

Every once in a while, I catch the Diane Reem show on NPR. Often, she has authors on the show, and callers call in to speak to the authors. What's the first thing the callers say to the authors when they get on the air: "I'm so thrilled to be able to talk to you, because I read your book..." and it continues from there.

I feel like I'm writing a very long, interactive book with my friends, relatives, and business associates. Perhaps I'm journaling, blogging, or storytelling. Clearly, I'm being creative -- more creative than I have ever before had the chance to be.

The offshoot of this creativity of mine is something even more important: an online community. My interactive e-zine has created a community of people who have something in common: me.

This community has great potential. A marketer would say it could be "monetized," that is, someone could come in and sell the community something we already know it is interested in. New digital gadgets, perhaps, or golden retriever puppies. Or certain movies.

But it's greatest potential is in its power to educate me. A few weeks ago, I wrote that New Zealand had been settled by convicts. I got about half a dozen responses telling me that I was wrong -- it was Australia that got the convicts. Last week I got a really interesting piece on the current middle East situation viewed by Pakistanis.

The power of online communities to educate their members has been shown again and again. I'm a member of many online communities, and the most typical post to them goes something like this: "I've never used a (insert the technology tool) before, and I'm having trouble getting it to (insert verb)." The answer is usually "If you just take the (noun) and (verb), it will work."

Those are the technology communities. There are other learning communities that are not as amusing: "I've just been diagnosed with spinal degeneration and prescribed a spinal fusion. Has anyone on this list had one? Can you tell me about it?" And the answer goes something like this: "I've had three back surgeries and none of them helped. I awoke with more pain than I had before. I've discovered that only strengthening your abs really works." It will take the medical community years to do and publish the research on this, but the common man already knows it.

I've simplified the examples, but you know what I mean. More actual learning goes on in these online communities than in any classroom. More knowledge is transmitted, more culture created and preserved. Creativity does not have to be fostered in a digital age -- it just needs to be unleashed.

Namaste,

Francine