Positive Attitude Award of the Year - Project description

General Project Description
The Positive Attitude Award of the Year is an award attributed to Empire Avenue users by members of Phoenix's Nest. This award aims to promote positive attitude as being contagious in social media.

Attitude is a mindset. A positive attitude is the outward manifestation of a mind that focuses primarily on positive things. A positive attitude gives and brings energy to a person and her entourage. Furthermore, a negative attitude saps energy. Members of Phoenix's Nest are asked to describe why they nominate a person. This collective exercise will ultimately list the different winning strategies of using social media, and will indicate why some users are more succesful, and what is their secret. Valuing and appreciating each other is also an important element of Phoenix's Nest mission.

About Phoenix's Nest
Phoenix’s Nest has 248 members (December 20, 2010) and is currently the second Top Personal/Private community of Empire Avenue. Phoenix’s Nest’s mission is to develop strong networking links in social media and convey warmth in relationships. At Phoenix’s Nest, we appreciate, respect and support each other. Members feel that they are part of an active and thriving community that is there for them. Empathy and a playful attitude are being encouraged.

Nominees (by alphabetical order)
Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL
Allie Wojtaszek (e)ALLIE
Andrew Yochum (e)YOCHUM
Chris Latko (e)CLATKO
Cindy Smith (e)REIGN
Claire McGonigal (e)CMCG
Collin Eagles (e)COLINEAGLES
Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT
Fozzie Dog (e)FOZDOG
Greg Scratchley (e)ITCH
Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N
John Moore (e)JOHNFMOORE
Jordan Hodges (e)JORDNH
Judy King (e)MICRA
Krimsom Gray (e)ANIME
Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER
Nick Provost (e)NICKP
Pooch Land (e)WOOF
Ron Stark (e)RSTARK
Teagan TheDog (e)TEAGAN

OUTSIDE PHOENIX'S NEST
Karen Suhaka (e)SMOODLE

Award Presenter
Josepf Haslam (e)JOSEPF agreed to be Presenter of Ceremony Night.

He defines himself as a catalyst for Change. He brings passion to businesses. Josepf is extremely charming and has great personality for this event. Members will be delighted with his performance.
(Listen to his incredible voice) Mercedes-Benz USA Tweet Race - #UsGuys on Twitter
(Euh, let's hope he has classy wear for Ceremony Night!) Ugly Sweater Contest Video

Josepf suggested Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER to make a few presentations as well. You will get to hear Lyne's French accent!

Location – San Francisco City Hall
The San Francisco City Hall building's vast open space is more than 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) and occupying two full city blocks. Its dome, which owes much to Mansart’s Baroque dome of Les Invalides, Paris, is the fifth largest dome in the world, rising 307.5 ft (93.7 m) above the Civic Center Historic District Civic Center District. It is 14 in (360 mm) higher than the United States Capitol. The principal architect was Arthur Brown Jr. It is considered one of the finest examples of classical architecture in the country. Many people have been married at the San Francisco City Hall, but one of the most famous marriages was Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.

Invited chef – Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià is considered one of the best chefs in the world. Adrià is often associated with "molecular gastronomy." He has referred to his cooking as deconstructivist. Adrià's stated goal is to "provide unexpected contrasts of flavour, temperature and texture. Nothing is what it seems. The idea is to provoke, surprise and delight the diner." As he likes to say, "the ideal customer doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience."
Invited Performers
POP LEVI - SKINNY JEANS, BANGS AND TALENT
Pop Levy is an English singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and filmaker. Pop Levi likes to explain what is good in pop music and how it is "astral". Pop Levi takes and carries us through a sea of jagged guitar riffs, drums thundering, bass fluffy, guided by a unique voice. The boy was also noted for its scenic supercharged performance, such as an electrified Dylan. There is no question for him to tell about the severity of reality. Pop Levi is not a reporter. He wants to recreate reality and recreate its image.
P0P LEVI - JEAN SLIM, FRANGE ET TALENT
Pop Levi aime à expliquer ce qu'il y a de bon dans la musique pop et en quoi elle est «astrale». Pop Levi prend et transporte à travers un océan de riffs de guitare déchiquetés, de batteries grondantes, de basses duveteuses, guidé par une voix unique. Le garçon s'est également fait remarquer par ses performances scénique survoltés, tel un Dylan électrifié. Il n'est pas question pour lui de raconter la sévérité de la réalité, Pop Levi n'est pas un reporter, il veut recréer la réalité et la recréer à son image.

Two other performers to be announced.

Award Design Project
Brandon Burke (e)BLIND is designing the award (conception, creation, digital art).

Nominees Video Clip Project – Thank You Acceptance Speech
This project consists of filming nominees when they receive their award and give a Thank You speech. The purpose of a Thank You or Acceptance Speech is to express gratitude for something shown/given you, be it an award for achievement, a gracious, helpful and loving attitude.
• Acknowledgement of the audience come to witness the occasion
• An appreciative awareness of those who made it possible for you to achieve the award
• What the award means to the nominee - including reference to the values/goals/aspirations the donor organization represents and how they inspire
• Stories - small personal heart-felt annecdotes to show what receiving this gift/award means to the nominees’ life. These make it real for the audience.

Nominees are contacted by Josepf Haslam. He films each participant while they are giving their Thank You or Acceptance Speech on Skype. These video clips are a small section of a larger video presentation. They will then serve as material for the general video of the Award.

TEAM: Josepf Haslam (e)JOSEPF (animation, filming, editing)

Nominees Digital Art & Scrapbooking Project
This new project consists of digital art, computer-generated images, using nominees' faces and turning them into rock stars: photo-montages of nominees walking up the red carpet alley or anything Hollywood style; paparazzi taking pictures of nominee stars; nominees proudly holding their award, or waving hand; nominees coming out of a limousine; nominees posing on the walkway, etc. Group pictures, nominees interacting with each other, people kissing (*blushing*), nominees giving a speech, nominees dancing together, or nominees performing a song on stage, etc.

Blog post Call for nominations
Inspiration for style , idea provided by Nick Provost (e)NICKP: POP LEVI - Never Never Love

Digital art and scrapbooking team: Brandon Burke (e)BLIND (digital art, people accompanying accompanying), Josepf Haslam (e)JOSEPF (photo search, digital art, pasting backgrounds), Mitch Neff (e)MITCHNEFF (teaching and guidance about Photoshop), and Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER (preliminary digital art work, scrapbooking, project managing)

Award Video-clip & Photojournalism Project
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is usually understood to refer only to still images, but the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader.

A series of several elements – Thank You and Acceptance Speech, digital art, scrapbooking, photos of the location, texts and descriptions, etc. - are run in succession to produce a short, animated video. This compilation of video frames results in a genera video of the Award.

TEAM: Josepf Haslam (e)JOSEPF (project managing, conception, planification, production) and Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER (assistant, content provider, edition); Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT (digital art, removing backgrounds); Cindy Smith (e)REIGN (suggestions of apps).

Users Shell Virtual Experience Project
This project aims to keep users engaged in a virtual experience: an event-based networking linked to a form of digital interaction and social networking online (Pearltrees connect). It adds a new dimension to participation to Ceremony Night. Users surf through the virtual event (user experience, user engagement and user flow). The user experience is enriched by offering productive engagement opportunities such as surfing through shells of information, opening up shells of content, discovering profiles and photos of nominees and video streaming, and connecting to internal social networks. Content is concise and interactive.

TEAM: Josepf Haslam (e)JOSEPF (project managing, conception, planification, production) and Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER (assistant, content provider, edition)

Timeline
December 5 – Creation of the Positive Attitude Award of the Year – New Discussion Thread
December 5 – Invitation to members to suggest nominees
December 8 – Call for Collaboration – Digital Art – Blog post L’Ère du temps and AveInfluence
December 13 – Brandon Burke accepts to collaborate to Digital art project
December 15 – Brandon Burke asks for specifications (people accompanying nominees)
December 16 – Josepf Haslam accepts to be Presenter
December 17 – First team Brainstorming session (Lyne Robichaud and Josepf Haslam)
December 18 – Invitations to 5 nominees – Thank You and Acceptance Speech
December 19 – First Draft tool – Gathering of all the information, and presentation of the project to Community Administrators
December 20-23 – Josepf Haslam contacts 5 nominees for Thank You and Acceptance Speech
December 20-23 – Preliminary work, digital art. Search, background photos and nominees.
December 23-29 – Digital art and scrapbooking project
Early January 2011 – Preliminary elements, in preparation for general video presentation – editing, voice recording, coordination of all projects
Mid January – Final step, general video, montage, edition
Third week of January – Launching of general video, posting, marketing and communications
Last week of January – Shell virtual experience project
First week of February – Launching and posting, Shell virtual experience project

It takes a community to raise a calendar

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Brad Grier (e)BGRIER in Announcements, Planet Empire Avenue.
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In mid-November I became aware of some activity happening in one of the more active communities in Empire Avenue. It seems that within the Phoenix’s Nest was a group of folk with heart and creativity to spare.

And thus, The Men of Empire Avenue calendar was conceived. You can buy the calendar through eBay (it’s a .pdf you’ll download) and proceeds go to the Canadian Red Cross, but if you’re interested in some of the detail and background on the genesis of the calendar, read on, gentle reader, read on.

To fill in some of the details, I decided to ping the head honcho over at the Phoenix’s Nest, Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER for the details. She kindly consented to an email interview, so without further adieu, here’s the what how and who of The Men of Empire Avenue calendar.

So, where did this idea (of calendars) come from? What made you think is is a great idea?

By mid-October, after Phoenix’s Nest completed the Hairdo Competition (where members were asked to add their wildest hairdos at the Phoenix’s Nest group pool on Flickr, and then voted for their favorite picture via an online survey), Darcy Kieran (an ex-EAv user) and Victoria Lee (e)VIXLEE came up with the idea of calendars. The Hairdo Competition made us realize that there was interest from members for projects featuring popular members of the community.

Members were first asked to create a wish list of people they would like to see selected. In two weeks, they came up with several suggestions that led to designing two calendars: one for the men of Empire Avenue, and another one for women. Furthermore, Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL suggested we should make a calendar dedicated to ‘talking animals’ as well, but we extended this project to 2011. Dragon_flaming suggested we use the calendars as fundraising tools. Allie Wojtaszek (e)ALLIE proposed the Canadian Red Cross as our cause. The Canadian Red Cross raises funds to provide immediate needs and longer-term relief for survivors of a disaster.

No project of this scope happens in a vacuum. Tell us about your team and what they’re bringing to the table.

The dynamics within the Phoenix’s Nest community are wonderful. Since this community has been founded, Dragon_flaming and I have continuously hammered these three words: friendship, solidarity and love. This last word – love – is very strong, and I did not think it would become widely used. This week, Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL declared: “No secret, I love everyone! “. If we were selling content, as we sell shares on Empire Avenue, I would not accept the bids go below a million eaves for this comment. So much has been accomplished in just three months!

We manage to consolidate strong networking ties by ongoing conversations happening simultaneously on all platforms – Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Empire Avenue.

Our community administrative team is scattered around the world: Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N is in India, Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT in United Kingdom, Steve Jaeschke (e)DRAGONSCALE in Australia, while Doug Walters (e)DARING, Avenue Influence (e)AVEINFLUENCE (edited by John Moore (e)JOHNFMOORE) and Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL are in United States, and I am [(e) PAPIER] in Canada. This has proven to be an advantage as we are able to cover all time zones.

Phoenix’s Nest community administrators are building a group that focuses on a passionate niche by interacting with community members and engaging in conversations; by being helpful to others, by responding to their requests of calls of action and information (it is important to listen and react to the needs of the community); by participating to group projects; by bringing ideas – consistent, relative and relatable content.

Sometimes we do fun and silly things and we all have fun together. However, we are also capable of conducting extremely deep and serious conversations on difficult topics, such as the beneficial effect of social media on the structural crisis of gender relations (a discussion thread called ‘Active Directory of Couples and Secret Lovers’).

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills they need to affect change in their own communities.

Phoenix’s Nest is an exploratory laboratory, where we contribute to online community development.

How did you select the images profiled in the calendar?

Once members completed the wish list of ideal participants, we sent invitations to these people. Most of them accepted. We did a second round of (collective) suggestions to fill up our number of months/participants to 13. We are still looking for three to four more ladies for Women Calendar 2011, which should be completed by January 2011. In most cases, participants handed in one photograph, while some gave us access to their complete online portfolio of photos, where we were allowed to choose one.

For the cover of Women Calendar, we insisted on selecting an image as strong as the one provided by Brian Smith (e)COMEDY for cover of Men Calendar (he’s sitting with legs open, while two voluptuous women are tearing apart his T-shirt). In order to optimize the selection process, we set up a jury composed of Jordan Hodges (e)JORDNH, Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT, Chris Latko (e)CLATKO, Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N and Brian Smith (e)COMEDY.

Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL was the first of participants to write his biography. He set the standards high! Completing all the biographies took quite a bit of time, spending numerous hours communicating with participants and editing biographies. While participants were asked to write in English, I decided to compose a completely different version in French. I met three of the participants in person last October in Edmonton (Jordan Hodges (e)JORDNH, Tim Conrad (e)TIMCON and Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL). But for the remaining ten ones, I had to get really well acquinted with them, in order to be able to synthesize in a few sentences the essence of who they are.

A big thank you to Greg Scratchley (e)ITCH for his attention, dedication and his aesthetic sense (Greg is in charge of the graphic design of the calendars). Visual communication uses visual cues in order to exchange with others. By visually enhancing our Empire Avenue environment, Greg allows recognition of projects by a larger set of members.

The gentlemen profiled in the calendar are: (e)ADRIEL, (e)JORDNH, (e)UNS33N, (e)BLIND, (e)SILGOV, (e)YASH, (e)TIMCON, (e)CLATKO, (e)COMEDY, (e)DRAG0N, (e)ITCH, (e)CJUNKY, (e)MRWORK

What is your favorite ‘month’ and why?

I often say that everyone is unique, like a flower; we each have a special beauty. I don’t have a favorite month just as I do not have a favorite member; they are all fantastic. I like to encourage people to see the best in others; encourage them to do the best they can do to make themselves a better person. I am always working to do the same. That is how our society will change. I believe that every act has a universal dimension.

Egotistical materialist society is running rampant through the world at the moment. Change can only occur when the “influential” members of the society really want to change themselves and influence others to value and recognize that we are useful and involved in something bigger. Within any community, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channelled into collective action to achieve the communities’ desired goals.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am a creator and analyst with 12 years of experience in managing Web projects. I possess an ability to synthesize all without losing the thread, to see pieces of the whole. I led marketing and community development projects – from conception and organization of contests, community involvement, content partnerships – for the family and childhood vertical portal, PetitMonde.com. I founded and edited, for three years, the international bilingual forum Zonegrippeaviaire.com, which focused on the role of social media in pandemic preparedness. Unfortunately, the Quebec government rejected social media, and categorically refused to collaborate with the online Flublogian community of practice of Zonegrippeaviaire. For this reason, I ended the project in January 2010. I worked as a pandemic preparedness analyst for a consulting firm, Web Escape Agents, based in Versailles, France, where I analyzed policies of industrialized countries and UN, and helped businesses to plan and implement preparedness.

I also worked as a director of communications for fundraising campaigns, where I learned how to communicate on a large scale with 30,000 graduates. I led government relations (lobbying) for several years where I succeeded in changing provincial and municipal laws, and influenced decisions of elected leaders. Now, I’m passionate about Government 2.0, and I would like to work in this area. “Government 2.0″ is the integration of the new generation of digital media to the structure and functioning of an Administration. It is about transparency, data access, participation, collaboration and citizen engagement. The key to success? The message must be contagious and reach people on an emotional level. I have a tremendous amount of passion, an iconoclast way of thinking, analytical abilities, and moreover, I speak French: I can be a good voice for government 2.0.

In late October, I took over leadership of Phoenix’s Nest – currently the third Top Personal/ Private community of Empire Avenue – when Dragon_flaming deleted her account. Phoenix’s Nest’s mission is to develop strong networking links in social media and convey warmth in relationships. At Phoenix’s Nest, we appreciate, respect and support each other. Members feel that they are part of an active and thriving community that is there for them. Empathy and a playful attitudes are encouraged.

What’s next for you and your team?

FOR ME – I want to find a job! I would like my dreams of becoming a Government 2.0 implementater to come true. The current Quebecois political situation is not conducive to this – our Premier Jean Charest’s nickname is ‘The Godfather’ – so I hope that someone, somewhere, will see me, and integrate me into an international (or foreign) government 2.0 team, or hire me as a community manager.

FOR PHOENIX’S NEST TEAM – We have two ongoing projects to complete before jumping into next year’s planning: Women Calendar 2011 and Positive Attitude Award of the Year. The Positive Attitude Award of the Year is an award given to Empire Avenue users by members of Phoenix’s Nest, which aims to the use of social media in positive ways. This collective exercise will ultimately list the different winning strategies of using social media, and will indicate why some users are more succesful, and what is their secret. We’re stretching the Award project by adding a digital art component: computer-generated images, using nominees’ faces and turning them into rock stars. Nominees will be announced in Grammy-Awards-style.

Our 2011’s planning includes several projects. In February, we will unveil ‘The Mysterious Lips’ project. In March, we thought of something that will highlight interesting information about our members. We are also planning another competition in the Spring. In the Summer, we will share our ‘Cool flip-flops’. And we are thinking about redoing the calendars at the end of the year, but we would like to add a bolder much better prepared fundraising campaign. We have also recently associated ourselves with Avenue Influence (e)AVEINFLUENCE, an online community where Empire Avenue users can come to discuss Empire Avenue, share guides, blog posts, and other general information to benefit fellow users. Avenue Influence will contribute to creating opportunities for Phoenix’s Nest to learn new skills and, by enabling members to act together.

So there you have it. The Men of Empire Avenue 2011 calendar is now available, and it looks like things are on track for the much anticipated Women’s calendar shortly. Stay tuned!

CALL FOR COLLABORATION - Digital art for Positive Attitude Award/Phoenix's Nest

Phoenix's Nest is looking for creative people to make a photo-reportage Grammy-Awards-style for our Positive Attitude Award of the Year.

The Positive Attitude Award of the Year is an award attributed to Empire Avenue users by members of Phoenix's Nest, which aims to promote positive attitude as being contagious in social media. Attitude is a mindset. A positive attitude is the outward manifestation of a mind that focuses primarily on positive things. A positive attitude gives bring energy to a person and her entourage. Furthermore, a negative attitude saps energy. Members of Phoenix's Nest are asked to describe why they nominate a person. This collective exercise will ultimately list the different winning strategies of using social media, and will indicate why some users are more succesful, and what is their secret. Valuing and appreciating each other is also an important element of Phoenix's Nest mission.

This new project consists of digital art, computer-generated images, using nominees' faces and turning them into rock stars: photo-montages of nominees walking up the red carpet alley or anything Hollywood style; paparazzi taking pictures of nominee stars; nominees proudly holding their award, or waving hand; nominees coming out of a limousine; nominees posing on the walkway, etc. Group pictures, nominees interacting with each other, people kissing (*blushing*), nominees giving a speech, nominees dancing together, or nominees performing a song on stage, etc.

We also would need scenario designers and script writers. These contributors will help Phoenix's Nest create a fun outstanding and very original photo-montage.

Woouuu ooouuu! I wonder what kind of nice dress I will end up wearing to the Positive Attitude Award ceremony... and who will be my consort! So thrilling!

Examples of digital art involving Empire Avenue users

Claire McGonigal (e)CMCG with Brad (digital art by William Pitcher (e)RZR)

Lance Taylor (e)LANCETAY with Brad (digital art by William Pitcher (e)RZR)

Duleepa Wijayawardhana (e)DUPS in squirrel suit (digital art by Lance Taylor (e)LANCETAY)

Deadline for participation
Deadline for digital art: January 5th, 2011.

All nominees will be announced in the photo-reportage.

Have fun playing with images!

About Phoenix's Nest
Phoenix’s Nest has 237 members and is currently the third Top Personal/Private community of Empire Avenue. Phoenix’s Nest’s mission is to develop strong networking links in social media and convey warmth in relationships. At Phoenix’s Nest, we appreciate, respect and support each other. Members feel that they are part of an active and thriving community that is there for them. Empathy and a playful attitude are being encouraged.

Nominees, Positive Attitude of the Year
So far, 17 nominations have been received for the Positive Attitude Award of the Year:

Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL
Allie Wojtaszek (e)ALLIE
Chris Latko (e)CLATKO
Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT
Fozzie Dog (e)FOZDOG
Greg Scratchley (e)ITCH
Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N
John Moore (e)JOHNFMOORE
Jordan Hodges (e)JORDNH
Krimson Gray (e)ANIME
Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER
Nick Provost (e)NICKP
Omar Habayeb (e)OKMMH
Pooch Land (e)WOOF
Reign @reigny (e)REIGN
Ron Stark (e)RSTARK
Teagan Thedog (e)TEAGAN

New community administrator on Phoenix’s Nest team: Adriel Hampton

Adriel Hampton. Photo: ©Jeremy Maurer
PHOENIX’S NEST, IN A SECRET LOCATION. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5th, 2010 − Today, Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL @adrielhampton joined the community administrative team of Phoenix’s Nest.

Adriel has been a “valued contributor” for three months at Phoenix’s Nest. His official title was Sergeant-of-arms (when this community was called The Dragon’s Cave). Members of the community appreciate his assiduous presence, friendly contribution, and common sense. (e)ADRIEL is currently in the first position as Top People Shares on Empire Avenue.

Phoenix’s Nest has 238 members and is currently the third Top Personal/Private community of Empire Avenue. Phoenix’s Nest’s mission is to develop strong networking links in social media and convey warmth in relationships. At Phoenix’s Nest, we appreciate, respect and support each other. Members feel that they are part of an active and thriving community that is there for them. Empathy and a playful attitude are being encouraged. But most important is the feeling that they are useful and involved in something bigger. Within any community, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channelled into collective action to achieve the communities' desired goal.

Adriel Hampton is an early Gov 2.0 adopter and co-founded the popular public interest podcast Gov 2.0 Radio show (also on Empire Avenue, (e)G2R) that has featured tech and public policy leaders including Jeffrey Levy of the Federal Web Managers Council, Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Media, and Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist. He has worked with U.S. state and federal Gov.2.0 experts to develop and launch an official Twitter account for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera. Since 2003, Adriel has worked as an investigator for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office, and he began his career as an editor, designer and writer for several San Francisco Bay Area daily newspapers. In 2009, he ran a grassroots campaign for U.S. Congress.

With the administrative team, Adriel Hampton will contribute to creating opportunities for Phoenix’s Nest to learn new skills and, by enabling members to act together.

Community administrators Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER (Canada), Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N (India), Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT (United Kingdom), Steve Jaeschke (e)DRAG0N (Australia), Doug Walters (e)DARING (United States), and Avenue Influence (e)AVEINFLUENCE look forward to collaborating with Adriel Hampton in the months ahead.

New community administrator on Phoenix’s Nest team: Avenue Influence

PHOENIX’S NEST, IN A SECRET LOCATION. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5th, 2010 - Today, Avenue Influence (e)AVEINFLUENCE joined the community administrative team of Phoenix’s Nest. Avenue Influence – www.avenueinfluence.com @avenueinfluence, the real scoop on Empire Avenue – is a We-blog and online community edited by John Moore (e)JOHNFMOORE. This community is a place where Empire Avenue users can come to discuss Empire Avenue, share guides, blog posts, and other general information to benefit fellow users.

So these two communities, Phoenix’s Nest and Avenue Influence, will be working together.

Phoenix’s Nest has 238 members and is currently the third Top Personal/Private community of Empire Avenue. Phoenix’s Nest’s mission is to develop strong networking links in social media and convey warmth in relationships. At Phoenix’s Nest, we appreciate, respect and support each other. Members feel that they are part of an active and thriving community that is there for them. Empathy and a playful attitude are being encouraged.

But most important is the feeling that they are useful and involved in something bigger. Within any community, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channelled into collective action to achieve the communities' desired goals.

Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills they need to affect change in their own communities.

Empire Avenue is in a startup phase of development, a jumpstarting a landmark initiative in social media. “Empire Avenue is a great game which is also a social network tool for creating value-based relationships,” wrote Duleepa Wijayawardhana (e)DUPS, in ‘Freedom to expand’.

How can the communities of Empire Avenue contribute to development of relationships?

Avenue Influence brings fresh ideas and dedication to community development. Avenue Influence’s editor John Moore has an impressive background as consultant necessary to help guide Phoenix’s Nest as it works to achieve this goal.


John Moore is an open government strategist, consultant, and analyst. He has experience working with local governments and small and medium business owners to achieve their goals. John is also a prolific blogger, a frequent speaker on open government, government 2.0 and social business strategies, and has grown strong, thriving communities across the web. His experience in this area is regularly used to help organizations and individuals to achieve their goals while building a loyal and engaged following.

With the administrative team, Avenue Influence will contribute to creating opportunities for Phoenix’s Nest to learn new skills and, by enabling members to act together.

Community administrators Lyne Robichaud (e)PAPIER (Canada), Jitesh Panchal (e)UNS33N (India), Fee Easton (e)BOOTCOOT (United Kingdom), Steve Jaeschke (e)DRAG0N (Australia), and Doug Walters (e)DARING (United States), look forward to collaborating with Avenue Influence in the months ahead.

Tools to avoid inadvertent loss of discussion threads and metrics (EAv communities)

This is the 3rd time I inadvertly delete a discussion thread (in 2 months) at Phoenix's Nest.

Today, I asked Duleepa 'Dups' Wijayawardhana, CEO of Empire Avenue:
A) if it is possible to get the lost content back;
B) to create a tool for community-administrators in order to avoid inadvert loss of content.

My letter:

Thanks for checking if there is a back-up of group discussions.

A confirming message would be helpful to community administrators. 'Do you want to delete this discussion thread?' and click 'OK'. It is very frustrating for the members, when interesting conversations get lost. And I have to do a lot of apologies, which is really embarassing...

What was lost is a thread created this week. I don't remember the exact name of it. Something like 'Everybody give a hand. Phoenix's Nest lost it's second top position. Please invite your friends'.

It was one of the most interesting relevant conversations I've seen in Phoenix's Nest, about the current metrics measuring community activity and what metrics should be about. In this thread, we talked about what is community animation (a sort of job description of an online community manager), and we compared different styles of online community leadership. We also looked at the growth pattern of Phoenix's Nest.

The current second top community is lead by an 'anonymous' leader. We discussed what that represents for Empire Avenue.

We imagined what an ideal online community on Empire Avenue should be.

We decided to concentrate on what we do and let others do what they want. Fun and passion are more important to us, than being in a crisis mode (Adriel Hampton).

Then Chris Latko made a very positive comment about the new device for communities in the upper right menu. He said he had no idea there was so much richness in the content, and that this tool was helpful.

Focus on quality of content, quality of interactions, quality of networking, freshness of content and amount of teamwork / participation to group projects: we concluded that these should matter more than prestige and number of members in community metrics. It does not make much sense to measure a group by the whealth of the people standing in one room (prestige) and the number of members. What people do together is really what defines a community. The top best communities on Empire Avenue should be those with the best skills in online community management, production of content/discussions, and member participation. The current list of top communities and metrics do not reflect excellency of online community management and participation.

Chris Latko's comment gave me the idea this morning for the Phoenix's Nest Positive Attitude Award of the Year. These past months, there has been a lot of criticism and frustration. Members are invited to nominate people and explain why they have a positive attitude. What we will end up with is a list of various ways and attitudes adopted by users, that contribute to a winning networking strategy in social media. List of nominees will be published by press release in January 2011. Phoenix's Nest will start the New Year on a positive note.

Nothing ever happens for nothing. I did delete the thread inadvertly, which is unfortunate, but this gave me the opportunity to inform you about this discussion.

Thanks for checking if there is a possibility to get this thread back, and also evaluating the tasks of implementing a confirmation message before deletion of content for community-administrators, and how this could be inserted it into your work load.

When growing Online communities, Trust matters. Why are current metrics only about size?

In every engagement, the ultimate metric is always Trust and Reputation. People will go out into the world and carry it with them. Trust conveys a sense of empowerment because people trust the reputation of an engagement. This is how an engagement in a community gets promoted.

In his book Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, Chris Bogan demonstrates that 'when you've learned a trust agent's secrets, your words can carry more power and more weight than any PR firm or big corporate marketing department.'

Several things about engagement can be measured.

Strenght is the likelihood that a community is being discussed in social media.

Sentiment is the ratio of mentions that are generally positive to those that are generally negative.

Passion is a measure of the likelihood that individuals talking about a community will do so repeateadly.

Reach is the measure of the range of influence (the number of unique authors referencing a community divided by total number of mentions).

The 5 'C' of measuring engagement are:
- 'Creating' content
- 'Critiquing' feedback
- 'Chattering' comment
- 'Collecting' bookmarking
- 'Clicking' traffic

So why are Empire Avenue community metrics presently focusing only on Size?

In the Leader board section of Empire Avenue, personal/private communities are measured by the number and prestige of members.

Phoenix's Nest has currently 240 members. This community grew naturally. It used to be no.2 Top personal/private community. But not anymore. Another community took the lead, while Phoenix's Nest fell to the 3rd position.

I asked some friends what was going on in the other community, and the answer was: «There is nothing going on in this group. It's really boring and inactive. I don't know why it's doing so well!»

The essence of growing an online community is building a group that focuses on a passionnate niche, by:
- interacting with community members and engaging in conversations;
- being helpful to others, by responding to their requests of calls of action and information (it is important to listen and react to the needs of the community);
- participating to group projects;
- bringing ideas: consistent, relative and relatable content.

You get out of it what you put into it.

The goal is to keep the content fresh and new.

NONE of that is measured on Empire Avenue right now.

The only thing that matters, is the number and prestige of members. Size.

Flirtation and love are back at Phoenix’s Nest (EAv)

Our society is going through a structural crisis in gender relations. See my blog post 'Eros Bendato et les médias sociaux'.

We live in a society where marriage is declining, divorce explodes, celibacy extends and monoparental families are increasing.

This week, a new discussion thread has been created at Phoenix's Nest: 'Active directory of couples and secret lovers on Empire Avenue'.

Phoenix’s Nest has always been an exploratory territory. I would like this community to explore it all, talk about these issues, think, analyse.

A) There is a need to revalue love-friendship, one that does not try to live continuously in a torrid untenable love over time, that accepts the highs and lows, and above all that does not seek a merger stifling of the individual that kills in the long run.

B) Women, like men, can have a ferocious sexual appetite. They have not become so because of feminism. Women only claim the fact that they can be the same as men. As a member of the community pointed it out earlier this week, society has not given the right to woman to have a sexual appetite. It has just been admitted that women have a sexual appetite, just like any human being.

C) There is this idea that if we invest everything in the love relationship, it somehow becomes the pinnacle of success. By doing so, we overload the boat. Hope is so great that at the slightest disappointment, we leave.

D) What matters most is not to love, but to love better. If someone wants to build something, intensity should not be the only thing involved, a pact should be establish with time.

What impact and role could social media have on the structural crisis of gender relations? Can social media help to love better?

A member of the community said this week: "The truth is I like the online company."

Removing limitation leads somewhere (EAv)

I am not afraid of talking about collective consciousness: it is one of my main subjects in my blog L'Ère du temps. Consciousness exists, it is a physical state of being. A percentage of human beings are experiencing this physical state (but all can reach it), and it has nothing to do with 'religion'. However, it is associated to positive thoughts.

Removing the conditioning and limitations of the mind allows for an awakening of consciousness.

I am hoping that the removal of limitation in a social medial will lead to an awakening of collective intelligence.

Two days ago, an important change occured on Empire Avenue. See this post by Duleepa Wijayawardhana (e)DUPS, 'Freedom to expand'.

'As of today, these upgrades (which expanded the number of shares available) will happen automatically, without cost and infinitely.' [...] 'Empire Avenue is a great game which is also a social network tool for creating value-based relationships. [...] Putting artificial roadblocks towards the creation of those networks no longer seemed to be valid, useful, or fun.'

Ty Pennington
Today, I did something I had never felt the need before: I changed my name for Lyne 'Ty' Robichaud (Ty, for Ty Pennington) on Empire Avenue. Because Ty is always yelling into a megaphone. I want to yell louder than the current 'high degree of frustration' pointed out by John Moore (e)JOHNM.

I looked in the dictionary. The word 'frustration' means 'the condition of being frustrated'. 'Frustrated' means 'to cause feelings of discouragement'. To fight this condition, what would be required?

Someone wrote yesterday: 'No longer convinced that Empire Avenue is going anywhere'.

I cannot change the individuals.

But I can change my leadership (as Phoenix's Nest community-administrator). I can become an agent of change. I can try to persuade others to adopt a positive attitude. I can mobilise people around an idea or a vision. I can gather ambassadors of good will and encourage them to have fun together on Empire Avenue.

I can at least try to lessen the degree of discouragement.

'Leadership' defines an individual's ability to lead or lead other individuals or organizations in order to achieve certain goals. A leader is someone who can guide, influence and inspire.

A leader is different from a manager or a decision maker, which has capabilities for administration, without leading the group, organization or country to another stage of its development.

Competencies (or qualities) that are found in leaders include vision, strategy, persuasion, communication, trust and ethics.

'Fearless Leaders, you must focus on achieving goals. You must inspire those around you to achieve their goals,' wrote John Moore in 'Fearless Leaders….Are you out there?'

On Empire Avenue, do we have collective goals? Perhaps it is for this reason that some of us feel the site is not going 'anywhere'. A lack and/or definition of goals and vision? And a lack of collective consciousness?

Are the goals set by the Empire Avenue team clearly defined? Are these goals widely communicated/explained to users? Groups of users could also define sub-goals (for their communities) and try to achieve them.

LETTER TO DUPS*: Level 6 of consciousness on EAv

Last month, there was a mass exodus of users on Empire Avenue. We ALL felt a deep loss of meaning. Spamming was an issue.

Does the Empire Avenue team listen to loud voices that rise from EAv users? Is this team capable of adjusting it's action plan? I'm wondering...

This week, Empire Avenue launched a new messaging device, introducing mass communications (to shareholders).

A month ago, I asked Empire Avenue for mass communication tools, but geared towards facilitating community networking. I personally don't care about any 'Buy me' message. Everyone wants that on Empire Avenue! What is the point of mass communicating this? Or 'Have a good week-end' message. Well thanks. But I don't have time to read this on a daily basis. Receiving dozens of this kind of messages weekly: in a very short period of time, you end up being annoyed. (My opinion) The new mass communication device reinforces the exodus' message coming from EAv users that left last month. (My prediction) It is the best way to lose more players.

Empire Avenue is not just a game. It is also a powerful networking tool. People are not all alike. Society is composed of a variety of people. Diversity. Some people eventually get tired of the superficial. Quest for meaning in life: it also exists on Empire Avenue.

What could develop individual empowerment and strengthen links? What would add challenge to players?

What happens once a player reaches the top? Women who get there, I noticed they get bored after a month! Maybe that is because women don't think like men. How many women are there in the Empire Avenue team? Women see things differently. It's a proven reality. So this probably affects how women play the game and their perception of Empire Avenue.

'I think my disappointment comes from the slow realization that the way it works right now is to continually upgrade... which means continually spending actual money', Allie Wojtaszek told me.

Human beings can experience seven different levels of consciousness. Wall Street gaming (on Empire Avenue) corresponds to a Level 2 of consciousness.

Level 2 (the reactive mode) >>> Your achievement in life is based on success, power, authority, prestige and other rewards of the ego. This is the mode that creates our identity. Beyond mere survival, everyone seeks to meet the needs of the I, me and mine. You want to succeed and you realize yourself by competing with others.

Most big Empire Avenue eavers are creators, which corresponds to a Level 5 of consciousness.

Level 5 (the creative mode) >>> Your achievement in life is based on inspiration, the development of artistic or scientific creativity, and passion of discovery. You keep inventing new goals, new concepts, and to discover new facts. This creativity seems to spring from nowhere - the unknown simply generates new thoughts. It is the inspiration. You are amazed by the beauty and complexity of life.

Top eavers are creators. Click on the following links to read their biography. Allie Wojtaszek @allie (e)ALLIE; Chris Latko @clatko (e)CLATKO; Adriel Hampton @adrielhampton (e)ADRIEL; Lance Taylor @lancetay (e)RANGER; Lyne Robichaud @Lyne_Robichaud (e)PAPIER. William Pitcher (e)RZR is a talented photographer.

Yesterday, Cindy Smith @reigny (e)REIGN posted this article on Facebook about 'Survival of the kindest' (Level 6 of consciousness)

'In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.' Science is moving closer to spirituality. Scientists now say that 'empathy is in our genes'.

Level 6 (the visionary mode) >>> Your achievement in life is based on compassion, dedication to others and the universal love.

'Studies show that bonding and making social connections can make for a healthier, more meaningful life.'

The Empire Avenue team should be aware of this reality, and incorporate it in its developing plan. It's OK to continue to improve a Level 2 of consciousness. But there should also be brainstorms and actions geared towards development of a Level 6 of consciousness on Empire Avenue. Because human beings from all over the world are networking via Empire Avenue. And because were are not all standing at Level 2.

Ex-Top People Shares (No.1) on Empire Avenue left a month ago to focus on fundraising. Allie Wojtaszek @allie (e)ALLIE volunteers for fundraising. Chris Latko @clatko (e)CLATKO has more than 240,000 Twitter followers. That's a Level 6 of consciousness! More Level 6: Adriel Hampton @adrielhampton (e)ADRIEL disseminates gov2.0 information worldwide with @Gov20Radio and his sophisticated systems of multiple digital identities. William Pitcher (e)RZR is a pro in fundraising campaigns. And whenever I open my mouth, I keep talking about empowerment, collective intelligence and collective consciousness.

Follow global trends! Gov2.0 now has a Global Citizenship track.

A Level 6 of consciousness means: SOLIDARITY, ONENESS, SAMENESS, UNIFICATION, FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, KINDNESS, TEAMWORK. DEEPER LINKS. MEANINGFUL NETWORKING. FUNDRAISING. FINDING GLOBAL SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS.

* Dups is the kickname for Duleepa Wijayawardhana, CEO of Empire Avenue and social media expert

La diversité détermine l’adaptation au changement (Empire Avenue)

Il faut de tout pour faire un monde. La diversité est la clé de l’évolution humaine. D’un point de vue scientifique, nous savons que le maintien de la diversité génétique détermine la capacité d’une population à s’adapter aux changements futurs.

Ce même principe s’applique à l’évolution de micro-systèmes, tels que celui de Empire Avenue. Cela prend de la diversité pour qu’un système évolue, et il faut l’encourager et veiller à sa conservation.

L’étude des populations/variétés permet de:
(1) comprendre le rôle des mécanismes naturels et des pratiques de gestion des acteurs dans l’évolution des populations/variétés conduites en gestion dynamique;
(2) identifier des pratiques de gestion et des conditions de culture qui permettent la conservation de la diversité et le maintien du potentiel évolutif dans un réseau d’échanges.

J’entrevois quatre axes de recherche:
1. Comprendre les mécanismes évolutifs à l’origine de la différenciation des populations;
2. Étudier un système de gestion et analyser le lien entre les pratiques de gestion et la diversité;
3. Co-construire avec les utilisateurs des programmes de diversification des populations;
4. Étudier l’impact et mesurer la diversité.

Duleepa Wijayawardhana
La semaine dernière, Duleepa Wijayawardhana, CEO de Empire Avenue, était conférencier au colloque Beyond 2010 Edmonton. Il a indiqué que Empire Avenue connaissait beaucoup plus de succès auprès des utilisateurs que ce qui a été fixé dans les prévisions des concepteurs. Environ le tiers des projets prévus ont été complétés jusqu’à présent, a expliqué «Dups» (avec un nom aussi compliqué, tout le monde se replie sur son surnom).

Je ne souhaite aucunement critiquer le travail admirable des gestionnaires de Empire Avenue. Tout le monde fait de son mieux, j’en suis convaincue. Cependant, je pense qu’il est important de prendre une pause de réflexion et d’essayer d’analyser ce qui s’est passé cette semaine. Plusieurs super-utilisateurs de Empire Avenue ont complètement décroché et ont supprimé leur compte d’utilisateur. Ce fut le cas notamment pour Javier Lopez Agudelo (e)JAVI1, Darcy Kieran (e)SCUBA et @Dragon_flaming:}~ (e)SLEEP. Nous avons assisté à une sorte de suicide collectif. Et ceci n’est pas une protestation anodine, car (e)SLEEP occupait la première position mondiale (Top People Shares). Ces trois personnes occupaient également des fonctions d'administrateurs d'une communauté (The Dragon's Cave).

Lorsque le principal utilisateur décroche, cela envoie un message négatif et risque d’entacher la réputation du système.

Cela me déçoit beaucoup que ces deuils coïncident avec une dynamique particulièrement positive qui s'est développée par le biais de l'événement Beyond2010 à Edmonton. Le directeur IT de la Ville de Edmonton, Jordan Hodges@jordanshodges (e)JORDNH s'est penché sur le phénomène des connexions dans son blogue Alifeintheday: Connections (#Beyond2010, #EAv, #tweetups).

Cet élément de son billet a attiré mon attention: "After the tweetup as we were saying our goodbyes Pam Broviak (@pbroviak made an insightful comment. She said that when we have social media connections with people and we have to say goodbye, it isn't ever really goodbye since we already have an ongoing relationship. This was the first time in my life that a goodbye wasnt such a permanent thing." Ceci démontre l'épaisseur (la profondeur) des liens/relations qui se créent grâce à Empire Avenue. Nous nous sentons si près des gens que nous y côtoyons qu'ils occupent en permanence une place dans notre esprit. Lorsque nous les rencontrons en personnes, nous nous sentons bien en leur présence, et nous savons qu'ils seront encore présents à nos côtés le lendemain et tous les surlendemains.

Il est survenu de très nombreuses rencontres en personne à Edmonton la semaine dernière. Les gens ne se sont pas contentés de se serrer la main. Ils ont fait des activités ensemble. Le groupe The Cabal s'est réuni (photo de (e)ADRIEL). Il y a eu une visite dans un parc Jurassique (voir aussi cette photo du chapeau de (e)RANGER et que dire de (e)ADRIEL en train d'éclore dans un oeuf!), un déjeuner chez Cora, une visite d'édifices gouvernementaux (voir aussi cette incroyable photo de (e)ALLIE d'une réflexion dans un miroir), une soirée tweet-up (voir également cette photo de (e)ALLIE et (e)RANGER), et j'en passe. Moi aussi j'ai eu le bonheur d'apprécier les rencontres que j'ai eues, notamment avec Adriel Hampton et Jordan Hodges. Tous ces moments privilégiés, agréables, en bonne compagnie, cela forge des souvenirs inoubliables et contribue à la consolidation de relations durables et solides. Et tout cela est arrivé notamment grâce à Empire Avenue.

Il y a quelques semaines, j’ai demandé un «prêt bancaire» à Dups à titre de 'first follower' de (e)SLEEP et administratrice de la Cave. Cette communauté compte plus de 210 membres, et pour leur parler - pour arriver à gérer avec efficacité des communications de masse - je suis obligée d'acheter (à titre personnel) de leurs actions. La semaine dernière, j'ai rencontré Dups en personne à Edmonton (à Beyond2010), et je lui ai formulé par la suite une demande par écrit de développement d’outils, qui favoriserait l'épanouissement des communautés dans Empire Avenue.

La section «Rewards» commence tranquillement à se garnir dans Empire Avenue.

J’ignore en quoi consiste le plan d’affaires de Empire Avenue, mais je vous avoue que je brûle d’envie de le lire et de l’éplucher de A à Z. Cela me ferait de la bonne lecture de chevet! Y a-t-il quelque chose de prévu dans ce plan-là qui viendrait appuyer l’évolution de la diversité des utilisateurs et des communautés, et aiderait à la maintenir? Et si oui, à quel moment cela arrivera-t-il? Serait-il possible de se pencher sur ces éléments dès aujourd’hui?

À la demande de (e)SLEEP, je reprends le flambeau de la communauté qu’elle a créée: The Dragon’s Cave. L’équipe d’administrateurs a décidé de changer de nom. Nous nous appelons désormais The Phoenix’s Nest. Nous occupons la seconde place en termes de popularité parmi l’ensemble des communautés de Empire Avenue.

Cela ne m’intéresse pas de partager éventuellement le même sort que la dragonne: je n’ai nulle envie de supprimer mon identité sur Empire Avenue. Je n’ai pas envie non plus de me brûler et de ployer sous le poids de la tâche. Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL m'a confié ceci: "The level of effort she was exerting was unsustainable. I know from experience."

Je considère que le départ massif des super-utilisateurs survenu cette semaine est un véritable gâchis, une déplorable perte de talents et d’énergie. Ces utilisateurs sont de vraies personnes: ces êtres humains ont contribué à l’enrichissement des maillons de réseautage tissés via Empire Avenue. De nombreux utilisateurs de Empire Avenue ont ressenti un sentiment de vide après leur départ. J’ai passé une journée à répondre à une centaine de demandes d’information à leur sujet, sur toutes les plates-formes de médias sociaux, en privé et en public. Ces super-utilisateurs perdus sont des personnes uniques et merveilleuses. Ces personnes ne peuvent être remplacées dans la toile du réseautage de Empire Avenue.

Y aurait-il moyen de faire une place, dans les plans de développement à court terme de Empire Avenue, pour des outils d’entraide qui auraient pour but de prêter main forte aux super-utilisateurs à la tête des communautés? Comment faire pour épauler les super-utilisateurs et favoriser l'épanouissement des liens de réseautage? Qu'est-ce qui pourrait être entrepris dès maintenant, à moyen et à long terme?

Men and Women Calendars 2011 (The Phoenix’s Nest)

Two weeks ago, Darcy Kieran came up with the idea to create a calendar project, featuring members of The Dragon's Cave on Empire Avenue.

These calendars will feature the #hottest best people of the community. By #hot, we don’t necessarily mean sexy. "Awesome is the new sexy", said Gina Montana (e) 21GUNS. This community is composed of many people, more active one than other in social media, and they happen to be stars in their respective professional fields.

Being recognized is to feel acknowledged by offering gratitude to others, through simple gestures. Others feel important, important to us. Recognition is very important at The Phoenix's Nest.

The calendars will be sold for real money, not virtual eaves. Funds raised will be donated to a charity organization.

Meanwhile, Kieran Darcy and the Dragon pulled themselves out of Empire Avenue.

Yesterday Dragon_flaming asked me to take over leadership of the community on Empire Avenue. The administrative team of this community of 220 members was consulted, and we decided to change the name of the group.


The Phoenix’s Nest
Now we call ourselves The Phoenix's Nest.

A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self.

The phoenix is considered a "bearer of light."

So we turned into a fabulous bird, endowed with longevity. We are reborn from the Dragon’s ashes of fire, and we are determined to exist forever.

Wish list
I originally asked several people to dream a little and to come up with a wish list of people who should be in the calendar, 12 men and 12 women.

These last two weeks, suggestions from the community accumulated themselves in the discussion thread for that purpose. 55 messages have been posted. Thirty men have been proposed, as well as a dozen women.

Today, invitations to participate in this project have been forwarded on Twitter to 17 men and 17 women.

Some details
The date for submission of photographs has been set for November 11, 2010.

The photos of 2 MB maximum must be submitted to the following email address: robichaud.lyne at hotmail.com.

In the upcoming weeks, a fundraising plan and a graphic layout of the calendars will be outlined. These should be announced before the end of November 2010.

Calendriers Hommes et Femmes 2011 (Phoenix's Nest)

Il y a deux semaines, Darcy Kieran a eu l’idée de créer un projet de calendriers mettant en vedette des membres de Dragon’s Cave sur Empire Avenue.

Ces calendriers mettront en vedette les gens les plus #hot de la communauté. Par #hot, il ne s’agit pas nécessairement d’être sexy. «Awesome is the new sexy», comme l’a indiqué Gina Montana (e)21GUNS. La communauté est composée d’une foule de personnes plus actives les unes que les autres dans les médias sociaux, qui s’avèrent être des étoiles dans leurs domaines professionnels respectifs.

Être reconnu, c’est sentir de la reconnaissance et en offrir aux autres, par des gestes simples que nous posons et qui font que l’autre se sent quelqu'un, important pour nous. La valorisation est très importante à The Phoenix's Nest.

Les calendriers seront vendus pour du vrai argent, et non pas des eaves virtuels. Les fonds recueillis seront remis à un organisme de charité.

Entre-temps, Darcy Kieran et la Dragonne se sont retirés de Empire Avenue.

Hier, Dragon_flaming m’a demandé de reprendre le flambeau de la communauté sur Empire Avenue. L’équipe d’administrateurs de cette communauté de 220 membres a été consultée d’urgence, et nous avons décidé de changer de nom.


The Phoenix’s Nest
Désormais, nous nous appelons The PhoenIx’s Nest.

Le phénix est un oiseau mythique dont la légende dit qu'il peut renaître de ses cendres. Il symbolise les cycles de mort et de résurrection. N’ayant pu se reproduire, le phénix, quand il sentait sa fin venir, construisait un nid de branches aromatiques et d’encens, y mettait le feu et se consumait dans les flammes. Des cendres de ce bûcher surgissait un nouveau phénix.

Le phénix est considéré comme un «porteur de lumière».

Nous nous sommes transformés en oiseau fabuleux, doué de longévité. Nous renaissons des cendres de feu de la dragonne éteinte, et nous sommes déterminés à exister pour toujours.

Wish list
J’ai initialement demandé à plusieurs personnes de rêver un peu et de dresser une liste idéale – wish list - des gens qui devraient figurer dans les calendriers, soit 12 hommes et 12 femmes.

Ces deux dernières semaines, les suggestions de la communauté se sont accumulées dans le fil de discussion destiné à cette fin. Il y a eu 55 messages à ce sujet. Une trentaine d’hommes ont été proposés, ainsi qu’une dizaine de femmes.

Aujourd’hui, des invitations à participer à ce projet ont été transmises sur Twitter à 17 hommes et 17 femmes.

Quelques détails
La date de soumission des photographies a été fixée au 11 novembre 2010.

Les photos de 2 Mo maximum doivent être transmises à l’adresse suivante: robichaud.lyne at hotmail.com.

Au cours des prochaines semaines seront ébauchés un plan de campagne de financement ainsi qu’une maquette graphique des deux calendriers. Ces éléments devraient être dévoilés avant la fin du mois de novembre 2010.

Eros Bendato et les médias sociaux

L'oeuvre Eros Bendato, par Igor Mitoraj
L’œuvre Eros Bendato a été réalisée par Igor Mitoraj, un artiste polonais, connu pour avoir provoqué de vives polémiques. Il s’inspire de la statuaire antique pour illustrer la nature humaine et ses imperfections. Ses sculptures sont délibérément blessées ou écorchées. Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL nous l’a fait découvrir le 22 septembre dernier, via Flickr, lors d’un déplacement à St.Louis, aux États-Unis. J’ai constaté par la suite qu’il existe plusieurs autres Eros Bendato, situés un peu partout dans le monde, dont à Vancouver, au Canada, et à Cracovie, en Pologne.

Eros Bendato est une sculpture en bronze d’une grande puissance, qui ressemble à un fragment d’une statue de Eros, le dieu de l’amour. C'est une critique de la civilisation contemporaine et une intense mise en garde.

Précarisation des relations amoureuses
La tête arrachée du dieu Eros nous fait réfléchir sur l’état actuel des relations hommes/femmes.

Dans toutes les sociétés les sociétés développées, la montée de la solitude est devenue un phénomène social majeur. Alors que les interactions entre les individus sont permanentes, de nombreuses personnes éprouvent un sentiment douloureux d’isolement. Plusieurs personnes font le choix de vivre seules. Cette réalité est le fruit d’une profonde mutation des rapports hommes/femmes, encore inaboutie.

Si les femmes ont enfin obtenu une autonomie nouvelle, dans le travail comme dans la sexualité, cette indépendance n’a pas encore été pleinement intégrée dans les mentalités. D’où une crise des rôles masculin et féminin et une précarisation des liens intimes: un mariage sur deux se termine par une rupture, surtout à l’initiative des femmes.

Illusions de la communication et du virtuel
Dans la vie réelle, il existe de moins en moins de lieux d’échange et donc de rencontres fortuites. Dans les grandes villes, les gens sont proches les uns des autres, mais ils ne se rencontrent pas. Ainsi, pour sortir de son réseau familial ou amical, il ne reste qu’Internet. L’explosion des médias sociaux coïncide ainsi avec une crise structurelle des relations homme/femme, de même qu’avec un durcissement des relations de travail.

La solitude n’est pas toujours perçue comme telle, car elle peut être masquée par des rencontres (croiser beaucoup de gens, sans nécessairement ressentir quelque chose de significatif) et de l’agitation.

J’ai été très surprise que William James Pitcher (e)RZR pose aujourd’hui la question suivante sur Facebook, puisque je réfléchis justement à ce sujet ces derniers jours : «Do you ever have days where you feel that social media makes you less social?»

Les informations sont de plus en plus nombreuses, mais aussi de plus en plus fractionnées. Le problème est que toutes nos connexions sont saturées et qu’il y a plus de place pour un territoire intime. On échange de l’information, mais l’incommunicabilité est devenue la règle. Notre esprit se dilue dans la surinformation, et nous perdons l’esprit critique et une sensibilité envers Autrui. Nous croyons communiquer beaucoup, mais nous ne le faisons le plus souvent que d’une façon rapide et superficielle. Toutefois, un échange profond nécessite du temps.

La véritable intimité implique avant tout de la disponibilité, la capacité à repérer si l’autre va bien ou non. Au lieu de cela, nous fuyons tout face-à-face avec nous-mêmes et avec les autres par des communications où nous n’échangeons aucunement.

Fin de l’épaisseur
Avec l’accélération du temps et l’impatience de notre époque, nous manquons d’espace libre pour rêver et pour nous relier en profondeur avec notre entourage. Nous développons ainsi un faux-soi adaptatif, qui amène les personnes à perdre le contact avec leurs véritables sentiments intérieurs, et à vivre une existence dépourvue d’authenticité.

L’œuvre Eros Bendato s’avère une puissante mise en garde que c’est la fin de l’épaisseur, c’est la fin de la profondeur des sentiments. Tout est superficiel, à fleur de peau. D’ailleurs, la peau du dieu Eros est toute écorchée. Tout comme le sont nos cœurs.

Empowerment, maturation
Cependant, la solitude n’a pas que de mauvais côtés. Elle peut apporter énergie et inspiration (empowerment). La capacité de rester seul est une ressource précieuse, qui permet d’être en contact avec ses sentiments les plus profonds et de développer son imagination créatrice. Les expériences de solitude s’avèrent également des expériences d’apprentissage. Un rapport positif à la solitude constitue une étape importante de maturation.

Avec Internet, il devient possible de rencontrer des gens que l’on n’aurait pas croisés ailleurs et avec qui on peut véritablement échanger, même si cet échange ne concerne qu’une facette de nous. Nous pouvons adapter chaque lien aux différentes facettes de notre personnalité. Dans cet état d’esprit, il y aura plusieurs personnes qui compteront, plutôt qu’un être cher unique.

Dans un contexte de gouvernement 2.0, plus d’empowerment individuel constitue une tendance positive. Des individus plus matures seront davantage portés à devenir responsables de leur communauté, à s’intéresser à ce qui se passe dans leur milieu et à s’impliquer activement pour améliorer la qualité de vie de la collectivité.

Le règne de Dragonne
Aujourd’hui, la Dragonne (@dragon_flaming:}~~~ (e)SLEEP) a décroché la première position sur le site Empire Avenue. Je me réjouis qu’elle se soit rendue au faîte du site. Elle véhicule des valeurs d’amitié, de solidarité et d’amour. La communauté qu’elle a fondée il y a quelques jours à peine, The Dragon’s Cave, est un succès retentissant. On y échange en badinant et en s’amusant en construisant au gré des conversations l’univers magique de la Cave. Les liens se consolident rapidement, et des amitiés solides y naissent.

Ma collaboration étroite avec la Dragonne me permet d'observer de plus prêt les effets de la promotion de la chaleur humaine dans les médias sociaux. À The Cave, «Nous sommes des amis. Nous nous apprécions, nous nous aimons. Nous nous soutenons. Ensemble, nous sommes incroyables.»

11 réponses à Dragonne (e)SLEEP (interview)

Depuis cinq jours, je collabore avec la reine Dragonne sur Empire Avenue à ériger un empire à The Cave, une nouvelle communauté de réseautage axée sur le jeu et le plaisir. Jusqu'à présent, nous connaissons un succès retentissant, avec une cinquantaine de membres. Nous avons même atteint la 17ième position du Top Influence parmi l'ensemble des groupes de Empire Avenue. On peut dire que nous avons le vent dans les voiles. Dragonne m'a demandé de répondre à quelques questions. Voici la version en français d'une interview qu'elle publie sous forme de billet dans son blogue The Dragon's Cave.


Parlez-nous de vous.
J’oscille entre deux passions, les médias sociaux et l’art. Je suis un agent de changement, une gestionnaire de projets Internet et un artisan en métiers d’art. Je suis douée pour l'analyse des situations, l'amélioration des structures organisationnelles et la gestion de dossiers complexes. Je suis un meneur d'hommes, une sorte de mélange d’entrepreneur passionné avec un côté social rêveur. Lorsque je pilote un dossier, je m’implique à fond. J’agis en fonction d’atteindre un idéal. J’ai habité à Montréal pendant 20 ans. Je vis présentement dans ma ville natale, Trois-Rivières. Je suis une mère monoparentale d’un garçon lumineux de cinq ans.

Dites-nous pourquoi vous avez rejoint Empire Avenue, et ce que vous en espérez.
J’ai été informée de l’existence de Empire Avenue par mon un ex-collègue de Web escape agents, Geoffroi Garon (e)GGAR, qui avait publié un article à propos de EAv sur Facebook. Étant donné que j’adore les médias sociaux, je me suis immédiatement inscrite. Depuis ma toute première journée sur Empire Avenue, je n’ai pas cessé de rire. J’ai vraiment beaucoup de plaisir à réseauter sur ce site.

Je me sers de Empire Avenue pour réseauter et consolider mes liens avec des gens. J’ai revu sur Empire Avenue plusieurs leaders d’opinion que je croisais déjà sur Facebook et Twitter. Et j’ai découvert aussi des perles rares, des personnes créatives et passionnées, toutes plus douées les unes que les autres dans leurs domaines respectifs. Empire Avenue s’avère un puissant outil de réseautage pour moi. Je suis béate d’admiration, comme un enfant devant un étalage infini de jouets. Empire Avenue, c’est une expérience incroyable pour moi.

Dites-nous ce que vous pensez que signifie l’influence.
Un leader d’opinion est un individu influençant d’une manière informelle le comportement d’autres personnes dans une direction souhaitée. L’une des idées les plus établies concernant la transmission de l’information est l’importance de la communication interpersonnelle. L’information diffusée par le bouche-à-oreille a un impact plus grand sur la décision (par exemple d’achat) que les autres sources d’information classiques comme la publicité.

Je pense que les décideurs NE DEVRAIENT EN AUCUN CAS DÉLAISSER les leaders d’opinion. Ils devraient tout faire pour mettre en œuvre des stratégies de communications qui leur sont adaptées, et forger une relation à long terme avec les leaders d’opinion, en les invitant à être des membres d’honneur dans leurs panels, ou des bêta-testeurs de nouvelles politiques et de mesures. Si ces stratégies sont menées correctement, les leaders d’opinion peuvent se transformer et devenir des transporteurs d’une information positive, et par conséquent, influencer les autres citoyens composant une communauté.

Parlez-nous du contenu que vous aimez.
Je m’intéresse à ce qui concerne le Gouvernement 2.0 et le développement des médias sociaux.

Ces derniers mois, j'ai passé beaucoup de temps à me documenter sur la conscience, qui est un champ, ou la conscience collective, la définition de la matière (de la physique quantique), et l’expérience du centième singe. Car j’entrevois un lien entre la conscience collective et les médias sociaux.

Je suis curieuse à propos de tout ce qui permet de dépasser les barrières de l'«impossible» et le dépassement de soi.


Parlez-nous de votre travail d’artisan. Il est plutôt beau.
Mes œuvres en sont en papier. J’utilise une très ancienne forme d’art – le quilling – qui existe depuis la Renaissance. Les moines se servaient du quilling pour enluminer des textes religieux. Cela consiste à utiliser des bandes de papier qui sont roulées, façonnées, et collées ensemble pour créer des motifs décoratifs. Le papier est enroulé autour d'une plume pour créer une forme spiralée de base. Les motifs la plupart des fleurs et des feuilles forment d'élégants topiaires, des bijoux, des cartes de souhaits, et d’autres objets décoratifs. J’utilise du papier sans acide et j’enduis mes oeuvres d'un produit acrylique pour les rendre structurellement plus solides. Pour en savoir plus, consultez ma démarche artistique. Mes oeuvres sur Flickr.


J’ai recommencé à créer en 2009, après la mort de mon père. Le choc de son décès a réveillé ma créativité. Il s’agit de ma seconde carrière artistique. Après avoir obtenu mon diplôme universitaire, je m’étais lancée dans une carrière d’artiste en arts visuels. À l’âge de 26 ans, je me suis retrouvée à la tête de l’Association des artistes en arts visuels du Québec. J’ai dirigé des relations gouvernementales pendant plusieurs années et j’ai atteint les objectifs fixés. Mes démarches et ma persévérance ont conduit, en 1995, à la reconnaissance des ateliers d'artistes dans la Loi sur la fiscalité municipale du Québec. Par la suite j’ai délaissé les arts visuels pour me spécialiser dans les communications Internet.

Vous êtes très engagée dans le Gov2.0, dites-nous pourquoi cela est si important pour nous.
Le Gouvernement 2.0 est ce qui m’intéresse le plus en ce moment. «Gouvernement 2.0» désigne l’intégration de la nouvelle génération de médias numériques, à la structure et au fonctionnement d'une Administration. Je crois que la notion de sagesse des foules peut s'appliquer à la gouvernance. Cependant, mon cœur se brise rien à y penser! Je trouve cette situation déchirante, car j’aurais le goût de m’y investir, mais je ne perçois pas présentement d’ouverture pour le Gov2.0 au Québec. Il est regrettable d’envisager qu’un changement pourrait possiblement prendre plus d’une décennie.

Je pense que le Gouvernement 2.0 favorise une prise de conscience collective cohérente qui pourrait non seulement améliorer la qualité de la vie urbaine, mais aussi résoudre les conflits internationaux et assurer la paix mondiale.

C'est pourquoi, même si je ne suis pas plongée à fond dans un pilotage de dossier de Gouvernement 2.0 comme je le souhaiterais, j’admire et j’applaudis les personnes qui m'inspirent, ces leaders qui poussent pour que les choses avancent. Par exemple, Adriel Hampton (e)ADRIEL représente depuis plusieurs années un modèle de leadership pour moi.
Je crois au pouvoir miraculeux des médias sociaux. Ils refaçonnent notre manière de communiquer. Ils pourraient réinventer notre société.

Dites-nous quelles sont les 5 choses que vous n’aimez pas.
La peur. La fermeture d’esprit. Les «control freaks». L’autoritarisme. Le repli sur soi.
Le mensonge. Manquer à sa parole.
L’indifférence. La perte de confiance envers l’État et la politique.
Que l’on s’adresse à moi d’une autre pièce: je suis visuelle. Regardez-moi dans les yeux!
La culture du silence qui sévit depuis plusieurs années au Canada et au Québec.

Dites-nous quelles sont les 5 choses que vous aimez.
La transparence. La démocratie. Les communications. Les solutions durables.
La beauté, l’art.
La liberté de penser et de créer.
L'énergie, l'amour, l'harmonie des relations.
La stabilité émotionnelle, le bien-être intérieur, la paix de l'esprit, le bonheur.

Vous affichez une liste intéressante de livres sur Facebook, dites-nous en plus sur ce que vous aimez lire.
Je lis surtout des essais sociologiques, scientifiques et spirituels. Mes auteurs préférés sont le romancier et essayiste français Pascal Bruckner (La Mélancolie démocratique; Misère de la Prospérité; L’Euphorie Perpétuelle) qui s'évertue à témoigner des réalités sociales, et le Dr Deepak Chopra, médecin penseur indien, que le TIME a classé parmi les 100 personnes les plus influentes au monde. Cette année, je suis en train de lire l’œuvre complète de Chopra (j’ai lu une dizaine de ses livres au cours de l’été, et il m’en reste encore 45 à décortiquer): Pouvoir, liberté, grâce; Esprit éternel et corps sans âge; Le Corps Quantique.

D’autres livres qui m’ont marquée: Gregory Berns, Iconoclasts. James Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds. Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Miguel Ruiz, La maîtrise de l’amour et Le cinquième accord Toltèque.

Dites-nous quelque chose à propos de vous dont personne n’est au courant.
Bien que j’aie une présence très forte dans les médias sociaux, dans la vraie vie, je suis plus réservée. Je parle peu, et je suis portée à observer les gens et les situations. Comme le dit souvent un de mes amis bloggeur, ‘I’m better on paper.’

À quelle date (approximative) avez-vous rejoint Empire Avenue?
J’ai découvert Empire Avenue il y a environ 6 semaines.

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