It's all about Community...

I've been told that as you get older (we're talking aarp), that the blood has a little more difficult time getting to the brain.  Well, I'm living proof that this is a fact, because all the cylinders don't always fire the way they used to.  Maybe that is why I love coffee so much, because my brain knows that without a little caffeine jumpstart in the morning, things would be a little fuzzy.  At any rate, I think I'm finally getting this social networking thing...It's all about the Community and what is important to the members of this Community at any given time!  

Beside the coffee addiction, I'm also a big morning newspaper reader.  I happen to like walking outside in the early morning, scooping up the paper from my driveway and turning every page.  I like the look, feel and even smell of the local daily newspaper.  And, I'm not very happy if it isn't there.  Brewing up a fresh pot of coffee and browsing the daily local paper is a big part of my early morning ritual (once again proof of my aging affliction). My wife, on the other hand, will have a chai tea every once in a while and reads the paper in the evening.  And, my five kids (Ages 13-30) don't drink coffee and don't have a clue what a newspaper is...but their respective thumbs are whizzing about on some mobile communication device that seems to give them as much daily information and enjoyment as my daily newspaper gives me.  

I would have to imagine that other than the huge family thing, this scene probably reflects much of everyday life in the good ole USA and Canada.  On the business side of the picture, I travel extensively throughout the US and Canada, and would have to say that every coffee shop and breakfast diner are filled with guys and gals like me, with their respective noses in either a newspaper or some whizbang electronic gadget....and, most have their hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee or tea.  You know, I used to travel over to Russia and Europe quite a bit too, and it was pretty much the same over there.  This, my friends, is a Community, and a big, wonderful community at that!  Now, I also realize that this enormous community is broken up into at least two smaller communities:  one that loves its privacy and solitude...and one that loves active interaction with others.  Nonetheless, they are both parts of the bigger community and there are at least two things that they all have in common:  a nice warm cup of coffee or tea & an information source for the daily news.  In the afternoon or evening, the drink of choice oftentimes includes a glass of wine or a mug of beer, but one thing stays constant...these folks always want to stay informed about what is important to them.  And, if given the chance, most are very opinionated and would love to throw in their two cents worth on subjects close to their hearts.  I've found that most people love to be engaged when it comes to things important to them.

With this in mind, I would like to use this space (My Incendia Media Spark) to begin an ongoing dialogue about reaching out to the above mentioned community, of which I am an active member and am passionate about.  My hope is that it might be helpful in building the Premier Online Media and Publishing Company on the planet.  In the arena of ideas and technological wherewithal, we have everything we need to build a global social network for coffee, tea and wine lovers that will become a portal for anything and everything this community loves.  Same goes for building the digital daily local news model for everyone else to follow.  And, just maybe, we will see these two communities converge into one ginormous success that everyone comes together to enjoy each and every morning?  It is always fun to dream outloud!

Not sure this is what you had in mind for our Sparks Section, Dan, but in the days and weeks ahead, I would like to return to this subject with more thoughts and dreams about things that I think might be of interest to this community.  I would also like to comment on similar ideas concerning our Outdoor Network.