Opening Insights – In the Know
Powerful words were shared in Marji Ross’s article for The Daily Wire titled, The Power Of Books In A Tweet-Obsessed World. Ross examines the attention of young Americans and their reliance on social media to be “in the know.” She points to the value of books and their ability to open people’s minds to often unforeseen possibilities, and in some cases, perhaps even changing their minds about topics.
Could it be that today’s people are prepared to enter a new era of collaborative publishing, where the content creator and their audience work together to develop thoughts and ideas to return our world to sanity?
Informational Insights – Publishers and Audiences
Two major takeaways from Ross’s discussion are:
- Publishers are in need of the power and the willingness to take a bold stance in free speech founded in diversity, and
- Audiences are in need of the willingness and the guidance to look beyond the serving-size information fed to them through popular social media channels.
Ross begins,
The media are obsessed with tweets – whether they are from the Kardashian clan or the President of the United States – and Americans, particularly young Americans, think they are “in the know” by staying on top of what’s trending in social media.
But what do we really know? We know what “everyone” is talking about, but I suspect we’d all have to admit that social media is confirmation bias writ large. We seek what we want to hear, we retweet what we already agree with, and we argue with (rather than seek to understand) points of view we don’t already embrace.
Learning something new is work. It’s often frustrating, and it’s often not fun. Some people enjoy learning; vastly more of us enjoy knowing. But to truly understand something new takes more than 140 characters.
And changing someone’s mind is an even higher bar.
Ross proposes that publishers are responsible for producing the type of books that will change the world. One thing is for sure, the world is changing. Unfortunately, the change in-process is not looking too good for the mass majority. A culture of divide has taken root and the norm is to persecute before prosecution, leaving due process to blow away as dust in the breeze. Lives and careers are dismantled by hearsay, hints and groundless claims all supported by a gossip and agenda driven media frenzy.
I’m sure some who read this will attack me and my press, pointing out the books and authors we’ve published who very strongly articulate their own ideas and attack others. Fair enough. But publishing provocative and controversial, even offensive (to some) books is not irresponsible, as long as what is presented as facts are true and what is presented as opinion is clearly labeled as such. (I recall when we published a hotly contested book in 2004 called “Unfit for Command,” by John O’Neill. Editors across the country called the book “discredited,” without any evidence at all, so O’Neill issued a public challenge: if someone could prove that anything in his book was untrue, he would pay them $1 million. No one ever collected on that, because of course the facts were true, they were just uncomfortable).
This culture of divide asserts that, if you don’t agree with my beliefs, then you are my enemy, and I must destroy you! Political correctness turned the United States into a police-state where the thought-police are lurking around every corner, so you better watch out! Finding THE TRUTH is the lowest priority. All that matters is how your action/words made someone FEEL.
Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the opportunity to freely share ideas, even if they make some of us uncomfortable? Isn’t that how we seize the opportunity to learn something new about the topic, and very likely, about ourselves?
Ross is right, we DO need to change the world, and what better way to accomplish this necessary transition from adversity to diversity than by responsible Collaborative Publishing™?
Awareness Communication Technology (AwareComm®) developed a process of learning that leverages advanced technology, methodology, human understanding, data science (converting Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Human Intelligence (HI)) and good old-fashioned street smarts. It is called Personal Learning Technology™ (PLT) and it’s built-in to AwareComm’s publishing and learning methodology. It is a foundational element for the relationship AwareComm® creates between content creators and their respective audiences and is only available to AwareComm’s partners.
Not Sold – Not Leased – Not Licensed
Available Only Through
A Methodology Platform Delivered as Part of a Managed Partner-Business
Content creators possessing skills in specific Topics of Interest are invited to develop courses as Specialty Content Creators and expand their writing career as Specialty Consultants. They are guided to develop unique applications of their specialty through online publication and to conduct workshops.
The object of the publication is to connect the Topic of Interest to the audience using practical illustrations, called a story. Stories are used to relate to the target audience. For example, if our target audience is composed primarily of fishermen, then a story composed in topics relatable to fishermen are used. Fish stories are used as bait to hook the audience, putting us all in the same boat – that way the content is meaningful, relatable and useful illustrated by the examples in the story. The PLT methodology within promotes the concept of thinking.
The content of others is woven into the models, storytelling and Socratic process as a collaborative method of learning how to solve unidentified and/or first-time-problems.
The content creator takes a baseline topic and adds a story to match their audience. The audience then writes Reader Written Application Stories called App-Ons™ (audience experience and insight) where the author’s work takes on a life of its own. App-Ons™ share the reader’s stories about the value they found. The key is in the ability to create stories that the audience can relate to and use as practical examples. Thus, a whole new dimension of publishing and readership emerges.
Inviting Content Creators
Specialty Content Creators take their basic Topics of Interest material/course and expand it to incorporate a methodology for solving unidentified problems (making a list of things they were not aware of) and/or solving first-time-problems. The PWI Content Integration Guide outlines this process while equipping content creators with tools to effectively connect to their audience. The audience acquires tools for learning and living. Content understand-ability and applicability are ensured through Socratic Communication feedback built into the publishing process.
- Experience the PWI Content Integration Guide – learn how to bridge your content into the PWI learning methodology to reach your audience
- Experience Lesson 1 of the 5 Dimensions of Good Pilot Solutions series for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) training
In addition to content integration, Solutions Oriented Support™ (SOS) Application Buddies™ serve as guides for content production and as shields for front-line defense against the mob. In some cases, content creators are reluctant to publish their work for fear of public backlash (blowback, trolling or over-reacting). SOS Application Buddies™ act as a form of agent to support and protect the content creator from an occasionally irrational politically correct (PC) public.
Inviting Consultants
Specialty Consultants – Functioning more productively through a partnership with a dedicated SOS Support Team, the consultant’s work is effectively accomplished. SOS prepares clients for the upcoming work, supports the work to be done and provides follow-up attention to ensure the desired results are attained.
SOS members guide consultants through the process of content integration, blending the PWI principles and models into their specialty Topic of Interest to then shape it into a compelling story their target audience will relate to. Through a partnership with SOS, content creator consultants validate that their publication will deliver the desired effect to the target audience. This is Collaborative Publishing™.
Members of the SOS Professional Staff are able to be… in the world of the client, but not of the world of the client.
Possibilities for Consideration – Change Publishing
In her article Marji Ross asks, “When was the last time you read a book that taught you something new? When was the last time you read a book that changed your mind?” Ross mentions how “a Book has converted hundreds of millions of people over the millennia.” The special book she referenced did so through principle-based storytelling.
Join us to discover how to write your own stories in a manner that inspires the reader and equips them with tools for life. What would it be like to not only return to a free and open exchange of ideas, but to have ideas of substance that carry a valuable message to help anyone gain the skills of learning and applying what they learned?
Join us to discover how to write your own stories in a manner that inspires the reader and equips them with tools for life. What would it be like to not only return to a free and open exchange of ideas, but to have ideas of substance that carry a valuable message to help anyone gain the skills of learning and applying what they learned?
Take a moment and examine…
- As you reviewed the material above, what stood out to you?
- What is the potential impact, economically and/or socially?
- What action is needed to stop or support this idea?
- You may want to consider whether you:
- want to be aware of,
- should become supportive of,
- would want to be active in this topic?
Add Your Insight
If you spend your life sparing people’s feelings and feeding their vanity,
you get so you can’t distinguish what should be respected in them.
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD