I love technology—especially when it is used to express creativity. I remember loving the special effects that powered movies, and being mesmerized by the never-ending parade of guitar pedals. It just seemed to provide me with a limitless amount of inspiration. As time passed, I realized that it wasn’t just the technology that fueled my desire to find new and interesting ways to express myself—it was also the sense of community with people that shared that same desire.
There was just this energy in the air. I would figure out some cool trick and share it with the rest of the group. Then the following week someone would show me how they modified the trick to suit their purposes. This, in turn, inspired me to see the trick in a whole new light. There was never a time when I felt such a quick and fruitful sense of growth.
A couple years ago I had a realization, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. With the Internet and the advent of social networking sites, I had never felt more creatively isolated. Sure, you can do a search and find a user group or set of forums on just about any topic, but is that really a community? I don’t think so.
To be part of a community is to be a part of something bigger than oneself. Most user groups I come across seem very cold and sterile. They have plenty of information, and certainly no lack of opinions from their members, but there is no significant camaraderie or connection between its members. Well, that is about to change.
Enter Command Focused. What you see in front of you is the start of an online community of aspiring media arts professionals. Currently, we are focused on creating an online magazine full of stories, tips, workarounds, and news regarding our industry. This is merely the beginning. In the coming months, Command Focused will introduce new online community tools and features that will not only allow you to share your thoughts and opinions of your industry, but inspire new ways to collaborate outside of the internet. We have a lot of amazing ideas around here and we can’t wait to see them put into action.
For the moment though, I feel it is pertinent to talk about our purpose and the policies regarding this new community. In short, here is our manifesto:
- Creating a community for all aspiring media artists is our chief concern. To this end, you will see many new features that are intended to bring people together, while also challenging us individually to push on to the next stage of our development.
- A cynic-free zone! It seems that nowadays you can find a cynical opinion regarding just about everything. We won’t do that. We love technology, creative expression, and, most of all, the place where the two meet.
- We don’t wear rose-colored glasses. We will not glorify sub-standard products, nor will we pan useful ones. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have an opinion (see the next point), it is just our aim is to be fair and unbiased.
- Our opinions, whether good or bad, will be supported by facts. Obviously you are completely entitled to have your own. In the interest of community, all we ask is that you support yours, too.
- We are more than writers. We are media artists/professionals as well. In this way, we are as much of a subscriber to this community as you. To that end, we refuse to adopt any “bottom feeder” web technologies that make it uncomfortable for us to spend any amount of time here. You will not see any pop-up, dangerous, or unrelated ads. We will, however, run ads that are topical and pertinent to the community.
- As stated above, we are committed to creating a community. As such, you will find more and more ways for everyone to get involved. We have faith that community with a positive outlook can exist on the Internet, and we are prepared to protect it. Don’t be an ass, or we will be forced to deal with your unpleasantness in a swift and harsh manner.
- We stand behind our content. There will be something for everyone, from those just getting started to those who are experienced.
- We are platform agnostic. Everyone has his or her preferred work environment, and it isn’t for us to convert anyone (that’s why manufacturers have marketing departments). Our goal is to cover all relevant software platforms. If you are interested in volunteering to write for your particular platform on our site, feel free to send a writing sample and prospectus for your idea to tips@commandfocused.com.
- We are just getting started.
So there you have it, Command Focused in something slightly larger than a nutshell. I hope what you read excites you, because we are all fired up! We have lots of great content already in the wings and can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
Until next time,
Mark
