I laugh a little at the idea that you can go to a conference, have a blast, and then have a week-long depressive state because you miss everybody — in many cases people you’ve met for the first time.
I’ve written about this before here, here, here, here, and here, and I think I finally put my finger on it. The struggle is real, folks.
The Catholic New Media Celebration Conference Celebration, an annual gathering of consumers and producers of digital Catholic content hosted by Star Quest Production Network (SQPN!), celebrates the people behind the content. I think it’s SQPN’s greatest gift: community building. Because like the Magi, we are following a star and we are blessed to be together on that journey, sometimes leading each other, sometimes following, often extending or reaching for a hand.
Let’s be clear, content is king as Captain Jeff so cleverly explained in his presentation on podcasting, and The Content really is The King, Jesus Christ, since our whole raison d’etre as content providers is Evangelization.
But the people…the people who produce this content. That also drives me…enriches me…fills me with the warm fuzzies that bring me back year after year. I want to see and laugh with and hug the people who are my daily dose of online interaction. You see, even those people who don’t think they are content providers because they don’t have podcasts or blogs — they provide content all the time in their engagement in all the comboxes, twitterfeeds, facebook statuses, instagrams, periscope videos, and yes, even snapchats. It’s good to get together and be present in a room. To laugh. Sometimes to shed a little tear. But always to celebrate these relationships — the flesh and blood reminder that we are real people behind the static profile pictures.
I want to know what their laughter sounds like — so it rings in my heart when I see LOL.
*********
Other reflections from #CNMC15 in Atlanta, Georgia June 7, 2015
Sarah Perkins, Most Usually Unusual: #CNMC
Lyn Francisco, the Organ-ic Chemist: My CNMC Experience
Patrick Padley at PatrickPadley.com: Finding Peace When Making Difficult Decisions and CNMC Wrap-Up
Catholic Weekend live from CNMC: CW275: CNMC 2015 Conversation with Fr. Dave Dwyer
Greg and Jennifer Willits, The Catholics Next Door TNCD #090: Secret Origins
Steve Nelson at Everything Esteban: Rejuvenation at CNMC15
Tiffany at Life of a Catholic Librarian: CNMC 2015 – Affirmation & Friendship. And apparently tears…
Lyn Francisco put together a Twitter Tagboard
Allison Gingras from Reconciled to You unpacks the CNMC at A Seeking Heart on Real Life Radio
Lisa Hendey at A Good Measure #OPTIC Hackathon & #CNMC15 Inspire and Recharge Catholic Geeks
add your links in the comments and I’ll update
