Tag: SQPN

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the cnmc blues — the post conference reflection

IMG_5284I 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.

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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

 

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what do memes have to do with the CNMC?

Everything!

Well, maybe not everything, but this silly photoshop, courtesy of Ashley Collins from Peter and Paul Ministries comes pretty darn close. It picks up the spirit of goofiness and making friends. This explains the Charlie’s Steve’s Angels theme we have going on.

You see, the CNMC really is a celebration. Oh sure, we’ve been moving toward a more professional conference, providing as much instruction and best practices sharing as we can pack into limited time with limited resources. We’ve managed to get some of the most amazing people in new media to come and play together under one roof. And what happens when these dynamic, faithful Catholics come together never ceases to amaze me.

What happens is akin to a lightning strike.

Collaborations begin.

Creativity flows.

Friendships are forged.

We connect as the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is a beautiful thing.

So when we kneel together in Adoration, sit together in Mass, celebrate the Eucharist as a community, send silly Tweets, post crazy Facebook statuses, pass notes send texts during presentations, and invade restaurants with huge parties, it’s because we get the point of the celebration — to get to know each other, not as virtual friends and collaborators, because we are that, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, working together to spread the message, His message, to all the corners of the earth.

Because when we know this Love, it’s impossible to keep it for ourselves.

photo by Cliff Ravenscraft

Read what others have to say about their experiences at the Catholic New Media Conference 2012. Add your Recap to ours!

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