TweetLevel vs Street Level

Since I've been searching for the meaning of (online) life lately, I was led to an article by Neil Patel on Entreprenuer.com called 10 Little Known Social Media Tools You Should Be Using Now. 

I decided to try TweetLevel, to see how I'm perceived and I hit on two of the five categories: Idea Starter and Curator.

I like that, and it's apt. I have always enjoyed leading the way with "show & tell". Setting trends, rather than following them, has ever been my style (or, rather: doing what I like to do, and if other people like it too, so much the better). Putting together like items (such a DJ'ing on-topic playlists, being able to recommend other films based on one, knowing which fashions from different eras will go together, etc.) has always been a passion of mine. Happy to know it shows.

Idea Starters – this small collective of people are the creative brains behind many of the thoughts and ideas that other people talk about. Even though they may not necessarily have a large audience themselves, their insightful opinions often flow and are repeated throughout conversations long after they have left. They are typically well connected to other idea starters (where they collaborate on thoughts) and amplifiers (who they often rely upon to spread their views). Idea starters tend to be well connected to curators and amplifiers.

Curators – this group though having a far smaller audience are perhaps one of the most influential groups. Long after the idea starter and amplifier have left a conversation, it is the curator that maintains discussion. This niche expert collates information about a specific topic and is frequently sought after for advice about this specific area. They often take part in discussions with idea starters and are avid readers of topic-specific amplifiers.

Now… if I could just figure out how to monetize all this passion. That's ever been my M.O., since I was a kid with a horse, living in a tourist town: Pony Rides, $1.00 — I'd make enough cash to buy some candy or a record, and off I'd go to have fun. While I have never been rich, I have always been successful in making just enough money to support my fun-habit. That's well and good, but it would be nice to have a few extra bucks left over once in awhile.

To this end, I recently read an excellent book called The$100 Start-Up (by Chris Guillebeau) that's been quite inspiring as I move into an especially creative phase in my work. Rather than just writing reviews of other people's original works, I'm focusing on my own. (Which also means I have to deal with the creative aftermath: selling, and staying.)

I have e-books in the zeitgeist and on the horizon (four of my paperbacks went out of print from their respective publishers and I took the rights back). Also, I was hit with a flash of inspiration on a hands-on art project which I started and finished in just a few hours. (Yesterday, as a matter of fact!) I satisfied the muse, then I got down to biz. Already found a virtual gallery to exhibit the pieces, then I am going to sell them on Etsy, based on principles which are applicable through advice given in The $100 Start-Up.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. (via Twitter, naturally!)

Out now: Ghost Writer (fiction) and Guide to Animal Movies & 50 Years of Ghost Movies (non-fiction)

Click the "Dirty Records" link to see the photos in full-size.