DIGITAL APPLAUSE...

In my recent and quite fruitful judges reply to Nathan Kaye and the Open-Mic Community, much was discussed and subsequently discovered throughout the course of the comment thread that ensued.

Before I expound upon one of the biggest “takeaway’s,” I have to say that the sheer number of strong, intelligent, thoughtful, passionate, and caring people involved in the Open-Mic Community is rather striking. I am super-honored and proud to be a part of it. You guys rock from top-to-bottom and everywhere in between!

As the title of my week #89 forward implies, Artist Appreciation in the form of “Digital Applause” was perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from the varied and informative discussions that recently took place. We can thank @nathankaye for coining this most clever and relevant phrase.

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To paraphrase the basic genesis of Nathans concept, "although it is never expected nor taken for granted, historically, “applause” is a very tangible and meaningful measure by which artists can gauge just how well of a job they have done in pleasing their audiences."

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As it is quite difficult at times to accurately express oneself exclusively in the form of a comment thread alone, stumbling onto the concept of “Digital Applause” in the way that we did was somewhat of a revelation, at least for me and Nathan anyway.

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With the Open-Mic Venue clearly in mind, Nathan then went on to elaborate and suggest what specific protocols might be associated with varying degrees of “Digital Applause.” I thought it was rather brilliant of him to suggest some basic interactive guidelines, so, for the benefit of the community as a whole, I thought I’d share Nathan’s suggested protocols (plus an addendum) - as simple suggestions as to how we might translate our appreciation for artists in this digital realm, and how we might improve further - the way in which we interact with, value, and appreciate one another.

Digital Applause Protocol (D.A.P)

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The following D.A.P protocol was conceived of by Nathan Kaye for the suggested enrichment and benefit of everyone associated with the Open-Mic Community.

...for fellow Artists and the General Audience

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• Genuine Comments – sharing comments is a form of meaningful and intimate interaction that is easily on par with - if not better than physically clapping or applauding as an unidentified member of a collective audience.
• Resteem a Performance - Giving an artist a “resteem” may be equated with enthusiastic, fervent or extended applause.

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The combination of a “Genuine Comment” coupled with a “Resteem” is one of the most appreciative expressions of digital applause one can give within this virtual realm of reality.

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Basic up-votes are wonderful and encouraged, however, they can’t really be considered a form of genuine applause because as Nathan put it, art isn’t all about money and unfortunately, up-votes are not only automated by follow-trails (votes without views), but simple "votes" are easily bought and sold here on Steemit as well.

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...for Open-Mic Judges and Selected Artists

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• Honorable Mentions – Artists given a simple text-based or "notification" listing in the form of an “honorable mention” by an official Open-Mic judge may consider such a distinction on par with receiving extended applause or perhaps a “standing ovation.”
• Top-5 listings and Video Placements - Artists whose videos have been reposted or given a “Top-5 Listing” by an official Open-Mic judge may consider such not only on par with receiving extended applause or a “standing ovation,” but such video placements may also be considered to embody the added distinction of evoking an actual “Encore Video Performance.”

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@passion-grounds Addendum:

If you see and hear anything you like that makes you feel good in any way at all...

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Say Something - COMMENT!

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Say what comes to your heart and soul! Spell it out boldly and clearly… Say what you feel – short and sweet or long and nice!

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I for one am certain, and I'm sure that Nathan would agree, that the artists to which you direct such written accolades will receive such with great appreciation - and perhaps with even MORE appreciation than actual real-life applause!

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Better yet...

In addition to your #digitalapplause, if an artist touches you in a unique and special way:

Send Artists a TIP directly!

Doing so is no different than tossing a $1.00, $5.00, or $10.00 dollar bill into a street performers guitar case whose public performance simply made your day! That little show of (going out of your way) appreciation will certainly make their day in kind. It's a win-win situation! Be always thankful and grateful for all that we have to give and all that we have to share.

Never stop "having" and never stop "sharing!"



As you can tell, I feel quite strongly that all of our interactions via that comment thread were truly valuable and productive on many levels and for many people. My hat’s off to all you guys!




@katrina-ariel summed it up quite succinctly when she stated - “I love this whole freaking post! Integrity, humility, honesty, respect… love, love, love…” … - All of the attributes she mentions are truly what makes this world a better place.



There is always something new to learn, and there is always another way to look at things. As long as we consistently lean toward maintaining open minds and open hearts, our world can only get better.

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Next Up, a few words about our Sponsors



Please, VOTE for These WITNESSES...

IMPORTANT: Before we move on, please don't forget to vote for @Pfunk as witnesses! @pfunk is our biggest supporter, and plays a major role in helping to fund, the Open Mic contest each week.

In addition to @pfunk, I am also adding @curie, @ausbitbank, and @aggroed to my short list of “must-vote-for” witnesses who support the Open-Mic venue.

You can vote for each of these witnesses right now by going directly to this link: https://steemit.com/~witnesses



With all of that said, following some further insights as to how I judge entries, let’s get on with it, shall we?

Steemit Open Mic Week 89




My Process



As one of the esteemed Open Mic judges, it is my job to come up with (or “curate” as it were) a short-list of my top 5 entrants each week. With all of the great talent here, that is by no means an easy task. Sure, tossing in another 5 honorable mentions helps, but not when my weekly list starts out with 100 or more of my favorite entries... You guy's rock - I'm tellin ya!

Yes, I am a Libra – so I have an inherent drive deep within me to be fair and balanced – good qualities for a “judge” if you ask me. That being said, I’m still human – filled with emotion and subjective feelings – just like you. So, in order to mitigate my subjective tendencies to the best extent possible, I’ve come up with a method by which to narrow down my selections in a more objective vs. arbitrary manner.

Here’s how I go about my personal judging process: I first start out with a list of 100 or more of my most favorite entries for the week, and score them (yes, subjectively) in six distinct categories via a spreadsheet. The categories I’ve selected for scoring are in general harmony with those explained by @luzcypher in his post titled How We Pick The Top 3 Entries, referencing such.

To get a more in-depth perspective as to how I personally go about selecting my artists, please refer to What I go through as an Open-Mic Judge.

Even though it’s still a “subjective” process – diligently going through each scoring category to come up with a “total” score for each entrant helps to minimize any overzealous subjectivity that I may harbor with respect to any specific entrants.

Quite often, this exercise doesn’t give me the exact results I would personally prefer to see – but that only means that my system of judging is working as intended and designed. With all of that said, here are...

My Top-5 Picks in Order


FIRST PLACE: @darrenclaxton – Resolve - (Original)