In attempting to build my own unique internet driven concoction inspired by your success I have found the tools, technology and ideas abundant. The biggest challenge for me has been to try to focus and define exactly who I am and who I think my audience is. So after much paring away I have narrowed it down to “Music for Caregivers” (i.e. Anyone caring for someone with physical/mental disabilities, especially autism and on the other end of the age spectrum, Alzheimer’s disease.)

Really great read all around, it was great to see the summaries of the common points of creating internet communities of fans and then seeing the different ways that everyone has gone about it. As someone who is interested in making a name for myself on the internet (although no doubt destined to fail and I haven’t even got anything to give at the moment, no website link on my name either, see?) it’s especially interesting for me. It puts everything into a lot of context as more and more technologies have emerged to help people connect to their fans.

So, if you’re reading this Scott, thanks for compiling all of this into a great book!

It’s funny, I just gave a presentation at the Southern California Linux Expo in LA back in February called “Growing up Free” which was about the parallels between Free Software and open content licenses such as Creative Commons (and the opportunities that opens up for kids growing up with computers today).

I used you and the video and first verse of your song Flickr as an example of how someone could take others’ works and create something that definitely wasn’t there in the original standalone works. I think it was one of the most effective examples.

I loved your last Los Angeles concert and I can’t wait for your next one at the Largo! Maybe I won’t leave 3 minutes before you come out to say hi this time!