The rise and rise of Information DJ’s
My first foray into the world of real time updates was watching the Vice Presidential elections streaming through CNN while watching a live commentary of Twitter users updating in real time next to the video.
It blew me away. I felt like I was watching an historical moment and it gave me goose bumps (I’m a nerd like that.)
I knew I wanted to be a part of it so I signed up to Twitter.
At first it was entertaining and exciting to connect with people around the world while sitting at my desk in Brisbane, Australia.
Pretty soon though – it became an everyday utility.
I’d wake up and instead of going to a news site, I’d open up my Twitter stream with 100% confidence that I’d get everything I need to know about the state of the world and news about my industry – filtered through my trusted network of global citizens.
My use of search engines has dropped dramatically – there’s nothing like the instant response from a group of trusted people.
The amount of information available is growing exponentially.
Image Credit: yskafotografie2007
People need filters to sort the noise from the sound.
We used to turn to search engines because they were the tools that organised the information into searchable content. That was the best we had – but now we have social networks.
The people in our social networks have become our information filters – information DJ’s.
We’ve added them to our network because we share common interests, or are thought leaders in our industry. They distill the information they find online and through their own networks and distribute what they deem worthy or useful.
Just as we depend on them for news, useful content and inspiration – other people in your network are depending on you.
What do you think? How much do you depend on your network to filter the information you see online every day?
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I've been working online since 2001, started my 
Love the DJ analogy! Given that great DJs “read the crowd” and take listeners on a bit of a journey through song selection, this is just perfect for how the “information DJ” needs to operate – know your audience, and pass on the information that will take readers on a bit of a journey (be it informational or otherwise).