When it comes to new websites and networks, I am an early adopter. I sign up as soon as I hear about a new service and start testing it out. Maybe I’m too early of an adopter because there must be over a hundred things I’ve signed up for and never done much more with than the preliminary account setup. It’s interesting to see what platforms have legs and which things never catch on or are quickly replaced.

At this point, several of the major networks have developed sturdy roots. Twitter proved it was more than a passing fad. Facebook has long since vanquished Myspace. And LinkedIn has managed to keep it’s professional front. I’ve been a big fan of Tumblr from the beginning, although it hasn’t achieved the same kind of critical mass as the other services I mentioned.

Since some of these services have proved their staying power, it makes me think how they can all be used most effectively. How they can be combined. How I can use each of them separately to represent myself online. I want to use the best digital tools and networks to express myself, further my creative pursuits and find new opportunities that allow me to grow both online and off. I explain this to most people and am met with blank stares usually. But as a creative person who thrives off of making things myself, the Internet is the greatest invention for finding an organic audience. I can make my art, my writing and my music and then input it all into the proper channels and have the ability for anybody in the world to find it. Every creative person wants to be heard, and the series of networks that make up the Internet offer that potential.

I want to create a personal digital ecosystem that lets me make my art and then distribute it throughout my various networks. I want to have discussions with these same networks and find out what is inspiring them. I want to have every little tweet, comment or share to reflect a tiny piece of my greater mission. I want to rain content and have my digital ecosystem grow. The kind of growth I’m interested in is more connections, more opportunities and a larger audience.

I call it a digital ecosystem. Maybe I’ll call it something else next week, but today I like how it sounds. It feels like it has evolved past the notion of networks. It feels like it can support a variety of activities. And I also love the idea of combining technology and analog metaphors to create new meaning. We’ll see how long I stick with it, but for now, I’ll call my mission an effort to build a personal digital ecosystem.