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 
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."
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.
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)
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
- 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.
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.
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.
...for Open-Mic Judges and Selected Artists
- 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.”
Addendum:
Addendum:
If you see and hear anything you like that makes you feel good in any way at all...
Say Something - COMMENT!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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! 
In addition to 
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
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
Don’t blame me, guys… Darren just so happens to be on fire of late. “Resolve” is a stunningly beautiful and timely Fathers Day tribute to Darren’s incredible Dad. He had me at my knees within 15 seconds with his initial guitar passages, which magically connected directly to the part my central nervous system that measures pure emotion. Thereafter, the slightly eastern melodic flavor combined with the story being told alongside the skillful and impassioned execution of it all left me helpless to do anything else but to top Darren out at the height of my list.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@darrenclaxton/1ef5r7ag
For those who may not know or recall, this “Wilins Classic,” “Because We Can,” (Porque podemos) is a product of week #4 from season-1 of the Songwriters Challenge, which was created and sponsored by 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@wilins/yryj1sxe
Before I comment on this amazing entry, I first wish to express my utmost respect and appreciation for the people of Venezuela and the entire Hispanic community here at the Open-Mic. Please bear with me for a stretch, as I need to say this, and I think this is the perfect place and time to do it.
I don’t know what it is – maybe it’s my Italian upbringing, or maybe it’s something else entirely, but I feel very proud and directly connected to this beautiful community. They are a genuine, strong, and impassioned people who possess a high level of integrity, love, and dedication for their families - despite overbearing hardships beyond their control.
Of the 300 or so entries the Open-Mic receives each week, a very large portion of them emanate from Venezuela. One might wonder why that might be. Well, for one thing, the average reward for
Just let that sink in for a minute…
Venezuela, (and next, perhaps Argentina) is suffering from an extreme and elongated crisis of intense hyperinflation, making it utterly impossible for the vast majority of people to feed and clothe themselves, and to keep a roof over their heads.
I would venture to guess that there are at least 100+ entries each week of this origin that
These folks aren’t simply looking for “handouts” – they have way too much pride for such nonsense, but instead, they do whatever they can to honestly “earn” whatever they can in whatever respectable way possible – and that’s just one of the reasons why I love them so much!
Unlike the corrupt politicians and bankers who are in large part responsible for such messes - and then have the gall to claim they are indeed the financial saviors of the modern world, it is indeed people like
Sorry that took so long, but I just needed to get that off my chest. Now, back to this most incredible entry! So, allow me to introduce you once again to the winner of:
I’ve been listening to this older gentleman’s weekly entries for quite some time now. (He’s actually right around my age (59) – yeah, I’m older too, ha!) He enters each week like clockwork! His entries are soothingly simple and comforting, but nothing over-the-top “wow” if you know what I mean.
I must admit that there are times that I am often tempted to skip over listening to such familiar faces with such familiar patterns of entries. However, thank God for that persistent voice inside my head that says, “Hey, you never know what this person might come up with,” – this voice inside my head always tells me – “just hit play, take a listen, and see what they’ve got.”
Well, I’m so glad I have that voice in my head because when I hit play on Armando’s entry this week, I was totally shocked! “YES!” I said to myself, this voice in my head has struck pure gold!
I wish I had the lyrics for this composition – I’m certain that reading them would make it that much more special for me. However, music is a language unto itself, and although I cannot understand the lyrics, I do understand the incredible beauty of the music and touching images accompanying this special story of one’s childhood, and the incredible musical collaboration and talent that went into making it.
Armando’s brother, Cesar Linares composed this masterpiece. It appears that in addition to himself, Armando’s siblings comprise the balance of this musical tour de force. I can only assume that this is a song about their lives growing up together as brothers and sisters. I am literally dying to know the lyrics – this is such a touching and beautiful production! What an incredibly talented family, and what a beautiful recollection of the love and joy they shared throughout their lifetimes. This is one special production and most definitely a piece of treasured legacy music for the Linares family and for us as well. I extend my thanks to each of them for sharing this treasure with us all. Bravo!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@armandolnrs/5qz0qlx5
Ahem, ahem, look who’s here again? That’s right folks, it’s Coco, and she’s driving me absolutely mad in more ways than one! Just when I thought that I’ve heard all the coverage of this classic that I could possibly hope for, along comes Coco to shock me into complete and utter submission. My life just wouldn’t be the same if I were to have been denied hearing her particular rendition of this most amazing classic. Yes, no doubt her new pink hair is definitely a short-term bonus; however, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the sheer brilliance of her guitar work within the first 30-seconds of listening. Thereafter, her dynamic vocal builds, inflections, and returns are simply jaw-dropping. Couple all of that with her opening smiles and her closing conveyance of sincere humility, and you’ve got yourself a “golden production” and an outstanding entry quite worthy of placement in my top-5 list any day of the week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@lecocoramos/steemit-open-mic-week-89-hallelujah-cover-by-coco-ramos
Here we have a very cool outlier entry, folks!
’s “Obsession” can be described in part as a semi-ethereal hard-rockin head-banger of sorts – a genre and realm to which I’m rather familiar and quite fond of in the proper context. This is only his second Open-Mic submission, and although I can’t immediately recall his first, “Obsession” definitely caught my undivided attention this week! has assembled, executed, and produced a rather bold and passionate original production here. Sure, a tad rough around the edges and a bit raw perhaps, but hey, that’s what this genre is all about! I dug it and thought that he and this genre needed a bit of rep and props here in week 89. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did! https://steemit.com/openmic/@damcrow/steemit-open-mic-week-89-obsesion-cancion-original-damcrow
My Top-5 Honorable Mentions in Order:
First: 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@samidbarid/steemit-openmic-week-89-sami-d-barid-original-piano-song
Second: 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@arrozymangophoto/steemit-open-mic-week-89-original-song-congorocha-arrozymangophoto
Third: 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@dustinseth/steemit-open-mic-week-89-cocoon
Fourth: 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@aidarojaswriter/steemit-open-mic-semana-89-or-or-soy-parte-de-ti-piano-version-original-song-by-aidarojaswriter
Fifth: 
https://steemit.com/openmic/@bennettitalia/steemit-open-mic-week-89-a-fairytale-an-original-song-by-bennett-italia
Thank you for reviewing my selections for this week’s Open-Mic contest. If you find this content I’ve curated entertaining and of value to you, then please consider up-voting and/or re-steeming it.
Peace, Love, and Justice for All
A Very Special Shout Out To:
The following 20 artists who were very much on my radar, each within a splitting hair of making it into my overall top-10, and whose performances I loved, cherish, and respect most assuredly. This special list is very much an extension of my most honorable mentions.
They are - in no particular order:
Another Special Shout Out To:
The following artists whose performances I very much enjoyed this week.
They are - in no particular order:
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Much love and thanks to each and every one of you who have touched a part of my heart and soul - not only this week but forever!