A couple of times now I’ve referenced a framework for migrating from the analog world to the digital sphere. The framework consisted of the steps: auscultate, participate, create, and dominate. I’ve talked briefly about the auscultate (listening) phase and before I move on to the participate phase I wanted to briefly mention the notion of timeline.

If you decide to follow this framework, you may end up asking yourself, “How long does each stage last?” Or, “How do I know when I should move from one phase to the next?”

The answer is that there really is no answer.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that a set amount of time is required in each phase before you’re ready for the next. So rather than focus on the progression of stages in the context of time, I think it is more productive and accurate to view progression in the context of lessons learned. So what are the lessons you should learn? I’m glad you asked.

Auscultate – This stage is about discovery and learning. It’s about discovering and learning new tools (e.g. readers and social search functions) and about discovering and learning from new sources of information (blogs, podcasts, video blogs, etc.).This stage is about understanding that there is a lot of really good information and content in the digital space about how to find the good stuff and consume it. This stage is also about observation. It’s about observing how people interact with each other in digital social circles and learning what is considered appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior in each community. Once you have a good understanding of these concepts, you are ready to move on to the next stage.

Participate – This stage is a continuation of learning but it is learning by doing. This stage is about getting comfortable with participating in public communities and starting new & positive habits. Namely: participate often, in a variety of places, and be helpful. Understanding these concepts signifies your preparedness for the next phase.

Create – Ideally this stage will have no end. The medium may change (today it’s the Internet, what will it be tomorrow?) but the lessons learned in this stage will largely stay the same. Regardless of your chosen form of communication (written text, audio, video, etc.) one of the main lessons here is about leadership. How do you create and nurture a community in your niche with you as its chief organizer. This too is a tough lesson and one that will definitely take some time to figure out. Few people can, but those that have, entered the next phase.

Dominate – There is some pretty elite company in this stage. And if you make it here, congratulations. If you end up finding yourself here, you have already learned some very valuable lessons, both in the digital space and in your personal development. So while the journey may have been full of positive and reaffirming moments, I’m not so naive to think this was all done out of a need for self actualization. Nope, it was probably all about money. And this phase is learning how to monetize your experience. How do you make money without alienating your community or sacrificing your position as trusted leader? How do you convince people to pay you for your time and/or services without being perceived as a jackass? That’s a lesson we’ll talk about here.

Note: I think it is important to state that the progression of phases should be thought of as in addition to not instead of. By that I mean just because you begin to participate, you should not stop listening. And just because you launch your own website and start creating, you should not stop participating. In other words, the progression of phases should be additive in nature, not transitive.

So what lessons do you think are most important? Is there anything I didn’t include that should be on this list? I’d like to hear from you.