Launch of a digital engagement manifesto

Helen Milner and the team at UK online centres are disappointed but undismayed at losing the Digital Mentor bid … they have just soft-launched discussion around the idea of a digital engagement manifesto.
The aim is to create a discussion (read more...)

Blogging bosses

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA writes a fine blog, with even-handed political commentary drawing on his experience at No 10, conversations with thought-leaders platforming at RSA events, RSA projects and internal development. But like all bloggers, there are moments of self doubt. Early on it was reference to Mum as Matthew’s only reader. Now there’s a (notional) blow to self-esteem when one of the directors of Matthew’s old haunt IPPR says ‘we all have a good laugh about your blog  – it’s all me, me, me’. In a comment I point Matthew to a far more self-regarding blog by ACEVO CEO Stephen Bubb. Even though I get the link wrong Rob Greenland alerts us to a brilliant parody Bogg’s Blubb - ‘life of the head of the umbella body for umbrellas’. Matthew is entranced. Blogging bosses are firmly established on he third sector. Any more fakes?

Media Trust wins digital mentor bid

Over on the digitalmentor blog Dave Briggs breaks the news that the contract for the Government’s £900,000 Digital Mentor programme has gone to the Media Trust.
I’m personally disappointed it didn’t go to the Voicebox consortium who – as I wrote here – went to great efforts to run an open process to involve as many people as possible with expertise in the field in developing their bid … but then I don’t know what the Media Trust proposed.
The Trust has a great track record of working with mainstream media to bring professional expertise to nonprofits, and last year had an Improving Reach programme “to provide free communications support for small volunteer organisations working with Black and Minority Ethnic, Migrant and or Refugee, Isolated Rural and Faith groups”.
They have an “Engaging Hard-to-Reach Communities” conference next week, with a panel chaired by Esther Rantzen CBE. (read more...)

World entrepreneur summit update

The World Entrepreneur Summit on Friday March 20 is attracting about 250 people, ranging from the European chairman of Microsoft, to a social enterprise working with local agencies Africa to pepare resources before potential disasters. I’m social reporting on the day, and wanted a quick update (read more...)

Dave Briggs event toolkit

Fellow social reporter Dave Briggs has detailed his event reporting toolkit, with an undisguised enthusiasm for Wordpress and Ning, together with Twitter, and Huddle to get organised. Like me he’s looking for an aggregator, because both Pageflakes and Netvibes have problems.

See the best online about communities and network

A few weeks back I was flattered to be invited by Nancy White to join in an aggregation site that pulls together content from a range of people blogging on community and networks connection. Like much else online, you don’t know how it is going to work until it is working … and it is, really well. Do drop in. Thanks Nancy … who you will find in Full Circle here.

Newspapers are gone. We still need journalists

In an essay Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable Clay Shirky brilliantly details the point I was discussing the other day with Craig McGinty: “Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism”. Jeff Javis has been saying for some time that many newspapers are gone, so not surprisingly he endorses Clay’s piece. I love it when local and global conversations join up. Newspapers never did that – unless you were a journalist. Now we can all join in.

Is your event worth the price of the ticket?

The other day I was discussing social reporting and other online activities for a £300-ticket, two-day event with the organiser, and he said: “Next year we are going to have to make it free”.

It really brought home to me how much the way that events are organised and priced is being changed by two influences, at least in the social media field: first, people can organise their own events much more easily by using online tools like Facebook, Meetup and Eventbrite. Secondly, it is relatively easy to extend your event by a mix of blogging, Twittering, video-streaming and networking as I’ve described in posts here. (read more...)

Women entrepreneurs may be less fazed by the crisis

As I mentioned before, I’ll be socialreporting from the World Entrepreneur Society Summit in London next Friday, so I’m delighted to see activity warming up on Crowdvine … led by managing director Rebecca Harding who set up the site. It’s great when clients take the controls, as Ken Thompson advocates.
Rebecca poses the question: Are women entrepreneurs less fazed by the crisis and gives a taster of the report she’ll be presenting:

Results from a major survey of 1800 growth-oriented entrepreneurs that will be presented at WES on the 20th March suggest that women entrepreneurs are less fazed by recessionary pressures than men. Nearly two thirds of men are worried about the macroeconomic climate compared to just over 50% of women, and men are also more likely to be worrying about their credit profile, about cashflow, profitability, sales, managing teams and accessing finance than women.

(read more...)

Social media changes the local landscape

Two conversations in Manchester this week deepened my understanding of the changes social media is bringing to communication at local level – and the potential for new collaborations between journalists and community activists.
The first chat was with Craig McGinty, who has worked in print and (read more...)