PCM's founder and key social media practitioner's blog. Current projects, reflections, key moments, favourite platforms, tools and technologies. Bringing the web in to focus in the office and on the move personally and professionally.
I don’t know too many small entrepreneurs who have a plan of action let alone show any solidarity with others. @pcmcreative of Nottingham is an exception.
When I first met Jo we talked about a Ning based social network for her village, Olney. Her policy research and her flowingmotion blog are for me highly informative if a little intellectual for my creative 'doing' brain and I learn so much about thought process from her. Yet another inspirational connection I made at MediaCamp Bucks and London. To read a comment in conclusion to a well thought out and considered blog post I am humbled to receive such praise. Thank you Jo.
Online this is a question of no considered consequence and an arena for contrasting hysteria.
Identity
Signing up to a new network, registering on a site or subscribing to a service we freely give away our email address. It's a currency of sorts and we often don't see it in that way. The most common example is parting with your email address to download a white paper or access a PDF promising knowledge and insight. This transaction is an arrangement where you have given permission to receive updates from the producer of the knowledge or insight. Newsletter rules and regulations exist to prevent exploitation of email address connection.
Who are you?
An email address do not identify you. A street address does not define you. It locates you. Other forms of ID often accepted include utility bills. These do not define you they assert your commitment to make and maintain a payment schedule. What constitutes provable qualified identity?
Avatar is a word that have emerged with the digital age a symbol, image, picture or photo representing you in an online space. Is this also true of the offline world too? In the UK the major accepted forms of ID are a passport and a drivers license. But what if you have never traveled or learnt to drive a car? With a drivers license the introduction of the photo license is relatively new. "Until July 1998
driving licenses outside Northern Ireland did not have photographs.
Anyone who holds a license issued before this date may retain their
photo-less license until expiry (normally one's seventieth birthday) or
until they change address, whichever comes sooner." wikipedia What about the 'old' birth certificate? No photo, no validity?
It's only when your life journey is halted because your face doesn't appear on apiece of plastic that you realise just how limited proving offline identity is. Sadly it ends a dream. In a few weeks my partner (a traditional media and oil painter) and I are due to make a pilgrimage to his childhood summer holiday retreat. For years he has wanted to take this holiday but the cottage is very popular. Its going to be this year and recently the announcement of iPhone 4's HD video, improved camera and combined connectivity... the all in one media capture and productivity devise for a artist to create media with out a pack full of kit.
Is there a solution or is identity in the commercial world destined to dissolve. Captured reflection the only real you?
Some might say I'm a funny fish. Odd statement? Love meeting people, loath crowds. Enjoy a good gathering, don't like going out. Strange? For me MediaCampNottingham is the perfect event. My office is in Lace Market House so MediaCamp is my home from home. When I moved in to this building in Nov 2007 with its sweeping staircase and grand piano in the reception I smiled. The location was good.
MediaCampNottingham is genuinely an open doors, arms thrown wide event. The venue has not been hired especially for the event it was selected and seen with the view to hold mediacamp type events in. I was enamoured with the elegance and heritage. We now have 100mb Internet but the rooms are not filled with tech. The light on spring and summer days is enchanting.
MediaCampNottingham 1 took place in May 2009 - Lace Market House is opening her doors once again on March 27th. Sessions on the schedule include...
The evolution of our craft. A look at working in the media - 10 years back and ten years forward - @lesanto
Social media for NGO's Social media ethics - @presleysylwia
MediaCamp is an "unconference". Once the date of an event is announced a wiki type collaboration web presence is created. Anyone wishing to attend, assist or present are free to update the collaborative space to declare their intentions.
MediaCampLondon3 was slightly different in that an event platform Eventbrite provided a payment system and event portal for delegates with the Venue details, sponsors, event info, directions and delegates signed up to attend in an Eventbrite event page. During sign up intention to present and a request for a session title was included in the form. Links included in the body of the event page aggregated relevant web content:
Here we are at part 2 of my MediaCampLondon post... after lunch
A suggested topic caught my eye when the event details first appeared online.
Social Media Ethics
Whether its codes of conduct, best practice or end user policy the accepted structural controls laid out relating to Social Technology are in their infancy. Protection or Oppression? Safe access or restricted boundaries? Who is the protected? Knowledge is power and with it comes responsibility. Following a consistent code of behavior and practice backing up open and honest engagement builds trust.
Since my first engagement with virtual worlds and then social media acceptable behavior in a space with faceless encounters and constructed reality, who are we? Has intriged me. Who are you?
Actors play their roles in a play, become the characters they portray but when the curtain goes down they are the character no longer. Playing roles, trying on different morals and behaviours is one of the underlying attraction to actors. Being someone else. The greatest actors draw from an inner reservoir of experiences but they slowly drown if they loose sight of who they really are. Identity is wrapped up with ethics.
I spent over 6 months playing one character in a play each performance was 60 minutes living as someone else. Playing a role and living your life. This is all very esoteric, how does this relate to social media?
Ethics at MediaCamp
Sylwia Presley presented Social Media Ethics. The session began with a 20min presentation and continued as a Q&A discussion.
Sylwia talks with great authority using case study examples to illustrate her key headlines. Real stories, of successes and failings throughout the public consciousness of social media. And not illustrated ad-nausium with statistics.
The only difference between online and offline content is the communication channel. I knew I was going to learn valuable insights when Sylwia expressed this sentiment.
It was about message not method. Delivering a consistent message across an organisation needs formalising but as her presentation illustrated, not solidifying. These formalised rules set out guidelines of best practice. While referencing Twitter Sylwia noted Twitter ettiquette with ethics evolving as behaviours change. How to behave, what is acceptible? what is not. These things do change. The use of auto-response tweeting to new followers was just one example.
The field of Ethics is notoriously difficult to define. Everyone's ethics differ by degrees.
So...How to capture without distraction?
I decided to Qik, live stream to my Qik account. (with Sylwia's permission) The thing a like about this method of capture is not having content hanging around waiting for action. Point and Shoot, the upload takes place in real time and with a player embedded in my blog I have instant blog content. Qik also provides a share facility enabling me to tweet the fact I am streaming live in case any one in my network should want to watch.
Sylwia presented for 20 minutes which I streamed. The following Q&A I did not stream. This was a conscious decision one take, no distractions or frustrations that I just missed a great phrase. I listened as a delegate while capturing the content.
Next up was my own session "Amb:IT:ion - helping creative organisations develop digitally", a reflection of the journey and understanding I gained working with the project.
