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.
Audiences Europe have recently taken me on team to provide social media and associated technologies support and advise. I always like to start by helping network members connect up existing tools and services with Twitter being one of the most accessible in terms of kicking of conversation and 'making new friends in the playground'. Audiences Europe have a Ning network where I have focused much of my time to date helping tweak and shape it in to platform project administrator Rich Hadley can be proud of, and in turn create content for. It's hugely important to feel proud of the network environment, blog look or website layout. Its a great motivator for creating content.
In the AEN discussion forum we exclaimed...Let's Get Following, inviting exisiting network members to post a little intro or just their Twitter name so others could follow them. This was my offering and a bit about my Twitter journey. As folk often ask me what I do this is alittle about who I am, which I think is what matters.
Hello, I'm @pcmcreative on Twitter
I have been a tweeter since late 2007 when I discovered I could maintain and develop connections beyond an event and project. The notion of a continued conversation day to day with like-minded people appealed to me. As a source of information it took a further 18 months before I thought to ask my Twitter network to answer a question I would normaly have 'googled' "What is the traditional gift for a 10th aniversary?" ie Cotton, Lace, Ruby etc. I got several responses infoming me it was aluminium. one suggesting a macbook coz its shell is milled aluminium and one declaring with a emoticon wink "Decree Nisi ;)" From here I knew Twitter was only going to get better.
I have been referred for work thought this 140 character mass messaging platform. Built audiences for online live theatre streams then spent the evening chatting though massaging to complete strangers who then become digital friends as they follow me on Twitter and begin to read my blog. I love it when months and in some cases now, years later I bump in to folk like seeing old friends yet quickly realising we have never met in the flesh before today.
Twitter is special.
This is my Twitter biog.
Social Media starlet, practitioner & consultant. @EquityUK campaigner for independent theatre artists. Slight nut. I love a good cuppa. @PCMprojects coordinator.
Sums me up professionally I guess as much as you can in 160 characters! As I recently discovered writing the Twitter biog for @audienceseurope it is quite an art, one I quite enjoy. Distilling the essence of an identity to create an impression in a single phrase. It's a great exercise.
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.
You would like to know a little about my real world
and virtual world cross over events I imagine? (Was my response to my first
lead of the decade enquiring about my event facilitation skills.
http://virtualrealityliving.com/3d-virtual-training-center )
Very few people in my current environment will give
virtual worlds any time. I however am passionate about them as business assets
(even if only a 3D extension of a 2D website or social space) As a result I'm
little reserved in who I offer my Virtual World service to. Cynicism and
inflexible thinking towards the social web is a tough nut to crack.
The current leap of faith is social media. Businesses
are running headlong in to a light they spent most of 2008 and 09 declaring as
an absurd waste of time but now it's becoming mainstream everyone is at it for
better or worse!
Virtual worlds are still a leap too far here and now.
I'd be happy to make my skills and experiences available to your organisation
if you require input.
… I continued.
In SecondLife I have been Custodian and Curator of
Pilot Theatre's 3D presence since 2007. It's dormant but the company feel it's
important to keep it, even mothballed as it is. I am hoping to spend a little
time updating and housekeeping in the year to come. The location is Pilot
Theatre in SL search. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Earth/210/35/27
I have curated events in SL as a host in-world and as
a coordinator facilitating chat streams across group chat windows for live
music events within SL running back channels for the event team and venue chat
for the audience/delegates and live streamed real world events in
Livestream.com. A basic event includes monitoring and engaging a multi-streamed
Twitter audience too. Most importantly I'm an approachable entity in the
off-line, virtual world or online environment.
I've been described as an Internet Fairy, Event Guide,
and Ambassador, essentially I help my client’s participants/event
delegates new to online social spaces/community or event, online or virtual,
experience the events and ultimately help them feel at ease with the
technological interface. That is the highest hurdle! Just like the magic of
theatre, virtual worlds require participants to suspend disbelieve and become
immersed. You can't dip in your toe you have to give yourself over to it for
the time the experience lasts.
Where do I come from? (This was my attempt to quantify
the circumstances throughout my career that bought me to the point I am today)
I was a theatre stagemanager before moving in to digital tech development as
the social media phenomenon exploded on to the scene. Here I found my niche as an
online and virtual event curator and network custodian.
Search "pcmcreative" in Google and you will
find my digital footprint. http://bit.ly/7hiTsg
I use the research, resource and acquisitioning skills
from my theatre days. "Attention to detail and fiscal compromising
scales" to balance budgetary restraints capitalising on freemium social
media tools, services and platforms to develop digital development strategies
for creative organisations and creative thinking businesses.
A virtual world asset is a development I offer to
clients who see beyond the 2D realm of webpages. Most frequently it is 2D web
development and enhancement I am consulted on. Clients want to bring social
media consumers to their websites to purchase goods and services.
The time of the virtual community will emerge, some
are here now. Social Media consumption is the current tidal rip.
I'd welcome digital development and virtual world
commissions and be delighted to discuss any area of interest to you (and to you
blog reader – thanks for reading this far) from my response
here.
Aside to blog readers... "When did your conversation begin?"
