Traffic #back2physical or back to 2009?

There are 2 blog posts written years ago that get the most traffic.

One is What is Twittbot? A long defunct twitter collaboration platform which enabled multi user posting to an account without sharing a password. I wrote it in 2009! The platform is gone. 

The second is about the Echo Livescribe pen. Some of the pens have the LED screen fault. This post addressed a workable solution to enable continued use if purchasing a new pen wasn’t an affordable option.

Now I’m daily blogging I’m frustrated that also written in 2009 it with the TwitBott post gets more daily hits than all my recent 2021 efforts put together!

This blog is about sustaining mindfulness. For that it is serving it’s purpose.

I’m rather anxious as the world pivots back to physical that like waking from a paralysis to final get to be on par with my expertises I’m sink back into a slumber once the world wakes back up.
I only just found my feet.

I just hope I can keep my balance.

Thank You

Easy to say hard to accept? I love what I do but I have no idea if I’m any good at it. But I do my best and from that comes what I do.

I see everyone as more capable but have no inner truth regards how I compare. I certainly can’t compete or excel. I burn brightly and the world continues to revolve but I don’t make any progress.
When a gift of thanks arrives I have to build a sense of my own credibility. Believe the Thank You is genuine.
It is. I’m not stupid but prior knowing is not part of believing.
Lockdown is coming to an end. The pandemic offered me a stage for all the digital futures I so desperately tried to share prior to March 2020. 

Extending the audience was the pre-covid pursuit. Blending the experience is the post pandemic vision. Choice and fuller access. I just hope I am articulate and act.

The Brownie was delicious. 

Lets remember when we back to physical their is a audience we leave behind. Open the digital opera boxes, rollout the virtual carpet. Accessibility is really here.

Please don’t put it back in its box.

Watch this space! #IgniteLiv

On the 25th Feb, I am presenting a mini-presentation at Liverpool Ignite 40 Digital.

20 slides lasting 20 secs to produce a tight talk timeframe.

Mine will have a QR code that comes here.

The event is drawing close, I'll be going live this Thursday evening via YouTube and Facebook.

Watch here on YouTube

The write up will be here too.

Full set of slides. Not used Slideshare for a while.

Virtually Digital - Blending as we return 'digital2physical' from PCM creative media

 

 

Outside at Cromford.

The outside world loomed large today. I ventured out to Cromford Mill to conduct a geolocation audit.

A what now?

A visit to a specific location to reference and document logged visitor/audience/customer / residential activity on apps, platforms and services that can only be accessed when within a geographic radius.

There are a myriad of gamification opportunities. Gamification takes an objective and makes attaining that objective fun. It’s the foundation of social media.

It's important to be informed about the platforms being used. As much fun as they are there can be some sinister implication in regards to data and user behaviour.

Often the activity drives a behaviour the creator wants to encourage. On Facebook for example its to learn as much about you in order to sell to you and sell that attention to advertisers.

The other use, and this is my use is the transit of users to locations for an extended or richer experience for the user or in Cromford’s case visitors.

The platforms I’m most interested in are

• Foursquare for business and it’s public side app Swarm
• Munzee

Munzee is the next generation in global scavenger hunt games. You Track down QR Codes hidden in the real world and capture them for points. Whether you are a casual player, an avid explorer, or a hardcore competition enthusiast, Munzee helps you rediscover the world around you. Perfect for an ambient visitor experience in such a beautiful location as Cromford.

• Wallaby

WallaBee is 50% Collecting Game, 50% GeoLocation, and 100% Community. WallaBee is free to play its is a self-funded startup from Munzee.

• GeoCaching

Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt happening right now, all around you. There are millions of geocaches worldwide. Geocaches are found in parks, urban areas, forests, deserts, on top of mountains, underwater — pretty much anywhere you can imagine. Definitely an attractive draw for visitors. It will encourage exploration of the area.

• AllTrails

All Trails is user community curated walks and trails. 

A stitch in time

I started a blog back in 2007. Back then embeds and widgets were my fascination. Today I revisited the design settings of my blog and rediscovered an old, one of my first embed-able widget. 

Clustr Maps

https://clustrmaps.com/

Analytics are key to understanding the reach and catalyse growth for audience engagement.

Augmentation has been a focus of my work. Making the most of resources and technology as it emerges and integrates into the common consciousness.

YouTube embed were a revelation. Why send someone to see your video on YouTube when you can insert it directly into your website.

Cluster maps is a visual representation of where your site visitors are located.
Intelligence is direction. Direction is fulfilment.

 

The end is not always the end.

Reaching the end of a project is often not the end of the actual project. There is the wrap then the wrap up.
Projects for me have 5 phases.

 
Plan

Prepare

Deliver

Reflect

Report

Concluding the delivery phase is rarely the end. Tomorrow I shall reflect before collecting together screenshots, recordings, noting down recollections and even post production edits for on demand release.

For now it’s time to sleep.

Rinse and Repeat - Being Present

Challenging myself to blog daily is as much about mindfulness as it is personal continuity and sustainable consciousness. Breaking down my thinking resulting from my activity and recollections of the day to produce a single piece of writing.

Short and to the point finding a simple, easy frictionless method to publish.

I’ve had a blog on Typepad since 2007. I am too familiar with bloggers guilt. Having a blog but not posting to a schedule fitting the inner desire to articulate the world. 

Blogging via email has always appealed to me. I’m currently composing posts on my mobile using Apple Notes. This is copied and pasted into an email. That is emailed to Typepad. On my phone I navigate through the chrome browser app to the my Typepad blog dashboard. The post is reviewed and an image inserted. Basic SEO is applied before its republished.

It’s simple, casual and importantly taking little effort. 

I don’t write to be read. I write to be present. That’s not to say I don’t desire an audience or a deep dialogue surrounding the posts I write.

Video Help Desk for your Digital Events

I have been on HelpDesk duty today.

With multiple-sessioned events like festivals, across multiple platforms for attendees, guests, speakers, performers and crew the thing that is painfully absent with digital and its zeros and ones is the corridors, the greenroom, the watercooler, the bar and the liminal spaces.

The space between the spaces.

QuiQuo do this well and event wrappers have potential to accommodate this but to date these wrappers have been outside my budget and production timescale. Digital Stagemanagement and the production consulting tend to be too late in the precession for me to augment in these options. 

A single help desk is the first step. It becomes an anchor point between physical and digital in-person encounters. It’s a point of real present. This I can do with Whereby. I have 10 rooms some are on loan to groups and some like this help desk for SparkFestival is a special hosting.

This was my toolset today

• Whereby - a super simple easy access for first time tech shy audiences. I settled on this platform prior to COVID when another app to download or service to sign up to was enough to stifle or demotivate any engagement.
• Splashtop xDisplay - connects a second device to enable monitoring while focusing on your main screen.
• iPad as a second screen with xDisplay - an old iPad 2 connects to extend your desktop. I use this on a stand on my desk for ficus timer and for general social media and news notifications. 

Finally I have 2 documents prepared specifically for this help desk. A festival reference with all the info including ticket links and zoom access links to each performance or workshop and a intro guide to Whereby as a help desk including a outline of the visitor experience.

1. Helpdesk document - Festival Programme (private document not available to share)
2. Helpdesk document - How To for team staffing - http://bit.ly/pcm-helpdesk-sparkfestival

This service is integral to my Extended The Audience offering when compiling extended audience packages. If you want to know more please get in touch.

I must also thank Alison Rouse who staffed the majority of the sessions enabling me to focus on the main digital auditorium as Zoom controller throughout the opening days of the festival.

Secret Stories - #SparkFestival - performing live on Zoom

Today I was able to sit in on a couple of the digital live Zoom performances taking place this is as part of The Spark Arts for Children half term #SparkFestival

“During lockdown families from the Belgrave community, the golden mile of Leicester, met online to share and uncover their personal histories.”

Chandni Mistry performed Airmail - a set of community told adapted stories live-streamed direct to the audience’s home, over Zoom. Airmail is a collection of stories told through time, across continents and generations. Jumping from Uganda to Watermead Country Park, Leicester.

AirMail (below - Chandni Mistry)

Rina Fatania performed The Video Call - a collection of stories that resonate voices from the heart of Belgrave, the golden mile of Leicester… a world of WhatsApps, Zooms, never ending summer barbecues and right up to lockdown.

VideoCall (below - Rina Fatania)

I’m currently compiling the on demand versions richly recorded and underscored to podcast listening comfort perfection by Audio Artist, Dimple Patel. Directed for Zoom by Trina Haldar from stories co-written by her Satinder Chohan and participating families of Belgrave in Leicester.

Delighted to have been able to introduce Marcus Romer into the mix which provided support and confidence Trina, Rina and Chandni. He allayed their fears of Zoom bringing a sense of play to the scripts embracing the confines of the video frame. Zoom was used magnificently with Virtual Background overplayed with filters. Chandni seamlessly flipped from back to background with a well placed dog face tracing filter. Feathers were raised to the camera with the space in frame thoughtfully augmented with a Paper plane and model boat large and close in passing across the field of view.

The stories gave a glimpse into a world and culture of being a migrant from India through the eyes of 2nd and 3rd generation Leicester families. Shock and delight, I audibly gasped in Airmail, here in my home at the story of family members leaving India under duress and instructed to remove jewellery at the airport to laughter in VideoCall at the contracted text speak and Dwali zooms.

I now have the live experience. Performed in speaker view with families watching from home line up along the top of the main spotlighted performers window. Interaction between the children and Chandni during Airmail pushed the boundary to wholeheartedly demonstrate that live theatre can be digital.

The 9 stories will be available to listen to as part of the Families On Demand part of the #SparkFestival programme. I am unreservedly glad I saw them performed live.

A hat tip must go also to the zoom operators Helen Raw and Katie Bosomworth.

The glitz and the swag. The bling and the brags. #FEI

My heart is always beating to the rhythm of theatre and live performance but my curiosity glanced perilously into the arena of events. A complete subspecies when it comes to audiences. What arts, culture and heritage pursuits engage the leisure time of conference and trade-shows attendees and delegates? Can the world of show business get in on the act of event engagement?

The glitz and the swag. The bling and the brags. The knowledge and technology simmering is constrained by the desire to savagely aspire to monetary gain almost as savagely as the culture sector clings to its a-vent-guard rejection of mainstream banality. Too harsh?

Digital is not new. Audience engagement is not new. COVID is new but a new thing compounded with an old thing that wasn’t acknowledged and resisted just smacks of shortsightedness.

EVentMB gives me faith that the conversation is awakening. But it’s devoid of creative life. Steel and golden scans or indigo Rosco super gel 59 will not rose tint your world. There is a gulf between entertainment and event I’m not sure a spark can jump far enough. The talent of the performers, the creative flare is missing and every time I attend I admire and marvel as the distant riches but the bright lights... the roar of the greasepaint, smell of the crowd!!! Keeps me here, ultimately poorer but ultimately richer.

Still, the only option for CC #ClosedCaption on @SpotMe @Hopin @konfco seems to be screen sharing through Google Meet. Please can these platforms share with me their accessibility feature development stategies? pic.twitter.com/IewdmEQlBO

— Caron (CJ) Lyon (@pcmcreative) February 16, 2021

Looking forward to more #Back2Live conversations. #Pivot2Digital hadn't been conceived this time last year. Blending is the way to go. @tojulius leading the way with @EventMB Chris from @Livepens always amazing. pic.twitter.com/AGUSnAHsIx

— Caron (CJ) Lyon (@pcmcreative) February 16, 2021