Social Media Week

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City Spotlight- Social Media Week London

Friday, January 13th, 2012

It’s more than a financial and cultural center; it’s a thriving metropolis, seen as a must-see around the world. London. And one of our hottest cities for February. Behind SMW London is Chinwag, a leading UK community for connecting digital professionals with a reach of more than 35,000 people. The four-man team behind SMW London since 2010, also heads up a digital recruitment site, Chinwag Jobs, and Digital Missions, focused on helping UK digital firms. We’re talking with Francesca Heath on their team.

 
1. What are the three most exciting things happening in social, mobile and digital media in London?
London is such a unique city, as it’s the digital hub of the UK coupled with having a massive mix of communities and essentially a melting pot for creativity. We are expecting some really innovative events this year which could only happen in such a city. Curated content is really big here at the moment, especially using video content to influence people and getting them to participate. There has also been a big surge in mobile ecommerce due to the rise of smartphones, which is really cool. Don’t forget that London is also hosting the Olympics this year, which is going to be huge for London and digital.
 

2. Give us a sneak peek at the most exciting things coming to SMW London.
We have some brill events taking place in London. A sneak peak at a few goodies: Twitter, the Butterfly Effect and the Future of Journalism; Making Video Rock; The Socialympics- Social Media & London 2012; ShoreditchTwit + Google Places; and aMetropolitan Breakfast.
 

3. How will SMW London stand out from other conferences happening in London?
We want to put back the ‘social’ in Social Media! Unlike many ‘traditional’ conferences, SMW London strives to maintain a model where free access to content, programming and events is made possible. The hectic week of SMW London offers a series of interconnected activities and conversations around the world on emerging trends in social and mobile media, in the form of panel discussions, meetups, barcamps, themed networking events, competitions and more.

A little bit more exciting than just a long list of conferences – don’t you think?!! Even better – anyone is welcome to get involved and the majority of SMW London events are free to attend!
 

4. How is SMW London embracing our global theme of Empowering Change through Collaboration and how is that playing out in your city, the UK, and the EU?
The sheer diversity of events throughout the week brings to life the idea of collaborating, connecting and contributing, whether presenting at a session, a treasure hunt, asking questions at a panel, engaging in a tweet-up or networking. The themes help bring together different topics, with events at all levels from novice to expert.
 

5. What three things are you hoping to gain from SMW London 2012?
It’s a great opportunity for all our local partners to get involved globally and share ideas. It’s also a chance for individuals and smaller companies to take to limelight and broadcast their events to the global digital community. Finally, we get to meet all the amazing people who use digital to empower change.

 
The London team is in high gear, full of creativity and enthusiasm. A big thanks to them and all their work. You can keep up with what going on across the pond by following them on Twitter at @SMWLdn and on their Facebook page. And if you do nothing else, make sure you follow the SMW London and SMW Singapore Exchange Challenge – Can Man Live on Social Media Alone? It’s an opportunity for one socialite to uncover the power of social media and how it can be used for social good- with both Singapore and London working together to create our first SMW cross-city cultural exchange.
 

Photo by Anthony Dodd

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Posted in City Focus

#LondonRiots and Social Media: An Overview

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

It has been seven days since August 4, 2011, when Mark Duggan was killed by police in Tottenham, England.  It’s been five days since August 6, 2011, when Mark Duggan’s family and concerned community members protested the unnecessary death of Duggan, who was riding in a cab at the time.  Police said that there was a gun fight while they tried to arrest him.  The ballistics testing revealed that Duggan never fired a shot.  Instead, they shot someone from London’s black community who did not return fire, and thus began what has turned into an awful saga of violence, poverty and murky social class commentary.  Who knew that social media would be the centre of a so-called lower class controversy? (More after the jump.)

(more…)

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Posted in Analysis, People & Society

In London tonight, all the police cells are full

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

“In London tonight, all the police cells are full”

BBC TV News

It’s the fourth consecutive night of rioting and there are an unprecedented 16,000 officers on the capital’s streets.

Last night and today law abiding Londoners reacted in the way they know best – with humour.

…and here’s the picture:

The hashtag #LondonRiots starts reporting the ‘news’ that London Zoo had been looted and there’s a tiger loose on genteel North London’s Primrose Hill.

Soon, there’s another rumour of another animal on the loose:

Twitter

Dalston, east London, comes under attack and police can’t respond. Local shop owners defend themselves:

Groups set cars on fire in Camden Town on the first night of breakthrough comedian James Mullinger’s new show, leaving Mullinger to react by stretching irony to its limits:

Those watching from home start to realize that what they’re seeing is brought to them by incredibly brave reporters:

And this viewer thinks it’s time that their names are adjusted to recognize their bravery:

 

The night wears on and the rioters’ endurance exceeds that of the concerned citizens, who are now thinking about work tomorrow:

The sun rises. A new day. But with the police overwhelmed yesterday, people’s attention naturally turns to what will happen tonight. Can nothing be done?

Rumors spread about riots being planned in other areas of the country.

Shopkeepers have to take a difficult decision. In Manchester, a Subway store owner faces up to reality:

(photo (c): @xsophmayx)

Some stay open, stay defiant.

 

Blogs are quickly set up to identify – and shame – the looters.

And as law abiding citizens (and BBC reporters) get ready for another night, anxious parents from all over the world are calling to check everyone’s okay:

There have been terrible scenes and feeble justifications for criminal behavior. One man was shot dead. Families have been made homeless. Small and large business have been burnt to the ground.

But all today, ordinary people rallied round the hashtag #riotcleanup with brooms, plastic bags and smiles. There are Twitpics circulating off tables laid neatly with tea and home-baked cakes as refreshments for police officers with some using their riot shields to carry tea out to their colleagues.

Sometimes there seems little to reason to laugh at any of this. But somehow, we’ll find a way to clean house.

(photo: @chris_stark)

If you’ve seen something that made you laugh, please send it to me and I’ll repost: @verbid or yowesty@verbalidentity.co.uk

But wherever you are, be safe out there.

Chris West is on Twitter @verbID. He is a contributor to the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team, based in London, and he is the Main Voice at www.verbalidentity.co.uk He worked for 20 years as an award-winning copywriter in the world’s best ad agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, RKCR, Leags Delaney and a little start up called Mother. For the last ten years he ran a project-based ad agency with clients including Sky, Selfridges, Unilever, Ocado, Christie’s, EMAP, Harry Winston and Tourneau. He also writes for the Sunday Times and is a Contributing Editor at the UK’s leading luxury magazine, Lusso.

Interested in joining the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team? Apply here!

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Posted in Art & Culture, Business, Media & Communications, Coverage

Trains, Planes And Automobiles: Getting You Outside “The Conference Center”

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Following on yesterday’s post by Toby Daniels, we thought it might be helpful to provide some inspirational examples of some ways in which the Social Media Week platform can deliver upon these new ideas of “experience design” for events.

In just a few short years since its inception in February 2009, there have been hundreds of Social Media Week events that have taken place across the fifteen cities that have hosted SMW. It’s true that many of these events have been panel discussions, but there has also been a consistent stream of exciting, innovative and creative attempts to bring people and ideas together while making use of the flexibility of the Social Media Week platform and the outgoing and adventurousness of its community.

While there are countless examples to draw from, I wanted to pull out three particularly innovative ideas that constitute a sort of “trains, planes and automobiles” theme.

TRAINS

Possibly my favorite Social Media Week idea yet, this event in SMW Rome last February really shows how a smart idea can pick up steam and carry a freight train’s worth of impact when executed well and by the right folks (pardon the puns).

“Journey to the Center of the Net”, organized by Augmendy, SMW city partners for both Rome and Milan,took the idea of a pre-SMW kickoff event and put it rails. Many SMW cities host pre-week launch events as press conferences, lunches or virtual events, but Augmendy had the ingenious idea to go above and beyond all of that with a cross-country blast that managed to combine all of the above plus networking, high-speed travel and multiple SMW city connectivity.

How did it all happen? For ”Journey to the Center of the Net”, the Augmendy team worked with SMW Rome sponsor Ferrovie Dello Stato, aka the Italian Rail, to commandeer a high speed train heading from Milan to Rome for an SMW journey like no other. This event pulled in leaders and luminaries from the Italian tech, media and press and invited them to take the three hour trip across SMW cities to connect and learn more about social media “in Italia”. This event featured an immersive cultural speed dating experience where attendees rotated on 10 minute shifts of meeting face-to-face with other train attendees. The event then wrapped with a press conference at the Central Station, where SMW Rome held court throughout the week.

PLANES

Another great example of the flexible, multi-city framework of Social Media Week providing event inspiration in ways no other conference platform can provide includes last February’s participation of PepsiCo, who sent Bonin Bough, their global director of digital media, on a worldwide tour across three cities during the February SMW program.

Beginning at the opening global press conference in New York on the Thursday before the week, Bonin helped commence the week with remarks about SMW and the exciting things to come throughout the week. He then began a whirlwind of activity to discuss the idea of Brands in a Borderless Society that should include the phrase: Don’t Try This At Home:

  • He flew to London to oversee PepsiCo involvement in a panel there on the week’s opening day,
  • Then flew to Sao Paulo to give a midweek keynote to a packed crowd and
  • Finally, returned to New York to provide closing remarks at JWT’s Business Media and Communications Hub

And somehow Bonin even had the energy to attend the official Closing Party that evening! Truly a showcase of what can be accomplished when a conference connects not just a city but a global community, and a great opportunity for PepsiCo to make a worldwide impact in just one week.

AUTOMOBILES

Not every great Social Media Week event idea must involve high-speed transit or international travel.

One great city-focused idea put forth during the February 2010 conference in New York was by an organization called Dollar Van Demos, who decided to enact their unique brand of travel-meets-art on an excited and willing Social Media Week audience. Dollar Van Demos showcase musicians, rappers and comedians performing inside a “dollar van” with real passengers. They brought their talents to SMW by integrating with the platform and to provide rides and entertainment for conference-goers all over the city through tweet and email requests for pickup. Dollar Van Demos Live!” was not just a hit, but a great showcase of how an organization can think outside the box to showcase what the do and connect with a larger network.

See below for a quick example of one Dollar Van Demo captured during the week:

So what can your brand do to take part in Social Media Week this September? Brainstorm and think big, and maybe your organization just might be the one to make a splash this September in your city or perhaps around the globe. If you know already, go here to submit your event or get involved, or contact us if you want help talking through an idea.

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Posted in Event Spotlight, Featured, Getting Involved, global

If you find a (domestic robot) friend, you find a treasure!

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

I mostly like robots when they are useful for humans. For example, if they’re willing to do my household chores for me including dusting, vacuuming and even mopping my floors. Yes, I confess: I have some domestic robots at home. To be specific, three vacuuming robots, including one for my dog’s hair and one for washing the floors.  Ocassionally, the robot sucks up a coin or a piece of paper with notes written on it, but it never aspired to collect the array of strange objects like those found on this list drawn from iRobot (the same that produces the most popular domestic robot in the world, i.e. Roomba).

From March 1 to 30, iRobot UK interviewed 100 British adults about their home cleaning habits.  Almost one third of respondents (31%) spent less than one hour a week house cleaning. Yet in that time, many admitted to finding forgotten valuables in the process including a whopping 60% of respondents who found money when they emptied their vacuum cleaners.  Among them, one person retrieved 50 pounds, while others recovered foreign currency (this is always useful in view of the summer holidays!). Almost half of the people interviewed (47%) had “sucked up” jewelry and apparel. The most commonly found objects are socks (22%), and toys (15%). It is even more common to vacuum-clean ties, belts and underwear.

Here are the top ten compiled by iRobot of unusual objects found in UK vacuum cleaners :
1. Underwear
2. Mobile phone
3. Medal of Valor
4. Chicken bone
5. A spider
6. Pacifier
7. A human tooth
8. £ 50 banknote
9. A stuffed toy
10. Spaghetti (!!!)

If it is true that money and jewels are hidden in those nooks and crannies and forgotten corners inaccessible to the common broom, then perhaps we should all consider using robots to flush out our forgotten treasures.  Hidden treasure may just be closer than you think.

Francesca Tarissi is a contributor for the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team. She writes about technology and robotics for important italian newspapers and magazines. You can find her on twitter @Robotrix

Interested in joining the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team? Apply here!

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Posted in People & Society

Breaking down barriers about bottoms

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Bowel cancer affects 1 in every 18 people in the UK. Because of the symptoms associated with bowel cancer it is difficult to encourage people to talk to their doctor.

In the UK, April 2011 was Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout April Beating Bowel Cancer launched new promotional content and activities, including a new website, video (The Bottom Line) and a strategic online campaign to raise awareness of symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis.

I spoke to the charity’s digital development manager, Angela Cummings, to find out more about what they did, and how social media influenced their strategy. See highlights from our conversation below!

What were your objectives for the online  campaign?

  • To engage with supporters and encourage them to donate and share campaign content
  • To raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis
  • The Bottom Line was particularly aimed at men aged 40+ who are often reluctant to visit doctors and discuss their symptoms

Those people who had taken part in a previous fundraising challenge were encouraged to share our promotional film, The Bottom Line, to everybody they knew who had donated.  The film was also promoted through online advertising, on our Facebook page and through Twitter.  We also ran a Twitter competition to encourage retweets using #TheBottomLine hashtag.

You used a lot of film as part of the campaign. Why was this?

We use film in two ways. Firstly to promote awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, which is The Bottom Line. Secondly, we use film to illustrate Louisa, one of our in-house nurses, answering frequently asked questions.
Film is engaging and lends itself well to being spread virally. During April we encouraged supporters to help spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and email by asking their friends to watch The Bottom Line and embed it in their own blogs and websites.  The film provides longevity as a tool on our website to show why it is so important to act on symptoms early.

Our FAQs film works well because people are often nervous about calling a helpline particularly when discussing issues they find embarrassing. Watching a film of one of our nurses not only answers their questions but makes them feel less anxious about calling our helpline because they then feel as if they have already have met Louisa. Film also helps people with low literacy skills.

We have also used film of bowel cancer patients, because feedback has shown that people find it helpful to hear from others who have been in a similar situation.

Was this the first ‘online’ campaign Beating Bowel Cancer has delivered?

In 2010 we launched our Cheeky Warning campaign, which was a digital campaign aimed at raising awareness of bowel cancer symptoms amongst young people.  We learned from Cheeky Warning that people enjoyed being able to support us through Twitter and Facebook and that running a competition was a good way to get people on board.  We also learned that some channels worked better for us than others: a Facebook app that we developed for that campaign had limited success.

How has social media contributed to the results of the campaign?

Social media channels contributed a great deal to the success of this latest campaign.

The Bottom Line spread virally through Facebook and Twitter and resulted in many online conversations both from existing supporters and new followers/fans.  They included people concerned about symptoms, newly diagnosed as well as those interested in supporting our cause by fundraising or helping spread the word.  We are currently supporting a number of new patients as a result of the campaign.  As well as the online noise that the campaign created we also delivered the following results:

  • Our online donations increased by 135% during April
  • We had the highest number of monthly visits to our website ever during April which was a 26% increase from March
  • We saw a 10% increase in calls to our nurse helpline
  • 4,200 views of The Bottom Line during April
  • 1,500 views of our nurse FAQs films during April
  • We gained 250 additional Facebook fans and 368 additional Twitter followers.
  • We encouraged supporters to contact their local Member of Parliament (MP) and encourage them to support a debate – 73 MPs committed to this, which is a great result

What aspects of the online campaign are you most pleased with?

We are pleased that The Bottom Line had 4,200 views during April and was named Digital Campaign of the Week by Third Sector magazine.

What would you do differently next time?

Ideally we would have had the film ready earlier so that we were in a position to show it to other organizations prior to Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. This would have meant they could have the film available on their websites and social media channels from launch day.

How did you work with other organizations online?

We were able to work with both NHS Choices and the UK Department of Health.  NHS Choices are now hosting The Bottom Line film on their site. We also worked with Rowlands Pharmaceuticals, Thames Valley Cancer Network and various other NHS and Screening organisations.
A number of our supporters added details of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month to their blogs and websites.

Did you receive any negative feedback or questions as a result of the activity online?

Not this time.  During April 2010 when we were running Cheeky Warning a couple of people questioned why we were only aiming a campaign at young people.  With that in mind this year’s campaign was aimed at people aged 40+, in particular men.

Has the activity from April influenced your long-term digital strategy? If so, how?

We now have two year’s worth of evidence that digital campaigns work and proof this time that engaging with supporters earlier helps with the initial distribution of content and online partnerships.

It has also helped all those working for and supporting Beating Bowel Cancer to understand the impact and influence that digital can have on our work now, and in the future. It will make use of social media and the web much easier to justify in the future.

You can follow Beating Bowel Cancer on Twitter or find them on Youtube.

Tim is a contributor for the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team, based in the UK. He works in the digital communications team at the Department of Health. Follow him on twitter @timolloyd
Interested in joining the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team? Apply here!

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Posted in Business, Media & Communications, Featured, Interviews, People & Society

Social Media Week February 2011 Global Wrap Up Video

Friday, April 15th, 2011

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Posted in global, video

Let’s get personal

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

by, Tim Lloyd

Being part of the first wave of Social Media Week blogs presents more questions than answers for me.

I have a familiar and fundamental question. What is this blog for, and is it personal, professional, or somewhere in between?

Enough questions. The answer is in the phrase: social. I’m writing here because I use social media, I am interested in social media, and social media forms an intrinsic part of my daily work at the UK Department of Health.

Inevitably there is an overlap between how I use ‘social’ media in a professional capacity, and outside of the office. This week I’ve been more aware of the overlap than ever. I have a week off work, but I’m not traveling; just catching up with friends and lounging about. However every time I scroll through Twitter (because its something I use in a personal capacity) I can’t help but see lots of work-related posts and links.

I don’t mind that, because I can ignore the majority and in an odd sort of way I quite enjoy maintaining some contact with what is happening in the world of public health in the UK. Particularly this week, of all weeks to be away from the office.

At times like these I just have to be mindful about what I use different social media platforms for, and what I say on them. I really value my job, so barring any genuine mistakes I am never likely to say anything inappropriate or political. For some people this presents a real challenge when managing their own profiles, because they feel it is an infringement of their right to free speech. There are some notable examples of test cases, including this one from the UK.

I don’t have an answer yet, but I do believe that as social media tools are adopted by more people, and used in a greater mix of personal and professional capacities, we’ll start to see greater understanding of the risks and benefits, both as individuals and employers or managers.

I’m keen to explore this subject some more, because its been a major theme of my Social Media Week experiences so far. Please share your thoughts and I’ll report back soon.

Tim is a contributor for the Social Media Week Global Editorial Team, based in the UK. He works in the digital communications team at the Department of Health.

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Posted in Opinion

5 Questions With… David Eastman, CEO JWT North America and Worldwide Digital Director, JWT

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

This post is part of a weekly series called “5 Questions With…” featuring Q&As with Social Media Week Global Advisory Board members.

David Eastman is CEO of JWT North America. He is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the North American network with a particular focus on the JWT head office, New York.

David is also Worldwide Digital Director for JWT. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the digital discipline within JWT and all subsidiary companies.

He is also a member of the JWT global executive committee. Read David’s full bio here.

Q: When did JWT first get involved with Social Media Week?
David Eastman: Last February was our first time participating and featured two panels at our offices in New York on the topics of crowdsourcing in advertising and social graph optimization.

Q: Why is involvement in Social Media Week important to JWT?
DE: Well, firstly because it’s good thing for JWT to be able to support cross-industry initiatives, but more specifically because social is now such an integral part of the client/agency conversation; we think it’s great to have lots of agencies, clients and experts all in one place to debate and discuss.

This is why we’ve greatly expanded our partnership this year to involve a number of JWT’s other global offices including JWT London, São Paulo and Toronto.

Q: What is a major trend do you see rising in the social media space of the ad industry or otherwise?
DE: I call it the “I’m Brian and so is my wife” syndrome. Every type agency—digital, advertising, public relations, media, etc.—wants to “own” this space and is claiming it as theirs.

This is perhaps because the very nature of most things digital is to blur lines and not fall neatly into the (industry-created) silos we have grown up with. Due to this blurring, we also have clients going direct to companies like Facebook, because they can. All told, a very interesting time to be involved in Social Media Week.

Q: What are some ways JWT using social media to expand its efforts in the ad industry?
DE: The list is too long to mention here but we use social and community management for a variety of JWT clients including Microsoft, Stride Gum, Smirnoff, Bloomberg and others.

Q: What are a few major goals for JWT in 2011?
DE: To simply do some good stuff using technology, and using it to create some memorable, useful and engaging work for our brands. To see JWT and the word “technology” used in the same sentence … now there’s a goal.

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Posted in 5 Questions With, Advisory Board, global

Get Involved in Social Media Week, February 7-11, 2011!

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Social Media Week returns this February 7-11, 2011 and global organizers Crowdcentric and their local city partners are inviting individuals, organizations and brand partners to ‘Get Involved’ in the curation, planning and organization of the multi-city conference. This is your call to action to Get Involved in Your Social Media Week!

Taking place simultaneously in New York, London, São Paulo, Toronto, San Francisco, Rome, and Paris, plus two to three additional cities soon to be named, Social Media Week February 2011 will be its biggest and most inclusive iteration yet.

As an open and collaborative platform, Social Media Week provides many ways to ‘Get Involved’, including curating and hosting events, speaking and presenting, designing workshops, facilitating interviews, sponsoring events, providing editorial coverage and volunteering to participate on the local host committees.

There are opportunities for every organization and individual to get involved this February, on both a global and local level:

  • Host an event: You could join the ranks of Sony, New York Times, MTV, Drop.io, JWT, Razorfish, MoMA, Porter Novelli, and others who have all hosted events at their space during previous conferences
  • Volunteer: Join the host committee in your city, work at the events, support the communications team, help with outreach.  There are many ways to get involved individually
  • Provide in-kind products/services to attendees: Much like Foursquare, Livestream, Pegshot, Mobile Roadie, your company could provide services to SMW attendees that enhance and improve their experience
  • Sponsor an event: There will be at least 500 events taking place across the all the participating cities.  Through these events, your brand can connect and engage an audience of hyper-social influencers
  • Speaking Opportunities: Do you have domain specialism?  Do you want to share your ideas with a broader audience?

Follow the links below to learn more (event teams in parantheses):

Get Involved: Globally

Or Get Involved Locally! (city organizer in parantheses)

If you have any questions about Social Media Week or getting involved globally or locally, please contact Ben Scheim by email at ben@crowdcentric.net for more information.

Go here to see the press release for this announcement: http://bit.ly/9OMLWp

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Posted in Getting Involved, global, News

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