July 14th, 2010 | by admin Published in Digital inclusion, Resources, Social media
Here’s an introduction to social media I wrote for participants in Birmingham’s Resident University some time ago. It’s aimed at active citizens who are new to the social web, but you may find something useful in it.
March 8th, 2010 | by admin Published in Events
What’s your idea?
An online system that sends out reminders by SMS (whatever online communication suits the young person) helping them to keep track of order restrictions, meetings, appointments, commitments.
It would be managed in conjunction with case workers and could offer tailored ‘nudges’ (for example reminders of appointments the night before) — and also more detailed advice (perhaps public transport info).
What is the problem your idea could address?
In our work with NEETs time management is a reoccurring problem, the young people have any number of important appointments but no regular routine — this would offer a collaborative way of helping them to organise themselves.
What’s really new about your idea?
It recognises the difficulty in adjusting to taking responsibility for scheduling themselves — and allows case workers help in that process. It’s also a way of offering help at the points it’s most needed.
What kind of impact will your idea make?
Missing appointments can have a big effect on how young people integrate with society, the lack of routine of work or study often leads them to miscalculate how long journeys take or how much rest they need. Often they will not manage money well enough to complete transport options — this is another way the app could help.
Why might people want to commission or pay for your idea?
Missed appointments also cost organisations working with young people time and resources. It’s possible that promoting public transport or health (walking options) could raise funds from the appropriate bodies.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be to making this work in practice?
Commitment from the case workers to use a new system alongside their existing methods, and getting the tone right so young people feel ownership of the system.
What inspired you to come up with your idea in the first place?
When working young offenders (we do a number of training courses using social media) it’s obvious that time management is a big factor. Those from Youth Offending Teams spend an awful lot of time an effort in making sure the young people are in the right place at the same time.
From 1-5, what stage of development would you say your idea was in?
This idea is at stage 1.
What can we do for you?
This project needs staff time and partners, and also a web development. If the app was to be produced then buy-in from the Youth Offending Teams would be crucia l — so access to people who could help that would be
If you’re not able to take the idea onward after the weekend, would you be happy for someone else to take ownership of your idea and move it forward?
Yes.
February 11th, 2010 | by admin Published in Events
We’ve entered an idea for the Jail Brake competition. It’s a competition to find and support great ideas that could break the cycle of youth offending using simple web and mobile tools.
Here it is:
What’s your idea?
In a similar vein to ‘The Big Issue’ Young people are offered the chance to earn money by selling garments they design, online. They do a basic training course on industry and design then get to design clothes (thinking t-shirts, baseball caps only at present), basic marketing – they get to set the price and have their own online shop – profits are split between them and the company (if it was to become a social enterprise). Should the participant re-offend, they can no longer participate in the project.
What is the problem your idea could address?
This idea would address unemployment & self esteem.
What’s really new about your idea?
It gives young people a real opportunity to understand the potential of entrepreneurship and do something for themselves. Gets them thinking outside of the usual industry options that are offered.
What kind of impact will your idea make?
There are many young people who are willing to take opportunity to move forward and so if the project can attract the ‘do-ers’, in the first instance. These young people can then become role models / peer mentors to others. Numbers wise, it would be low to begin with but there’s no reason why this project couldn’t become nationwide.
Why might people want to commission or pay for your idea?
Once the process is visualised, I believe it offers an exciting opportunity to really make a difference. There is potential to approach both public and private sector for support.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be to making this work in practice?
Overcoming a reluctant, low on confidence, client group. This is why engaging the ‘do-er’s at an early stage is crucial.
What inspired you to come up with your idea in the first place?
A project we deliver to young offenders using social media. Part of the project was to raise awareness of the possibilities of starting their own businesses. I thought this could maybe be moved a step closer to reality.
From 1-5, what stage of development would you say your idea was in?
This idea is at stage 1.
What can we do for you?
This project needs staff time and partners. There are plenty of ‘off the shelf’ products to choose from in terms of any online shop options. Time would be important to find willing testers from probably youth offending teams, highlighting the ‘do-er’s. Also, securing a bespoke training package will require time.
If you’re not able to take the idea onward after the weekend, would you be happy for someone else to take ownership of your idea and move it forward?
Yes, but I am quite keen for our organisation to be involved in some way.
April 22nd, 2009 | by admin Published in Digital Inclusion Conference 09, Events
Here’s a link to the flyer for the fringe event – quite a big JPEG so it can be printed out. Basic details and a map included.
April 21st, 2009 | by admin Published in News
UK Online Centres with a little support from David Wilcox and Dave Briggs, have started up the digital engagement blog and, more interestingly, a digital engagement network. The idea (I think) is to try and harness all the current digital stuff happening across the UK in an effort to help shape policy and build what they’re calling a ‘digital manifesto’. There’s some positive stuff going on right now on the network and hopefully it will shape up to be a hub for all manner of digital engagement / mentoring / inclusion. More will be announced during this years National Digital Inclusion Conference.
April 9th, 2009 | by admin Published in Digital Inclusion Conference 09, Events
To coincide with this year’s National Digital Inclusion Conference, We Share Stuff are hosting a fringe event at Westminster Student Union bar, Inter:Mission. This informal meetup is a chance for delegates and non-delegates from the conference and further afield to mingle and discuss anything digital inclusion related. The event is free but registration is required. The whole thing kicks off @ 7.30pm and will end about 11.00pm. Monday 27th April 2009.
Please note: you do not have to be a delegate to attend. If you are interested in the digital inclusion agenda and can make the event, then please register: wesharestuff.eventbrite.com
Keep tabs on the blog for further news regarding the whole conference and event.
March 22nd, 2009 | by admin Published in Digital Inclusion Conference 09, Events, We share
To coincide with our stint at this year’s National Digital Inclusion conference in London, we’ve started a little fun campaign. ‘Share the Love‘ is about letting everyone know why you love the stuff that you love doing on the internet…simple! and then you can show someone who doesn’t know how to do it.. how to do it! simple again! It could be uploading a picture to Flickr with your mom.. it could be searching online for a new fence with your neighbour.. it’s up to you.. And if you can record what you did, by video, blog, twitter etc, you can share that love with everyone else too.. how pleasant!
We’ll be keeping a track of how much love is getting shared over on the ‘Share the Love‘ pages. If you want your video included on there just give us a shout.
For you Facebook fans out there, we’ve started a ‘Share the Love’ group too!
More details on what we have planned at the conference, coming soon!
March 2nd, 2009 | by admin Published in Digital Inclusion Conference 09, Events, Government, Social media
Great news last week when We Share Stuff got the go-ahead to run some form of social media workshop / info point (whatever we come up with before the dates!) at this year’s National Digital Inclusion Conference on 27th-28th April.
While the conference is aimed at the leading stakeholders and practitioners, we felt the conference fee would stop many more interested parties getting involved. Thanks to Helen Milner, of UK Online Centres, we have secured a space at the conference to promote the benefits of social media and to hopefully create some useful debate regarding the digital inclusion agenda.
We are now in the throws of organising something. Initial ideas include some form of social media surgery along the lines of those set up by Nick Booth and a live twitter debate, hopefully with some prominent twitterers. We also have a few more ideas up our collective sleeves which we’ll flesh out over the next month or so. Watch this space!
December 5th, 2008 | by admin Published in Social media, We share
Here is ‘The social web’ as defined on Wikipedia.
The Social Web is currently used to describe how people socialize or interact with each other throughout the World Wide Web. Such people are brought together through a variety of shared interests. There are different ways in which people want to socialize on the Web today. The first kind of socializing is typified by “people focus” websites such as Bebo, Facebook, and Myspace. Such sites promote the person as focus of social interaction. To do this a profile is constructed by each user. In many ways the profile is similar to a passport.
The second kind of socializing is typified by a sort of “hobby focus” websites. For example, if one is interested in photography and wants to share this with like-minded people, then there are photography websites such as Flickr, Kodak Gallery and Photobucket.
There are also two ways in which people socialize with each other in the Social Web. The most general and most common type is always at a distance and only on the World Wide Web. In such socializing there is never face to face personal contact. Much of the socializing on Flickr is sharing of photos and making comments on the photos of others. However, where Flickr members come from a common local geographical area, then they are inclined to get together physically for a common photoshoot. This exemplifies the second type of socializing through the World Wide Web: that which leads to real physical contact. Typical examples of the latter arose historically from social networking both within and outside schools and colleges. Facebook’s origins are in the facebook of college students from Harvard University.
The Social Web may also be used to refer to two different, yet related concepts. The first is as a description of web 2.0 technologies that are focused on social interaction and community before anything else. The second is a proposal for a future network similar to the World Wide Web.
In terms of digital inclusion and adult learning, this can be the thing that currently ties everything together. Get involved with the social web, find the relevant networks and start sharing resources, news, applications – anything you like really.
There is a lot of stuff out there and it can be tricky knowing where to start. We like to get people using this stuff straight away so as we’re here, maybe we can get things going using a simple online application called ‘Twitter‘. This application is best described by the blurb on their website…
Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?
You only need an email address and password to start using Twitter and it’s really easy. Once you have registered, go to our twitter page and click ‘Follow’. We then get a message telling us that you are following us, we’ll follow you too. From then, we can send each other messages or ‘tweets’ about anything at all. In this context, it could be about learning resources and how to find them, other social web stuff, answers and questions..etc. From ‘following’ us, you can also follow any other relevant Twitter user and so we start to build our network of people who know stuff! probably more importantly, we start the conversation. It’s best understood by example so go get yourself a twitter account and we’ll show you where things can go!
October 23rd, 2008 | by admin Published in Events, Meeting, Social media
We Share Stuff is chuffed to announce that we will be running a free Internet surgery every Sunday morning at the Red Couch Cafe, Erdington. We have taken the blueprint established in the Custard Factory run by Birmingham blogger extraordinaire, Pete Ashton. We will be available to answer questions and support community groups, businesses and individuals on the wonderful world of the Internet. Blogging, websites, micro-sites, youtube, facebook et al.. they’re all up for discussion and how they can be used to increase activity, awareness and what not. The sessions will start off as a first come first served basis. The cafe serves a wide range of food and drink and is located on the High Street in Erdington.
Many thanks to Cafe manager, Taf, for letting us use the premesis. In fact, The Red Couch will probably be the first business to use the service after briefly experiencing what we have to offer, they’re keen to get a blog going and get involved…which is what it’s all about… The surgery plans to start early November, we will announce more details on here as and when we have them.
