Paradise Circus

The date is set: Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 5.30pm to 7.00pm at the same venue as the one we ran on Blog Action day in October. To sign up for a free place and find a map to the location please visit this link. In this post we also have an explanation of what is going on, some information for people thinking of coming along to get some advice and a few words for the very fine folk who are offering their expertise for free.

I thought last month was a one off? Yes. So did I. But it worked really well. (more…)

Over here Jon Bounds has reminded us of our collective Birmingham blogger wish to mark Blog Action day next week in some shared way. When Tom Watson asked us about this a while back there was plenty of enthusiastic muttering.

The theme for blog action day 2008 is poverty, considered in it’s widest sense. So rather than simply blog, we’re arranging to do something more practical: run a social media surgery for voluntary and community groups in Birmingham. Many of these deal directly with poverty in the city, I think all of them contribute in some way to creating life opportunities or alleviating suffering or disadvantage.

The aim is simply to get a group of volunteer social media savvy people together who can give one to one advice on which bits of the social media palette might be able to help these groups accomplish more.

Perhaps we might set up some blogs, get people using video or images in a new way, help them map problems? Who knows? I’m quite certain everyone who takes part will learn something.

Half an hour ago Candy Passmore at BVSC agreed to provide a room at their place (138 Digbeth, B5 6DR, map). The proposal fits very closely with their attempts to encourage the voluntary sector to find new ways to communicate, lobby and network. The offer also comes with wifi and some food between 5.30 and 9 on the evening of Wednesday 15th October 2008. Once we’ve got something written she will also pass the invitation onto their networks within the city.

So who fancies helping and who knows any community or voluntary groups who might like to come?

First posted here.

Last year the organised of Blog Action Day invited people to add a post to their blog about the environment, it was a huge success in terms of numbers. Blog Action Day is:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

This year the theme is poverty. While I’d encourage everyone to sign up and commit to writing a post from their own blog’s angle (just go over to the site and sign up) I’ve talked to a few other people and thought that it might be nice to have a co-ordninated effort from Brum.

Maybe we could pick a local organisation to focus on, get them some google juice, maybe even help them a little with getting into the social web as an organisation.

We’ve got ten days, so shall we have a talk about what we could do? Anyone got an organisation in mind?

After the heady excitement of WordCampUK, people have been forming localised WordPress groups. For us it would be WordPress Midlands.

Tickets are now on sale (at £35 or £70 if you’re feeling philanthropic) for the two days of Wordpress geekery that will be WordCamp UK. It’s to be held at The Studio (formerly the Orange Studio) just off New St in Birmingham. Saturday and Sunday 19th & 20th of July

Here’s the event on upcoming.

I’m trying to organise some sort of social events around the weekend, an informal drinky-poos for those in town on the Friday and something more involved on the Saturday night. Any ideas or offers of help are welcome (email me or have a splurge on the wiki). We should show these bloggers a good time in Brum if we can.

Quick idea I had when at a meeting with Stuart and Kevin about the North Birmingham Social Enterprise last night — you know that sometimes people write really interesting things on dead trees about the interweb, Clay Shirky, David Whatsisface and so on…

Well, they’re not exactly the sort of books that you turn to like a boring old (but comforting friend) when you’re having problems sleeping, they tend to wake you up. So, how about we lend what we’ve got around in the spirit of knowledge exchange and all that.

You could borrow a book between meetings, a month should give anyone enough time to have a read, or make your own arrangements.