Paradise Circus

The July Central Birmingham Social Media Surgery will be on Thursday July 15. It’s back at the usual venue, the Studio, which is at 7 Cannon Street, off New Street. The postcode is B2 5EP.

The surgery will take place at the usual times – from 5.30pm to 7pm – and all voluntary and community groups are welcome.

You can sign up for the surgery by following this link.

The surgeries are run by volunteers from the Birmingham Bloggers’ group and are completely free events to teach voluntary and community groups about the social web and how it can help the work that they do.
If you want to find out more about the surgeries, please have a look here.

We’re now looking forward to the next Central Birmingham Social Media Surgery, which will be at the Studio in Central Birmingham on Tuesday June 8 between 5.30 and 7pm. The address is 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B2 5EP.

If you’re from a Birmingham-based voluntary or community group and would like to receive some friendly advice on using social media, then you can sign up for the surgery by following this link to the Social Media Surgery Plus site.

There’ll be another surgery in July and then we’re likely to take a break in August, before being back in September. I’ll give you a dates as soon as possible.

We’re heading towards our next Central Birmingham Social Media Surgery, which will be on Tuesday May 11, 2010 at the studio, 7 Cannon Street, which is just off New Street in central Birmingham.

If you belong to a Birmingham-based community or neighbourhood group or charity please come and join us. You can drop in any time between 5.30pm and 7pm. All local charities and voluntary organisations are invited.

To find out more about the event and to sign up please follow the link here.

Ooops. I’ve just spotted that the March Central Birmingham Social Media Surgery is going to clash with the March Birmingham Bloggers’ meet. They are both on March 9. Apologies for the clash. As plenty of people will know the surgeries are the result of the Birmingham Bloggers – and a good number of the surgeons are involved in both events – so we try to make sure that they don’t clash.

However, it isn’t the end of the world. While the surgeries start at 5.30pm and the Birmingham Bloggers’ meet up is at 6pm, they’ll be pretty close to each other (see the map) so if people want to pop down to the surgery first – at thestudio, in Cannon Street, off New Street – then it shouldn’t be too difficult to get yourself down to the Birmingham Bloggers meet at The Solomon Cutler, Broad Street – Birmingham, UK, B1 2DS. And the social media surgeries are a kind of ‘drop in when you want’ affair, so there’s no pressure to turn up and leave on the dot.
View Birmingham Bloggers and Social Media Surgery in a larger map

The next CENTRAL Birmingham Social Media Surgery will take place on Tuesday 9 March from 5.30-7pm at thestudio.

Thestudio is bang in the middle of the city centre – situated on 7 Cannon Street, B2 5EP. To get to Cannon Street take a right turn off New Street after H&M. You can see the location on their map here.

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Stuffed full of mince pies and still dozy from the mulled wine? Time to get back into action and put your serous Social Media cap on for 2010. We took a break in December, and instead held a Social Media Surgery Social (phew!) for all those who had attended or helped at Birmingham surgeries in the year. Now we’re back to work full of ideas for how we can use the web to aid what we do. So schedule in the January surgery to your diaries now.

The next CENTRAL Birmingham Social Media Surgery will take place on Wednesday 20 January from 5.30-7pm at our new venue – thestudio.

We moved venues from Fazeley Studios in Digbeth (above) to thestudio on Cannon Street because we found during the winter months people were reluctant to make the dark evening walk to Fazeley street. Thestudio is bang in the middle of the city centre (see directions below) and couldn’t be easier to get to.

Situated on 7 Cannon Street, B5 5EP. To get to Cannon Street take a right turn off New Street after H&M. You can see the location on their map here.

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As the cold weather draws us ever nearer towards winter – why not hibernate on the web and enjoy some friendly conversation about social media to warm the cockles.

We have scheduled in the next central Birmingham Social Media Surgery session at the Fazeley Studios, Digbeth for November.

The Central Birmingham Social Media surgery will be held on Friday 20 November, 2009 between 5.30pm and 7pm (please note this date has changed) at The Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DR (link to map), opposite The Bond. Push the large pale blue doors with the silver door knob.

This particular surgery has a twist in that we are inviting those who have already been to a surgery to come back and develop their skills and build on their sites. Don’t worry if you’ve left a blog dormant for months – the point of this November surgery is to take you to the next level and show you some inspiring things other people have done with social media.

Even though this surgery is aimed at those who would like to improve on their social media skills, everyone is welcome, and we can work with you according to your level and needs. If you belong to a Birmingham based community or neighbourhood group or charity please come and join us, you can drop in any time between 5.30pm and 7pm.

To sign up head over to the BeVocal site to sign up or find more information about locally-based surgeries.

Want to know more about Social Media Surgeries and what to expect? You can find out more information about what goes on at a surgery and how it can benefit you here.

It’s the anniversary of the first Birmingham Social Media surgery, designed to help voluntary and community groups in Birmingham make the most of social media and the web.

To mark the occasion we will be hosting our usual Social Media Surgery session at the Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.

The central Birmingham Social Media surgery will be held on Thursday 15 October, 2009 between 5.30pm and 7pm at The Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DR (link to map), opposite The Bond. Push the large pale blue doors with the silver door knob.

If you belong to a Birmingham based community or neighbourhood group or charity please come and join us, you can drop in any time between 5.30pm and 7pm.

To sign up head over to the BeVocal site to sign up or find more information about locally-based surgeries.

Want to know more about Social Media Surgeries and what to expect? You can find out more information about what goes on at a surgery and how it can benefit you here.

If you cannot make October’s surgery why not book the next Central Birmingham surgery into your diary. It will be held on Friday 20 November at 5.30pm – 7pm at the Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.

It’s almost a year since the first Birmingham Social Media surgery began to help voluntary and community groups in Birmingham make the most of social media and the web.

Now it’s back to school and time to lock in after the lazy summer, and the first central surgery of the new season will be on Wednesday, September 23 at the Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.

The Fazeley Studios are on 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DR (link to map), opposite The Bond. Push the large light blue doors with the silver door knob.

So if you belong to a Birmingham based community or neighbourhood group or charity please come and join us, you can drop in any time between 5.30pm and 7pm.

To sign up head over to the BeVocal site to find more information about locally-based surgeries.

Want to know more about Social Media Surgeries and what to expect? You can find out more information about what goes on at a surgery and how it can benefit you here.

If you cannot make September’s surgery why not book the next two surgeries into your diary. They will be held on Thursday 15 October at 5.30pm – 7pm and on Friday 20 November at 5.30pm – 7pm. Both surgeries are Central Birmingham surgeries, which are held at the Fazeley Studios.

Nine months on from the very first Birmingham Social Media Surgery and Fazeley Studios hosts another session of free help and advice for Birmingham based voluntary and community groups wanting to get to grips with social media.

When & Where

Next Surgery: Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 drop in anytime between 5.30pm to 7.00pm at Fazeley Studios, 191 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR, link to map. (not BVSC) It’s opposite the Bond and a go kart track. Push the large pale blue door with the silver door knob.

To sign up please go here.

What are they all about?

Volunteers from the Birmingham bloggers group are offering to show voluntary and community groups in the city how you can make best use of social media. It doesn’t matter if you are the head of communications at a major charity or an active citizen in your neighbourhood, if you’re at all curious come along.

More about what has gone on over the past nine months and what you can expect at a surgery here.

By the way the surgeries have been nominated (by me I hasten to add!)  for the Digital Press Awards People’s Choice along with brilliant local activity like Rhubarb Radio and the Big City Talk site.

In the mean time, if you want to come along or know someone that could use the free help get them to sign up here so we have an idea of numbers.