In Kenya

My connection is terrible so you will see more on Twitter and maybe Instagram. The rest will have to wait until I come back. For now, apart from meeting a few good friends and learned loads about state of citizen media (5 days of sessions from 9AM to 5-6PM!) this is the most important moment of my trip: shot of Paradise Lost coffee farm just before I got out of the car to learn all about the coffee growing process. 

Social Media Forum Europe - write up

 

I am really happy that I had the opportunity to attend this year's Social Media Forum Europe in London. I see clearly that the event is developing and is much richer than it was 2 years ago. Just for the sake of my readers I would like to point out that it is a good conference mainly for social media marketers interested in finding out where the UK commercial market is at the moment, though from the tonality of some presentations I suspect the target audience are also people who are fairly new to the sector. 

I was not sure what are going to be the areas of interest to me as the agenda looked pretty intense though in the end I think I navigated over to three major topics: social media measurement (as in measurement of word of mouth around your brand) creative engagement and trainings.

 

I am not really sure how to relate to what seems to be the current narrative of wom monitoring as it's an obvious element of social media activities myself and other social media marketers have used for quite a few years now - but I am at least happy to see brands and increasingly more and more agencies actually thinking about the goals of social media activities before kicking of monitoring or setting up even the initial KPI's. I am generally happy to hear more insightful and meaningful conversations about what brands aim to achieve through on-line engagement as opposed to excitement about new tools and technologies without any context (earlier impressions from this and similar events). I am a bit sceptical about agencies explaining that monitoring has to be tailored  - to me it seems like an excuse to position your business as unique without sharing methodology - which in a way makes perfect sense to the speakers but it's not really valuable for the audience. (Again it's worth remembering that conferences - as opposed to barcamps - are designed to question current trends and raise more questions that provide actual answers). I am really, really happy however that many strong commercial brands have taken the time to share their experience on specific case studies - we need more of those to develop the best practices. You see problem lies in the fact that the social media channels are indeed very useful IF you use them for relevant activities, have a strategy in place and articulate your goals. I still believe however that the more we share, the more we all understand what does work and what doesn't for social media marketing activities. 

It was great to see some familiar faces amongst speakers (@BenjaminEllis - really lovely to see you again and have a chat about your awesome Milestone Planner! It's exactly what I need at the moment!) and share a chocolate in the press/bloggers/speakers area with them. It was also really nice to chat to some of the exhibitors. I am particularly impressed with Adam Edwards from Brandwatch who was really amazing in explaining the next stages of social media measurement in their view - we had a really nice discussion about future of wom measurement! Quite recently I was renewing my understanding of various types of social media monitoring tools so it was great to chat to someone who works behind one of those products. 

 

In terms of creative engagement there was one idea that really grabbed my attention - most probably because of my coffee addiction - using physical assets (cards, bracelets) to check in to Facebook and scan your item to receive a cup of coffee (or any other drink for that matter). I like the idea and I think nonprofits could highly benefit from this activity at events - I can see great potential for brand awareness exercises. Every time your event attendee scans their card/bracelet an automated Facebook update appears on their wall - which is customised with your charity's brand can be pretty powerful and really not so intrusive, I think). It could also be used for fundraising! So I am glad that girls from 77Agency, Joanna Matloka and Giorgia Galli talked me through the idea over a cup of great Italian espresso! 

 

While I was listening to presentations on wom marketing I have also walked around the expo to discover than few brands (agencies, educational institutions) run social media academies or other training sessions. I think those are really useful and I am glad to see more and more people delivering them. I would like to see how they manage the social media competence of speakers - as this element of the process was not mentioned, but maybe we are not there yet. 

 

So on overall I think it was a good event for those who are interested in basics of social media marketing in commercial sector. Nonprofits were mentioned occasionally but I think with slight cautiousness. For a more experienced social media marketer two days might be a bit two much, but that depends on the amount of practical case studies - I think there should be more brands sharing their experience in actual campaigns then gurus evangelising about the unpredictability of social media channels as this does not lead to solutions and sounds a bit patronising. But there I think it's a question of balance - we will always have people who talk about an industry, question trends and drive the theory but also people who get on the do the job effectively. 

I would like to say thank you to the organisers for blogger pass. I think it was really worth it! 

To share or not to share? Ethics of socialising for geeks and non-geeks;)

I have just read @Lucyinnovation's recent blog post on the ethics of sharing and I think it is a really good kick off for a larger discussion. I am placed in an interesting position between really highly experienced programmers, designers and social media marketers (early adopters); people who use social media tools and mobile devices to share with their smaller networks and my closest friends who use Internet to the bare minimum. I think we need to learn to find the balance between off-line and on-line experiences and learn to communicate our personal take on those. Sometimes I really feel like just sitting with a cup of coffee in front of my amazing window with the view on the garden. Sometimes I feel like just switching the audioboo on to share the sublime noise of nature out there knowing that at least two of my good friends will be happy about that note. I do however agree with Lucy that we tend to be exposed to situations in which some of our friends tend to navigate over more to their interest in social spaces and technology itself than the very off-line experience itself. As I am making public the "Blog a Life" page of this blog preparing for sharing the process of my book writing, I think about the chapter on social interactions and ethics.

I usually apply the rule of "let's talk about it". It is actually something I have learned from on-line interactions more than anything. If I see a friend checking in on Facebook I ask them "what are you doing?" And move to instructions:"please do not tag me in your FB checkin" or "please mention that I am here too, so I do not have to do it and we can have a proper chat now". If my friends talk too long about very "heavy", geeky topics and I am not up for it, I give them time to enjoy it and when appropriate I am open about navigating the topics towards other areas of life. When I used to work as a technician for Nokia, we used to spend entire evenings chatting about the newest devices, software upgrades, testing new video and photo features, playing with at the time new true ringing tones...I felt almost trapped unable to move beyond Nokia world of conversations!  So I know how it feels and I do see it on a daily basis in public conversations.

What to do? Let me give you few starting points:

1. Asses quickly the situation and investigate others attitudes and needs - the best approach is to simply talk about everyone's approach to social media and mobile sharing. Be respectful. Ask your friends about their take on the matter.

2. If you predict photo, video content or potential for geo-tagging (areas of social sharing that involve your privacy) state clearly your take on it. Educate others on how they can access and use your video, photo content for their own posts after the meeting/event. Let them know your take on Facebook tagging.

3. Express your own take on the balance between off-line and virtual in particular situation. Manage other's expectations. Tell them how you feel about the fact they are typing on their phone. Ask them if it's ok to post if you intend to do so.

4. Remain relevant. Do not preach. It takes a second to discuss constant texting or a small Facebook checkin. Move on to the quality off-line experience as soon as possible.

5. Enjoy the quality time and ensure others are able to do so too.

I guess it is a valid question though - to what extend do we need to accept other's sharing habits fully? What if we really want to have 100% of their attention? Do you find yourself in a situation when it's difficult to express your take on the fact that others talk to you with their mobiles on the table? (I still find it rude to see the device itself in some situations!). What are the best ways to handle any possible conflict?

I would love to know your thoughts!

Celebrating the Royal Wedding

I was trying to get Dawid excited about the Royal Wedding, but it was only today's first day back at school that gave him a good kick. "the kid", as he started calling himself, came back home asking for souvenirs of the big day and...a street parade! Well, I am sure my neighbors would find a parade a bit too much for our little, quiet town, but a souvenir sounded like a good idea. So...we went for a walk and ended up bringing back home a very English item, kettle!;) Here, in the UK, kettle seems to be in the core of the household magic and considering my recent problems with diet and wish to drink less coffee...it all sounded like a perfect idea! So here it is, ready?! Tamtararam! Our new kettle!

Now, you might think I am crazy - no, I usually do not get so attached to items, though I must admit I have a few really important keepsakes. This one though will become a symbol of an important day in the history of my son's motherland, so why not to cherish that. I marvel the people who criticise the day or minor details around it, but I am very subjective too - I myself felt the pain and real meaning of patriotism last April, when we have lost all our leaders in a plane crash, so I know now very well, how important national identity can be. Tea for us all, great memory for my son! Good days!:)

Lavazza Calendar 2010

'Bring in together six of the world's best-known models. An eclectic photographer with a "Futuretrò" style. Six timeless pieces of Italian music. The ingredients of the 2010 Lavazza Calendar.'

Awesome project! I love the desing of the site, I love the photos and I love the idea of connection between music and visual arts! I generally love Lavazza ads for their brilliant ideas and perfect final results, but this made my first day of 2010 brighter:) Miles Aldridge from UK took photos of six famous models to represent six Italian classics: Va' Pensiero, Guarda Che Luna, 'O Sole Mio, Con Te Partirò, Baciami Piccina and Nessun Dorma. I found it very inspiring, specially the November - December shot, and I hope you'll like it too;)