First ever UK blog and social media conference
Just came across this - Les Blogs - a conference in Paris about social media set for December 11 and 12. I think I must attend - although I will have to clear it with the wife first.
At Loic Le Meur, one of the guys behind Typepad, the following has been posted:
It's going to be huge. We had 450 people from 25 countries at the last les blogs. This year it is going to be much broader, more Web 2.0 and I have a room for... 900 people in the heart of Paris. Cool conference over two days with food this time and a party. Stay tuned.
I think something like this should be launched in the UK. All the conferences and seminars I have seen advertised in the UK so far seem to be a bit too corporate and some of the CIPR/CIM/RASC events seem a bit amatuerish or controlled by people who don't really seem to know what they are talking about - it's all a bit Web 2.0 lite! I'm not suggesting some sort of new media love in or a Sixties happening but it would be great if us Brits could pull something together.
Pass this on - I am willing to set something up similar in London, Manchester or Leeds. Why not a tour? However, I will need your help. Can you let me know of possible speakers, outside the usual suspects, you might want to put forward and any potential sponsors.
I can already count on several people to pontificate on certain subjects. I would love James Thomson of Ladybank, Hugh MacLeod, my colleague Andy Green at Creativity@Work to say something at such an event - but who else?
As I say pass it on to other bloggers and social media acolytes. We can do this! So add comments and let me know how you can help. I know we can do this because we can draw on the resources of my company at Greenblog to help us pull it together (sorry Lisa, Abi and Liz!)- or we can fall flat on our face. But hey! If you don't try...
7 comments:
Hi Ian,
I'd be happy to do something about social media in the public sector in the UK.
My main job is marketing and PR for a unitary authority in Kent - later this year we're launching a podcast and video podcast, and are likely to be using Myspace soon as well.
The conference sounds like an exciting project, so anything I can do to support do let me know
cheers
sw
Thanks Simon - I'll keep you posted.
Ian
Sounds like a good idea =)
Well, there has been events in London although not blog geek fests such as Les Blogs. VNU's Blogs and Social Media Forum went down quite well: http://www.socialmediaforum.co.uk/bsmf06/conferenceprogramme.html
One of the problems is finding the right venue in London (large enough and not too expensive). But I think the market is here, just being cornered by large traditional organisers who don't do much for the format and turn something as exciting as social web into a series of droning presentations...
yes this is a sound idea - but I think that social media needs to rise up from its necessary geekdom roots and become a more mainstream small business innovation and entrepreneur topic. At the moment I see only the marketing people who are riding the wave being interested in using it as a calling card for big business consultancy 'greenwashing' - forgive the pun. The changes we will see require the non IT start-up and SME sector to drive through changes - in my opinion - and that is the audience that would provide some real momentum.
In otherwords's I'd like to see more use of social intra- and extranets using blogsoftware - and see how that starts to re-shape the corporation, if corporation is the right word
James,
I agree about the geek issue. However, I do think that this is slowly changing. I could never describe myself as a geek as I can barely work the DVD at home but I do think I have an understanding of the benefits of social marketing and media.
I think the big corporates will just play lip service to blogging - some not all - and ignore the true benefits of what can be achieved by building a genuine community around a brand or product.
As always it will be the small companies with little resource that will embrace social media because the start-up costs are so negligible.
In that sense Ladybank is an excellent exemplar of that in that you're remodelling the online social media and manifesting it in the readl material world with a distillery owned by the consumers.
Ian
i work for an innovation unit in a local authority in kent and we have already used a range of social media as part of a pilot and are exploring others too, so would be great to find out more about your event
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