I had a quick look round MAC – the arts centre in Cannon Hill park in Birmingham – thanks to Neil Holland and others from the comms team there. This video doesn’t show you everything, just a taste. There’s plenty more to see when it opens on May 1st with a gig from Misty’s Big Adventure and lots of other goodness – including a new commission from Stan’s Cafe and some new audio walks for the park.
I know I don’t normally write about this sort of thing but the old Mac oozed community and connection – this is brighter and fresher and better.
The Birmingham Social Media Surgeries have taken place within the walls of a number of venues since their conception in September 2008. We’ve previously set up camp at BVSC Birmingham Centre for Voluntary Action, and have run the central surgeries from our offices at Fazeley Studios in Digbeth.
But we’ve noticed during the winter months some people have been reluctant to make the dark evening walk to Fazeley street. So we’ve decided to move to a venue a little bit closer to the city centre.
The December Social Media Surgery Social was at our new venue – the studio. The lovely people at the studio are letting us take over their bar area free of charge allowing us to carry on our voluntary service (so long as people buy a beverage from the bar). It’s a bright space with excellent WiFi and a friendly atmosphere, and located right in the centre of Birmingham – it couldn’t be easier to get too (see directions below).
Wendy and Kati from Fazley Studios
While we are excited about holding our Central Birmingham Social Media Surgeries in the city centre, we also want to say a HUGE thank you to all the lovely people at Fazeley who stayed behind after work to make sure we could run a surgery in the reception area, providing us with tea and coffee and always there to help.
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 (please note this date has changed – there will not be a surgery on Thursday 12 November).
The Central Birmingham Social Media surgery will be held on Friday 20 November, 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.
This particular surgery has a twist. 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 September’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 theFazeley 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 where you can also 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 20November 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.
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.
UKCOD, parent charity to mySociety is seeking trustees – We are looking for passionate applicants who are keen to give the often substantial time required, generally more than five hours a month. Demands on time can be unpredictable and lumpy and input from trustees can be required outside of board meetings and occasionally on short notice.
Birmingham REP deface John Baskerville’s monument | Pete Ashton – “Although our methods of advertising are environmentally friendly and meant to be non-invasive in this particular situation we made a mistake and got it wrong by placing the design where we did. We are sorry for causing offence and in addition to removing the design we have also made a donation to a Birmingham charity as a way of apologising to the local community.
Thanks to everyone for bringing this matter to our attention.
Kristian Jeffrey
Street Advertising Services”
Connected Generation unConference – Eventbrite – Connected Generation is bringing together practitioners, researchers, innovators and policy makers on 11th July 2009 to explore youth engagement in a digital age.
Reboot Britain – Nesta: “Instead of more pessimism, can we really look at how we can punch through the gloom? And in particular, how can we take advantage of the radically networked digital world we now live in to help revive our economy, rebuild our democratic structures and improve public services? Reboot Britain is a major new project, which will take a top-to-bottom look at the challenges we face as a country and the new possibilities that – uniquely – this generation has to overcome them.
Cui bono? The problem with opening up data at Helpful Technology – open data needs a new breed of data gardeners – not necessarily civil servants, but people who know data, what it means and how to use it, and have a role like the editors of Wikipedia or the mods of a busy forum in keeping it clean and useful for the rest of us.
