We do various forms of bespoke paid for training for all sorts of people in the third sector, government, housing associations and others, but every month we also give free help for local active citizens.
We organise a free social media surgery in Central Birmingham.
The aim is to help local community and voluntary organisations get free help to Read more
I often say this about social media surgeries: please keep it simple.
Why? Because the most important single thing about a surgery is that it should be there.
Being there is a core part of supporting communities. Month after month they know you’ll be there, they get used to it, they get used to the relaxed format and they come for help, come for ideas, come for connections, come back to offer help.
It is just a truth that something is more likely to happen if it’s simple. A cup of tea with a friend is much more likely to happen than Read more
Meet Rinske van Noortwijk and Corian Hugenholtz-Sasse – they make wishes come true.
I met them both in Rotterdam, invited through the wonderful Maurice Specht to speak to the Association of Initiative Brokers ( @inimakelaar ) in Holland, organised by Rinske.
Two days before, Tessy Britton and I had been in The Hague speaking to senior civil servants from Dutch central government. Read more
I think I just got paid with a hug. Full of the joys of social media surgeoning Lorna Prescott from Dosti put her arms around me and said thank you. (sorry Lorna for being embarrasing and thank you!)
It is really one of the reasons I love social media surgeries – they make me happy and they seem to make others happy too.
This was the first Dudley Social Media Surgery, organised by the remorseless energy of Melissa Guest from Dudley CVS and Lorna. We had been involved with some work helping them pland and organise the surgery and some social reporter training as part of the Black Country Take Part Pathfinder programme.
30 people turned up and the proportion of surgeons to patients was just right. This rather dark video shows just how busy and absorbed people were:
I shared the evening with two wonderful people. Michael Dennis turned up thinking he was there to get some help for the St Thomas Community Network – but because he does web development he got wordpress ganged into being a surgeon. It turned out Michael also run a successful ning network for foster carers.
Michael worked with Jackie McGuirk from Dudley Lions.
He helped her understand why social media might help their work. She said up a blog and wrote here first post (and this jackie is your first trackback). The worst part for Michael seemed to me interviewing them both:
Great evening and a great start to surgeries in Dudley.