Ed Mitchell: Platform neutral

Media Sandbox final event report

This is a brief event report from the Media Sandbox final event on Tuesday 6 May, in Watershed, Bristol.

While we were designing the launch event for the Media Sandbox project (November 2007) we had the end event in mind (seeing the project as a Community of Practice with a clear lifecycle), so there was a clear logic to the event design from the beginning. This took into account group work done at the launch event, during the project itself, and all the potential future outcomes from the project.

In the bigger picture, I would call this blended facilitation: seeing the project as a whole as a group knowledge transformation opportunity, using different tools and techniques to suit the purpose and context, and using both on and offline worlds to get things done. Thus the final event was complimentary to the launch event, and all related activity in between.

Our main goal was to provide as many learning and sharing opportunities between the projects and community members in as many different ways as possible. In this way, the different nuances could emerge, and people’s communication preferences could be afforded.

Thus, as well as asking the projects to do short presentations to a panel, we offered them exhibition space for one to one conversations, introduced a knowledge cafe to afford group exploration of the challenges encountered during the projects, and encouraged event attendees to actually play one of the games invented, and try out the applications wherever possible.

A key part of the day was a group of external judges onsite to award one of the projects further funding. In this vein, we also invited anyone else to pitch for some separate micro-investment in a Pecha Kucha style; although this time the judges were the projects themselves.

It was a fascinatingly different event to the launch event, and a lot less noisy; in its reflective nature, it offered the group some form of closure, a sense of knowledge transformation, a network maturing and reflecting on its work and shared experience, and asking itself questions for the future.

The Agenda:

1. Welcome, introduction, background and refresh
2. Judges panel: projects showcase
3. Nuts and bolts knowledge cafe
4. Tea, exhibition, game play
5. Open pitching
6. Drinks and final announcements
7. Exhibition

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Events, Facilitation | No Comments »

Community members opinions and how to handle them

As you might know, I find equal inspiration for group facilitation from the online and offline worlds. As well as this, I find inspiration from books and blogs etc. just as much as it exists in pubs, parties, festivals and life on the streets around me - there are lessons to be learnt all over the place, and one just popped up in my street.

Our local pub, The Cadbury, is something of an institution in Bristol. It is raucous, bawdy and fun, has good ales, a great garden, and attracts plenty of controversy. There is a cigarette lighter on the wall that apparently dispenses cigarette lighters, but not according to a local who stuck the following on it:

So you’re the new landlord, Wayne. Do you:

• Remove the sign in a huff and admonish the complainant?
• Check the machine and sort it out?
• Ignore it or laugh at it?
• Poll the locals to see if they actually want it?
• Something else

This made me think of a few questions around supporting or launching virtual communities, the relationship between community members, facilitators, and the tools they are given to do their thing, and issues around the ownership of space:

• If the members don’t like a tool, do you keep it?
• If a tool doesn’t work, who is responsible for deciding whether to keep it or not?
• If members want different tools, how do you extract this information and sort it out?
• Do the members have the tools they actuall want and need, or are they the tools you installed as part of a platform?
• If the members make their opinions felt in a manner that isn’t strictly ‘polite’, how do you respond?
• If the members don’t like some activity or tool, but the group sponsor needs it, what do you do to resolve the difference?

Like I say, only questions; revolving around technology stewardship, online facilitation, and that all important balance of power in shared group spaces.

Posted in Facilitation, Technology | No Comments »

Supporting physical communities with virtual tools presentation

I presented a short story at Steve Moore’s ‘All Together Now’ gathering, hosted by Sport England at Channel Four yesterday; it was fun. Also speaking were Gi Fernando, Antony Mayfield, Mark McGuiness, and it was all chaired by Rebecca Caroe.

It was great as I got to talk about sport stuff, and communities, and virtual tools, and facilitation - almost a perfect triangle for me.

Watch the presentation here

The aim was to show how virtual technologies can support actual existing real communities (as opposed to building them online) in different ways, in order to give Sport England and the other people there an idea of the range of options ahead of them as they roll onward into the social media world.

I identified and discussed one very real community I know and love (Bristol Climbing Centre), and had a look at all the disparate communications/collaboration tools we use to co-ordinate ourselves, then considered the new activmob model (currently in pilot down in Kent) as a contrast, and drew a few benefits/key points out of the comparison.

Watch the presentation here

Posted in Strategy, Technology | No Comments »

Curating Bristol’s Gurteen Knowledge Cafes

I am now ‘curating’ Bristol’s Gurteen Knowledge Cafes. Erica Hurley has agreed to co-curate with me which is cool.

This is good news as I:

• think that the regional k-cafes are well worth keeping alive as they have some great people involved and some great conversations
• enjoy the format: have participated in many k-cafes, and include them in events I design where suitable
• have got a bit of a thing going for physical events at the moment - find myself enjoying designing and facilitating events and group interventions more and more
• want to draw some of my attention back to the ‘knowledge’ side of organisations

The next gathering will be on Thursday 26 June in Bristol. I am putting together an announcement mail list and event booking widget and will do another post when it’s all sorted. Until then, you can sign up to be on the list by subscribing on David’s website

It’s a voluntary role (with a lofty title of ‘Gurteen Knowledge Community regional director, Bristol - England’), and Debbie Lawley has been doing great stuff with it, but she has passed the mantle on, so I hope I can take it onboard with aplomb and keep the spirit going.

Good work all!

Posted in Events, Facilitation, Strategy | 3 Comments »

Pervasive Media Studio open on Fridays

Good news; the iShed team are opening the Pervasive Media Studio up on Fridays to anyone who wants to come and work there. It’s a great place to work and there are lots of good people to boot.

I’ll be there. Here’s the blurb:

Open Studio Fridays

iShed have recently taken over the top floor of the Leadworks building in Anchor Square and opened the Pervasive Media Studio.

Inspired by Jelly in New York, we’re opening the studio each Friday to anyone interested in casual co-working. From 9.30am to 5pm our doors will be open to people of any profession/discipline/sector to come and work in our space. We offer chairs, tables, wireless, a change of scenery and interesting people to bounce ideas off.

So, from Friday 2 May, bring what you need to need to work (laptop/mobile) and head down to the Pervasive Media Studio, directions here: http://tinyurl.com/28pcg4

Please email admin@pmstudio.co.uk if you are planning on turning up so we have a vague idea of numbers.

The Pervasive Media Studio, opened in February 2008, brings together the computing, communications and creative industries to research and develop new forms of digital media using wireless, mobile, display or sensor technologies. With collaboration across industry, research, academia and community groups, the Studio is an initiative led by HP Labs and Watershed.

http://www.ished.net/2008/04/24/open-studio-fridays-at-the-pervasive-media-studio

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Blended facilitation interview podcast

The indubitable Matt Moore and infinitely inspiring Nancy White and I had a three way conversation about ‘Blended facilitation’ recently. It was great fun, a privilege to share some time with them both, and gave me lots to think about.

Download the podcast from Matt’s site

Things I am ruminating upon since:

• My matrix of Public/Private/Personal/Political could be Public/Private/Personal/Professional
• A good word for ‘blended facilitation’ could be ‘amphibious’ (Mr Moore)
• It is OK to make mistakes and discuss them (just as well if you are as relentlessly declarative as me)
• Blended facilitation is not just a linear online/offline group knowledge transformation model - it is also to understand the modalities - video/audio/touch and how to switch between them so it’s almost becoming a design issue
• Personalities do play a big role in all this (I must write my personalities post soon)
• I still love the concept of group technology being “designed for the group, but experienced individually” (Nancy)
• Given this idea of individual experience, we must ensure that there is significant overlap (between a flickr fan and a blogger) so that the core group activities and communications are maintained
• The proliferation of new technologies is great for early adopters, but we as facilitators need to remember that our groups feel overwhelmed by it all and simply may not have the time to interact like early adopters
• We all agreed that the core community data (posting figures, behavioural stuff, reputation indicators) belong to the community and should be made available to them
• More reflective practice could be introduced into community facilitation - rather than saying ‘what do you think of X’ (moderation), perhaps we should ask ‘what do you think of my activity?’…

And more. Thanks to Matt for sorting it out, and Nancy for sharing her time with us. Again, again!

Posted in Facilitation | No Comments »

Media Sandbox final event

We are planning for the final event to wrap up this year’s Media Sandbox commissions and give the community another boost with a physical gathering.

For background, you can read about the launch event, and the high level case study about the blended facilitation approach we took to the project as a whole.

Suffice to say, we want to wave farewell to this phase with a satisfying ‘whoosh’, and welcome in the new phase with an open and inquisitive ‘oooh ain’t that cool’ noise. And I’m keen for the event to afford as much open learning as possible while we’re at it.

It’s going to be a mix of serious workshop (knowledge transfer stuff about the actual business of the projects doing R&D), judging panel on the projects (for more support), exhibiting the projects’ work, playing some games, and an open opportunity for anyone to pitch their idea for cash and a Pervasive Media Studio residency.

And a village fayre. With bunting. And tea. And I have bought a new horn specially to honk at twitterers.

As always, it’s free and anyone can come. Official blurb here:

From public fountains to bluetooth fountains, street games to shop windows, over the last three months the six groups of Media Sandbox participants have been working on new applications in pervasive media.

This final Media Sandbox event is your chance to play with the prototypes, discuss the challenges and watch the final project pitches as the Sandbox participants present their work to a team of industry judges. And, at the end of the night, one project will be presented with a further £8,000 production grant.

Plus your chance to win £1,000

The event will also feature a pervasive media pitching session with a chance to win a £1,000 development grant and residency at the Pervasive Media Studio. Enter your idea here.
(Event link and booking here)

Come along. It will be fun. And we will learn.

Event link for more information

Posted in Facilitation | No Comments »

All together now event

I’m looking forward to doing a speaking slot at the forthcoming ‘All Together now‘ event at Channel Four on May 1.

My bit is on how physical communities can be augmented by virtual communities, focusing on minority sports; pretty much as close to my core interests as you can get.

I’m going to consider a bit of theory and the importance of facilitation, then pull out some examples from groups support for less active people to the panoply of ways we interact in and around our local climbing centre in Bristol. Here’s the event blurb:

Over the course of the past three years the emergence of blogging, social networking services and platforms which showcase and share user generated content have transformed the possibilities of how we connect, converse and collaborate with one another.

’In the 20th Century, we were defined by what we owned, in the 21st Century we will be defined by what share and give away’ Charles Leadbeater, author of We Think

The potential for organisations and brands to harness these technologies and tools to engage with users, customers and their communities in radically new ways is becoming clear.

How can all those organisations working to promote active participation in sports and the brands that wish to sponsor their activates and campaigns work together to make the most of the unrivalled viral power and network effects of the web in the run up to 2012?

All Together Now will bring together leading social media developers and thinkers, sports governing bodies, communities’ sports organisations and some of our leading brands into a unique event to explore these opportunities.

Event site and booking here

Posted in Strategy | No Comments »

Skillswap report on project management

(thanks for the space, Pervasive Media Studio!)

We had some good talks and discussion around the topic of ‘Project Management’ at last week’s Skillswap:

• Joe Leech talked about being a small cog in many bigger systems: Presentation
• Laura Francis talked about how she uses Agile
• Fraser Stephens discussed the ‘what to’s of Prince2: Presentation
• Eben Halford talked about Scrum: Presentation

Peter Ferne and the Jiva crew produced plenty of free drink and snacks; thanks all!

Thanks for the excellent space, and good work to all attendees.

Posted in Events, Facilitation | No Comments »

Media Sandbox case study

(Most of the Media Sandbox projects)

Introduction

This is high level case study about the blended facilitation work ongoing with the Media Sandbox commissioning scheme managed by iShed. Here is the descriptive blurb:

Bringing together leading technology, artistic and media talent, Media Sandbox is a new commissioning scheme to support South West companies/organisations to research emerging possibilities in digital media.

The theme for 2007/2008 is pervasive media. By supporting a community of research around this cutting-edge theme, Media Sandbox will encourage business growth, share knowledge with the wider sector and reinforce the reputation of Bristol and the South West as a centre for cutting-edge R&D.

Traditionally, this type of commissioning involves a call for bids, distribution of cash to successful bidders, some relatively private research and development, and a ’showcase’ event at the end where the bidders tell us a few things and say thanks for the cash.

We felt that this commissioning construct could do with some spring cleaning by introducing community-type thinking and free open source software. This case study is a stab at reporting that…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Facilitation, Strategy, Technology | 2 Comments »