Gently Down The Stream

20 digitally-enhanced, cross-platform, multi-media, transmedia storytelling projects

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:13:44 +0100

In this Sunday’s Observer, I mention five projects that exemplify the ways the Web is used to tell stories. There are many, many more.

Here are the links to the projects I list i the paper, plus some of the ones that were sent to me via email (aleks.krotoski.freelance@guardian.co.uk) or twitter during the research period.

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"A quick history of the BBC and social media" by Jem Stone

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:55:45 +0100

"A quick history of the BBC and social media" by Jem Stone:

Lovely potted history of the BBC’s social media activity over the last 16 years from Jem Stone (head of social media & syndication for BBC Radio). I was fortunate enough to see much of this period through the lense of community building and management at the BBC, having been so involved with the now sadly departed BBC Collective, as well as having been a messageboard moderator more years ago than I care to think about. Nice memories, thanks Jem.

World Map of Social Networks

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:36:39 +0100

“Since December 2010 Zuck’s creature has conquered Iran and Syria, although struggling against censorship. Europe has now became the largest continent on Facebook with 205 million users… Probably Netherlands and Brazil will be the next countries to surrender,” says Vincos Blog.

I love the Risk-like thinking in this description. Everyone who has ever played Risk knows that Asia’s the hardest nut to crack though…

"HOW TO: Improve Engagement on Your Brand’s Facebook Page"

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:19:58 +0100

"HOW TO: Improve Engagement on Your Brand’s Facebook Page":

Lovely insights about the times at which users are most responsive to Facebook updates, unsurprisingly, it’s not while people are working…

“Media: Weekends have strong engagement for media brands, but Mondays are weak. During the study period, most posts went out during the week

Tip: Avoid Monday.”

Via Gary Andrews, thanks Gary!

"Making the most of Twitter" discussion on BBC CoP

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:17:46 +0100

"Making the most of Twitter" discussion on BBC CoP:

“…We look at Twitter, the microblogging service used worldwide by an estimated 190 million users.

Simon Smith hosts the discussion on how Twitter can influence programmes and brands, what it offers and how to do it better.

Joining him is champion of Twitter and Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, journalist Alex Hudson who looks after BBC Question Time’s Twitter feed, and comedy writer Steve Saul - most famous as the Twitter voice of the X-Factor.”

Branded hashtags

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:47:06 +0000

Branded hashtags:

Great piece about branding of hashtags, with thoughtful additions.

Via @jemstone - thanks jem.

Inside the Mind of a Community Manager

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:41:37 +0000

Inside the Mind of a Community Manager:

Loving this!

Via Herve Peitrequin - thanks!

Nielsen : UK | Media and Information sites thrive in popularity as consumers seek the 'real world' on the web

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:06:00 +0000

Nielsen : UK | Media and Information sites thrive in popularity as consumers seek the 'real world' on the web:

I’m loving the stats in this Neilsen article - in Jan 2011 Facebook was the 3rd most used website in the UK whereas Twitter was the 38th. Fascinating stuff for those who like some good data.

RWW: Why Most Facebook Marketing Doesn't Work

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:00:08 +0000

RWW: Why Most Facebook Marketing Doesn't Work:

Interesting article on Read Write Web about “deep” facebook apps not working.

“A brand on Facebook should be like a casual friend or neighbor and not try to suck people into heavy levels of interaction.”

Via GaryAndrews - thanks Gary!

RSA: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:58:42 +0000

RSA: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption:

Watching a great video on ultra local market places and sharing through digital tools via by “social innovator Rachel Botsman”.

“We’re not just sharing, we’re trading, we’re bartering… Using the internet to get off the internet to form a stronger, bigger society.”

Via David Gurteen - thanks David.

"It connects the mass experience with the minority, elite classes. It crosses social boundaries."

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:25:00 +0000

““It connects the mass experience with the minority, elite classes. It crosses social boundaries.””

- Charlie Beckett, POLIS Director » Blog Archive » Social Media & Revolution: the Heineken Class effect

Social telly session: Social Media Week London

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Great to be involved with London’s Social Media Week last week. I did a panel session about social telly, which was refreshingly free from chat about two screen (not that I’d have minded that, it’s just talked about a lot). On the panel with me were Joshua Marsh (CEO of Conversocial), Adam Gee (Cross-platform Commissioner at Channel 4), Nick Underhill (MD of KEO Digital) and our chair was Michael Nutley (Editor in Chief of NMA).

You can watch the event below if you so fancy.

Watch other Social Media Week London sessions.

reblog: Meg Pickard: Taking care with Twitter credits

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:58:37 +0000

reblog: Meg Pickard: Taking care with Twitter credits:

Very sensible thoughts from Meg Pickard on showing tweets on screen in programmes, plus some great examples.

Via Al B, thanks Al.

Social Media Week and me

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:53:53 +0000

Indeed, I am like a bus (hopefully not in all ways), you don’t see me for ages and then i’m along twice at almost the same time… I be speaking at:

Social Telly: from Campaigning to Commentary to Community Building - Tue 8 Feb, 12:00 - 2:00 at the Design Council in London

Engage your online community - Tues 8 Feb, 2.00 - 5.00 at Channel 4, (thankfully also in) London

NB - this is a picture of me viewing something and being social, thanks to my husband for that…

Storyifying

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:24:19 +0000

Just having a play with Storify.

See a better example on the Radio 4 blog, ‘Curating’ The Secret History of Social Networking’ by Jem Stone.

"15 essential articles for online community managers #CMAD"

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:20:00 +0000

"15 essential articles for online community managers #CMAD":

Apparently it’s Community Manager Appreciation Day, yay for Community Managers! For some reason I still sometimes think of a silly description of Community Managers that I heard many years ago, that a good one is like The Beatles…

John - The peace maker

Paul - Emotional

George - Zen

Ringo - Regular (by which I mean drumming, rather than his digestive system, but how would I know not both?)

Anyway, the above is a nice list of articles about the dark art of being a good community manager, enjoy!

Via Herm B - thanks!

Lovely continuity (Facebook App data)

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:16:13 +0000

“Facebook apps now have access to your phone number and address” from Tech Digest from yesterday.

Followed swiftly by…

“Facebook rethinks new contact details policy for app devs” from Tech Watch today.

Family and community life: exploring the decline thesis. Does the move away from traditional family forms and practices have implications for the quality of community life?

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:25:28 +0000

Family and community life: exploring the decline thesis. Does the move away from traditional family forms and practices have implications for the quality of community life?:

Yay, Aleks on Tumblr.

"Four faces of social networking" by Rory Cellan-Jones

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:42:50 +0000

"Four faces of social networking" by Rory Cellan-Jones :

Nice simple piece about the past, present and future of social networking, Rory Cellan-Jones interviews John Perry Barlow, Howard Rheingold, Biz Stone and Dave Morin of the sweet-sounding Path.com.

Path is about what I personally consider a more realistic reflection of your physical life online than is currently fashionable… “his idea is a social network that connects you more intimately with far fewer people, than Facebook or Twitter. At the moment, Path is just an iPhone app that encourages users to share their “paths” through life with a maximum of 50 people. You take a picture on your phone, tag people and places in it, and then share it just with close friends and family rather than the world. Dave Morin makes great play of research by an Oxford academic which concludes that nobody can really have more than 150 friends. Professor Robin Dunbar says our brains just can’t cope with more than that number, and in fact we struggle to interact really intimately with more than a couple of dozen people.”

I take Rory’s point that “Surely anyone using it would also need to persuade their close friends to move to Path from other networks before it became valuable? And to me at least that seems quite a stretch.” For me, the further reaches of the social universe do seem to be inhabited by a specific set of my friends and contacts, so you see the same faces in Betas and newly launched offerings (not that that’s a bad thing, it just implies that the mainstream aren’t interested at the moment). But I think it’s far to say that if something was really good and resonated with, let’s say it, the Facebook hardcore, then maybe we’d see a more diverse use of the social universe online. Here’s hoping anyway!

"London tuition fee protest" - boston.com

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:09:31 +0000

"London tuition fee protest" - boston.com:

Simply an amazing collection of photos of the student protests in Westminster.

Via @nairnski.