Why I Set Up the SoCon Network Site

[Leonard Witt]

Welcome everyone who has been through SoCon07, 08 and maybe 09. After 290 participants sign up for 1.5 days of face-to-face meeting, it would be a shame to see them just go away. So we can come back together right here over and over again.

Since the SoCon folks live mostly in Metro Atlanta, in Georgia and in surrounding states, we don't have to wait a whole year to meet face to face. I hope this will keep the action going and let like-minded people develop their ideas together.

My own interests are in citizen media, citizen journalism and now social networking because I want to make news that's integrated with community building, be they communities of interest or geographical communities.

The Social Media interests at SoCon08 include Web Magazines, Entrepreneurship, Politics, Education, Public Relations, Marketing, Good Works, Podcasting, Videocasting and much more. Perhaps like-minded people will start their own groups within this larger umbrella group, just as I did with the Citizen Media group.

It would also be nice to have people show case their Social Media relate photos, videos and podcasts. It all can be done here. Of course, you can use this site to link back to your own sites. I know I will be doing that with the PJNet.org.

Finally, you have to play the game to understand it and that's what else the SoCon Network provides. Join, participate, share, learn and enjoy.

[Leonard Witt]

Hi Jodie:

I love the quilting analogy. You ask: Shall I tell you what I have in mind first for my case study, or just go ahead and post it? If the latter I assume I should start a new group?

I would post it, and ask everyone if you should start yet another group or incorportate your idea into an already exisitng group. Also I will search the Ning widgets to see if they have anything that would better fit a case study.

[Jodie Davis]

Yes, I sure think so.
The disconnect I find is that much that we read or hear about isn't quite applicable to us. I see this as a forum in which to take a situation and a starting point, maybe even an example of what someone else has done (but not quite applicable), and put it out there and invite discssion with like minds. Everything is like making a quilt. I get stuck on what to do next so I take it to my quilt bee. One person has one idea, another, another, and we discuss and come up with just exactly what the quilt needs. we all see it so clearly--DUH!--once our groups mind has given it a workout. And in the process we learn. My brain wants to take the paths it is accustomed to, so following your brain on a thought process helps mine find its own new pathways.
So yes, what you describe is perfect for this soical media bee ;)
Shall I tell you what I have in mind first for my case study, or just go ahead and post it? If the latter I assume I should start a new group?

[Leonard Witt]

Hi Jodie:

I might have mentioned at SoCon08 that I have some funding to start an experiment in journalism. For the experiment to work I have to figure out how to get an online community together or to identify existing ones of up to 1,000 members who would be willing to pay to support a journalist covering their cause. It could, for example, be quilting or community news. I have a community identified in Minnesota, where the first experiment will take place, but we have these questions:
1. Will people pay for information?
2. What kind of community organizing online tool would work best?
3. How do we collect the money on a continuing basis so it becomes a sustainable operation?
4. How does the journalist be more than a PR person while closely working with the community?
5. What is the best method for having the journalist interact with the community -- in our experiment a geographic community or a community of interest like quilting?
6. What are best practices, articles, books etc to help us learn more?

Would putting that scenario out with those questions to the group get a discussion started here that would be useful everyone?

[Jodie Davis]

Shall I start this as a new group?

[Leonard Witt]

Hi Steve:

I am more interested in ideas than syntax. I found a copy of the video you mentioned. As you say, it has been around for a while, but still worth seeing. I am posting it on the video section here. This one has Spanish subtitles.

[Steve Cadley]

Hmmm will work on my spelling and syntax for my next post. Guess I have been relying on automatic editing for to long.

[Steve Cadley]

Jodie, & Leonard,

I am very interested in using this forum for continued learning and exploring around social networking and particularly like the idea of case studies as a basis for expanding discussions. As an Masters student in Organization Development & Change at American University in DC I am fascinated with the impact of social networking on how change will be happening. Social networking has the potential to severly challenge some fundamental change theories. So I think case studies would a great way to stimulate discussion.

To that end I have link to a flash video that you may have seen before but is very interesting. It is the history of the interenet...but looking back from 2015. It theorizes the outcome of the coming conflict between traditioanl media and the "new media". Might be something good for it's own blog posting to generate some discussion.

http://epic.makingithappen.co.uk/

[Jodie Davis]

Cool! Will do! this will be a fun experiment.

[Leonard Witt]

Hey, Jodie. Good idea. Why not put one of those case studies out and see the reaction? Ihave a project two that I will be releasing in a few weeks. I might just deliver it here for help.

[Jodie Davis]

For a more concrete idea, how about putting out one social media-related issue we're facing to get a real life discussion going about solving a problem, or figuring our how to approach soemthing?
I have two in mind myself and I bet others have their own.