roryosullivan.co.uk

On Tuesday (24/02/09) I headed down to Tiger Tiger on Haymarket or the Amplified 09 event, The “Network Of Networks”. For those in attendance and for those that weren’t I thought I’d put down a few bullet points of what I picked up from the sessions and a bit of feedback about the event that hopefully will prove useful.

From session #01 – The Future of Online Video

• Budgets are smaller than people imagine for short form content but expect broadcast quality
• Whilst equipment costs are down for the general public it’s still early adopters that are making use of higher quality equipment, this will change
• There will be further increase in UGC in News and events which Broadcasters need to embrace more. Video equivalent of Twitpic?
• Content appears in different silos dependent on what audience the producer wants to attract, there is no site for everything and that should continue. Whilst it would be nice for a centralised point of video (Kangaroo?) there are far too many rights/companies/producers etc involved
• Producers need to be made aware of curators of content to help push use on niche sites rather than just upload content to YouTube
• Studios/Broadcasters/Producers need to loosen rights restrictions to enable everyone to see content. We are becoming more unified as people regardless of geography.
• Monetizing amateur video is difficult and needs to be adressed

From #37 – Socialising Media – A spinoff from the Future of the Book and Online Video topics – how can we read/watch/listen together, even if we’re not necessarily in the same place or at the same time?

• Potential for Online video services to offer Premieres of content with chat services (like used in Blu-Ray Live) to feature Q&A’s with cast/directors etc.
• Virtual Book Groups – Based on Locations in books (possibly using something like Get London Reading, book groups without having to physically be there.
• Commenting/Chat on E-Readers (deals with providers?)

Other points that came up in discussions

• News Vs UGC – Users always go back  to Trusted sources, UGC helps get information out from an individuals POV
• Technology isn’t there yet for the masses to fully embrace and understand Social Media, we need to educate and show how it can benefit small businesses.

Thoughts on the event itself:

• Venue was too dark in places
• An hour was about right for each session
• Topics should have been set to pre-assigned tables as it was difficult to find appropriate sessions
• Should have allowed more time for more sessions, a whole day rather than an afternoon start
• A non-bar venue would be better, people seemed distracted by the time the third session was on and a separate after event drinks venue.
• More virtual tables

I want to say thanks to everyone who set up the event, overall I think it was great

I’ve never really been great at networking, I’ve not purposely avoided it but it in the digital Industry I work in it is essential for bouncing ideas, getting inspiration and learning more about what can be done. I’ve attended a couple of small pub based events where I can grab a pint and settle my nerves but having a lack of belief in what I can do, my skills, and general self confidence a daytime event could prove to be difficult for me. I’ve come to Amplified 09 to overcome these nerves and apprehensions.

Amplified runs as a “Network of Networks” bringing a variety of people from different meetups like Creative Coffee Club and Social Media Cafe as well as lots of other interested parties together to discuss important issues in social media. THe usefulness of networking with like minded, industry related people and people from within other industries that can help increase innovation seemed to me like a great idea. Connecting people is important.

Connections are important, incredibly useful things. They stop us drifting, provide anchors, but also form new points for us to push off from

http://www.amplified09.com/about/

I’ve chatted via email and twitter, via messageboards and IM to plenty of people in the past, it’s the face to face element of events like these that worry me. On friday I made my way to the Friday Social Media Cafe Event, aka Tuttle [http://londonsocialmediacafe.pbwiki.com/] for the first time on my own. Having only been once before with @jemimah_knight and only there for an hour or so listening in to conversations it was hopefully going to be a toes in the water session for me before coming to Amplified 09.

I did what I always do when meeting new people, stand quietly at the back with a drink until an appropriate moment, at Tuttle that moment was after being there after about an hour and 2 cups of tea. It wasn’t me who made the approach to chat, a lovely American woman, new to Tuttle as well, came over and we had a chat, discussing sharing mechanics for digital media. After that I took a break and  I settled back into my reclusive self hiding by the stairs.

Thats when I took the decision to speak to someone, after spotting someone I recognized from a brief chat In a pub at a small Social Media event before christmas I went over to say Hello and became involved in a discussion on Wedding Photographers and the digital enthusiast photographer.  My nerves were still a bit shakey but it felt good to talk to someone about somethig I had an interest in.

So now it’s tuesday afternoon and It’s 2:30, I’m sat here at Tiger Tiger in Haymarket and people are starting to fill the place up for Amplified 09. It’s time to overcome the nerves and get off the laptop and start speaking to people as small groups are already forming of people who have clearly met each other several times before.

Straight from closing the laptop lid I break for fresh air outside for 5 minutes then come back inside and head to the bar to order a coke. Clearly avoidance on talking to people by my brain. I go to stand by a pillar and within a couple of minutes I’m approached by a young woman from a publishers introducing herself to me and another guy stood by me. At least I think she was and I may have just butted into her introduction to this other guy. My nerves are stil a bit flakey and I start talking, it’s all a bit of a blur and fairly soon we are called into the downstairs bar for the opening introduction.

Once the introduction is over I make my way back upstairs to find the talk on the future on online video and find myself at a table with about 6 or seven strangers. My intention was to listen in and take notes but I found my nerves started to make me spout words and I was feeling the nerves showed and made me come across as not showing any knowledge in the area but soon I settled into the conversations.

For the second session and the on my nerves disappeared slightly and I began to talk to more and more people. my fears and nerves faded as I realised these are all people who I shouldn’t be afraid of for having greater knowledge than me, they are there to share and to help people learn as well as learn themselves. I learnt, I shared and overcame some small fears.

From the back of this I will be off to Tuttle again this friday and hopefully several more similar events in the future and that can only be good for my career progression and self confidence.

I paid a visit with some friends to the Imperial War Museum this weekend. I’ve not been since a child, it’s one of the many places in London that whilst its so close to home that I forget it’s there. Luckily for me a friend needed to visit for a University project so a few of us got together and went along. As with most of my trips these days I took my camera and my camera bag.

After taking a couple of shots of the big guns outside we made our way into the building. As with a lot of museums there are bag checks. As I already had my camera out I placed my bag and the camera on the table and opened the top zip pocket to reveal my personal bits and pieces, keys and the like, and then the camera section which had my additional lens and other related items in it.

Imperial War Museum - Guests

On spotting my camera the security guard, without hesitation, piped up saying that photography was fine in the museum. Having been to museums and galleries before that haven’t allowed photography it was really nice that they made it clear that it was ok. Whilst I wasn’t trying to push my luck or anything and because I wanted clarification I said to the guard that I presumed that it didn’t include flash photography which I thought would have been fair, but no he said it was OK around most of the museum. Whilst I didn’t see any “no flash photography” signs in the areas I saw, the fact that a lot of the exhibits were in glass cabinets in dark areas which would have been difficult to shoot without a flash because of low light and with a flash because of reflections made me think this is what he was referring to. The same guard also mentioned that photography was fine to a friend in the group when his bag was checked as well.

It’s nice to see a museum being photographer friendly and their staff clued up on it all.

There is something magical about Kew Gardens for me, everytime I’ve been over the last couple of years I’ve visited with different people and at different times of the year so have had lots of different experiences there. Everything changes each time you visit, some work is always being done to improve the views, the plants, the information everything.

On this visit the new thing for me was the tree-top walkway After a first failed attempt to take a 3 year old round, he wanted to go up but didn’t like it when we got up there, I went back up and wandered around. The view was good but not amazing, mainly due to the cloudy weather. It was nice to get up close to the trees and see things from their point of view. I reccomened a trip to Kew for anyone living in or visiting London and you should make a point of getting up the tree-top walkway if you don’t mind heights, just don’t forget the green houses, other buldings in the grounds and the large pond.

Silhouette view from the Tree-Top walkway

Flickr Set – Photos from February trip to Kew Gardens