Feature Cultural Conversations

Cultural Conversations – helping you get more out of blogging, twitter and other social media platforms

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Feature: Cultural Conversations

It was the moment someone asked me about my hashtag at last month’s Cultural Conversations that really hammered-home the fact I knew absolutely nothing about the world of Twitter. My eyes widened and I couldn’t help but mutter an alarmed, “I beg your pardon?!” I’d never heard the word before and to my novice ears it sounded kind of… rude.

At that point, I’d passively been on Twitter for about a year. My levels of interactions, if you can call them that, had resulted in a grand total of four tweets and eight followers. And it was for that very reason that I was milling about in a large room at the Round Foundry, Holbeck, being asked about my hashtag.

I was there alongside about 80 others, some of whom, like me, wanted to find out more about successfully interacting on sites like Twitter, as well as via a blog and on Facebook. Others however were there who, thankfully, wanted to impart their wisdom and help build meaningful (real and virtual) communities in the region. Also in attendance were assorted curators, designers, people from local businesses, journalists, PR people and a cupcake expert.

Cultural Conversations are a new initiative set up by the wonderful people at the Culture Vulture, namely Emma Bearman (who describes herself as a “nosy old boot and lover of Twitter and social media”). The event I attended took place on Friday 30th July, and with a bit of luck, it looks like Cultural Conversations will become established as a monthly meeting of like-minded people.

Emma set about setting up the event because: ” We noticed that there aren’t scores of people currently at it [Twitter and blogging], and it made us wonder why… We recognise that for some this social stuff is as natural as breathing, for others it’s a leap into the unknown. So we decided to host a series of informal, informative conversations, bringing together people who know techie stuff, storytelling, getting on search engines, playful games, etc, alongside those with a thirst to learn more.”

The event took place from midday until 4pm at the Round Foundry. There, you could choose from an array of different workshops: there were three main sessions, but you could go to-and-fro between them as you pleased. Among the line-up were Gavin Freeborn, who did an interesting session on Charm and Finesse, Phil Kirby who began a discussion on storytelling, and local bloggers like Jen, who has been documenting her life online for the past 10 years (and now runs a blog, A Little Bird Told Me…). She led a conversation on how to be an effective and engaging blogger (and not get lost in a world of page hits and user comments).

The Conversations are absolutely free to attend, and considering it was only the second gathering of this kind (the first ever happened a month earlier on 18th June) the day was exceptionally smooth and well organised. And all you had to bring? “An open mind and a willingness to share.”

And even now that I know my hashtag from my elbow and I’ve got nearly a hundred followers on Twitter, I still intend to return each month to learn a little more, meet interesting people and do my bit to keep the cultural conversations flowing…

The next event is on the 3^rd September at the Round Foundry, Holbeck. Admission free but book in advance, www.culturalconversationssept.eventbrite.com

Twitter advice

• Find your own Twitter voice
  
• You have to see these interactions as a “free economy” – think, what can you give or offer to the people that are taking the time to follow you and read what you’ve written?
• Twitter is like being in the pub with your mates. You’re not going to win any friends talking about yourself the whole time
• But if you say, “I like this… you might like it too”, or “make sure you don’t miss this…” people will listen to what you’ve got to say
• Tweet like nobody’s watching: it shouldn’t take you more then 10 seconds to write your tweet
• You never know who is out there to help you, whether it’s a film recommendation, crossword answer or relationship advice

Posted on Wednesday 18th August 2010
SH

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