Archive

Not a long entry this time, but a couple of links about social networking in the workplace.

The BBC Magazine Monitor has a great article about the excuses that people give for using Facebook at work.

And it's interesting to see that the TUC has got involved with some advice for companies who are worried about the use of social networking sites by employees. They're suggesting treating employees like adults, trusting them to be able to do their work and network online.

It's funny how my profile has just changed? I am part of a new demographic just over the 25-34 and into 35-45 bracket. More importantly number of dependants - one! Officially a father. Wilson Samuel Perry was born on August 15th at 2.40pm at home in Balsall Heath.

So does this mean that arts organisations need to tailor there information to me differently? Have I lost my love of B Boy Hop? Can I no longer enjoy an old skool garage tape from time to time in the car? Have I in fact traded in my tank tops and shell toes for val dooligan jumpers, open sandles and socks and a copy of the carpenters LP?

Yes ... sorry No.

Importantly the age demographic split makes no difference whatsoever - I still like Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop, the odd beer or meal out with friends and haven't quite transformed into a dad dancer - however I must admit my tolerance to calming baby music CD's has increased, I am more prone to be impressed and use venues and with family friendly facilities and programming and are sucked in by advertising featuring visuals of babies and happy ethical parents - to which I now belong.

A couple of additional changes that I have noticed since the beginning of fatherdom.

1. My testosterone levels are up - 63% hairier
2. % chance of crying to Highway to Heaven up 33%

.... I'll keep you posted with my transformation and post up Master Wilson soon....

As you can tell from my previous post, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about technology at the moment.

At the AMA conference I chaired a session where Martin Prendergast from The Guardian shared his research about the way people use digital technology. The research is called Digi-nation and is really fascinating. It segments digital users according to their enjoyment of using digital technology, their speed of adoption and the extent of their usage. It's really worth reading - if only to remind ourselves that our audiences and potential audiences are much earlier adopters than we seem to be in the sector.

They also have a useful downloadable document that gives easy definitions of some digital lingo - very useful if you're feeling a bit left behind as the technology changes.

It'd be great to hear of any other useful research or documents on new media and digital technology - I'm on a crash course and need all the help I can get!

My multitasking dilemma took a new turning, in the past few weeks, I was introduced to 2 buzzwords that have made me realize the importance of slowing down a little and savoring the present. In July, I attended my first ever AMA conference in Edinburgh (which was fantastic!) and one of the keynote speakers, Alan Brown, discussed the issue of ‘Flow’ which is defined as – ‘the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. (A school of thought proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). Conference delegates were challenged to think about the last time they experienced personal flow. At the time I couldn’t really come up with a personal flow experience (ironically because I was busy stressing about getting back to Birmingham and meeting my rather unrealistic deadline of finding a flat and moving in that weekend!).

The second buzzword I encountered recently is ‘mindfulness’ or ‘mindful thinking’, this has made me understand why I haven’t had many flow experiences lately. Jon Kabat- Zinn explains mindfulness as taking time to slow down and savour the present. (To be totally captivated in that moment.) . When we pay attention to the way our mind works we are likely to find that much of the time our minds are more in the past or the future than in the present. This means we are only partially aware of what is actually occurring in the present and can therefore miss many of the moments we have to live as we are not fully here for them. This constant ruminating over the past or worrying about the future can lead to dissatisfaction and anxiety and stress and depression.
In my eagerness to share what I have learnt I now realize that I spent the entire weekend fretting over how I would write this blog! I confess! that I broke all the rules; while I was hanging out with friends on Saturday and watching a movie I had been waiting ages to watch on Sunday, a part of me was thinking about work on Monday and the blog I was going to write – how ironic! Oh well, at least now I know what not to do when I want to experience mindfulness or flow! In fact I think I shall set myself a challenge – to chill and do some mindful thinking and have at least one flow experience every week….

I'm currently working on changes to our Arts Central listings site and on developing some project ideas that aim to engage audiences using new online resources and developments. I suddenly realised that if I wanted to get other people (audiences and Audiences Central subscribers) to do it - I was going to have to do it myself.

Welcome to the World of Social Networking!

Somebody once told me that Douglas Adams has a theory that once you got to the age of 34 you stopped being able to accept new ways of doing things. Which could explain why I could not even work out where to start with MySpace. In fact - if MySpace were a book, I wouldn't be able to work out where to start reading it. If it were a theatre performance - I wouldn't be able to find the door.

This was a while ago though, so I decided to try again. I've been on Flickr for some time - sharing my photos with friends and strangers, so I've got a bit more used to online networking. My next foray has been in Facebook - and that has been a revelation. I have also lost sleep and eating time, I'm so addicted to it.

Facebook is a site that allows you to put your details online and to hook up with your friends. I know, I know. Why don't I keep touch with them in person. Well that might be the ideal but I'm sure I'm not alone in finding it hard to keep contact with many people I have known over the years. Meeting people in person might be the ideal - but just being able to speak to them now and then online, keep track of their news and send them a fish (virtual of course) for their aquarium, is really lovely. I've managed to gather over 50 friends already - loads of whom I haven't spoken to for ages.

What makes this site addictive though are the add-ons. You can play music and videos, read your friends blogs, add widgets that tell you which of your friends know which other of your friends (pointless but strangely fascinating) and a whole variety of other ways to inform, play with, entertain and poke, people you know and like.

It's not hard - although it may take over your life. So if you haven't done it already - have a look. And while you're there - make sure you join the Audiences Central group and tell us how you've used Facebook as an audience development tool (or tell us what you're having for lunch). And don't forget to list me as a friend!