As the first anniversary of Manchester’s Social Media Café approaches, last night’s monthly get together proved a timely opportunity to take stock of where we are – and where it might lead.
Splitting the attendees into three groups, Julian Tait, Ian Forrester and I were able to drill down into some of the issues, concerns and ideas and these can inform the planning of future events.
The notes below are from the group I got involved with, and I’m posting them here partly as an open matter of record, but mainly in case anyone who couldn’t get along to the event last night wants to contribute via the comments below.
Venue
People would prefer to go to a variety of different venues instead of having one home because it could encourage different crowds to give it a go. The group didn’t want the BBC Club to become home and felt that, although the recent events held in the venue have been well-attended, the crowd attracted by a big name like the Beeb have been less participating. The group also made the point that alcohol was not a necessary part of the evening so the venue could occasionally be held in a café or similar venue.
Note from me: We are going to need help sourcing, and securing, suitable venues. Volunteers, and suggestions, welcome.
Timings
All agreed that the evening, out-of-office timings were good and allowed for people to attend in their own time. However, there was some annoyance that an event which is advertised to start at 6pm, might not get fully underway until 7pm and asked organisers to be better timekeepers.
Note from me: We are going to need co-operation from people to arrive punctually for sessions if this is going to be achievable.
Purpose
There were a couple of people who disagreed here, but the consensus was that all the skills, knowledge, talent etc. of those at #smc_mcr could be utilised for a wider purpose in helping the Manchester community. One suggestion was to invite charity groups to address the meetings and explain what problem they had and see if #smc_mcr participants could collaborate to help solve it. Although the group still wanted the opportunity for the current system of experts holding sessions to share their knowledge, they also thought there was space to shift the emphasis by having people who bring issues to the table for the group to consider.
Publicity/Promotion
Related to the point above, the group felt we needed to be more proactive in engaging with different sections of the community in order to avoid “preaching to the converted”. Most people attending either knew someone involved with the group or had found it via Twitter. It was suggested that we go out of our way to invite groups who may not be that digitally engaged at present.
Newbies
It was felt there should be some mechanism where new members were able to tell others about themselves and their projects – perhaps something like an open-mic slot. Also to make that first visit more friendly, a buddy system was proposed. Any new members signing up for the first time could be appointed a buddy for the evening who’d introduce them to people and explain how it ran.
Note from me: I think the buddy system could be a great way of helping to encourage new people, particularly women. Walking into a strange pub, on your own, can be fairly daunting at the best of times.
So where do we go from here? Please contribute your views and ideas either in the comments below or on the wiki.
I’m looking forward to celebrating our 1st anniversary at the Band on the Wall in November so see you there..
Dim Sum Digital 
Interesting summary – has inspired me to progress with a similar review.
The only comment I didn’t expect was the ‘move around’ concept; most times I’ve asked the same question people go for the same every time – even if ‘same’ isn’t optimum!
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Interesting summary – has inspired me to progress with a similar review.
The only comment I didn’t expect was the ‘move around’ concept; most times I’ve asked the same question people go for the same every time – even if ‘same’ isn’t optimum!
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Thanks for the round-up as I had to drop out last night. These are all terrific ideas (well, apart from not meeting in a pub – I like a pint with networking!).
Venue: swapping venues is a good idea. Can we get a page going on the wiki to post suggestions? Re the BBC, not only did some of the crowd there participate less, I also had the impression that quite a few signed up purely because it was at the BBC. In other words, they were attracted more to the prestige of the venue than the programme of events.
Timings: 6pm is kick-off but there should definitely be time to mingle, collect your name badge and get a drink before the sessions start properly. Perhaps those who commit to running a session should commit also to arriving at 5.30 along with the SMC set-up team so as to be able to prep any tech stuff that needs setting up and quickly run through things before everyone else arrives. It’s not good to have a session supposedly starting at 6.30 if the presenter is still faffing with a laptop at 7pm (that’s a purely theoretical scenario, btw, not a finger-point).
Purpose/promotion: yes and yes. It’s good to share but we should certainly be sharing beyond ourselves if there is to be any meaning to what we do at SMC. This could be a wonderfully collaborative and creative way to help others who need it and support worthwhile community projects. There are enough journalists, bloggers and marketing/PR people who can help spread the word around Manchester so those in need can turn up to present their cause and ask for the assistance they need. Charity doesn’t always mean opening a wallet.
Buddies: another big yes. I was following the Twitter stream last night and while no newbies expressed outright nerves at turning up, quite a few tweets indicated that first-timers weren’t sure what to expect. It’s important to avoid becoming cliquey too – over the last year, many of us have got to know each other well and developed friendships, and it’s all too easy now to just hang out with the people you already know when you arrive. That means some people will almost certainly feel excluded and perhaps have a perception of it being a “club”. If we want to continue being truly open to all, we have to work at avoiding such potential issues and buddying up would o a long way to resolving that.
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Hi Sarah
Really useful to know all of this as I was unable to make it last night.
On the venue front, I’ve made an initial approach to Cube on Portland Street so will let you know the outcome.
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<cought>the MadLab</cought>
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Sarah,
It is good that the above points are being addressed
For me Social Media Cafe needs to find its purpose and state it and work to it.
I have met some interesting people, so it is a relaxed networking meeting for me
But somehow it hasn’t reached its potential: when someone asks where do you find out about social media, SMC should be the immediate response. It is not at that stage I feel.
I also agree that it would be helpful to widen participation – we want to know how none PR marketing digital journalistic professionals are utilising social media. I want to be able to nick ideas – if it gets to that stage SMC has really succeeded for me
The fact tha it is well attended gives it potential to become essential if it develops
Rob
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Sarah,
It is good that the above points are being addressed
For me Social Media Cafe needs to find its purpose and state it and work to it.
I have met some interesting people, so it is a relaxed networking meeting for me
But somehow it hasn’t reached its potential: when someone asks where do you find out about social media, SMC should be the immediate response. It is not at that stage I feel.
I also agree that it would be helpful to widen participation – we want to know how none PR marketing digital journalistic professionals are utilising social media. I want to be able to nick ideas – if it gets to that stage SMC has really succeeded for me
The fact tha it is well attended gives it potential to become essential if it develops
Rob
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