@marcbowker’s take on #BeGoodBeSocial
For those of you who follow me on Twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, or who I’ve spoken to recently will probably know my involvement in BeGoodBeSocial. But I’m acutely aware that even those of you who know me still are a little bemused by what all the fuss was about surrounding the very first Third Sector meet up for people to come together with an interest in social media for social good.
There have already been many blogs written about this amazingly successful event and so I’m not simply going to repeat what they’ve all said, appreciating that I’m a little slow off the mark! Instead, I’d like to attempt to get across what impact the Be Good Be Social event has had on the group of individuals who attended it. It goes without saying that without Ross McCulloch of Third Sector Lab, founder of Be Good Be Social, the event probably wouldn’t have happened. Ross is an amazing person who I’ve come to know and who really gets behind an idea and drives it. He’s also somebody, in my opinion, who likes to remove himself from the limelight and instead concentrates on reaping the rewards of change that his ideas create.
Be Good Be Social brought together individuals from across the Third Sector who actually wanted to be there! People were intrigued about what all the fuss was about. They were hungry to learn, eager to ask questions and excited about the future. I wasn’t alone then.
Let me take a quick break here and tell you were I’ve come from to be here and involved in Be Good Be Social. Twitter. That amazing micro blogging site that you either love, hate or simply don’t get. But let me tell you, Twitter is an extremely powerful resource. It also changed the way that I interacted with people. Still scratching your head? Well, I work in Communications (think brand awareness, PR, print, design and all that goes with that kind of stuff), I should be an excellent networker right? Wrong. I hate networking! I hate the thought of attending an event and having to introduce myself to complete strangers. It sends shivers up my spine whenever I have to do such a thing. But then Twitter arrived. And at first I, like many people, simple tested it out, made mistakes, learnt from them, learnt new ways to use Twitter etc. Then the Glasgow Twestival happened and it changed all that. I had been tweeting a growing personal network of people within my vicinity for months in the run up to the Twestival and then bang, the event finally arrived. I turned up, wrote my Twitter name on my sticker and attached it to my chest, as had all the other attendees. Within an instant, I knew the person I’d been tweeting to the other day, week or month. Barriers were immediately broken down, the ice was certainly broken and we could chat to each other about our tweets and rapidly move on to something else. These people were no longer simply on my computer screen but were now physically in my network. I knew who I warmed to, who I wasn’t sure of and who I thought I’d like to get to know you better.
So there you go, Twitter is the sole reason that I’m involved in Be Good Be Social, because that’s were I was first introduced to all the people I met at the actual event in person. Amazing isn’t it? Well I think so.
Be Good Be Social has left all those who attended and all those who joined in the conversation via the hashtag (#BeGoodBeSocial) keen to share and collaborate on ideas within the Third Sector. They want more. They want another Be Good Be Social. They want to speak to each other about things that are relevant to all of us working in this sector.
Things are about to change around here through a group of people striving to make a difference in our local communities. Together, we’re embracing the power of social media to make change happen, to raise awareness of things that matter in our society and to make people realise that there are people worse off than us.
Can you feel that power yet?
Of course, we’re already talking about the next Be Good Be Social. Why not prepare yourself now so you don’t miss any announcements:
The web: www.begoodbesocial.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/begoodbesocial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/begoodbesocial (follow the conversation with the hashtag #BeGoodBeSocial)
View photos taken by the amazing Julie Broadfoot on the night of the very first Be Good Be Social right here:
