Hi folks,
Social Media Week happens to be over one month ago. We have already discussed our event twice now and felt it time to pay tribute to some of the other great events that happened that week in the city of Glasgow. Firstly, it must be said that Glasgow well and truly stepped up to the mark for Social Media Week. With over 130+ events in the city and people chipping in to assist with venues, catering, speakers etc, all in one week alone. It was fantastic to be a part of it.
Glasgow, leading the way…
Call us innovators, call us early adopters but the people of Glasgow well and truly showed that we are absolutely at the forefront of digital technology. Social Media Week saw over 130 events in the city, but more importantly, they were described by our friends around the world and in particular in New York as some of the most forward looking and innovative events. ‘Social Media’ is still a relatively new term but the underlying concepts of sharing and collaboration are ideals that have been fully embraced by the city of Glasgow during Social Media Week and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here…
#SMWBanter
Well everybody in the city knows ‘Business Banter,’ one of Glasgow’s most loved networking events. A large part of the Banter’s success was due to the LinkedIN group and Twitter where the hash-tag #TDBB dominates the Twitter-waves every Thursday morning. For Social Media Week, a one-off banter would not suffice. Jacky of ‘Think Different Events’ pulled off a massive operation. Not only holding five daily banters with a revised format but also arranging for five speakers at each and having them filmed at the same time and published online. No small feat. Truly getting into the spirit of social media by allowing the content to be shared; something that was appreciated by many.
You can check out some of the videos below including my own presentation…
All of the Videos can be found on The Banter’s video page at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=22A5E4F25B94156B
I personally had the pleasure of talking about ‘social branding’ on the Thursday morning and can say that I thoroughly enjoyed speaking at the event as well as listening to the other presentations. After enthusing about the banter for a quite a few months, my sister, who lives in London, who was with me on the Thursday morning commented that the banter was her ‘favourite event of the week.’ All in all, a massive tribute to Jackie for pulling it off. He was even able to organise separate organisers on the two days he wasn’t present. Its this attitude and dedication to the greater good that makes the Banter so universally popular with businesses in Glasgow and puts the ‘social’ into social media.
You can follow Think Different on Twitter @ThinkDifferentE
Or check out ‘The Banter’ on Twitter @business_banter
#SMWine
Of course, any wine tasting event in the city of Glasgow was always likely to be well received. But #SMWine held at the West brewery was an absolutely great event. It was engaging, good fun and international too. The event was hosted and communicated live via Skype by wine expert Pieter Rosenthal. Making this a true international social media event. We tried a multitude of great wines which were all tasted whilst being told about their various stories by Pieter. Now my mind may be a little hazy here, but if I remember right, they included three whites, three reds and champagne. The favourite being an Argentinian white from Argentina called Trivento.
You can watch the full event below…
Or follow Pieter Rosenthal on Twitter at @pieterrosenthal
T-Shirt Freak Out
One of my absolute favourite events of the week came from one of our very own clients. Raschique Narwan of fashion brand Freak Dem. Her T-Shirt Freak Out was quite simply magnificent. A two part event with the second part hosted at the Lighthouse, it included design, music and comedy all of the highest order. Part one of the event was to conduct a competition for a t-shirt design, where designers were invited to contribute their designs. Social Media would be used to gauge opinion and feedback. On the Friday evening, the very last event of the week, the results of the t-shirt competitions were announced in an excellent show that included a powerful speech by Raschique herself about the urban society she wants to build with Freak Dem as well as wonderful singing from Amore Kai, Mo Sharif and the hilarious comedy of Sean Reid. A wonderful way to finish the week. After a number of seminars, formal presentations and the like from the business community; it was really great to kick back, listen to some great music and have a few laughs at the T-Shirt Freak Out. Well done Freak Dem!!
Find out more about Freak Dem on Twitter @chiquefreak
#SMWGladon
Finally, one of the absolute highlights of Social Media Week Glasgow was the official event close by Don Tapscott. The author of ‘Wikinomics’ gave a one-hour presentation and Q+A session via Skype to the audience at the Sky Park. I must say that when Tim of Twintangibles first mentioned Don Tapscott as a possibility to speak at the event. I must confess that I had never heard of him and some of the significance of his presence was a little lost on me. But I must say that since his presentation and having viewed a few more of his videos online, I have realised the enormity of the man’s thinking. “A significant moment in human history” was one of the key quotes in a presentation that was littered with an incredible analysis of the global situation we find ourselves in this moment. Not solely in terms of social media, digitalisation but in terms of a complete paradigm shift from the industrial age and subsequent information age to a new paradigm of ‘networked intelligence.’ “The old institutions that have served us well no longer fit in a modern world.” It was a powerhouse of intellectual thinking. His most notable book ‘Wikinomics,’ is described as a manual to ‘re-boot business and the modern world.’
On the basis of his presentation to the Glasgow Crowd, this would seem to be no exaggeration and is a copy that I shall be reading very soon. For anybody that is interested in sifting deeper into the mechanisms of a rapidly changing world or would like to better understand the real and exciting possibilities of social media. This is an absolute ‘must watch.’ I shall be blogging very soon about some of the topics raised by Don Tapscott and some of those failing institutions. You will know who they all are…
You can find out more about Wikinomics at http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/
Twintangibles
Whilst discussing Social Media Week, I must close by congratulating my good friends Tim and Daniela of Twintangibles. Twintangibles along with New Media Corp, were the event organisers and put their heart and soul in making the week what it was. They absolutely ensured that the events remained true to the principles of social media and were absolutely tireless in their efforts in what was an incredibly large, and at times, complex operation. It was their vision, desire and ability to inspire that made Social Media Week, what it was in Glasgow. The capturing of a man like Don Tapscott was symbolic of the herculean effort they made. And no less than they deserved. For people that truly want to embrace the true spirit and potential of social media, I suggest that you check out their website at http://twintangibles.co.uk/ In the picture above, Tim and Daniela are second and fourth from the left where they are joined by Danny Gray of Google on the left and Arvind Salwan of New Media Corp who also deserves a huge thank you for his great work.
Massive congratulations and thank you to all of you!
Have a great week folks…
Benedetto Bordone
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Oct
Why i-Loved Steve Jobs
Posted by benbordone / Comment
Well it’s not very often that you feel the loss of somebody that you felt was truly great but Steve Jobs for me was that person. I loved his passion, I loved his vision and I loved his optimism for a better future. Steve jobs’ work has touched many peoples’ lives in so many ways. i-mac, i-phone, i-pad. In the last couple of hours he has received many tributes. Marks of respect from every side of the globe. From the millions of Apple consumers to people such as President Obama. He has been praised for his technological achievements, his entrepreneurial achievements and now I want to pay tribute to Steve Jobs for everything he has done for my profession, design.
Growing up as a designer, everything you are ever taught at school or University about design in some way has been mastered by Steve Jobs. With Apple as his canvas, he has spent the last 30 years revolutionising our field. Want to know about graphics and packaging? Simply check out the beautiful boxes his products come in and the wonderful use of fonts. Want to know about product detailing? Check out any of the Apple products of today. All of them, beautifully balanced, beautifully finished and beautifully weighted. Want to know about concepts? Simply look at what Apple did to the music industry, they basically re-invented it! With i-tunes and the i-pod, they put the consumer back at the heart of the music industry and changed the way we all listen to music forever. Want to know about powerful branding? Apple is the strongest brand in the world, period. I don’t care what any survey says about IBM or Mercedes. Apple is light years ahead of everybody in building a powerful consistent brand. They don’t have to discount their products; they don’t have to really advertise their products. Everybody knows instinctively what Apple is, what they’re about and why they want to pay more to have one. Apple could make a car, a washing machine or even a plane and people would want one.
And finally, want to know how to make money out of design? Apple is the most valuable technology company in the world. And it is for this that I want to eternally thank Steve Jobs. For giving design real teeth at the board level and making great products as a priority. See great products and great companies are not borne out of dogma or a desire to mercilessly make money; they are borne out of one’s passion for a better future. Making money is simply the consequence when you learn how to do it really well. Most of the time what a creative will produce is the result of passion, a moment of inspiration. And traditionally it is the first thing to be killed in the boardroom. Well Apple changed all of that, be it the first graphical user interface, be it the transparent cover on the first i-mac or even the first proper touch-screen phone. Most of those ideas would have been killed off early in most boardrooms but Steve Jobs and Apple were different. He said yes when most people say no. He stuck to HIS beliefs in making perfect products when many before him would have said no for an easier life. It remains incredibly difficult to innovate and innovate well. Most cowardly hide behind the shelter of what has gone before, but Steve Jobs was a leader. And most importantly he proved that great design is profitable. Steve Jobs showed the true value of great design and how it is just as applicable to the design of a button as it is to the way you actually design the business itself.
Apple really did begin to resemble their owner. And no he was not perfect. He was prickly at times and a tad aloof but ultimately he was a genius. The company he created, although massive, does have a heartbeat. Even Apple’s website tribute to the great man is beautifully designed. Steve Jobs should be thanked for instilling that ability into his team and for showing the world the power of great design. We talk a lot about ‘design with soul’ here at the loft and sometimes its a hard concept to define. But I can think of no better embodiment of that message than Steve Jobs.
Rest in peace Steve Jobs and thank you…
Benedetto