Social Media 101 Part 3: Create your own social network

So you know how to podcast and how to videoblog? Well, it's time to put it all together. Did you know over 80% of the UK population is on Facebook? For young people it's even closer to 90%. I find this rather amazing. Bebo is particularly popular as a social media site amongst young people in Scotland, and the trend is upwards. As is the use of mobiles, videoblogging and twitter of course.

To put it simply, we're all on Facebook. Of course this is simplifying things and there are people who don't access Facebook for a number of reasons, but it's still breathtaking to look at the statistics. Facebook, Bebo and MySpace are open social networks, the idea being that anyone can join, and it facilitates to accumulate lots of friends, or to be a part of lots of groups.

Now, for some situations, that's a bit to wide and not suitable. You may be looking for a topical network, one where all the members share an interest. Which is not about linking the world, but linking people around an issue, an interest, a theme. Enter: Ning. Ning is a platform that offers bespoke social networks. Effectively, it offers you to set up your very own social network and you have full control over who can join and who can't. You can determine privacy settings, layout, you can even moderate every single contribution to it.

Why would you want to do it? Well, for example if you work with young people and want to make sure that they use social media in a safe environment. Then look at British Mummy Bloggers: One idea, almost 800 members, and what a vibrant network! Of course, in the case of BMB, everyone can join who considers themselves a parent blogger, it's not closed in that sense. It does focus on one theme though and allows people to connect around that theme. Another favourite example of mine in Ooooby (out of our own back yards), an international ning site that connects people who grow their own veg in the small or big spaces available to them. You can find out about local farmers markets where you are, ask food growing questions, share seeds and saplings, and set up your own groups (I set up a Scotland group). Again, everyone can sign up and there's no moderation of activities. Towards Transition Glasgow is another network I'm part of, it's a Transition initiative - and Transition initiatives are always very local. A closed social network is ideal for a local initiative because it offers that focus.

Savvy Chavvy is an example of a successful closed Ning site. It's by and for young Gypsy/Travellers in the UK. Amazingly, it must have filled a void because thousands of young Travellers are on it - I didn't even realise there were that many young Gypsy/Travellers in the UK! Only young Gypsy/Travellers are allowed in, and there are some mechanisms to make sure that this is upheld. It works because it has created a save space which is exclusive, and because the Gypsy/Traveller identity is something that binds people across the UK together.

Ning offers all the features you would expect from a social network site. You can blog, you can share photos, videos, podcasts. There is a forum and you can set up groups. Each user has their own profile page which they can customise. You can make friends within your network. There is a poll tool, you can broadcast (or email) all the members, you can moderate every contribution or decide not to. It comes with an ever growing number of widgets. Above all, it's entirely free! Well, the free version has rather annoying google ads in it, but if that bothers you, you can get rid of ads for a reasonable monthly fee. The best thing is that you can set it up in a matter of minutes. And then play around with the layout for months. The options are endless, but you don't HAVE to use all the options. Simply does it too. Ning rocks, no question about it.

I set up a Ning site which is linked to the work I'm doing. It's fully moderated and membership is by invitation only. We've set the highest level of security because the users on it are young people and we want to keep them 100% safe. The big question is whether the restrictions will put them off, because it's counter intuitive in a social media context where everything is open and instant, where you don't wait for your blog post or photo to be approved by someone who works 9-5 Monday to Thursdays. Time will tell. I'm having fun with it, that's for sure!

Part 2: Video Blogging 101

Second in line of my 3 part series on social media is a fool proof video blogging 101.

The great thing to start with is that most stuff I covered in the podcasting 101 still applies. So it would be a good idea to read that post first for basic rules on content.

What Odeo is for podcasting, Youtube is for video blogging. The advantage of using Youtube (or any other video platform for that matter) is that it's externally hosted, yet you can embed the video in your blog which makes it appear as if it actually is on your blog. Another advantage is that youtube offers channels which you can link to on your blog, you can create playlists to share etc. Have a look at my own youtube widget where I share films that young people I worked with made. Some of them are on my own youtube channel, some of them on my favourites list.

Search engines love videos. If you have a video on your blog, it'll get more readers. A video can also really promote something, including a cause, if on youtube. Then there's the viral thing. That means that people pass on video they like. It happens more than with any other media. The video blogging (just like the micro blogging market) is growing and there's no sign of an end to this growth.

So really, to be hip and happening in social media, and blogland, you should use video. And why not have a go at it, as a one off, and see if it works for you?

Here's the technical bit:
You need:
1. a camera. A webcam can do this job. The Mercedes Benz version is a Flip camera (for which Supermummy Mumpreneur currently has a competition running, but you can't win it because I want it). They will set you back £70-£150. But they are so cool. Foolproof to use, stylish and they produce high quality videos. Your camera should have an inbuilt microphone, so no need for anything else.

2. editing software. Windows Movie Maker is a likely software that you may already have on your computer and it's all you need. It's intuitive and easy to use. I use Adobe Premiere Elements which supports more formats and also is a bit more stable - that's because I do HD stuff from a camcorder. Windows Movie Maker is perfectly sufficient for video blogging needs.

3. watch your file format. Your editing software may create one file format and youtube will only accept other file formats. Check this out and if you need to convert, google for free downloadable software that does just this. Make sure to read user reviews before installation - you want something easy and virus free.

That's it, off you go.

Now you can look for content. Video blogging often uses simple formats. The blogger talking to the camera. The blogger interviewing someone. The blogger demonstrating something. It's not rocket science!

It's ok to have a rough edge. You're not looking for perfection, some pauses, ehm and ahs make for authenticity and are fine. You don't need a tripod but you can use one if you prefer. However, avoide swaying the camera constantly and too quickly. That'll make your viewer dizzy.

Try to have the light facing your object. That way everything is lit.

Always check recording before you call it a day.

As with podcasting: give a bit of context, who are you? where are you? what's that noise? Make it personal: what do you think, feel?

Editing:
To edit your video files, you need to first import them to your computer. Create a folder for this to keep them in one place. Plug in the camera, import using Camera and Scanner Wizzard.
Next: Open Windows Movie Maker. Then select Import Video. Drag it into the bottom bar. Import as many individual file as you need to make up your full video. Then click "Show Timeline"

You can now edit individual files, edit how they come together, you can add music, titles, subtitles, transitions, and much more. After every change, replay to make sure you're happy with your edit.

When you're done, save movie (you may want to open the dialog for more choices and select Video for Broadband).

Now upload your video to youtube (using lots of tags so it's picked up in search engines) and get the embed code (usually beside the video when it's playing). Add the code to your blogpost, or as an element/widget to your side bar. That's it, all done. Stand in awe and admire.

the hip and the fun part 1: podcasting 101

Last week, I got trained in social media. Quite a strange situation, what with being a blogger, twit and all that. Yet I know that there's a lot out there that I don't use and actually feel rather uncomfortable using. How about video or podcasting? It gives me the shivers, and all seems so very complicated.

Yet, when I blogged about our Wee Shots project, and then googled for Wee Shots with the intention of getting the original youtube files, I was gobsmacked at the search engine result: My little blog, the one with 49 followers (now 50, thank you babyrambles!!!) was first up.

Why? Google loves blogs (because they are regularly updated) and google loves video. Google gets all excited about blogs that have videos on them. Give them the right tag and you're way up there in the search engines.

So, time to have a look at podcasting and video blogging. I'll start with the audio bit in this post, video blogging will be part two. The third part will be about bespoke social network platforms.

Podcasting - the technical bit:
I was amazed at how simple podcasting is. So I'll keep this short and you can all just go out and give it a go. What you need is a gadget which will record audio files. I'm sure a microphone attached to your computer would do, if you want the mercedes benz version, you'll go for a handheld device, such as an Olympus recorder. Add a decent microphone and a set of headphones, and you're ready to go.

Your software requirements are all free for download: Jodix to convert your audio file to the editable MP3 and Audacity to edit your MP3 file and export it to a suitable format.

To host your podcast, you can use the free online platform Odeo, from where you can embed your podcast in your blog.

Here are the basic steps: Record. Convert your file to an MP3 using Jodix. Edit in Audacity. Export (in Audacity) to MP3. Upload on Odeo. Get the embed code and blog it. That's it. Podcast can be RSS'ed which is a plus.

Now, I'm sure you all want to have a good quality podcast. So to make it a good one, look at content first of all.

• Do give a personal, a new perspective.
• Do use some background noises that bring the topic alive. So if you blog about the trials of motherhood, screaming baby in the background would be nice. Just an example, you don't of course have to make your child scream for the sake of a podcast.
• Do keep it short. 1-2 mins is plenty.
• Do keep it to the point
• Do keep it informal and conversational
• Do make sure you don't make assumptions of knowledge: Explain terms, name check people you interview all the time, and anything else that makes it easy for your listener to follow your interview without the benefit of vision
• Do take control of interviews, interrupt if your interviewee rambles, you're in charge!
• Do add an image to your podcast upload, it engages and brings it alive
• Do create a mental image in the interview, some sentence that calls up an image, this will stick with listener
• Do record some sounds of the location to mix in later

In Audacity, you can edit the track. Remove bits you don't like, add silence etc. You can add wild tracks (other sounds, like music or sound clips) and with the washing line tool, you can fade music in and out. It makes it so much nicer to have a bit of music with the podcast. Import music (instrumental music is best, and it should suit the mood you want to create in your podcast) or other sound effects - you can do this for free on podsafeaudio or Royalty Free Music. Soundsnap is good for sound effects.

Audacity has lots of easy to use tools, and you can find out how in the online tutorial. It's really easy, you can get a fab podcast just by using some editing which will take you about 15 minutes or so even as a beginner. For a polished post, it may take you 30 minutes with just a little bit of practice. It's intuitive, you can undo changes, and it's all good really. Do make sure to listen to your podcast everytime you edit it, because you can only ever undo your last change.

Editing is fun by the way, I loved it and even the not so social media savy in our course got into it big time.

Do you podcast? Have you got any additonal tips to share?

Catching up on rather a lot of things all at once and does anyone know what this vegetable is?

I've had a really busy week, so here's just a brief ketchup of a few bits and bobs, in the absence of time to finish off any of the "real" blogposts waiting to be written. I haven't even managed to read the blogs in my reader, that is saying something, so sorry for lack of comments etc.

A Hat in Time: 37 Hats to Knit and Crochet still has no Lulu book option (as in real book - not ebook) due to a mad week at work, but you can get the ebook and preorder the limited edition print run - please go to http://ahatintime.blogspot.com. To recap - it's a personal project, fundraiser for Save the Children so please let everyone know about it and buy lots of copies for yourself, your knitting friends etc.

There's really exciting stuff happening at work, all about creating a webcommunity for our new Inspiring Change programme, and I'm giddy with excitement. Inspiring Change is all about working with groups of young people and parents (and partner organisations) who are affected by poverty to identify a possibility/opportunity for positive changes to their own lives and that of their communities - and facilitate making that change. We've started work with one group and lots more are planned. It's all very busy though, and what with this being a UK wide programme, I spend a lot of time on telecoms with colleagues across the UK. And soon I may even meet them in person, in Belfast and London - haven't been to either city in ages so really looking forward to the trips too. Not that I'll do much apart from sit in a different office, mind you.

As I was hit by the housing market and can't get rid of my bachelorette flat, it's being renovated at the moment. Supposedly it was to be done by today, but to be honest, I've yet to met a decorator/joiner/plumber who finishes work in time, so never expected it to be all done. It's a bit tricky - I'm not sure if to rent the flat out again (September is ideal for finding tenants) or really push the sale. If it's on the market for a while, I'll be absolutely skinned. If I rent it out, it's hassle and who knows what the next tenants will be like (but at least I'll be able to pay my two mortgages...).

I've had almost no time for anything but work and looking after toddlers/babies and associated housework. My weight loss/exercise attempts are put on hold. I'm too stressed to cut out cake and chocolate, and simply have no time to even think about exercise. There will be time for that again, but it's not now.

Did I tell you that I came home to a brown bin the other day? This is true telepathy because I had planned to contact Glasgow city council about brown bins for garden waste. The link on the website wasn't working so I never got around to it. Then out of the blue, there it is, my very own brown bin. I'm pleased and then I'm not so pleased. Thing is, we now have 3 big bins in our tiny weeny terraced house garden, taking up rather a lot of space. They never get filled and really, we could share one between at least two neighbours, if not three.

Finally, here's a summary of my gardening success with raised beds and generally using every available space in my tiny garden for veggies: My herbs and lettuce did really well, they were a success truly. As to tomatoes - let's do better. I only got two handfuls of cherry tomatoes out of nine plants, the tomatoes are green mostly (although I've been given a fab tip to get them red: wrap them in newspaper and store them in a warm place, like a drawer, the oven after use and they will turn red. They do, I've tried it!). Next year I've got to get a sunnier spot, support them, make sure to take out the side shoots early and consistently. I didn't do any of this, so the yield was rather pathetic (tasty though!). My trial of whether expensive or cheap grow bags work better resulted in the cheap ones yielding more tomatoes, but the big ones creating bigger plants, not sure what the meaning of that would be.
Next year, I'll double my efforts with 2 raised beds, once I've stolen a bit more of Alloa compost... Oh, I also got a few courgettes which were more of a marrow and this item which looks interesting. If you know what it is, please tell me. Better even, what can I do with it? Is it edible? If you know, pray tell me!

Young People, Youth Work and Social Networking

Now how about that: There's little me, addicted to all things internet, and social networking. Still finding my feet around stuff like social bookmarking which I don't quite get. A definite convert to Twitter although I'm sure I'm not using it to it's full potential yet. And then work sends me to a conference on social networking in the youth work context. Bliss! Official endorsement of my geeky side.

If we forget about the rather rubbish start to the day (early childminder drop off, two trains and a 20 min walk and then having to walk around a rugby stadium twice in the pouring rain to find the flipping entrance, because the conference organisers had not managed to include information on which stand/gate to use, only to arrive late and have missed the chance to sign up to the workshop that I was most interested in. Rant over.), it was all good. I have a list of social networking sites that I want to try out: Friendfeed where you can integrate all your facebooks/bebo's of the world. Ning, ning and ning again (that's for my work context mind you). The massive increase of video blogging and microblogging this very year 2009. Statistics which boggle the mind.

Did you know that Bebo is particularly popular amongst young people in Scotland? It's the no. 1 social networking site in the 16-24 age bracket.
Then I found out how social networking on the go, i.e. with your iphone or equivalent is the taste of things to come. How particularly young people tend to use their mobiles for social networking. How MSM and Instant Messaging, and chat rooms, are still very popular among the young. How scarily easy it is to find out a lot of info on young people through their social networking profiles and what we need to do to protect them from those risks.

Above all, there was lots of food for thought. Youth workers and organisations working with young people are scared of social networking. And yes, there are risks. However, you don't avoid them by putting on blinkers and signalling three crosses. You can't make social networking sites go away, they are THE most used parts of the internet. And they do rock, to be fair. So in my view it's all about knowing the medium and working with young people to make them aware of risks and enable them to protect themselves. They're not daft, they can use that stuff better than middle aged me, so they can learn how to do it safely.

Another biggie for me was the fact how much it is assumed that because social networking is so prevalent, that everyone is using it. Well people, they're not. The young people I meet through my work often don't have a landline, never mind a broadband connection or an iphone. A phone that costs £30 a month? You must be joking. So social networking is all good and well but does also contribute to another social, digital divide. Another facet of a society tainted by deep running inequalities. You may say, well, they can do it on school or library computers. Hm, nice try, however, you can't access social networking sites from libraries, schools and many other public computers because of the restrictions put on such computers (see previous paragraph on the fear of the social network amongst youth workers/teachers).

There's a massive piece of work where we would like to use lots of social networking tools and we'll have to get our heads around the fact that we won't be able to create online communities amongst young people and their families who live in poverty, simply because they don't have the access to the internet that is needed for this. Of course, in our work we can offer, facilitate and provide such access, but that also means it's on our terms, and not entirely owned by the participants in our programme. Compromise is written all over it.

Not ideal, but at the same time I'm excited about all the stuff that's out there. To link in with my post on child protection and blogging, there was also a draft document on best practice of using social networking in the youth work context which also gave lots of food for thought. Specifically I've learned that young people should not disclose full name, name of their families, the name of their school (or show photos with school uniform), their address and that such disclosure may go through their friends. Add to that to only post photos of yourself that you would show your mum and you're on the right track.

I did go away with a strong urge to own an iphone. Ideal for feeding the habit. Oh dear, how far have I fallen.

Some interesting links on the topic:
http://blogs.nya.org.uk/ywsn/
http://econsultancy.com/blog/3982-10-superb-social-media-presentations
http://ukyouthonline.ning.com/
And if I figure out SU and digg, maybe I even stand a chance of bookmarking it online.