Where to Begin…

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Scott Gould

Hey guys.

I’m sorry for not sooner getting back to writing after our time in Finland with Like Minds Conversation Helsinki. Part of it is that I just don’t know where to begin. So I guess a good place to start is to first thank those who put in much of the hard work, my team:

This is Jonny, James, Rachel, Jon, John, Jason and Claudia. The oldest in the photo is me (26), and the youngest is James (15).

All of these guys are punching well above their age. Jason, for instance, who has worked with me for almost a year now, and on all the Like Minds events thus far, is personally known by everyone of our Like Minds Alumni – a collection of 50 industry leaders like Mel Exon, Olivier Blanchard, Molly Flatt, Maz Nadjm, John Bell and the rest.

I keep on saying, over and over and over that firstly, it’s all about people, and that secondly, one is too small a number to achieve signficiance.

Well here are the guys who are helping Like Minds be significant - most recently by using our international platform to promote the incredible work being done in Helsinki.

That last sentence made an important distinction that you might’ve missed – so I’ll make it clearer: Like Minds is about using an event to promote a community, and not about using a community to promote an event. If one is too small a number to achieve significance (and it is), then you need to partner with the communities around you to build something of shared value to everyone.

It’s far too easy to crucify people on the altar of running the event that was built to serve people in the first place. In other words, the event is made for people, not people for the event.

In building participatory events (or attendee-centered events as they are known), you have to be very prepared in order to make it as easy as possible for your participants to learn, but you never sacrifice their learning at the expense of standards or protocol.

I have lots of things that I want to talk about that I’ve experienced over the last 2 weeks. It’s the amount of stuff that has happened and that I’ve learnt that has literally paralyzed me from communicating it. But – I must get it down. I’ll post some of it at the Like Minds site, and then carry out some deeper analysis on the topics and ideas here that we can then munch over and discuss.

I also want to, again, thank you for your support and encouragement. I felt it everyday that I was there.

Yours,
Scott

In A Year…

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Scott Gould

I started this blog of ours a year ago today. Since then, well, awesome things have happened.

A year ago I never thought I’d be running an event in Helsinki today, or meeting the incredible people I’ve got to meet, or spend a day consulting Finland on their Social Media strategy.

But more so, I never thought I’d appreciate people I’ve never physically met so much.

Thank you guys.
Scott

Like Minds Conversation Helsinki

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Scott Gould

Tomorrow is a big day for me as I leave for Helsinki to hold the first international Like Minds event – Like Minds Conversation Helsinki: Real Time in Real Life.

I am, of course, thrilled. I’m going to be meeting some exceptional people over this coming week, as well as taking with me a contingent of exceptional people to Helsinki to engage in a very exciting learning experience.

This has also been a learning experience for me. I can tell you right away I’ve made mistakes and learned some valuable lessons for the future, mainly about community and how to organise an event over email and phone, without being there. Whilst I’ve spoken at events and planned events around the world, this is the first time I have planned an event from afar. I’ll be sharing these lessons over the coming weeks – probably in video form – which will be good to get your input on too.

Want to know one of them now? Ok, you’ve pulled my leg.

We received a lot of praise and feedback for how well Like Minds Conference 2010 was organised, which I have to agree with. Without being arrogant, it was the most well organised event that I have designed, and it was the best event that I have ever been to with regards to being minute perfect (which is mainly down to my wonderful wife Faye.)

We were pretty prepared for that, but I never knew how easy it was until planning Like Minds Conversation Helsinki. The level of preparation that you need for an international event that you are organised virtually, as opposed to physically, is ten-fold, and likewise communication is ten-fold and the amount of lead time you require, and advance booking of all the elements is also ten-fold. I’ve already outlined how to improve this, and am already drawing up the partnership documents and the event run sheet for Washington DC in September and then Exeter in October now.

My Itinerary This Week

My itinerary is arrive in Helsinki on Tuesday, and then meet with the local press and media as well as locals in general during the day. If you are in Helsinki, let me know. I want to meet you!

Wednesday night I am speaking, as you know, at Dicole Oz on People-to-People (which will be streamed live), and then Thursday 17th June is the big day – Like Minds Conversation Helsinki.

You’ll be able to follow the event live online at http://www.twitterface.com/likeminds, thanks to the wonderful team at Fresh ID, lead by my friends Lisa Qualls and the inestimable Kristi Colvin. Please do support me on the day by tuning in and also engaging on the #likeminds hashtag.

Then Friday I am privileged enough to take our team of speakers and guests and spend a day with Visit Finland, the tourist board of the country, discussing and developing a Social Media plan for the country. I can’t begin to tell you how humbled I am that I find myself in this position – it doesn’t seem real to be honest to think I’ll be consulting a country – and I certainly feel the weight of the responsibility. Of course, the team of people we have is exceptional and I have every confidence that we will deliver a very high degree of value for Visit Finland.

Probably the biggest thing in all of this (and as much as it seems a big deal, I know it’s still a small thing in the grand scheme and all), is that this is all happened quite unexpectedly. This is a theme I want to discuss later – I can categorically tell you that 6 months ago (with Like Minds already underway), I didn’t think I’d be here. And a year ago, I certainly didn’t think I’d ever be here.

And where is here, exactly?

I’m not here for profit. I’m here for a cause. I believe that the connections I am making, and the community I am fostering, will be a force for change, and ultimately, for the spiritual and physical benefit of many.

Photo from Like Minds Conference 2010, courtesy of Benjamin Ellis.

People-to-People: The Future Of Everything

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Scott Gould

On Wednesday 16th June, the evening before Like Minds Conversation Helsinki, I have the honour of being invited to speak at the prestigious Dicole Oz meetup.

Dicole Oz is hoted by Teemu Arina, one of our panelists at Like Minds, who Joe Pine referred me to – so it’s like minds allround.

I’m guessing most of you won’t be there in person (in fact, it’s full already) – but you can watch the live stream here at 18:45 on Wednesday 16th June, Helsinki Time.

I’m going to talk about People-to-People: The Future of Everything, something that any regular reader here will understand. People-to-People is the new way that we are operating in a knowledge economy, where people are more valuable than parts, and success is built not by the speed of a machine, but by the strength of your team. (Yes, there will lots of rhyming.)

Here’s the Test

I want to go to Helsinki and talk about this community. I want to talk about Exeter and bringing £100,000 into a city’s economy through social media. I want to talk about the stories of like minded individuals across the world – most of whom haven’t met yet. I want to talk about the depth of discussion that we generate here.

What I need are your stories and examples – from the boardroom, to the big deals, to the unique engagement, to the personal touches, to the new friendships – so that I go to Helsinki equipped with the examples to show what a people-to-people community looks like.

Let’s talk:

What ‘Social’ Means For ‘Broadcast’ Businesses

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Scott Gould

On Friday 4th June, I’m speaking at Creative Brkfst in Plymouth about what ‘Social’ as a media and a mindset means for what are traditionally ‘Broadcast’ businesses.

There are a lot of fears for SMEs regarding Social Media – mainly that it is a fad, that they will fail at it, and that they will waste finance in doing so – but as with most fears, these really stem from a lack of understanding. We fear what we don’t know. What doesn’t help is the incredible amount of talk and buzz word heavy jargon, the supposed heavy reliance of technology to achieve success (thereby creating gatekeepers), the shoddy way in which most agencies provide Social Media services, and the tragic tales of brands who screwed up with Facebook like Nestlé.

What I’ll be doing is going through the Social / Broadcast Matrix and presenting a clear, framed explanation of what broadcast is, how social is an opposite of that, and how the two work together, rather than cancelling each other out. If people can understand what the mindset is, I’m confident they’ll quickly understand the media.

We’ll then look at the three ways in which Broadcast Businesses can move into Social Business.

Creative Brkfst is all about about Good Ideas (love the slogan), and as a primarily creative meetup, what I’m going to be doing with the 40 minutes I have is actually demonstrate all four modes of the Social / Broadcast Matrix by having discussion, keynoting, feedback, etc – so get yourself ready for a really engaging morning.

Best of all, it’s free. Meaning you get a morning of my time for free, as well as coffee and breakfast.

If you want to come, then you can get details here: http://creativebrkfst.eventbrite.com/

Do Talk Do – What Collaboration Looks Like

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Scott Gould

I’m on a warpath.

I’ve decided that most of the content consumed on a daily basis is the digital equivilent of frozen ready meals that get warmed and served up in 5 minutes, before being forgotten, having added no nutrition value to the body, and being dropped out into the toilet a day later in the chain of useless bodily consumption.

The irony is that I’m posting content to declare a war of sorts on content, but hear me out: today I’m beginning a collaboration project that you are all invited to.

Do Talk Do

The other day my friend Robin Dickinson said “DO-TALK-DO: continual talk without action lowers your credibility. Far better to talk about the action you took.”

When people ask what collaboration looks like, I’ve now got an answer. It’s this. Collaboration is that we do something. We talk about it’s successes and failures. Then we go and do again.

There’s twice as much doing as there is talking. And the talking is based on action, not theory.

Here’s How It’s Going to Work

I’ve been speaking to you in the comments, on Twitter recently, and face to face with many of you, about a collaboration project. About connections over community. Today it begins. This is how I see it happening to start with:

We’ve all done something. So we arrange a time to talk vision – probably on a bit conference call – along the lines of a rough agenda. If you haven’t done, don’t come.
If no one responds in the comments and on Twitter to this – then fine – I’ve clearly got it wrong. I’m not going to push it.
The aim is that we move ourselves from being content creators to those who make it happen. Goodwill and all that.
Put your name in the comments below if you’re in, with contact details.

Want more info? Like what we’re actually going to collaborate on? I don’t have it. The whole point is that this isn’t me, it’s us. And we don’t yet know where we are going.

Let it begin.

By the way, thanks to AJ Pape who inspired me no end last night with a short call where he showed me all the ideas he had ready from Like Minds. You can see them in the picture above. He’s already onboard. Thanks AJ.

You’ve Got A Heart, A Wallet, And Contacts – So Use Them

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Scott Gould

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8D_Ll6VrSU

Last week Matt Young presented the Have A Heart Appeal as one of our Endeavours at Like Minds.

The aim is simple: to raise £1,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, whose aim is to basically grant the wishes of terminally ill children.

I’m not asking you to have a heart because I know you have one. I’m just asking you to do two things:

1. Give to the appeal if you haven’t already.
2. Pull your contacts to see how we can not only smash through £1,000, but use our connections to help make some wishes come true. Put what you can do in the comments below.

So, to give to Have A Heart, click here.

I know we can do a lot of good for the local community with this – and do things that really matter.

It’s (Still) All About People

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Scott Gould

Fact.

See you at Like Minds today.

Give This Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Scott Gould

It’s Christmas. I’ve been celebrating all week with friends, family and new faces. The whole reason why we work so hard is to be able to first of all make a difference, and secondly to enjoy it. So I’m taking the time to do enjoy my labour.

Also, every Christmas my friends and I at The River Church have families and students over for Christmas lunch who are by themselves, or just want to be around more warmth than usual. I always come away having made new friendships and love being able to make Christmas happen for someone else.

If you’re overworked, not enjoying the fruit of your labour, or just caught in commercial Christmas stress, then please take some time out and get around the real cause for Christmas – giving to those who have none. I personally find that more refreshing than any amount of sleep.

You also need to get the rest, because in case you didn’t know, 2010 is going to rock. See that tree there? That’s the Christmas Tree at Bovey Castle – home to the Like Minds Summit in Feb 2010. It’s going to be amazing.

So, Merry Christmas, one and all. And let me repeat again that this is a time for giving to those who don’t have.