Reflecting on BarCamp Philly 2009

Yesterday, I attended Philadelphia's 2nd BarCamp, an organic, unconference, where the attendees dictate the sessions, and you get out of it what you put into it.


This years' BarCamp was even more appropriate for me, as I had some of my personal learning network attend as well. We had never met in person prior to that morning of BarCamp, but through Twitter, Google Docs, and Wave, we decided we would present something. After some delicious bagels, freshfruit, and coffee (okay, I had a Pepsi), we posted 2 sessions, and found an empty classroom to begin planning.

Kevin Jarrett posted his session, "Teaching as a Second Career" first thing, and had a small, but dynamic turnout. Being that most of the BarCamp attendees were developers, designers, consultants, and artists, it was a great session for anyone even curious about becoming a teacher.

After attending Things that SUCK (a group exercise), we decided to skip session 3, and grab some lunch at Cosi to continue our planning for the afternoon session, Social Media Survival Guide for Schools.

For a handful of educators, who hadn't met prior to the morning of BarCamp, to collaborate, and present, just shows you how powerful something like BarCamp is to a community. The best thing about it: We're still learning from it! (Our Google Doc, my Twitter List of the 6 of us, and the BarCamp Philly Flickr Pool, for example)

Enjoy, and I hope to see you next year for #3!

7 Things: a meme

 It looks like I procrastinated long enough to be tagged with the "7 things" meme twice! First, I was tagged by the environmentally-conscious, amazing educator, Matt Montagne, followed by my fellow Central PA social media guy, Brian Polensky. 

So, here goes:

1) Most people know me as a cellist/violinist, but I originally went to college (Mansfield University) as an oboe major because my high school phased out their string program. I started cello in 3rd grade!

2) I have never been in a hospital (aside from visiting friends/family). *knocks on wood*

3) One of my favorite jobs, was a 4am-12pm shift at a corn/soybean seed warehouse operating a forklift. It was a summer job with Pioneer Seed, and finishing work at noon meant I had the whole rest of the warm, summer days to swim, spend time with family, etc. 

4) I'm horrible at math! Really! Terrible! But, ironically, I love numbers, data, and statistics. If I could do anything with my life, it would be to improve my numbers skills and learn how to pass it along to students. 

5) In college, I wrote a series of short (under a minute) 12-tone piano pieces based on my piano abilities. 

6) I have two younger brothers, neither of which finished high school, but both have respectable jobs that they are proud of and enjoy going to everyday.

7) I didn't start driving until I was 22 years old (when I got my license before student teaching). My first car was a 1993 Ford Taurus.

I'm tagging:

@shawn

@KathleenLD

@mystro2b

@corman

http://www.momgoesgreen.com/

@fallingwings

...

(I told you I was awful at math)

THE RULES ARE:

Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed”.
List these rules on your blog.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

BarCamp Harrisburg! January 10th, 2009

I'm a greenhorn when it comes to unconferences, social-media, and presenting, but BarCamp Harrisburg, will be my 2nd BarCamp this year, and I gotta say, I'm pretty excited!

My "virgin BarCamp experience" was in Philly this past November. The one-day event introduced me to so many amazing people, and a ton of great ideas, that I was itching to find the next unconference to attend. Little did I know, Harrisburg would be the my next! This time, I even intend on hosting a discussion (based on using open-source apps), which is a little scary, but it's all part of the experience!

BarCamp Harrisburg will be hosting at Temple University's Harrisburg Campus, on January 10, 2009 from 9am-5pm. It's free for all social-media types (check the wiki for registration details). With the size and popularity of our monthly Central PA "Tweetups", I'm excited to participate in BarCamp Harrisburg. I hope to see all my Central PA friends, and I'm looking forward to meeting new folks!

p.s. if you have questions, find me on Twitter! @rorowe

Plodt what you're thankful for (a little experiment)

Anyone that reads this blog (I know there's a couple of you at least, thank you!) either follows me on Twitter, knows me in person, or somehow found me from other social media. I also know that we all CARE. I've written and thought about how to leverage social media to help people before, but this time is a little different. Consider this experiment, a test of the tool, and a brighten your holiday spirit kind of project.


 

So I bring you Plodt.

Plodt, simply gathers tagged Tweets, and graphs them for you and your friends to see. Once you follow Plodt on Twitter, you enclose keywords in asterix along with a number. (it also tracks hashtags). So for example:

"I just won the lottery!!! *happy10*"

Now for the experiment: Ya ready? For the rest of the month, when you're *thankful* for something (tying this in with the holidays, get it?), tag your Tweets! It will be fun to see what everybody is thankful for at the end of the month/season!

photo credits: turtlemom_nancy, and Plodt's page via Jing.

Temporary Phone Numbers

So, last week we had the Phillies World Series parade, where I had planned on meeting up with friends from all over the state. I knew Twitter and my cellphone would be the best tool in the enormous crowds, but I didn't want to broadcast my cellphone number for the world to see.
Alas, I couldn't find a running Septa train to get me to the parade, but I did find a solution for my phone.

http://inumbr.com

I heard about Numbr.com a few months ago on Twitter, as some of my followings were preparing to attend an educational technology conference. They wanted to be able to contact each-other, without losing all privacy by giving out their cellphone numbers. The idea is simple (I have no idea how it actually works, only that it does!): You click on the "get a free number" link, it then assigns one (you can choose one in your area code, too). From that point, you put in the phone number you want it forwarded to, along with some settings like automatic forwarding to voicemail, blocking telemarketers, and more. Most importantly, you set how long your free, temporary number will last before it automatically expires. 

The timeliness of this post is mostly due to the fact that I wanted to keep my current "inumbr" through the duration of BarCamp Philly (November 8, folks!!!), so I can network on the go. I'm hoping this solution works for others attending BarCamp, or any other event. For a brief video walk-through, watch below: 

p.s. I will post my inumbr via Twitter on Wednesday. ;)

photo credit: Karmalize

When Networks Collide

This past Monday, I ventured to the Old City section of Philadelphia for a planning meeting for BarCamp Philly. I've never been to a BarCamp, a Podcamp, an Ignite event, or any other social media meetup aside from Harrisburg's monthly Tweetups, but I knew that by participating in the planning, I'd feel more comfortable attending the unconference on November 8th.

So I met some of my Twitter friends, gloriabell and phillygrub, then met some new ones, like interjection and stellargirl at IndyHall (link to their site). After the planning, though...the fun stuff happened.

We made the decision earlier in the day to go to National Mechanics (an awesome Old City bar) to watch the World Series. This was game 5...the one that will go down in history as the first-ever, suspended (due to rain) World Series game. My new "Philly network" was about to collide with my "high school network" since some of my old high school buddies live in the city. After a few direct messages via Twitter, jcourts shows up, along with a few friends. THEN, a local (as in, lives near me, not near the city) decided to meet us at natmechanics for the game. I ended up hitching a ride home with him (he's not on Twitter...yet), thus saving myself the jog in the rain to catch Septa home!

With all the social networking these days, MySpace for "teens", Facebook for "students", LinkedIn for "professionals", Twitter for...umm...everybody, it's interesting to start seeing these different networks collide like they did for me Monday. I only wonder how many of us are ready for these types of collisions...

photo credit: ME!

p.s. WOOHOO PHILLIES!!! CONGRATS ON WINNING THE '08 WORLD SERIES!!!

Responsibility for your OWN actions

Ever have someone in your social networks use profanity in their Tweets, status updates, or blog posts? Do some of your MySpace/Facebook friends post pictures of things that you don't want to associate with?

When I was actively teaching, I was much more concerned about not only how I acted, but also how my friends behaved around me and online. As my networks grow, it has gotten to the point where I can't be everyone's mother.

If you have other peoples' data (status updates, images, audio, video) aggregating on your Twitter pages, Facebook profiles, blog comments, and so on...

How much control do you exert over their online behavior?

If someone you follow curses, or is just disgusting, is that an immediate "stop following", or do you send them a private message asking them to clean up their act? I've come to realize that this situation is similar to hearing profanity at the mall, your children seeing an angry driver flipping someone off, etc. If you have no control over that, is online any different?

photo credit: k bost cc: by-sa 2.0

Escaping the Echo-Chamber

Can you hear me? Hellooooo? No, no, not you guys. Everyone else.

This darn echo-chamber, walled gardens, the bleeding edge, the next big thing, WHATEVER! Guess what? Most people aren't hearing it. They either don't know, don't get it, or don't care. I love being a first adopter of all things tech, but sometimes I feel like a space cadet, especially when I'm talking about something I learned from my PLN (personal learning network). I always start by saying something like, "This academic I follow on Twitter shared a story about..." or, "A friend of mine...". I think most of my close friends and family have gotten used to me using the word "friend" interchangeably with "person I know from the internet", but I'm sure I still get strange looks every once in awhile.

I think things like CNN mentioning Twitter, CSI:NY basing an episode on Second Life, and wedding photographers using Flickr help bring social media out of the echo chamber, and into peoples' everyday lives, but I'm not doing my part. Today, I asked myself:

1. "Why do I use social media?"
2. "What would [insert family member, friend, colleague, etc] get out of social media?"
3. "How could I show [insert (one of above)] social media without seeming pushy, dorky, etc?"

Another post will be forthcoming in the next few days...because I honestly can't answer all of my own questions yet. I can create examples of productive socmed use, but I realize there's always that extra noise that comes with it. All of this will hopefully round up some thoughts before Harrisburg's (Central PA's) first-ever Podcamp.

photo credit: Plamen Stoev

Put it to good use.. [Blog Action Day, 2008]

Social-media...are we doing it right?

I used to read about a homeless blogger (I can't find his blog anymore, which worries me, actually), and how the perception of homeless people was usually way off target. When I taught in Philadelphia School District, travelling between 9 different schools, scattered throughout my favorite city, I saw my share of homeless people.

We're all taught to never talk to strangers, but some of these people became non-strangers to me, as I saw them weekly, sometimes daily. Sometimes, all it took was a, "How are you today?" to put a smile on their face. Sometimes, it took me donating a few hours in a soup kitchen with the Boy Scouts to know that I was helping.

We've gone from a time when homeless used to mean "lazy", "addicted", or "criminal", to a time when homeless simply means, "can't afford a place to live". I've always had a roof over my head, whether it be my parents' house, a college dorm, or an apartment. The closest I've ever been to homeless, was during a wilderness survival outing for a merit badge (ask me how comfy my bed of ferns was!).

I have to wonder, if all this social-media could be doing something greater than sharing what I had for breakfast today. How about a tweet like this: "Just helped a man eat for the first time in a week." What if Twitter, blogging, BrightKite was actually being used to fight poverty? What if every Tweet I received meant a penny, or maybe a dollar, towards a charity for the poor? If you can Twitter, or blog, you have more "wealth" than someone who can't. Trickle-down economics, right?

I'm not finished with this thought...or the actions that may come from it...
photo credit: davco9200

Tweetup, October-style

THURSDAY! Yeah, it's the 3rd one of the month already, so I'm gearing up for another trip to Harrisburg, home of my favorite social "real-world" network. It's always exciting to see the first few tweets asking, "When is the Tweetup?", "Who's coming?", etc. as we get closer to the Tweetup.

I've been asked recently, "Why go all the way to Harrisburg just to meet people you see online everday?". It's a valid question, especially with travel expenses (I'm happy, though, that fuel is getting cheaper!). Tweetups are a way to share all that stuff that doesn't fit in 140 characters (or 12 seconds), or doesn't translate well in type. We share new networks we've found, tips on blogging, Twittering, or "filtering the noise". We do this all over a couple of beers, and some non-bear chili.

A quick note to any Philly Twitterati: If anyone's interested in tagging along, let me know via Twitter or email. I have the most fun, and get the most out of these Tweetups when new people come.


The details: Thursday 10/16/08 7pm-9pm @ ABC In Harrisburg. (here for map)

Is social-media worth the time?

Before I start, you already know MY answer to the title is an outstanding, "YES". The question is meant for you...or the person who's not quite into social media yet.

I ask based on a conversation I've been having repeatedly with a close friend who's business is computer game design, audio/video editing, and other sorts of content creation. Their business seems like it would be perfect for a social-media aspect of it. At the very least, you'd think the owners would be into social-media, right?

Well, here's the deal: They're worried about the time sink involved in social networking, whether it's Twittering, blogging, or whatever. Their business lives are spent behind a computer doing everything from audio composition/mixing/recording, to advanced 3D modeling and texturing work, with video components added in for fun. I completely understand that time is of the essence, especially when it comes down to the wire with deadlines.

I think the best way to do this, is to suggest a test. For the next week, I am going to log how much time it takes me to check my various social-media outlets, specifically these main ones:

• iGoogle (including: Google Reader, Gmail)
  
• Twitter
• Plurk
• Strands
  

I'll log how long it takes to get through everything using a Google Spreadsheet. My goal is to convince people that social-media could take less than an hour a day (and can easily be spread throughout the day if necessary).
A couple flaws in my experiment: First off, I can't get away with checking my networks once a day. It just won't work for me. The matrix has me way too deep, *laughs*. Secondly, I'm not giving up mobile access (my friend currently doesn't own a cellphone, and would rather not use one ever). Finally, there are a number of variables that I can't control. But that's okay!

So, what do you think?
photo credit: AlbertNL

What advice would I give Oreo?

Today, via Twitter, Chris Brogan asked:

I'm not a social media expert by any sense of the word, but I'd like to think I have a good idea on how to utilize things like Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, Flickr, etc. for the good of a company (or at least, myself). So, here's what I'd do:

I'd sell the Oreo brand on some sort of family-friendly event. Family portraits with oreo cookies and milk mustaches, where all the pictures are uploaded to an Oreo-themed Flickr account, maybe. The families can choose to save, transfer, or possibly print out their shots, and Nabisco/Oreo could ask permission to use some of them in future promotions?
I think the other component would be to have the families share the experience via blogging, their own photos, text messages, etc. (This is the part that I think most brands would be concerned about because of the possibility of bad press.)

Am I on the right track here? I like trying to think like I know this stuff, or like I have the first clue how to market something. Got a better idea? Something I should change? Lemme know!

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

I've been blogging for awhile now, but I don't claim to be an expert. In fact, my post today is just as important to me, as it might be to my readers. I ask this question:

What would you ask a seasoned blogger?

For example, last week, I spent a few hours searching for CSS and template tips to add my Torley Texture background, and change my list of tags into a tag cloud. I know practically nothing about CSS other than the idea behind it. That's something I'd ask a seasoned blogger for help learning.

I also recently added Google's AdSense ads to my blogs, in hopes that someday I'll earn enough money from them to at least fund a domain name and maybe even hosting. No loss if I don't, but it never hurts to try, right? That's another thing I'd ask a seasoned blogger: "How do I make money off a hobby blog?" (or is it even possible).

So, what would you ask? What if you actually *could* ask someone who knows his/her stuff, and would sit down and help you?

photo credit: edrabbit

After the Tweetup

Last night was my 3rd Harrisburg Tweetup, and this by far was the smallest attendance, since I've started going...but don't get me wrong; it was still a great night out, and there was still plenty to talk about!
We started out on the deck with Dave, Kathleen, Vicky, and myself. It's always funny to see a group of "strangers" try to meet, as Andrea (didn't get her Twitter name) found out. It made for a hilarious story, but at least she got a free drink out of it.
Aaron showed up shortly after, followed by Justin and Daniel. We joked about the "non-bear chili", and the HUGE (I'm not exagerating) salad Andrea got. We talked about Twitter's learning curve (or lack of one?), and our lack of wifi at the ABC last night. Gadget etiquette was also joked about (turns out, I'm allowed to keep my phone out on the table during Tweetups)
As it got a little chillier (still no bear, though), we moved inside. I responded to a few Central PAers' Tweets asking how the Tweetup was going, so later on we had James and Sara show up for a few beers and their normal restaurant/political conversations (which I find myself more and more interested in, lately).

So, I've made a decision:  I intend on making every Harrisburg Tweetup even though I'm no longer living in Central PA. Why, you ask? Because these people rock!

HBG Tweetup: This time I have a favor to ask

Coming up, on the 18th, is Harrisburg's monthly Tweetup (I've blogged about it before). It'll be on the deck, of Appalachian Brewing Company, in Harrisburg, from 7-9-ish.
I always take something valuable home with me, whether it's a new social-media site to checkout, or advice for dining out in Harrisburg. I've made great friends ("unconsumated" until I met them, lol), and really enjoy the conversations both on the deck and online before and after the Tweetups.
This time, though, I have a favor for the Harrisburg Twitterati. I need to convince a friend that he needs to be aware of and active on Twitter (and other social-media) for his livelihood. I'll explain - My friend owns Idryonis Studios, a development and gaming company located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. While their business is still quite young, they're doing alright. BUT, all of their business has come solely from referrals and luck (being in the right place at the right time, sorta things).

I believe Twitter and other social-media can improve those connections, and hopefully bring in more!

So I'm asking on Thursday, how do I show, explain, teach, and help Idryonis develop a plan to maximize their online presence (besides their amazing website)? I hope to be able to take away (in addition to the always great conversation), some sketch of an idea. Examples of how it's helped each of us, and examples of how it could help them.
Comments to get me/them started before the Tweetup? Leave 'em in the comments!

Social Media and Politics

As I sit here watching the Republican National Convention, I'm also watching my Twitter and Plurk streams, just as I had for the Democratic National Convention. While the speeches by Obama, McCain, Palin, Biden, etc are all well-written, crowd-raising (well...most of them), my social media feeds are feeding me the facts. So I ask,
Is social media making US citizens more aware of our political system and our responsibilities to participate and vote?
I have to be honest...in all fairness, I voted in the last presidential election for the first time in my life (I'm 30, so I've skipped voting a number of times). Because of Twitter, and YouTube, I got out, researched the candidates, and voted in my state's primary. I've listened when people talk about politics instead of saying, " I refuse to discuss politics with people.". And, for the first time in my life, I've sat through both parties' conventions.
I've learned about each candidates views on education, the environment, the economy, and our safety. I've kept track of Obama via his Twitter account. It feels like ages ago, but I even visited Edwards' and Obama's campaign sites in Second Life!
While I can't possibly claim to be a political expert, activist, or even enthusiast...with the help of social media, I can now consider myself a citizen who is doing their civic duty and right to vote.

Social Media and Emergencies (like Hurrican Gustav)

In late August, 2005, the southern United States got to experience Hurricane Katrina. Now, they're looking at Gustav. We watched the tsunami on TV. The earthquakes in Japan, India, California. The wild forest fires on the West Coast.
With all the social-networking, social-media tools that are out there, what are we doing to leverage them in the wake of disaster and emergency relief?
During Katrina, the now-defunct, moblogging site, "Textamerica", used cameraphone images, some Red Cross volunteers, and the power of networking to reunite families that were separated or lost during the evacuations and rescues. Since Textamerica is no longer available (I have one contact from there still...hoping he comes through with an article I can link here), I'm looking at how other social networks: Facebook, Plurk, BrightKite, and especially, Twitter, can help before, during, and after Gustav.
Picture this:

You've evacuated New Orleans, and are staying in a hotel for a few days. Of course, you brought changes of clothes, food, all your legal documents (right?), and multiple forms of currency (credit, checkbook, cash). You also grabbed your cellphone, laptop, and camera (and all the chargers!), and notified your family and friends where you'll be staying.

Now, during times like this, internet, phone, and cellphone towers get backlogged (especially if datacenters are flooded out or without power). You might be able to rely on a hotel's wi-fi, but truthfully, your cellphone is your best tool. SMS or text-messages get queued so they almost always go through, whereas a voice-call will just fail. By checking in to Twitter, a family can post news reports, location, images, and more to their network. More importantly, people who are looking for them can use http://search.twitter.com to find their family, friends, etc.
A few more tips for leveraging social media in the event of an environmental, terrorist, or other emergency:

• Use BrightKite to "check-in" to a location. Have it forwarded to Twitter. Also allows you to post notes, images, and see others who are checked in nearby.
• Have IDs/account #s memorized (or, if you trust it, scanned as images onto your phone or camera).
• Use Gustav's Ning: http://gustav08.ning.com/ as a central hub for all hurricane-related information.
• Be ready: http://www.ready.gov/

Any more tips? I pray everyone in the southern states shelter and safety over the next few days and coming weeks. Following the storm, I plan on looking at social-media as a way to help the cleanup efforts.

Photo credit: www.gisuser.com

What does your avatar say about you?

Since I started using Twitter, this polar bear has been my profile picture, or avatar. Actually, I lie...I started my Twitter account using my Second Life name: "Ipenda Keynes" (You can view my Second Life blog: here), but since changing my username to the screenname I want to be identified by, I grabbed this polar bear picture, cropped it square, and voila! An identity is born.

At my first Harrisburg Tweetup, I introduced myself as "rorowe"...when Shawn, a fellow Central PA blogger/Twitterer replied, "Oh! The polar bear!". Instantly, everyone recognized me by my avatar. Since that point, I've tried to keep the same avatar image on every social media site I register for. By using the same screenname and profile picture, people can instantly recognize your content, your comments, and your communication styles. But, what does your profile pic say about you?

The polar bear, for me, defined me as a Northern School District Employee, as it was their mascot. Polar bears are also my favorite animal (from years of staring at them at the Philadelphia Zoo), and their endangered status wears on my heart as an environmentally-conscious human being.

In a few short weeks, I will be moving away from Central PA (I'll definitely miss the Tweetups!), as I no longer teach at Northern. I no longer associate with the polar bear mascot, and want to change my avatar...but to what? I've been tossing ideas around for a few weeks now, and would like a mashup of all these things: ORANGE (my favorite color), a picture of me (the one to the left, perhaps?), and maybe even a portrait of my SL avatar.

How often do you think about your avatar image? Do you change it often, or stick with a tried-and-true picture, logo, or design? What does your's say about you?

Why Tweetup? (post-meetup post)

This past Thursday, Cecily and I went to Harrisburg's monthly "Tweetup". (see previous post)
We met about 20 people (some of which, I've been talking to online for anywhere from a couple days to a couple years). All of them either Twitter, Blog, or know someone that does.

Here's a sampling of the amazing conversation, networking, and demonstration of the power of the internet:

-Shakespearian Actor, Djembe player, and philosophical artist (also an air-guitarist?)
-A young (mid-twenties) married couple, blogging passionately about personal finance
-Showing an investigative reporter the power of Twitter for getting up-to-the-minute news without all the noise
-Spam and how people will always try to take advantage of new technology

And that was just from our end of the 3 tables! People were solving problems, learning, and creating connections that otherwise wouldn't happen (look at my relationship for example!). The power of Twitter, is that in a world where everything you could possibly need isn't located in your little town anymore, you now have the resources (or the potential to have the resources) to get what you need, whether it's social interaction, education, tech support, job leads, advice, and so on. Do you have Tweetups in your area? Have you attended one?

Harrisburg's Tweetups meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Appalachian Brewing Company, originally hosted by blogHarrisburg.

Pre- August Harrisburg Tweetup Post

So, after a quick confirmation via Twitter:

I got these:


This is just proof that Twitter is still alive and kicking, and that Harrisburg has one of the most interesting social networks I've ever encountered. I'm definitely looking forward to it, even though this one may be my last in the Harrisburg group (long story).
On a much happier note, I'm dragging along a Chicagoan to the Tweetup, my girlfriend, Cecily (aka @fallingwings). We always talk of the "echo chamber" when it comes to technology, and getting the "what's in it for me" mentality past the "choir" (i.e. people already using the apps/sites on a regular basis). We (the Harrisburg Twitterati) have frequently talked about how we feel our group is unique, and special. As we spread out, move on with our lives, and so on, will we be able to recreate this type of group elsewhere?
Anyway, quick info on the Tweetup for me, and others:
7pm-9pm @ Appalachian Brewing Company (ABC), Harrisburg, PA

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