bitdepth

Using coffee and oatmeal to build an audience on Twitter

It started with a suggestion from Sandy Walsh in September in a tweet where he said, “#podcamphfx 2011 topic idea: “Effectively building a Twitter following with oatmeal” by @bitdepth” and then it grew. Roger Ebert wrote about all the amazing things you can cook in a rice cooker and I was inspired and bought one. Then I found out that you could make oatmeal in it and that became part of the morning routine. Coffee has been there for a long time and with Twitter it is the logical thing to mention when you start the day. Strangely people would mention the morning tweets which always mentioned coffee and oatmeal and then the weather or something similar. Why did people like these?

Doing a session at Podcamp was a chance to figure that out and to also share some thoughts about Twitter and why I love it and what works. In a broader sense it really can speak to a lot of things that I enjoy and why. One of the great things about doing a talk is that it is a great chance to meet people and share ideas. If you are shy as I tend to be with a crowd it provides a way to meet a lot of people without a lot of effort. But there is the challenge of the speaking, which can be a bit stressful.

I love creating slides for presentations and using technology in interesting ways, but the problem with that is that it locks you in to a certain linear structure and then the technology becomes the focus. The key for me is to have a good and simple structure that gets people involved and with a screen it is easy for the focus to be there, but if you can turn things back to the people attending and not be a person who speaks and asks for questions at the end, it’s the best. I’d rather be a facilitator than a professor. But that can be difficult to do. So in the way that I usually do this, I thought and thought and thought and then finally wrote down the structure on a Post-It note which consisted of the three things that I wanted people to talk about – one thing that they liked to share, one thing they liked to eat, and one thing that they liked to watch or listen to.

Since it was about oatmeal and coffee the other thing to do would be to provide coffee or oatmeal. I love making coffee, but it can be a bit complicated. The beans need to be ground and most of the time my preferred method is using the vacuum extraction method with a Bodum Santos coffeemaker. So that’s a bit too much equipment to bring. The oatmeal is much simpler with only the rice cooker, water and oatmeal required. So the plan was all in place. No technology other than the rice cooker along with some Post-It notes, pens, and cups to hold oatmeal (with a bit of sugar too).

Sunday, January 23rd arrived and on a nice day the event began. The organizers, Ryan Deschamps, Craig Moore, and Bessy Nikolaou did an amazing job. This was the third Podcamp Halifax and the second that I went to. At the inaugural event I did a presentation called, “Small, Specific and Real” which was fun. This year it seemed bigger with a lot more people that I knew.

One of the central rules of Podcamp is the open space concept of “the law of two feet” where you are free to go from one session to another if you want to. While I love the idea, I usually don’t do it that often. The sessions that I attended were good and interesting and, as always, it seemed that there was a lot of good stuff happening everywhere.

When it came to my session the attendance was very good and it was surprising to see so many people there. So I set up the rice cooker and the water and oatmeal as things got underway. The real point (and thanks for reading this far to get to it) is that you should use Twitter to be who you are and to share things that you like to share and enjoy. It’s about being yourself and finding others who enjoy things that you do or at the very least derive some pleasure from your enjoyment.

The fun part of the session was when people wrote things down on Post-It notes for me. They shared an amazing range of things to share, things to eat, and things to watch or listen to. As people came up to put the notes on the board it was like a physical version of Twitter with everyone sharing little bits of themselves. The board filled up quickly and I scanned through and read out what people had shared. Then I asked a few people about what they had shared and then it grew and more people spoke. It was fun and it’s always great to see a group of people who have the courage to share and speak. So thanks to everyone who came out and shared. Podcamp Halifax 2011 was a lot of fun and I’m excited about more events with the wonderful people who are part of the social media community in Nova Scotia.

January 30, 2011 coffee, oatmeal, podcamp, podcamphfx, twitter

Being the Change: Day 4 – Field Trip to Pugwash

The final event of the Being the Change peace conference in early July was a field trip to Pugwash where Thinker’s Lodge is located in the seaside community. It was a beautiful and slightly windy day for a drive, but after a few days of warm weather it was very pleasant to have cooler temperatures. Pugwash is a very small and lovely town where Cyrus Eaton provided the space and support to allow the first Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs in July 1957. At the height of the Cold War, the conference was a critical first step in moving back from the brink of war and it established a process and lines of communication that continue to bring peace to the world today. The small town pulled together for the conference where local residents opened their homes many of the top scientists in the world. The meals took place in the Lobster Factory and meetings happened there, as well as in the Masonic Hall and Thinker’s Lodge. The tranquil and somewhat isolated location provided the ideal setting to put people at ease to be able to discuss the important issues that faced the world.

The group from the peace conference assembled in the Lobster Factory for some refreshments and then we had presentations by Sandra Ionno Butcher on some of the important women such as Ruth S. Adams and Anne Kinder Jones who made the process a success and by Ru Ling Susie Chou about her father Pei-Yuan Chu, who participated in many of the Pugwash Conferences. Members of the town also provided fascinating insights into the history of the village of Pugwash. John Eaton (grandson of Cyrus Eaton) spoke about the restoration and preservation of Thinker’s Lodge and invited the participants into the historic building for a tour. Being able to walk through a place filled with such important historical discussions and connections was fascinating. The walls of Thinker’s Lodge are covered with photographs of participants and those who inspired those who lived there. It is a comfortable and inviting place.

During the lunch break we assembled as a group and Alyn Ware brought out torches that were part of the Abolition Flame and the World March for Peace. The torches were passed between the participants as we walked along the harbour with the wind blowing. We walked from the Lobster Factory, to the Masonic Hall, and down to the centre of the Villiage of Pugwash. It was a beautiful way to remember the past and to continue to work for peace and disarmament in the world.

The conference was a great experience and gave me the chance to meet some amazing people and participate in something important that is connected to the province where I live.

July 25, 2010 btc10, peace, peacetorch, pugwash, thinkerslodge

Being the Change: Day 3 – Effective Communication Strategies for Disarmament and Peace

In the final concurrent workshop slot I was part of the panel for Effective Communication Strategies for Disarmament and Peace. The session was moderated by Bobbi Dunham-Carter of Organizational Learning at NSCC as well as the holder of fellowship with the United States Partnership for Education and Sustainable Development. The focus of the session was on a critique of the mainstream media and how both traditional and new media can be used by activists to make their voices heard.

The first presenter was Richard Zurawski, documentary filmmaker (with a focus on science, weather, and history), writer, meteorologist, public speaker and member of the media for a number of years. He gave a perspective on the way stories are constructed in the media along with advice for cultivating relationships with the media and how the mainstream media probably will not change, which is why you need to try to work within the system to get your message out.

Next up was Bruce Wark, Inglis Professor of Journalism, University of King’s College, and a former CBC Radio journalist and producer who also writes a regular column for The Coast. He wrote about how “Peace Works” in a recent column for The Coast and expanded on those ideas drawing on some of the thoughts of Ursula Franklin in his presentation which also drew out the idea of directed listening as a better way for journalists to work on their craft.

Finally it was my turn and my presentation (connect, share, be yourself) was about new media with blogging and Twitter. I drew inspiration from my late dear friend Errol Williams who had me edit his documentary film “When Voices Rise…” which told the story of the non-violent movement in Bermuda in the 1950s that ended segregation through a boycott of the movie theatres. The world now is a much different place with tools such as blogs and Twitter providing a platform for people to connect with each other in new ways. These new technologies and social media can be used to build your network of connections with people who have similar interests.

Not being intimidated by the technology is critical. You need to start making and sharing stuff an not lose focus on what is important. It’s about people and not technology and the most important network is made of flesh and blood. The media that connect us are only as strong as the people at both ends. The focus doesn’t need to be on the tin cans and the strings, but the people holding the cans and the people they talk to. Having followers on Twitter or fans on Facebook doesn’t translate into action. It’s quality, not quantity and connecting with people in meaningful ways will translate into action.

July 15, 2010 blog, bobbidunhamcarter, brucewark, btc10, chriscampbell, communication, disarmament, media, peace, richardzurawski, tv, twitter, wikipedia

Being the Change: Day 3 – Integrating Movements: Women, Peace, Development and Environment

In the morning workshop session on Friday, July 9 at the Being the Change peace conference at Mount Saint Vincent University I attended “Integrating Movements: Women, Peace, Development and Environment” moderated by Lana Neil (Communications & Research Officer, Canadian Cancer Society, Nova Scotia). The workshop was conducted by long-time peace activist, development and women’s advocate Pat Kipping (long-time member of Voice of Women for Peace and former officer at the Nova Scotia Arts Council and board member and fundraiser for Oxfam Canada).

In an interactive session built around Ursula Franklin‘s definition of “Peace, not as the absence of war, but as the presence of justice and the absences of fear” the group of mainly women shared the connections that made them part of the various movements. It was a remarkable and casual session where we made a web out of yarn as the participants told stories and shared history and ideas for more actions in the movement. History and personal anecdotes joined everyone together in a positive and nourishing way that will lead to more action and connections in the future.

July 14, 2010 btc10, lananeil, patkipping, peace, voiceofwomenforpeace

Being the Change: Day 3 – Sex, Death, and Violence in the Disarmer’s World

The plenary session at the Being the Change conference starting the day on Friday, July 9 was moderated by Rita Deverell (Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University) and it was given by Dr. Erika Simpson, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, who is also Vice-Chair of Canadian Pugwash. The presentation was called Sex, Death, and Violence in the Disarmer’s World and it explored how men and women are treated differently in the world of war, peace, and disarmament.

Simpson explored how identity is socially constructed in the debates and discussions surrounding how we talk about war. Through a postmodernist and constructivist Feminist lens that questions implicit assumptions and biases she gave a thought-provoking theoretical framework for the day. She argued that whatever makes you passionate contributes to making a culture of peace.

July 13, 2010 btc10, disarmament, ericasimpson, gender, peace, ritadeverell, violence

Being the Change: Day 2 – Dialogue Across Divides: Pugwash and the Nobel Peace Prize

The afternoon plenary session on Day 2 of the Being the Change peace conference at Mount Saint Vincent University that I attended was a look at the important role that dialogue plays in breaking down barriers and working toward peace. The moderator of the session was John Eaton, grandson of Cyrus Eaton who provided Thinker’s Lodge in Pugwash as a location for the first Pugwash Conference and the presentation was by Sandra Ionno Butcher, Director of the Pugwash History Project and former coordinator of Young Pugwash USA.

The focus of the session was on how beginning with Joseph Rotblat leaving the Manhattan project and the Russell-Einstein Manifesto setting the peace movement in motion that lead to the establishment of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs that continue today. A clip from the documentary film, The Strangest Dream established the context and then some audio from the press conference in Caxton Hall on July 9, 1955 where Bertrand Russell read the manifesto to the world.

With a manifesto as a rallying point, the work then began to move things forward with a meeting of the top scientists in the world. That meeting happened in July of 1957 with 22 scientists assembling to relax and discuss peace. In many ways, this was one of the first non-governmental organizations and the scientists were able to influence the political decisions made back in their countries. An important part of the presentation was broadening the history by also looking at the role of women such as Ruth S. Adams (later an editor of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists), who was the only woman at the first Pugwash meeting. Adams said that the Pugwash conferences only became a community once the families started to come. The hostess of the first meeting was Anne Kinder Jones (later Eaton) and she formed the heart of the conference which established a template of light schedules and good food.

Pugwash has been involved in most of the major arms control treaties and has been vital in fostering dialogue to prevent conflict in the world. A backchannel that laid the foundation for peace during the Vietnam War, Pugwash works quietly in the background to encourage discussion and peaceful resolution of tense international disagreements. It’s a vital force combining science and technology to establish world peace.

In recognition of the role that Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences played in the cause of peace, a Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to them in 1995. In a beautiful tribute to the important influence that Joseph Rotblat had on her life and work, Sandra Butcher named her son Joey after Rotblatt and she showed a lovely image of her son and her mentor together in Thinker’s Lodge in Pugwash. She also reflected on what an amazing experience it was to be present when Rotblat accepted the award. In his Nobel lecture Rotblatt concluded by saying:

The quest for a war-free world has a basic purpose: survival. But if in the process we learn how to achieve it by love rather than by fear, by kindness rather than by compulsion; if in the process we learn to combine the essential with the enjoyable, the expedient with the benevolent, the practical with the beautiful, this will be an extra incentive to embark on this great task.
Above all, remember your humanity.

July 12, 2010 btc10, conference, history, johneaton, nobelpeaceprize, peace, pugwash, sandraionnobutcher

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