I recently did this (shameless plug), It took a while and I’m still finding it hard.

After a chat with some colleagues, I feel inspired to say hello andget on with talking about some of the cool ideas, thoughts, thingys andwidgets knocking around the minds of Shad Thames.

I’ve been working at Headshift about a year now, and as you canprobably tell, this is the first time I have taken the opportunity toblog. A curious fact given that part of my role is to bang on at peopleat how liberating it can be implementing social tools into their ownorganisation, or how they should use them for outward engagement ininteresting way. So remember – do as a i say, not as a I do.

I’ve decided to start blogging for a number of reasons: I think I want to, I feel I should, the egotist in me thinks you might want to know even though the little hater in me thinks you probably don’t.

I’m generally quite an outgoing conversationalist (loudmouth) and amhappy to engage in conversations in social situations, yet thisblogging lark had me stumped.

Having spent hours trying to pick the reasoning behind this apart (asilly idea, as this leads to months of procrastination) I stumbledacross Michael Wesch’s fantastic presentationto The Library of Congress on an anthropological introduction toYoutube. An interesting video in the whole (and well worth a watch),but what I found most interesting was his description of him and hisstudents starting a video blog for the first time and their feelingsaround this. He defines this moment as a “Context Collapse” – the fakesmiles and uneasiness shown around the 23 minute mark are reminiscentof your first days at school or those moments in social situations whenyou just don’t know what to say. He goes on to develop this idea on his blog:

The problem is not lack of context. It is contextcollapse: an infinite number of contexts collapsing upon one anotherinto that single moment of recording. The images, actions, and wordscaptured by the lens at any moment can be transported to anywhere onthe planet and preserved (the performer must assume) for all time…

…the would-be vlogger, now frozen in front of this black hole ofcontexts, faces a crisis of self-presentation. In Goffman’s terms, thewould-be vlogger is “out of face” with no “line” to present, unable tosize up the context and situation. Like a building collapse, contextcollapse does not create a total void but a chaotic version of its onceordered self. The would-be vlogger sits stultified as his imaginationraces through the nearly infinite possible contexts he might beentering, all of which pile up as parts, pieces, and pieces of parts, arubble that becomes the ground on which he must struggle to get hisfooting. The familiar walls that help limit and define the context aregone. He must address anybody, everybody, and maybe even nobody all atonce.

All sounds a little apocalyptic and it must be noted he is talkingprimarily from the perspective of the would-be video blogger, but Ibelieve the concept he outlines applies across all formats as the keypoints made are format agnostic:

Permanence and Preservation:

• It is permanent; what I’m writing is permanent and out there,people might quote me and I cant really be defended by my organisation(as I might with a more structured publishing model)
• It is preserved; all the mistakes and foolish statements I make are searchable by google and copied at the click of a button.

My hope is that over time these types or “mistakes” will humanisemany organisations and reduce peoples distorted idea of wanting perfectpublic servants, but no wonder politicians are so vigilant and terrified about the use of social media.

Out of Face

• I don’t know who you are! This scares the life out of me as I am “unable to size up the context and situation”.

I’ve become adept at conversing in more natural surroundings. I cansee your face, I know who is listening and therefore who is likely tohear it second hand. I can react to your answers and be put at ease byyour laughs, but this posting is something that doesn’t come naturallyto me – yet – it is important I do it, else posting is left to thosewho it does come naturally to.

A Familiar Yet Unfamiliar Context

• This is what Wesch covers when be states that a “context collapsedoes not create a total void but a chaotic version of its once orderedself”.

I am posting this on a company blog and so this offers me a greaterunderstanding of my context. Yet, this fact also complicates theprocess as there are boundaries within this context that are not my own.
Writing on this blog I am definitely changing the manner in which Iwrite as well as the subject matters I cover. I have previously decidedagainst blogging about certain things as I wasn’t sure they fitted withthe Headshift “brand” (for want of a better phrase).
I guess this is a broader issue about brand identity and who within acompany has the right/ability to make statements on its behalf,something I imagine will increase in importance as more people gain apublic voice within companies.
This brand point is and slightly outside the focus of this post, but an interesting point none the less with regard to context.

So, why does any of this matter?

This is something I’ve been grappling with, I have no idea if thismatters to you, but these things mattered to me as they helped explainhow I felt/feel.

Given that this is the my first blog post I feel I should attempt toextrapolate this personal perspective and try to make a broaderstatement. I have been searching for this broader statement a couple ofdays now, trying to construct that impressive narrative arch whichwould finish off my post in style. Sadly, all the ones I could think ofmade grandiose statements that I wasn’t sure I could back up, norreally believed in, but i am going to make one anyway!…

We have now democratised (or are in the process of democratising) access to publishing tools, but as the adage goes implementing the tools is only a part of the solution.Organisations must now look for ways to support, encourage and empowerthe voiceless or the quieter among their employees and communities tofind their voice. This needs to be done in a human, cultural, trainingand “change management” kind of way which takes investment far beyondjust building the platform – building the tool is only a small part ofthe solution (no matter what the question).

An analogy, Jamie Oliver’s campaign for getting people to cook isnot based on making sure everyone has a kitchen, its based onencouraging people, making people comfortable, being appreciated,getting people to enjoy it, and yes – making sure they have a basiceducation on how to cook.

Obviously there are broader issues at stake once everyone has avoice, but here is not the place for discussion on signal to noiseratio and the breaking of the filter!

And so, I end this post like the social media cliche that I am, a list.

Some (not particularly focused) ideas for helping people “find their voice”:

A personal Level:

• Don’t have rose tinted glasses that everyone is saying better stuff
• Be honest and talk about stuff you have experienced, there is nothing else you can talk about
• Don’t get hung up on
  the details; your URL, Blog name or About pages
• Start with comments or something small
• Don’t worry too much about creating more noise, in all likelihoodyou are going to. The signal is probably just the line of best fitwithin the noise anyway.

A broader system level:

• Play with anonymity
• Big is daunting, you don’t need the new big thing or the biggest new thing
• Start small – its an ecosystem out here
• Persuade people/funders/your boss that small amounts of high quality is better large scale low quality
• Much as its all about openness, privacy helps people to feel comfortable
• Build offline relationships with people and take them online
• If you are asking for opinions and views, take them on board and show what you have changed as a result
• Take their views on board and continue the conversation (you drive)
• Make it fun first, useful second.

I think that made sense, and thank you for reading.

Hope to type to you again soon.