This is my second blog of the year! Unfortunately, I have just been so busy with various projects (bad excuse I know). However, those who follow me on Twitter know I am very much still out-and-about. As mentioned in the last post I have started a new job and am pushing the boundaries with more challenging campaigns.

In the last few months one thing has become clear to me. The people that governments and large corporates used to regard as 'little' are not so 'little' any more.

Since the beginning of the year we have seen revolutionary changes sweeping through the Arabic world starting with Egypt. These changes were started by the desire of the 'little people'. What is different is that they were able to mobilise themselves in common purpose with the use of Social Media tools. We haven't seen people organise themselves and take action like this in a long time (maybe not ever).

When I think back to the student protests in London last year it was the same spirit that was shown. The recent union protests in London are yet another example of this. After the terrible Earthquake in Japan, charity fund-raisers were organised around the world using Social Media.

I saw this same spirit on my doorstep last month on 25th March at the Bristol Twestival event (see previous post for details). In spite of some complications the event was a success raising almost £1000 for the Rainbow Centre. There were some great live-acts there. The beatboxers and Dub Mafia went down very well as you can see from the photos below:

It makes me think that if this is possible then we really can make a difference if we all put our minds to together and collaborate. Social Media has definitely levelled the playing field and democratised information exchange and communication. Larger entities are struggling with this change as they are not used to the engaging in dialogue in this way. Anyway for our part in Bristol I would say we have a many more Twestival-like events in us for the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to shout out the other Bristol Twestival organisers.

Also I would like to give a big shout to Danny Maddocks @babycalendars for getting up on the mike with Dub Mafia! See video below:

I can't believe this is the first post I'm writing this year but here it is. I have been so busy with new projects and the usual Social Media mayhem that ensues my life. Anyway, in case you haven't noticed all the talk on Twitter, Bristol Twestival is back again on the 24th March at the Slug and Lettuce on St Nicholas Street.

This year we have a distinctly local theme and are supporting Bristol-based charity the Rainbow Centre. They do some fantastic work with providing free and professional support to children and their families affected by bereavement, life-threatening illness and cancer.

We are expect another good turn-out and have secured headline musical act; the Dub Mafia. That should get you Drum'n'Bass and dubstep heads in the swing of things fo' sho'. Also local comedian Paul Parry will be hosting the event and there will be yet more to announce this week.

Like last year we will have a raffle and we already have an iPad 2 and Kindle to give away. It is really great to be putting together another Twestival which now has a 3 year heritage.

If you want a flavour of what happend last time you can check out the blog post I did last year. It is great opportunity to meet other Twitterers and Bloggers face-to-face for a change. Anyway if you want to get involved head over to the Bristol Twestival ticket page. Our Early-bird tickets are now finished, however, tickets will still only set you back £7. It is a definite bargain I would say but I'm a bit biased of course!

IMPORTANT UPDATE - VENUE CHANGE:

Bristol Twestival will now take place at Metropolis (formerly known as Jesters)

Address:

135-137 Cheltenham Road
Bristol BS6 5RR

Thanks to all who came down for Bristol Twestival at the Tunnels last thursday nite! It was packed out and went down a storm. The performances by the Reacharounds and Phantom Limb were something to remember. We raised £ 5,612 for Concern Worldwide! We look forward to the next one. If you couldn't make it down see the photo slideshow below and the video of Phantom Limb to get some vibes about what it was like....

Shout outs to the following for helping making the nite what it was:

@dan_martin, @reeb1981, @samdownie, @jaywilliamspr, @gdyer, @prbristolblog and @jamesainsworth

Also great to meet:
Anna Kirby @atkirby, Stephen Gardner @stephengatbjs, Ben Park @benparkbjs and Chris Taylor @glowgadgets(thanks for the entertaining rapping and comedy!)

Fundraising update: #bristwestival has raised £5,617!! Third most money raised by a UK city and 11th most in the world!

As many of you know by now I have been helping organising Bristol Twestival. Twestival is a charity event that will take place this Thursday 25th March in 200+ cities across the world in aid of Concern. Concern organises worldwide projects to reduce suffering and end extreme poverty. The event is organised over Twitter though you don't have to be on Twitter to go!

The Bristol event will take place at the Tunnels. It features music from soul and R&B band Phantom Limb and Bristol cover band the Reacharounds. There will also be a raffle with an extensive variety of prizes as well as goody bags.

I hear an England shirt signed by the David Beckham and a House of Commons bottle of whisky signed by the prime minister are up for grabs too!

More info is available on the Bristol Twestival Website, Twitter or Facebook Fan Page. We have already sold over 120 tickets and are chasing a £3000 target so your support is much appreciated. We would love to see you down there.

For those reading from outside Bristol, have a look out for a local event wherever you are!

It looks to be a great nite - I can't wait! :)

UPDATE!
NEW RAFFLE PRIZE: Room hire for 30 +free buffet at brizwalkabout 's new bar Rewind during England's 1st World Cup game! Worth £300!

Gone are the days when social networking was just sitting at a computer sending messages. As we move into a real-time environment online communities are soon becoming real-world communities.

This has been quite clearly brought home to me when attending a regular social media event in Bristol called Brrism. What interested me about the event is that it is all organised through social media and is all about social media. I have met some very interesting people there and had some great discussions. What I realised is that coming from an Online PR/Social Media work environment I had a certain way that I viewed and used social media both for myself and my clients. I soon realised that that my methods for using social media were not the only ones. Customisability means everyone uses social media to meet their own specific needs and hence they have completely different perceptions of it.

However, one common theme that keeps coming up is the concept of sharing ideas and community. It is interesting to see how Brrism has developed since its inception last year. There is still a long way to go and I often feel that we are like kids again trying to establish ourselves in a group. New community formation takes time and I know there will be more challenges along the way.

Social media has also been powerful tool for charities. Since the Haiti earthquake charities have successfully utilised social media in getting messages out and forming supportive online communities.

I have mentioned Twestival on this blog before in reference to this as it is an excellent example. Following a successful event last year there is an event on 25 March 2010. The Twestival event will be is global affair where events are to take place in big cities around the world. This year it will be in aid of Concern which is looking to rebuild the education infrastructure in Haiti.

The entire event is organised using social media (namely Twitter) and online communities. It has created real-world impact though these channels.

It is obvious to me that charities are an area where the community and sharing ethos of social media can really come into its element.


If you are in the Bristol area definitely check out Bristwestival which is Bristol's offering. It features live music, a raffle, goodie bags and other wonderful things all in aid of charity. It takes place on 25 March at the Tunnels and tickets cost £5. See below for more details and book tickets here.