On Wednesdy 7 October from 5pm – 6pm I will be online here in the Amb:IT:ion UK network to chat to anyone who wants to drop by. Get your self a drink, tea, coffee your choice 😉 and have a go at IM. First time instant messagers especially welcome. Come and tell me your first IM experience.
There will be several of these have a go sessions and depending on participation and interest there could be more.
In a fortnight’s time Wednesday 21 October video chat using Tokbox within this network will be the session platform. More about how to take part will be available next week.
You do not need an IM application to join in just be here and get typing.
Engaging with social media, we all have to start some where. Web 2.0 we are told is about conversation, about turning monologues in to dialogues, about being social, being real. Engaging with the Internet can be a solitary and cold experience when the journey begins. The Web does not score high on the engagement of the senses front. No Smell, Touch, Taste, only sight and occasionally sound. What makes it exciting is the sharing, the connecting. You have to do it to learn it.
I began my internet journey before I had come across the buzz words Web 2 or Social Media. I discovered websites that let be add my own content and provided services that enabled me to add extra features on to my website. Personal updates using twitter, photo sideshows using Flickr, embedding videos using YouTube and events using Upcoming. In the beginning it was me taking advantage of cost free storage and added value embeddable objects. I was about to learn how to code them and now I didn’t need to. This is where my voyage of exploration for free tools and services for artists and theatre creatives began.
But what makes it exciting is the sharing. How do you ignite the fire within a community? Conversation, Participation and Contribution.Where did I start? My first experience was IM, Instant Messaging in December 2006 when I began playing Second Life. All conversation “in world” took place as typed conversation that moved up the screen as people talked. Typing my talk did focus the mind. As a dyslexic words don’t come easy to me in written form but it does have certain advantages. One being its silent (except the clacking of the keyboard) its an excellent back channel for comments during internet calls over Skype for example when you want to offer a thought or question.
Its not for everyone but its a good discipline to convey all your intent, all your motive, accurately in the few words you chose to express yourself. Smilies give added expression just in case you think a comment might be misinterpreted. 🙂 is a smile, 🙁 is a frown or discontent, 😉 is a cheeky wink, but again subject to interpretation.
There is nothing better than just having a go. This is the idea behind Amb:IT:ion LIVE online.
A standard feature of Ning (the platform this network is built in) is Online Chat. It sits at the bottom of your screen and tells you at anyone time who is online within the network. As Amb:IT:ion has gathered the regions together I thought it would be an idea to explore some of the services, tools and platforms you need other people to engage in with in order to get an understanding for how they work and whether the service is useful to your organisation. I also hope it will build on Amb:IT:ion community ties in the process.
Quick Guide
Resources
Instant messaging safety
14 Instant Messaging Etiquette Tips for Bloggers
10 Instant Messaging Tips for Effective Communications
Instant messaging and live chat etiquette tips
How Instant Messaging Works