Using Technology to Enhance Events

Using Technology to Enhance Events

About us…

Steve BonehamSteve BonehamWill AllenWill Allen

About you…

Do you…

Use the web?

Blog?

Podcast?

Use a digital camera?

Use an RSS reader?

Use social networks?

The Technologies

Why use technology?

Reach a global audience

Engage with people

Increase your productivity

Where to start?

Enhance what you already have

Text structure & style

Use quotes (feedback)

Add some images

Polls

Consider other media

Custom maps

Interactive maps overlaid with your data

Potential usesDirections to events

Branch locations

Branch staff

Members…

Online calendars

Private, shared and public

Allow others to add events

User download & reuse

Integrate calendars

Potential usesEvents listings

Meeting schedules

Netskills workshop

RSS newsfeeds

Provides a summary of new content

Used on websites, blogs, wikis, podcasts…

Users subscribe to feed for updates

Aggregate feeds from any source

Syndicate for reuse elsewhere

Potential usesNews

Events

Blogs

Web-based journal with commentingEasy to update Self-organisingRSS feedInformal & engaging

Potential usesNewsEvents review & feedbackEverything!?

"One of the fastest growing mass communication tools of the modern era" [Guardian, 28/4/06]

Podcasting

Audio content for download to mobile devicesConversational & personal

Engaging

Not technically difficult

Needs commitment

Potential usesInterviews with scientists

Interviews with participants

Social media

Communities built around resource sharing…Photographs

Videos

Bookmarks

Presentations…

Potential usesHosting

Viral marketing

User-generated content

Social networks

Large online communities

Tools to connect peopleFind, friend, message, poke…

Potential usesFocal point for your community

Discussion, surveys, interaction

Wikis

Web pages that can be editedPublic or restricted

Versioning control

Potential uses Collaborative authoring

Note taking

Intranet

Amplifying events

Share presentations

Live blog commentary

Wiki for note taking

Audio/video streaming

Remote participation

Social network after event

What about established methods?!

Don’t rely on technology alone

Print is still useful!

Email is still useful!Mailing lists

Discussion groups

EventsPresentations, networking

@

Understand Online behaviour

Want specific informationFrustrated by delaysMulti-taskingShort attention spanQuick to click…

When using a monitor… reading is slower intelligibility lower

Page Content

As a general rule, web content should have:

Lower word count (than print)

Front-loaded paragraphs

Clear structure

Who are you writing for?

“Every opening paragraph is the beginning of a delicate and transient relationship between reader and writer.”

Gentle Reader, Stay Awhile; I Will Be Faithful

Amber Simmons (A List Apart article)

Understand your audience

What are their needs?

How much detail do they want?

What do they care most about?

The Power of Language

“The web is all about communication … every detail furthers the conversation”

Bronwyn Jones, Better Writing Through Design, A List Apart (July 31, 2007)

Establish Trust

Maintain credibility Spelling and grammar

Up-to-date pages

Reviewed links

Keep thinking about your audienceEntice them to find out more…

Tools, tools, tools…

Traditionalversus

New & emerging

“I have to say you need to pick the right tool for the right project!”

Issues and Limiting factors

What’s feasible?

Time and resource?

Who owns the content?

Online tools are constantly evolving…

“There needs to be recognition that this is time consuming.”

Summary

Plan your use of technology & be strategic

Identify & understand your audiences

Consider your intent

Write well & appropriately

Embrace new technologies!

Create an action plan

Plan how to take this forward…What will you do?

Why?

How will you do it? blogs for

regional

branchPodcast?

RSS?

Ask Netskills!

Contact us

Thanks for listening… Any questions, do get in touch!

Steve Boneham

steve@netskills.ac.uk

Will Allen

will@netskills.ac.uk

www.netskills.ac.uk

Further resources

For tools featured and demonstrated during the session, visit:

http://www.diigo.com/list/nspb01/baas