Advancing social and new media from the outside
For the last few years, many of the most prominent social and new media conferences have focused heavily on sharing skills within the fish bowl to help novices and veterans advance their styles. We’ve also tried to increase our audience and awareness of out content by trying to turn a long explanation into a tight elevator pitch for those unfamiliar with what we do.
As I start to think about theme ideas for Podcasters Across Borders 2009, I constantly find myself wondering what we can learn about creation, storytelling, communication and people from those outside the community — cinematographers, record producers, composers, directors, screen writers, authors, illustrators and painters, taxi drivers, bartenders, journalists, store managers, athletes, quilters, stand-up comedians, city planners, orchestra conductors, amateur theatre directors, architects, laywers, emergency room staff, landscapers, etc…
The real potential of social and new media has yet to be realized and will be difficult to achieve if we’re insular in our efforts to get to the next level. If we start to look outward, we’ll discover a lot of opportunity to learn new skills, tap into new inspiration, and appeal to and reach a larger audience.
Who would you like to hear from and what would you like to learn?
Photo: Marvin is Mysterious by bookgrl.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:26 am
That’s a great list of the kind of people it would be great to hear from. I’d love to hear from authors and artists, especially those who work in traditional media and don’t use the techno-toys that much, to really get some perspective.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:28 am
Another thought — if it were ever possible to get someone involved in the technology of decades ago, stuff that is legacy today, but was brand new back then (I am thinking television for example). They had to go through a period of time to define and learn the possibilities of their media; I bet it would offer some interesting echos today to hear their experiences.
October 21st, 2008 at 10:44 am
Great points, John.
I’d like the perspectives of successful and innovative educators. People who understand the keys to communication of complex ideas,learning, integration of knowledge.
I’ve also been thinking about resistance to change and why we move “forward” in some areas and not in others. The QWERTY keyboard built to avoid mechanical jamming but still used despite its obsolescence, for example. I know why we’re all using it, but why are schools still using it? Metric measurement in daily, casual use. What can we learn from these “failures to progress”?
October 21st, 2008 at 11:26 am
Hacking your storytelling?
That’s what I like about PAB; always bringing social media to higher level, another perspective. Once people move past the technology, new media is really just telling a story. It’s a learning tool. I agree, Andrea, about your comment regarding innovative educators and failures to progress. We always learn from someone else’s experiences.
Mark, mentioned on the Canadian Podcast Buffet that at Third Coast, you enjoyed a session about using ambient audio to tell a story. I’d be interested in such a session as that method is what makes shows like Spark, Radio Lab and Search Engine very effective learning tools. Search Engine’s other winning method is Jesse Brown’s comedic timing in his presenting.
It’s more of these kinds of techniques and tools in storytelling that I’d be interested in hearing at PAB as I did previously (not to mention names but Todd Maffin and Sonya Buyting’s presentations still stand out in my mind).