Digital Surrey: Where social media and real life come together

I was at Digital Surrey’s monthly networking event last week to listen to @JamesFirth talk about the implications of the recently passed Digital Economy Act. Whilst this should be of interest to all of us, if I’m honest I was somewhat in two minds about going. In the end, I did go and I’m glad I did. And here’s why:

-really stimulating discussion about the #DEAct  and here’s a few of the tweets from the networking event:

 @andrewgerrard Arguing over who is responsible for an infringement report will eventually grind the #deact to a halt #digitalsurrey
@thoroughlygood I can’t help wondering whether reaction against #deact favours shouty people enabled by internet. Guests at #digitalsurrey excluded.
@abigailh We can’t give everything away free #debill great comment from @andypiper #digitalsurrey
@abigailh Music is an important social resource #deact – u can’t stop sharing through established social channels c/o @JamesFirth #digitalsurrey
@andrewgerrard We’re all agreed that the #deact covers a range of very complex issues – so how on earth did it get passed in the way it did? #digitalsurrey
@andypiper My own opposition to #deact comes from ludicruous heavy handed disconnection clauses. Copyright still complex issue. #digitalsurrey

…and you can read more tweets using #digitalsurrey.

 -great opportunity to meet tweeple IRL. The convergence of the virtual and real world establishes, re-inforces or consolidates relationships built online and solidifies the ties that bind networks together. What was brought home to me was that we are essentially social creatures: there’s nothing like sharing stories and experiences over a drink or three.

-the willingness of people brought together by a common purpose to share and pool their knowledge. In tandem with this, was the amount of passion in the room as people discussed different aspects of the #DEAct and how it might affect them specifically or the implications of it more broadly. These ‘grass root’ discussions are important: they affirm our individual right to discuss and debate such things. In parallel to the discussion taking place in the room, was the discussion taking place on the backchannel. The two co-existing side by side, fueled by the same people.

-through the event I have met people who…

…work for the BBC in Africa and told me about a project the BBC ran awhile back (and it is still running) trying to preserve sounds for posterity: Sounds diary.  Whatever sound means something to you, you can save it.

…works at the University of Surrey on photography and digital imaging, looking into how the sense of smell can be applied to photographs

…work at IBM, Virgin Media, BBC, University of Surrey, Econsultancy, Raffle.it, 3, Vodafone, Telegraph Media Group, Tweetmeme amongst others, as well as the usual recruitment consultants. But knowledge isn’t limited to people working in well known brands, and there are many more people representing local businesses sharing their stories, insights, and their take on the #DEAct. 

So while the power of social media may have initially brought us together, meeting IRL (that’s ‘in real life’ by the way) keeps us coming back for more…