Paul Walsh, the Irish Opportunist

I sent a tweet this morning to say I was going to do a ‘#followfriday’ for the very first time. A number of people asked me what that meant, so I’ve decided to write a short post to explain.

#followfriday is a way of recommending people you follow, to other users on Twitter. The idea is that those being recommended will gain new followers.

I feel so strongly about my recommendations that I’ve decided to write why I’m recommending them as potential people for you to follow.

People I recommend and why

@Sheetalmmehta (London)

Helping companies to go global, Innovation, Social entrepreneurship, Technology, Investment…

Sheetal is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. Sheetal is the UK Dealmaker for the UK Trade & Investment. She sits on several advisory panels including Shelter, UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women), Digital Diaspora Network for Africa, and the LSE Alumni Mentoring Committee. Her volunteer work is extensive and she is currently writing a book on Social Venture Capital. One of her most notable accomplishments is her new foundation that enables developing communities to access cutting-edge technology based on a social enterprise model.

@Mikeyfletch (London)

Technology journalist, Events, Networking

Mike is an established business & lifestyle journalist. He’s launched three magazines on behalf of UK publishing house Haymarket Media Group & specialises in marketing, media & live events. He is Contributing Editor for Visit London and also owns a part-share in digital networking company Net.works. Mike is also one of the best connected, if not the best connected person in the entire UK events industry.

@PatPhelan (Cork)

Technology with a bias towards mobile, Connector, Innovation

Pat is the founder and President of Cubic Telecom, a well known disruptor in telephony circles and one of the leading voices of Voice 2.0. Pat has developed a number of unique products for the USA, UK and Irish markets including MAXroam, and is a board member of Global Roaming, a NASDAQ listed company (OTCBB:GRDB). Pat has a genuine passion for connecting people and has been responsible for connecting me with some truely amazing people.

@JackieDanicki (San Francisco)

Marketing (true expert in the use of new tools, techniques and trends such as social and Web 2.0), Connector, Writer

Jackie is an extremely direct person who always speaks her mind. She’s an incredibly insightful marketer which is difficult to come by. Almost every marketer and PR expert think they know how to make best use of Web 2.0 tools and techniques. Jackie does - which is why she’s the Director of Marketing at Qik; one of the most innovative mobile products companies in the world. Like Pat, Jackie has a genuine passion for connecting people and has been responsible for connecting me with some truely amazing people.

@Jobsworth (London)

Technology, Social Enterprise, Innovation, Writer, OpenSource,

JP has  spent most of his life working in the space where finance meets technology, for a number of very large firms. Since 2006 he has worked for BT, as part of BT Design, where he is Head of Innovation and Strategy. He has a passion for how work is changing: the paradigms created by globalisation, disintermediation and the web; the implications of virtualisation, service orientation and commoditisation.  JP is an inspiring speaker and writer, who I admire most for his passion for how technology can be put to good use for the benefit of society.

If you decide to follow any of these great people, or you do already, please feel free to retweet my message - they all deserve to be heard by as many people as possible.

You can also leave a comment with the people you recommend on Twitter.

Again this afternoon, Twitter, or the community more to the point, has come true for me. An Irish entrepreneur asked if I could recommend a lawyer or agency to help him claim debt from a UK based company. So, my first port of call was to ask the question on Twitter. I received no fewer than 8 recommendations publically, by email and by direct message within 10 minutes. Given that each recommendation has come from my community, I’ll have much more trust in passing on the information than had I say, conducted a search on Google.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t like to take advantage by being lazy and getting others to do my search for me - I too, contribute by providing feedback to people looking for recommendations.

Whilst I’m writing this post I might as well highlight the point further by telling you about my trip to New York – I posted the request for a recommended restaurant based on my location. Not only did I get a great response, some people actually went out of their way to search on Google and then read reviews before passing on the recommendation to me. Stunning collaboration! I love it.

If you’re on Twitter then why not subscribe to my ramblings at http://twitter.com/PaulWalsh

It’s way too difficult for me to follow everyone back, but I do take the time to read every message directed to me and where appropriate, I reply either publically or privately by direct message - depending on how much crap I’ve already subjected the community to

So, do I need Google? Perhaps I do. But one thing is for sure, I certainly don’t rely on any type of search as much as I used to - trusted communities who use social networks to communicate and build relationships is the way forward. Remember one thing though, it’s all about people at the end of the day - not the technology.

How have your search habits changed, if at all? Do you use Twitter, Facebook or other tools/networks to find information?

Would you like to work with the UK’s longest established association to represent the interests of the interactive industry? If yes, we’d love to hear from you, via, twitter.

You’ve gotta embrace social media tools, techniques and importantly, communities, before you can even think about taking on BIMA’s public relations. So, please make sure you’re on Twitter and are a member of the BIMA Facebook group before getting in touch. Why? Well, if you need me to answer that question you’re not right for the job

I have quite a few PR people following me on twitter so this approach shouldn’t limit us to the extent that we don’t find anyone. Well, I hope not anyway.

Who I’m looking for

I’m looking for a freelancer or small agency to work on a contra basis. So, in return for your amazing craftsmanship with words and untouchable contacts within traditional media, we’ll help raise your own profile. You’ll also have the opportunity to educate industry via BIMA, with respect to the new PR world we live in today. You could even use your work with BIMA as a case study. That’s it. More defined requirements should actually come from you.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank immediate future for its amazing contribution to BIMA over the years. Katy Howell in particular has been personally very helpful to me over the past couple of years. Thanks Katy. Katy is of course, on twitter. You’re probably wondering why we’re looking for someone else if immediate future did such a great job. The answer is simple, Katy did such a good job that her company has grown quickly, winning all of Sony Europe, BT, Diageo, Kinder Kids, NSPCC and BBC in the last 3 months alone. Eek!

Please DM me to get the conversation going. I look forward to hearing from you soon. You’ll first need to follow me on twitter before being able to DM me.

I’ve decided to blog more often about the things I discuss on Twitter. I’ll continue to use Twitter in the same way I do now, but I feel that I’m not communicating enough with most of my social network.

What’s my social network?

In short, it’s you and the other people with whom I’m connected. We are connected by the very fact that you’re interested in what I have to say. By the same token, I’m interested in what you have to say, hence why I converse with everyone who’s kind enough to spend time to leave a comment.

My social network is made up of people. Within that network I have multiple communities, each community representing something unique. The three blogs I author for example, represent entirely different communities, each with some overlap.

• Personal blog = entrepreneurial stuff, connecting, networking, social media…
• Segala blog = trust on the Web, standards, search, semantic web…
• BIMA blog = mainly Industry, creativity…
• Twitter = all of the above

You’ll notice that Twitter represents all of my communities. But it only represents a very small percentage of each one and hence, a small percentage of my social network. That’s because only a small handful of each community is represented by the early adopters in each one.

As I said, I won’t stop twittering. It’s a fantastic way to get to know more people whilst strengthening relationships. Twitter is also the world’s most comprehensive news feed and periodic replacement for a search engine when searching for stuff such as contact details or recommendations.

Think about it for a minute, do you sometimes Twitter messages that warrant a blog post? Does laziness encourage you to opt for the more accessible Twitter?

Every month, Robert Loch and I host an event called Top Cats. The goal of the event is to forge stronger ties and greater collaboration between the internet start up, mobile, interactive marketing, TV and advertising communities.

There are no formalities apart from my introduction to the evening and we don’t have speakers. It’s an informal gathering of likeminded people, many of whom end up collaborating on very interesting projects.

Who qualifies to be a Top Cat

• Established Agencies = Founder/CEO/Chair
• Technology Providers & Brands (big companies such as Microsoft and the BBC) = Director/Head or other senior decision maker
• Startups = Founder/CEO/Chair + secured VC funding or have a seriously good track record
• Other = Publishers, Editors, Authors, TV Personalities, Establish Journalists, you get the picture.

I’m going to have a chit chat with a few people tonight and stream it live via my mobile. Keep an eye on my Qik account and feel free to comment and ask questions in the live chat room. It might be better to subscribe to my Twitter feed so you get a text message each time I stream live.

So, another Top Cats event is upon us. Check out the names of those who have said they can make it this month.

Who’s coming tonight

• Alex Hoye, Chair, Faction/Buildersite
• Alexis d’Amecourt, 19 Entertainment
• Andrew Shorten, EMEA Platform Evangelist, Adobe
• Andy Co Founder, Agency Mobile
• Andy Finney, Founder, ATSF
• Andy MacLaren, Co-founder, Agency Mobile
• Angela Kirkham, Publishing Manager, Online Marketing, O2
• Armando Ruffi, Co-founder, Zubka
• Ben Johnson, Principal, Both Vitruvian Partners
• Brian Hoadley, Managing Director , phunQube
• Caspar Craven, Co-founder, Trovus
• Catherine Toole, MD, Sticky Content
• Cathy Grimes, Marketing Manager Personal Solutions, Equifax
• Charles Astwood, Founder, London Eating
• Chris Wood, CEO, Top Table
• Craig Hill, Founder / Chairman, Digital Outlook
• Dan Morris, Managing Partner, Splendid
• Daniel Appelquist, Senior Technology Strategist, Vodafone Group
• David Hart, Director, Codegent Ltd
• David King, Director, APCO Online
• Dennis Greene, Head of E-business, Royal Mail
• Dr Anxo Cereijo Roibás, User Experience Research manager, Vodafone
• Edward Charvet, Co-founder, Trovus
• Elizabeth Varley, Editorial Director, Online Content UK
• Farzad Jamal, Group Internet Controller, Northern Shell
• Felix Velarde, Founder, Underwired
• Hamish Gordon,
• Irfon Watkins, CEO, Coull
• James Booth, Co-founder, Rockabox Media
• James Pimentel-Pinto, Managing Director, Agency Mobile
• Jasmine Birtles Founder/MD, Moneymagpie.com
• Jemima Kiss, New media reporter, Media Guardian
• Josephine Fraser, Social/Educational Technologist
• Julia Eilon, AMF Ventures
• Justin Bradley, Head of Digital Television, Sixth Sense UK
• Justin Champney, Head of Brand Innovation EMEA, McCann Worldgroup
• Justin Cooke, Managing Director , Fortune Cookie
• Mairi Clark, Editor , Revolution Magazine
• Mark Fallons, Head of interactive, McCann
• Mark McDermott, Director, Codegent Ltd
• Martin Lowde, 19 Entertainment
• Mike Butcher, Editor, TechCrunch
• Mike Risman, Managing Partner, Both Vitruvian Partners
• Nick Halstead, Founder, Fav.or.it
• Omaid Hizwazi, Co-founder, Crayon
• Paul Canty, Founder, Preloaded
• Paul Duncanson, Managing Director, Creativebrief
• Peter Ogden, Producer, ITV
• Richard Daish, Head of Mobile Services, Chelsea FC
• Richard Titus, Acting Head of UX&D, BBC FM&T
• Rob Corradi, Founder, Preloaded
• Rob Walk, Managing partner, NovaRising
• Robert Killick, MD, cScape
• Robin Charney, Sr. Marketing Manager - Web Platform Solutions, Adobe
• Robin Howard, Client Services Director, BT
• Satish Jayakumar, Co-founder, AdJug
• Scott Gallacher, Director of Online & Partner Marketing, BskyB
• Simon Grice, Founder, ideas.org
• Stephanie Bouchet, Marketing Director, Joost
• Theodore Emiantor, Managing Director, Westminster Accountancy
• Tim O’Neill, Founder / MD, Reactive
• Tom Nixon, Founder, Nixon Mcinnes
• Tom Sacchi, Founder / Director, Unit9
• Tony Cocks, Microsoft
• Will Jeffery, Managing director, Maverick Media
• Will McInnes, MD, Nixon McInnes

Hosts

• Robert Loch, Founder, Internet People & Founder, That’s Useful
• Paul Walsh, Chair, BIMA & Founder, Segala

Thanks to Adobe for their sponsorship this month.

I was conducting a search on an association called the BWDMA to see how it had progressed since the weird phone call I received from the guy who found it a few years ago. I say weird because I’m unable to explain it. He put himself forward as the Founder of an established and well respected independent association and asked that I change from Segala Accreditation to Segala Certification. We did, but certainly not because he asked us to.

After a little digging on my part, I found that he seemed to own lots of Web sites which all connected to each other; either by collaboration, hosting provider, technology provider or endorser. All linking back to BWDMA to say how great it was.

Anyway, one of Google’s search results led me to a site now called About us. (http://www.aboutus.org/Bwdma.com) It’s still claiming the following

The BWDMA is a “broad church”, inclusive organisation, open to all companies and individuals that have an interest in the new media sector. BWDMA is influence-driven rather than membership-driven.

The Association seeks to improve e-business standards through sharing knowledge, understanding and proliferation of best practice. To further its aims and objectives, the association actively solicits constructive relationships with industry, government, academia and other such bodies, as may have common goals or purpose.

The Association seeks to assist all industries with the adoption and application of Internet and related technologies to encourage development in the digital economy. The BWDMA endeavours to provide a gateway for businesses to purchase with confidence from reputable suppliers through the free procurement service Web Project Guide.

When you click on the ‘Go direct to the Website’ link, you’re taken to a weird looking portal where you can buy houses and find Russian brides.

When you click on the AboutUS logo to take you back to the homepage AboutUs (http://www.aboutus.org/AboutUs.org) and then select About AboutUs in the footer, you get the following

AboutUS is a wiki whose goal is to create a free and valuable Internet resource containing information both about websites and other community created topics/information. The site was pre-populated with information about many different websites and thousands of updates are now being made by people each day.

The vision of AboutUs hinges on the power of collaboration and the unique capacity of wiki technology to capture the coming together of communities.

Confused? Yeah, so was I.

So, what is BWDMA these days? Is it a Portal to help you find your next Russian bride, a Web site collecting information and displaying it in a different format, thereby adding to the noise that’s out there already, or, is it an Independent Association representing the interests of Industry? Is it trying to be all of the above?

I notice that Nomensa still talks about BWDMA on its Web site, so perhaps they can tell me more.

For a company/association who specialises in helping you to find more information about companies and associations, it doesn’t make it easy for you to find out more information about them!

Please let me know if you know what’s going on with this association.

I was going to leave a comment on Bernie Goldbach’s blog post entitled Silent LinkedIn Generation but thought better of it, mainly because it’s a post I’ve been meaning to write anyway. I started to enjoy reading the post until I saw a link to a post that I had written last year. Linking to my post in confinement would have been ok.

However, it followed this assumption from Bernie

Their dismissive approach papers over their youth. Because most of the social networking gurus strutting their stuff did not use e-mail before 1990.

That’s a wild assumption and one I didn’t appreciate. Before I reiterate my thoughts about Facebook and LinkedIn in full, I’d like to address his assumption because you should ‘never assume’. I was one of the very first employed by AOL when it was a small startup during the mid 90’s. Amongst launching 56k modem protocol and many other interesting technologies such as AIM, I had to self-each myself how to build a Web site so I could teach the trainers, who then taught the technicians. So, like many others who have commentated on the subject, I’ve been around a while. Now that I’m finished with the anatomy size comparison in the mirror I’d like to address the debate.

I don’t dismiss LinkedIn or any other site/tool/technique for the latest fad. I make the switch when the current incumbent adds little to no value to me personally. I like LinkedIn. It does what it says on the tin. But for me, that’s not enough anymore. I continue to use Facebook for many business related activities. For example, I offered the position as Chair of Segala to one of my connections on Facebook recently. Why? Well because it’s the only way we communicate (apart from face to face of course).

As I’ve said before, the people with whom I’m connected on Facebook include some of the most senior people at the biggest brands in the world, as well as government agencies and design agencies. Facebook isn’t dead. It’s only dead to those who move from fad to fad.

I never went to university so I don’t have university friends on Facebook. My 586 Facebook connections is mostly made up of the people with whom I’m connected in real life. Although Facebook has and continues to help me create and build new meaningful relationships with people I may not otherwise have met.

I was going to link to my post to which Bernie links, but it’s still on the Segala blog. It was supposed to be moved to this blog along with everything else that’s not related to Segala’s business so I’ve published my original thought piece below. The original post attracted 40 comments so it managed to stimulate a debate. I believe it triggered a few email forum debates too.

My original thought piece which holds truth today

Ok, for the last time and to put an end to some speculation, I’m no longer updating my LinkedIn profile (full stop).

The reason is simple. I use Facebook as my shop window, into which you can see who I am, who I know, what I stand for, what I’m working on, where I am and anything else I’d like you to know. If I write a blog post, send a twitter or have pictures taken of me talking at an event, you’ll see them via my RSS feeds which are pulled in from various Web sites.

You’ll even see pictures of me looking pissed (even though I’m not in 99% of them, honest). You’ll also see information about projects I’m working on and networking events I’d like my friends and colleagues to attend. Think of Facebook (my use of it anyway) as a very discrete marketing tool, albeit a byproduct of using the tool and network for fun.

I don’t expect all my LinkedIn connections to ‘move’ to Facebook, but I woud like them to register a Facebook account if they’re really interested in ‘connecting’ with me. Some are likely to be skeptical, assuming Facebook isn’t for business people. If you’re one of these people, think again and look at my list of friends. Amongst them you’ll find very senior, connected and respected people from organisations such as Microsoft, Vodafone, O2, emap, BT, New Media Age (NMA), Haymarket, Conchango and the BBC to name but a few. Then, look at their network of friends… you’ll notice that many of us have mutual friends. This is the best implementation of technology I’ve seen to help build circles of trust.

Facebook enables me to ‘engage’ with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. It helps me to build new relationships and strengthen current ones seamlessly. It even helps my close friends and I to communicate more frequently. I even find myself checking Facebook messages before opening an email client. Most of my personal messages are business related so it’s not as if I’m turning to fun before important work (although they are the same thing for me). I think it must be the personal touch of Facebook.

I would like to point out, that you are not forced to show people anything you’d rather not share. You can also control what you see of others, to ensure you don’t get swamped with stuff you don’t care about.

I will sometimes (however rare) accept Facebook connection requests from people I don’t know personally. This however, only happens when they’re friends of people I know well and trust. It must also be relevant. I also connect with people who are associated with organisations with which I’ve got a strong relationship. For example, I’ve started a group for BIMA (British Interactive Media Association). I Chair BIMA so it would be rude not to connect with members, all of whom I do want to engage with as much as possible! Facebook won’t replace the BIMA Web site, blog or email. It’s intended to aid the build of a community and promote BIMA related activity. Perhaps we’ll extend this to promoting the exclusive projects I’m working on with major brands.

For the record, I will continue to accept LinkedIn invites from people I know, but they’re worthless because I won’t be updating my profile and I won’t ever log in to use it. That is of course, assuming they remain Social Network 1.0 status while Facebook steams ahead as Social Network 3.0 service pack 16. Heck, I don’t even us Upcoming anymore for events.

So, get yourself onto Facebook if you wish to grab my attention or promote business and fun related stuff that’s relevant to both of us

This post is also intended to address blog posts written by people such as Richard Sedley, Wired Gecko, Aidan, Dennis Howlett. Jemima Kiss from the Guardian has written a nice light hearted piece. It’s also intended to address the few email forums that picked up on my twitter message about my move. Who said twitter doesn’t work?!

It’s sometimes easier to write your own post than it is to write huge comments on other blogs.

[Update] I definitely don’t need LinkedIn anymore as I’ve just exported my entire address book. They should look to import more feeds, rather than export everything.

I use Facebook less but only because I now use other tools with it, such as Twitter, with which I communicate with very early adopters of social media.

Do you think it still holds true. Have you stopped using Facebook? Do you use it more or less?

A fellow Twitter buddy asked for feedback regarding the hardware and software we use. I twittered my answer but it’s something I’ve been meaning to write a post on, as I think it says a lot about who we are in the context of our working environment. Drew Buddy is the Head of ICT at his college and I think, he’s using this feedback to collate a report.

So, what does the picture above say about me? Well take a close look. It’s a sticker of the Microsoft Blue Monster eating the head of Mozilla on my Apple MacBrook Pro. That sums it up nicely; I’m happy to use the most approproate hardware and software as long as it meets my requirements.

The picture should demonstrate that I’m open minded because although I’m a known standards enthusiast, I like to use the proprietary technology produced by Apple and products produced by the perceived monster and non-standards compliant Microsoft.

My hardware

• Apple MacBook Pro
• Apple iPhone
• Apple iPod
• Cannon Ixus 950
• N95 for Qik streaming

Software

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Vista (but don’t use it often)
• Waiting for Live Writer for the Mac (blog authoring tool)
• Apple Mail (the ‘geniuses’ at the Apple store recommend Entourage)
• Apple iCal

Internet

• BT Broadband (they are the most reliable!)
• Google Docs (but don’t use it often)
• Google Reader for keeping up to date on blogs
• Gmail (but only as a backup for my POP account)
• Wordpress for Corporate Web site and personal blog

My Social

• Facebook (for connecting/communicating with non-geeks)
• Twitter (for community building with early adopters/geeks)
• Qik (for live streaming my presence)

Office environment

• Home office
• Adam Street private members club

The fact that I’m happy to work from home demonstrates that I’m overly generous to my staff as our HQ is in the heart of Dublin’s most affluent area and designed by John Rocha

This post is intended for Drew, but please feel free to help him collate enough data to produce a meaningful report by leaving a comment about the stuff you use every day. I’d like to know also.

Twitter is where I:

1. Scrape all the news that’s relevant to me, without having to read a blog or even glance my RSS Feed. This covers news about stuff which happens offline as well as online. I heard about the Microsoft bid for Yahoo! before most, whilst the bad news included the death of actors.
2. Solicit opinion from an audience of people I trust thereby reducing my dependence on search engines. This has included asking for information on open WiFi hot spots in Dublin, to asking for the phone number of someone with whom I had a meeting with in London.
3. Learn about new initiatives and events
4. Learn who’s going to be where and when
5. Highlight where I’m going to be in case people want to meet up with me
6. Inform people of events I’m attending or hosting
7. Promote specific blog posts that I’ve written
8. Answer questions to help others in the community
9. Meet new people
10. Strengthen relationships with people I already know, and with those I’ve met through Twitter

However, as Rob Loch pointed out on one of my previous posts, it’s difficult to see how Twitter will gain mass adoption. I’d like to add that it’s difficult to see how Twitter could gain mass adoption in its current form.

I can’t ever see my parents using Twitter for example. Yet they send picture and video messages. If however, Twitter was bought and used as an engine it could be a different matter.

So, when you open your address book on a mobile, you’d find out where your contacts are and what they’re doing. This would enable us to create communities around our address books seamlessly.

If you don’t use Twitter, why not give it a try. You need to sign up and communicate with friends before you can make an informed decision though.

How do you eat your Twitter? 

There’s more to life than Paul Walsh and sometimes I can even admit that. I want to talk about TechLudd, a networking event which I wrote about previously and wasn’t very positive on how well it would work. TechLudd in fact turned out to be a resounding success. I was wrong. Yes, folks, this too will probably appear on TechCrunch UK. Paul Walsh was wrong. Hey, it might even appear on TechCrunch.com

Read more…