let's be social

I was looking for one the other day when it started to snow, and couldn’t find one anywhere.

I have a networked webcam I could use, but I don’t have a location, my employer’s network security is far to strict for this, so any offices I have access to are a no go.

The camera works over cat5 or wifi, and I would set it to update a picture on this site every 30 seconds over FTP.

I think people would appreciate something like this, either because they aren’t near a window, they are at home, generally nosey, or to see how busy it looks before going shopping.

So does anyone know somewhere with windows facing the town centre area which would let me install the webcam over the winter season?

(Although this post does feature an online element too)

On my way back from a staff Christmas party, I came across one of the the Solihull Partnership Safer Communities projects, where they have an emergency treatment tent set-up in the town centre to treat people injured in town at night. Most of these are from trips, falls, and perhaps the odd scuffle.

It’s also there to educate people about the effects of alcohol, and is manned by Police, Ambulance, and Council staff. There are a couple of oversized games to demonstrate this, Operation, and a follow the wire challenge. They should be easy with their large size, but after a few drinks, they prove how badly your coordination can be affected.

So far it’s saved many trips in ambulances which saves the authorities time and money, and means the festive party people don’t have their evening ruined even more by ending up in hospital.

I met Police Inspector Phil Radbourne who writes his own blog about his day to day work as the South Neighbourhood Manager in Solihull. I also said hi to Charlotte Ford from Solihull Council, who was there representing the Safer Communities side of the Solihull Partnership. Within the Council we’re working on a new website for the Partnership, so I really hope we’ll have a blog available soon to help promote work like this going on in the area.

Continue reading

I’ll be posting dates of the scheduled dates, a map of how to find us, and a simple form to register your attendance, all on the main WMCSMS page here on Let’s Be Social from now on.

You can see it on the WMCSMS link at the top of the page.

Don’t worry though, I will still post reminders here, and on Twitter.

The WMCSMS blog has now been imported into this one, so you only have 1 place to look for all of the Solihull & Acocks Green area social media projects in the area, and any other stuff I am involved in within the general Birmingham area

As this blog develops, I’m now wondering if it should incorporate the WMCSMS blog so that all of the social media projects I’m involved in are all in one place. It would certainly help me but how about people reading it?

Any opinions?

I went to full Council last night in Solihull, mainly because we have started promoting meetings via our Twitter feed, and as this was something I have said they should be doing for some time now, I felt I should at least attend one to see what I wanted promoting.

There’s no reason why we can’t stream meetings, but for the costs involved, who would watch it, and what would they get out of it?

I was one of 8 or 9 people in the spectator’s gallery, most of those were students, so for the general public.

In a time when Councils are being told to cut costs, and in some cases services, where does the funding come from to do this, and how would it be justified? I am all for citizen engagement, democracy, and due process, but I am really struggling with justifying the expense of making things like this available online to the directors, and members of the Council.

Any ideas?

I hate the X-Factor, and all it stands for nowadays. It was fun at first, but I think it’s run its course now, and needs to be put out of our misery.

I found this on Facebook today, Rage Against The Machine for Christmas No 1.

Can social media make this happen?

I’m willing to give it a go, I’ll post the following on Twitter from time to time, and on my Facebook feed, hopefully friends and followers will do the same, and the on December the 13th buy the RATM single, and see if this works!

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ATTENTION TWITTERERS: The trending topic for this is #ratm4xmas

Copy and paste this post into your Tweets:

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR XMAS No.1 #ratm4xmas See here for details http://bit.ly/inthename PLEASE RT

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my Councillors gave to me, 3 blogs!

OK so two were set-up previously, but they all spent the evening learning more about how they work, and ways in which searching for local data can be useful.

Ken Hawkins

Martin McCarthy

Mick Corser

Hopefully we’ll see more blogs over the coming months, and these ones getting more content, so please be supportive.
Thanks to Paul Hadley, Dan Slee, and Lorna Parsons for helping the Councillors this month!

And we hope you can make it!

Last month saw the launch of Solihull’s own Social Media Cafe, and we’re continuing with the second Thursday of the month slot for December, and the foreseeable future, so get it in your diaries

This month, why not make a day of it and get your Christmas shopping done afterwards? We’re right next to the lovely Touchwood shopping centre in the heart of Solihull.

A few people had a bit of trouble finding us, so here’s a bit of help.

The SMC is held in the Gallery found in the Solihull Arts & Library Complex, and you can get there from Homer Road following the stairs up alongside the library, or from the Touchwood shopping centre through the doors into Library Square opposite the lifts and elevators to the cinema.

Once you enter the complex the cafe is on the right, and once you enter the cafe, the stairs to the Gallery are in the left corner.

We’ll try to get some signs up to point the way and make things a little clearer, but if you ask for the Gallery, any of the staff will be able to point you in the right direction.

View Larger Map

Santa will be right outside checking if you’re naughty or nice though, so you better be good for goodness sake!

Here’s the Touchwood page on how to get there, also showing where all of the car parks are. I recommend Monkspath Hall Car Park, it’s a bit further, but if you’re in Solihull before 9:30 there are plenty of spaces, and it’s only £3 for the whole day.

If you don’t manage to make it along this month, we hope you enjoy the holiday season, and see you in January!