let's be social

Take a look at http://www.letsbesocial.co.uk/cafe for all the info about the cafe, and where it is.

I would really like to see more of you turn up to our humble cafe though, there must be more people in and around Solihull who have an interest in social media, and it’s a really good opportunity to meet some of the people from the Council, and it’s partners who are trying to make things happen!

Please consider a visit, there are usually art exhibitions in the gallery where we hold the cafe, and you get free tea and coffee as well, it doesn’t get much better than this folks (in Solihull anyway)

Hope to see you there, 10am in the Arts & Library Complex Gallery, in Solihull town centre.

We’re finally going to move the focus away from just elected Council Members, and start offering the resources we have to the public for community and voluntary groups now!

We’ll probably skip the session in April so get our heads together and work out exactly how this will happen, such as where we can hold these events for starters!

In the meantime, we’d be welcome for any feedback you may have, relating to things you would like to see, and venues in Solihull which are open until 8ish, and serve cofee, with free public wifi available! (Pubs are not a good venue, as there are many people who will not come to a pub for whatever reason).

Hopefully we’ll have something sorted out for May, this will be more likely if you’re able to help us find somewhere (hint hint)

This month, not only will you be able to visit the best Social Media Cafe in the whole borough of Solihull, but you will also be able to see a rather interesting and controversial art exhibition too!

As usual, it will be 10am – 12pm in The Gallery, above the Arts & Library Complex’s own cafe. More info about the Solihull SMC, including directions can be found here.

Keeley Lowe – Inside Out

28th January- 20th February 2010

This large scale installation purports to be a loose assemblage of old, used and discarded cardboard boxes.

Discovered through a process of interaction and investigation, the work attempts to challenge viewer’s perceptions and aims
to induce doubt about the very structure we assume to be reality.

I had an idea today, why not see how many people we can get out of the house on Saturday the 30th of January, and to walk along well known routes or areas where they live, and take a photo every few metres. Maybe 10, maybe 50, who knows.

Then, you could turn around, and walk back up the other side, and take the pics from the other side. You could then turn these into a video, and post it online.

I think it would be fun to see how many people we could get out doing this. Bonus points if you did one following behind someone else doing one!

There are a number of social media sites out there where things like this could be shared, and it would be a good chance to get out of the house, meet some other people who are mad enough to do the same thing, and then perhaps meet up in a pub afterwards.

Areas I am thinking of initially will centre on Brum, but if enough people live in other areas, there’s nothing to stop you posting details below where you would like to do it, and promoting this post to get more interest!

Initial thoughts would be Digbeth, High St, New St, Colmore Row, around St Philips, Paradise Circus, Corporation St, maybe up and down some of the smaller roads, who knows!

It’s a bit of a random idea, I haven’t thought it through, but it sounds like fun so far!

As for how it would work, well, that’s down to how many people would be interested, so do leave a comment if it sounds like fun to you. Perhaps break up into groups if there are lots, then agree where you want to go, or all head out in a mass pack of loonies with cameras scaring the local populace.

(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?

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!

Talk About Local will be running an event in Chelmsley Wood to teach people about getting a voice online.

When? December 1st, 6pm to 8pm

Where? McDonald’s, 345 Bosworth Drive, Chelmsley Wood, B37 5EX

Free WiFi will be available

Please contact 0121 288 2910 for more information, or take a look at Talk About Local’s blog post here.

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Dates for WMCSMS Solihull – November & December

Visit the WMCSMS blog to see more details, but the next SMS for Solihull’s Councillors will be on the 10th of November, and 3rd of December.