Birmingham Social Media Cafe

A few weeks ago I was in London on a Friday and happened to pop into the ICA’s cafe in the afternoon. This is where the Tuttle Club, London’s Social Media Cafe, meets every Friday morning to do the sort of things we do at BSMC. Three hours after it had officially ended there were still people there working away on their laptops and having the sort of discussions that aren’t really possible during the more intense morning session. That got me thinking.

Last week, at SXSWi, I spent a lot of my time talking to people who were running coworking spaces and organising meetups in various cities around the world, sharing ideas, plans and notions about this kind of thing. One thing I’ve noticed about Americans is when they get a good thing going they tend to formalise it, BarCamp style, into a set of guidelines or rules so that others can take that knowledge and implement it in their own city. A number of these models are potentially useful for doing stuff in Birmingham but the one that immediately seemed relevant to the Social Media Cafe was Jelly.

The original Jelly took place in someone’s home but the principles are pretty simple. Provide free wifi, comfortable seating, an informal atmosphere and fill it with interesting people. What distinguishes this from the morning BSMC is it’s about getting work done. Here’s a handy video from the New York Jelly:

What is Jelly? from Amit Gupta on Vimeo.

I don’t think that’s a million miles from what we’ve got going at Coffee Lounge.

So, here’s my proposal. When the networking finishes around noon those of us who don’t have to get back to a specific office stay on for a few hours for some ad-hoc coworking. The idea is we get work done but do so amongst our peers for mutual help, support and advice. This way we can maybe take the energy and passion generated in the morning and rather than let is dissipate turn it into something real.

And then we’ll see where it takes us. Maybe a formal Jelly, maybe something completely different. We’ll see…

Where? Coffee Lounge on Navigation Street.

When? Tomorrow, 10am to midday.

What? A chance for a whole bunch of people who are interested in social media to get together and discuss, plan, scheme and share.

You won’t even have to pay for your coffee/beverage of choice – Screen WM have offered to provide some support to the BSMC and will be covering the drinks tab tomorrow.

There should be plenty to chat about this month:

• Yoosk has been announced as one of the region’s 4iP projects
• A whole bunch of people went off to SXSW and came back stuffed with knowledge and pancakes
  
• Just as many people held WXWM back home

and I’m sure there’s been plenty more besides.

If there’s anything in particular you want to chat about, or anyone you want to speak to, then say so in the comments and perhaps we can make that happen. I’ll kick things off below.

Btw, if you’ve not seen who’s said they’re coming you can have a look (and add yourself) on the wiki and the Facebook event.

Another fine turnout at the Birmingham Social Media Cafe last Friday. Thanks to everyone who came down and packed the place out again. Thanks also to Ward Lovett for sponsoring.

As before, we collected up name stickers and have photographed them for your note-adding convenience (click the pic to do that):

If you were there but your sticker isn’t then feel free to add your details in the comments on the Flickr page.

You might’ve noticed the whiteboard that was left lying around with a few pens. It was an experiment to see what, if anything, people did with it (kinda physical social media rather than the online sort). Not a great deal as it turned out, but Alex Hughes was on hand to turn his cartoon talents to filling it. It might reappear at the next one.

Also keep an eye on Someone Once Told Me to see the photos by Mario (@MarioSOTM) which should start going up soon.

Finally, any earlybirds who want to sign up to the next event on Friday 27 March can do so here:

• BSMC wiki
• Facebook event
• Upcoming

Thanks all. See you again soon.