This post contains publicly available content and my responses to exercises from this unit of the course created by Julian Stodd and Sea Salt Learning.
As I started the course, I decided that I would go for 100% completion of all exercises given that there was a leaderboard for completion and learner engagement. On the back of that decision, I decided to do the exercises using “wild mind writing”.
Introduction
In this level, we will explore aspects of the democratisation of publishing, and how it relates to reputation and Social Leadership.
The key to understanding the impacts of democratised publishing is to understand the formality or social nature of the different channels through which we publish, not simply from a technical viewpoint, but how they relate to authenticity and trust.
Overview
This video explores the evolution of the publishing industry.
Video
My response:
I first started blogging in 2003 (see my other tech milestones). I was exploring. Until very recently, my sole aim was to simply get a base on the internet where I could publish content and have that content accessible to me wherever I was accessing the internet. It was effectively a journal. I have done literally nothing to increase traffic to the blog. Amazingly, the blog's 8,428 posts have had 917,426 views.
I am increasingly aware that the blog is tired and should probably be overhauled and may be even moved to a different platform and made more professional in terms of content that I publish i.e. exclude trivia (you might be amazed at the volume of the Strictly Come Dancing posts!).
I am increasingly aware that my content is published on an increasing number of platforms including my blog, comments on others' blog posts, Facebook posts, comments and Messenger, Tweets, DMs, course platforms such as this that are closed, open MOOC platforms, closed MOOC platforms, G+ communities, work and personal emails, Slack teams, SMSs, IMs etc. I am on a quest to gain control of my content so that I have the master content and know where it all is!
To encourage others to blog, write and develop their online platform and so much more, I recommend Michael Hyatt e.g. Do You Have a Personal Platform Plan for 2013? and #031: MY ADVICE TO BEGINNING BLOGGERS [PODCAST].
1.2. Challenge
This video explores what the democratisation of publishing means for us as individuals and for our organisations.
Video
My response:
Re storytelling, "The secret to telling awesome stories" from Steve Clayton at Microsoft I have shared on numerous occasions:
To get confidence that you can do this, I point people to the Making MOOCs on a Budget MOOC which basically has the message that building your own MOOC, admittedly a grand publishing goal (!), is within reach of all of us even those of us (that would be me!) who hate seeing ourselves on video or hearing our voice. I am currently building a Project Management 101 MOOC for free on the free Teachable platorm.
I have never created content for a company that I work for but I can see that as being a next activity at some point.
I have become less militant over the years towards the naysayers who say this is all a waste of time and we should be getting on with "real work". To address them directly, I point to Euan Semple - https://twitter.com/euan - videos "Why social network mess can benefit your business" - - and his TED talk "Changing the World One Conversation at a Time". This also references trust! Also his book "Organizations Don't Tweet, People Do: A Manager's Guide to the Social Web" and the chapter Real Friends, specifically, is a powerful message (and my experience!) on the depth of online relationships.
"Things to Remember" from that chapter
- The use of the word “friend” online is problematic but we have got used to it
- You need to be thoughtful about who you connect with and why – whatever the language you use
- Online relationships can be just as powerful as those in the real world and we can sometimes know virtual friends better than real ones
- The Internet gives us new potential to meet our very human need to connect
- Our new opportunities for connectedness will change how we see the world
1.3. Democratisation of Publishing
Exploring specific aspects around the democratisation of publishing.
Podcast
As I listened to the podcast, it seemed to emphasise text publishing to the exclusion of other media forms.
Clearly, writing books and blogging have been and are a big part of the self-publishing revolution.
However, there are other media forms that are worth understanding and reviewing such as Instagram photos and YouTube videos.
On Instagram, see "How to become an Instagram millionaire”
On YouTube, see the following:
- "Shay Carl — From Manual Laborer to 2.3 Billion YouTube Views": .
- "How Renegade Filmmaker Casey Neistat Breaks Rules, Reinvents Himself, and Gets Thanked For It":
- "THE $21,000 FIRST CLASS AIRPLANE SEAT"
For more content on self-publishing, scan through multiple posts from Michael Hyatt in this stream
From my point of view, the only constraints in content production and publishing are the limits of human imagination.
1.4. Provocative Writing for a Better World
A co-creative experiment in provocative writing for an equal world.
What are your thoughts on this piece of writing? Would you share it, spread the word?
My response:
Happy memories of fanzines in the late 70s/80s.
Ha! re "Death to the Blogs"
Any excuse to play some punk, found this epic set list within 10 seconds of looking, surprising even myself now!! :)
and found this British Library page: Discovering Literature: 20th century; Fanzine Culture
1.5. CASE STUDY =@ql (fanzine)
=Q@L Zine is a journal to capture provocative writing to inspire change.
https://eqlsite.wordpress.com/
What would you write about if you were contributing?
My response:
I am relatively new to Working Out Loud ... thinking out loud .... wondering whether you are truly Working Out Loud if you adopt multiple personas in multiple physical and online spaces .... is Working Out Loud not actually about the authentic "me" in all my guises .... I have been heavily affected by this video on living life as an orange with multiple segments operating differently in each one versus living life as a peach where there are no segments, compartments, demarcation lines ... so I bring the whole of myself to all those parts of my life and the roles I perform ... until about a decade or so ago my life was all about compartments ... now I am totally a peach .... https://youtu.be/pCYRc4u79yM
... so when you interact with me online or IRL you interact with a ....
Disciple of Jesus
IT Professional
Project Manager
Husband
U2 fan (since 1980)
Film Club/Culture Club leader
Thai food lover
Cook (not that good!)
Learner
Dad
Reader
Occasional stammerer/stutterer
Music junkie
Loyal friend
Business Change-er
#WOL-er
#PKM-er
Dad
Pray-er
IT service deliverer
Coach
Facilitator
Book club member (IRL/ virtual)
Blogger
Twitter chatter
Eat out-er
Exotic beer drinker
Beer glass collector
All Age Worship event leader and co-creator
Church leader
Scotsman (50/50 English, prouder of Scottish part!)
Isle of Skye lover
Gaelic music lover
Pipes and Drums lover
Bible Study Group leader
etc etc
... and I bring all of that to the table and apply that, usually appropriately, to whatever the issue is at hand in whatever the context ...
... I am the same person to everyone I interact with ....
... love this Hugh McLeod cartoon: ....
see this for more on changing the world
and this BBC interview.
1.6. Social Age Journal
This is the first issue of a quarterly journal which explores the many aspects and interpretations of the Social Age. It's a forum for a community of thinkers to capture the essence of the Social Age.
It's an experiment in community driven co-creation and collaboration, helping practitioners write and share their stories with the world, and grow a community through the amplification of thoughts and ideas, without the need for formal infrastructure.
Can you think of other examples of democratised forms of creativity, freedom of expression outside of formal spaces?
Unconferences: definition and video
#unconference Twitter stream
Storify from such an event in London
Details of such a forthcoming event May 23 2017, London
1.7. Your Space for Ideas
Write about one real impact of the Social Age, and what you are doing about it. It might be something that you are doing yourself, or something that your organisation is doing, but claim a space and write something.
If you are happy with what you have written, you could submit if for the Journal of the Social Age, or you could publish it here, or on your blog. Or maybe you can find a new space to share it: when publishing is democratised, there is no shortage of spaces.
My response:
I am currently getting into #PKM and #WOL and Twitter chats. These are new to me since stumbling over the amazingly inspirational Michelle Ockers (https://twitter.com/michelleockers) last May/June. Michelle from Sydney, Australia, was at ATD2016 in Denver, Colorado and I was backchannelling via the #ATD2016 hashtag (I did not know that was the term back then!).
Prior to this as per my prior comments in this MOOC have indicated I was blogging and living life online/IRL. "Meeting" Michelle was the catalyst for taking my online working/playing to a whole new level.
I am one of the best consumers and sharers of content that I know. See my Twitter stats for 2016
Although I was blogging, I was basically a dabbling amateur and increasingly I realised I needed to start writing more new content and not just point people to other people's content.
I am currently doing a Working Out Loud circle (about to start week 9 of 12) and a further encounter escalated my ambitions in this area. Sonsoles Alonso, from Barcelona, is an Executive Coach and is also in the circle. She asked for a 1:1 with me as she was not clear about my personal goal in the circle. In the 1:1 it rapidly became apparent that she was not clear about my goal because I was not! That 1 hour call was a life-changing encounter on many deep levels. In the days immediately post that call my posts and comments becoae increasingly passionate, deep and powerful. One such example is my call to action for all professionals to have at least one 12-week virtual WOL circle experience. This was documented in a comment on the "How can we help others develop strong learning practice?" blog post.
My personal goal in the WOL circle has been through a few iterations but is now effectively my manifesto and rallying cry:
"To create more long-form content than I have done prior to starting in my first WOL circle and to do so in a way that:-
- leverages both my personal knowledge and practical experience
- inspires people to engage and apply that content in their daily lives
- reduces any "barriers to entry" for the subject area
- encourages the reader to continue and build on the conversation
- is jargon-free and accessible to people unfamiliar with the subject area
and where the content takes the form of:-
- blog posts and comments on other people's blog posts
- Facebook posts and comments on other people's Facebook posts
- Tweets and replies to other people's tweets
and is either:-
- proactive with no specific prompt from another person's content
- reactive indirectly to another person's content
- reactive directly to another person's content.
This will include making explicit content that historically has been "hidden" behind "Like"s and "RT"s."
It's true - the only limit is that of your imagination when it comes to content!
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