Social Technology consultant
I work with large and small organisations to help them harness the energy of communities using online and offline technology. If you're about to waste loads of money on the wrong technology, I can help you achieve more by spending less - be it blogs, wikis, social networks or something more simple.
As co-founder of the School of Everything, founder and director of Sociability, and with seven years of internet projects behind me, I've got lots of experience of technology and collaboration projects. I'm also a former cultural historian, so my interest is in the impact of technology, not technology for its own sake.
I'm passionate about creating networks and systems in which people can try new things, channel their enthusiasms, share their experiences and teach others what they know.
Offering: private lessons, group classes, workshops and corporate.
Aimed at: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
Ages: 18 +
Rates: £700-500/day, but negotiable for those doing good stuff.
Educational history
London Programme
Dates:
April 2007 - April 2008
Institution:
School for Social Entrepreneurs
Student on the 2007 Programme at this innovative leadership school, originally founded by legendary social entrepreneur and Which? founder Michael Young.
History (BA Hons)
Dates:
October 1996 - June 1999
Institution:
University of Cambridge (Selwyn College)
Specialised in the Renaissance, Reformation and Revolutionary Periods, particularly religious and cultural change and political thought.
Experience
Social and Education Projects
Internet Projects
Founder and Director of social technology consultancy Sociability, which has recently received national press coverage and garnered praise for its work on the hugely successful RSA Networks project for the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce. Now working with Croydon Council and other government and non-profit clients, and developing innovative social projects.
Four years at Skillset commissioning campaign websites, collaboration tools and database systems. Won a Web Marketing Association Award for Skillset Film and produced five highly acclaimed storyboard guides to the media industries. Previously produced campaign websites including Those Who Can, Teach national teacher recruitment website for the TTA.
Partnership projects include work with the BBC, Channel 4, National Film & Television School and Trampoline Systems.
Dates:
Sep 2000 - Sep 2007
Public Classes
Start a Freeschool
You never know what people know. In any group of people there are more than enough skills to start a reasonably comprehensive school. All you need is an empty room, the right kind of people - and lots of post-it notes.
For the past year I've been experimenting with freeschools, using simple tools to enable any group of people to share their skills and learn from each other. You can hear me talking about these freeschool experiments in this video.
Anyone can start a freeschool, in a company, a university, a cafe, or your local pub. For instructions on how to do it, visit http://freeschool.stikipad.com. But if you want me to come to visit and start things off, I'd be happy to help!
Venue:
Wherever you want me
Location:
, United Kingdom
Date and time:
By arrangement
Blogging for Organisations
How can blogging help you promote and expand your business? Getting the technology is just the start. What should you write? What kind of tone should you be setting, and how? What are the risks, and how can you avoid them? And how do you get people reading it in the first place?
In one day, I will take your business through the pros and cons of corporate blogging, what they are best suited to, the common traps you should avoid, how to promote your blog and engage with your audience, and how to minimise risks to your brand and reputation. We'll also cover how to support your staff in changing the way they communicate, and even how blogs can help you with your internal processes too.
It's a practical workshop, with real examples of good and bad practice and enough actual writing during the day to give your staff real practical skills. By the end of it, the participants will be more confident of writing high quality blog posts, and your organisation will have a clear action plan for how to get the most out of your blog.
Venue:
School of Everything, 18 Victoria Park Square
Location:
Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom
Date and time:
Arranged at a time convenient to your business
Private Teaching
Crash course in web 2.0
Don't know your Facebook from your Bebo? Too scared to blog? And what is a wiki anyway?
Social media is affecting the way we do everything online, and even shaping our offline activities too. There's a lot to get your head around, but if you can explain what you're trying to achieve, I'll pick out the parts that are relevant and make them simple for you. I can also help with advice on free and cheap collaboration tools, good sites to look at, and the wider theory of how and why the internet became "social".
Teaching locations:
I teach from home (or a fixed venue)
Teaching locations:
I travel to students
Location:
School of Everything, 18 Victoria Park Square, London, United Kingdom
Organisational Design
If you're starting a new organisation or working to reinvent an existing one, I can help you through the process, propose models you could use, coach you through the complexities of managing individual and collective interests, and support you through the change management required.
Teaching locations:
I teach from home (or a fixed venue)
Teaching locations:
I travel to students
Location:
School of Everything, 18 Victoria Park Square, London, United Kingdom
THE SMALL PRINT
Prompt payment greatly appreciated
