“The Internet? Bollocks! That’ll never take off!” to paraphrase Rupert Murdoch, in one of the least accurate predictions (and possibly quotations) ever made.
It is, however, my chance to align myself with one of the most successful global communications moguls of all time, in this, my opening post for Revolution, with an insight into my own incredible technological prediction...
Renouncing email!
Back in 2000, we decided, a return to hand written letters was going to be the way forward.
It would have been clear to anyone paying attention to me at the time (exactly no-one) that I was unlikely to ever be called a ‘digital communications expert’ and even less likely to be asked to write a blog as one, and certainly never to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rupert Murdoch.
That was, until now. (Even if was me who wrote the sentence doing the mentioning)
At the time, we thought it would help our new agency, Livity, to stand out from the increasing mass of email, rescue us from unconsidered responses, miss out on misconstrued messages and reconnect with real people… to buck the trend and move back to hand written letters.
I know, I know. (It still makes me cringe).
But we were young, and quite excitable.
To incorporate this as part of the strategy for a newly launched pioneering social enterprise and responsible youth marketing agency with an already hard-to-understand-on-the-phone name, might not be what you’d expert from a ‘digital communications expert’ who’s been asked to write for such a bible of technology based wisdom as this.
The response was unsurprising, “Yeah if you could get back to me in three days when the post arrives that would be great… and in the meantime I’ll email Exposure!?”
Luckily, continuing to emulate Mr Murdoch, we quickly changed our tune and started acting like email was actually our idea.
And for the months that followed, “isn’t the internet amazing” would often punctuate hours of research and document writing in the quiet atmosphere of that early two person office, as we began to embrace the web as users, not as assumed experts trying to second guess what would come next.
In 2009, whilst we’re still not sure about the term ‘digital experts’, we are proud to be behind several genuinely groundbreaking and effective examples of technology enabled communications.
From producing the ‘worlds first’ interactive multi platform series Dubplate Drama for the NSPCC, to creating Spinebreakers, a social network for book loving teenagers for Penguin and Rhyme4Respect the multiple award winning sexual health campaign and online lyric writing competition for DCSF, and many, many more..
We’ve come a long way from the early days when Michelle Clothier, Kate Brundle, Gavin Weale and I sat (amongst a lot of envelopes) discussing concepts of community and co creation.
We are now a team of thirty savvy marketers and youth engagement specialists, proudly delivering technology driven, socially led and youth created communications, campaigns and communities for clients that range from PlayStation, Teenage Cancer Trust, BBC3, Nike, NHS, Home Office and Diesel.
We’ve grown up, from misunderstanding, to real understanding, to making a real difference, in the real world. Not just using a medium (or renouncing it) for the mediums sake.
As I type this with my right hand, my left hand is moderating comments in a ground breaking project we’re working on for Bebo, enabling many thousands of young people to pose their real hopes, fears and questions directly to the Prime Minster, that will result in teenagers taking on Gordon Brown face to face in the cabinet rooms, in consultation that feeds into real policy making as part of Bebo’s Big Think. Using the power of Social Media to give young people a real chance to make a genuine difference.
Over the years, since thinking we might ‘reinvent letter writing’, (it still makes me wince) we’ve been paying more attention and trying to take part as users, and not just marketers.
Since the days of Friendster and Face-Pix, I’ve joined more social networks than I’ve had hot (Tesco’s Finest) dinners, have become hardwired to a blackberry, found podcasts of me on other people’s ipods, get to give my opinion on everything from Digital Britain to the future of Channel 4 and have been invited all over the world to talk about Livity’s projects and their role in determining future technology and media trends.
And since making the worst judgement call in the history of communications, I’ve since resisted the urge to make pronouncements and predictions, and come to the conclusion that Life Moves Pretty Fast, and if you accept that you don’t know, how much you don’t know, then we can only keep on learning.
If we don’t stop and look around once in a while, we might just miss the point.
On which basis, I’ve agreed to write this blog, for a publication I genuinely respect, I will do my best to keep it regular, honest and informative… (and never again this long) Just don’t expect me to get it right, or to take the credit when I get it wrong.. In my opinion a digital expert is probably an (oxy)moron.
Sam Conniff
Co Founder of Livity, LIVE Magazine, Music4Good and Don’t Panic.
Executive Producer Dubplate Drama
UK Social Enterprise Ambassador
Revolution Magazine
