On Friday I’m off to #thatLondon to attend and speak at the BBC College Value Of Journalism event.
I’m doing a short presentation on why I do what I do with Pits n Pots then sitting on a panel where we re going to discuss Grass Roots Social Media. I’m sitting with:
No pressure then!
I have had a quick look on teh interwebs at what everyone else does and they all seem a lot more organised and write a lot more than I do. They are the kind of people who you would want to sit on a panel to discuss Grass Roots Social Media, they are respected for what they do and write, then there is me.
I feel a bit insignificant next to these people who are writing great texts all about social media. I’m feeling like I have been invited as the token ‘man on the street’ who is trying to do grass roots social media.
Then I started thinking why do I feel like that? Surely I should feel privileged to be asked to go to an event like this, let alone speak at it and be on a panel that can discuss this ‘Grass Roots Social Media’ thing with some authority.
I am by nature and geography of birth (I’m a Mancunian) eternally cynical about most things in life and have been acutely aware of people blowing smoke up peoples nether regions for many years. I tend to take most things with a pinch of salt and think ‘we’ll see’, then if something comes from it great, if it doesn’t then I’m not disappointed.
Over the last 12 months I have been very lucky and have been to quite a few conferences and events about social media. At almost every event I have been to people whom I have read about online and respect professionally as well as people I have not had the opportunity to read more about, have come and found me because they want to meet someone who ‘does Pits n Pots’.
To me ‘doing Pits n Pots’ is just something I do. Tony thought there was a need for discussion about the local politics in Stoke-on-Trent back in 2008 and set up the first version of the site. As he famously says ‘all you need to set up a blog is a bottle of red wine and a bit of time’. I started commenting on the site almost from day one, then when Tony ran in to a couple of problems, I offered to help. On the 1 December 2008 we moved to our own domain and Tony and I were thrown together in some Laurel & Hardy type partnership. A partnership where we have never had a crossed word or disagreed on what we are doing or where we should be going (unless Tony is driving).
The site has had its ups & downs, granted we have been lucky and had more ups than downs, but we are both acutely aware, that that can change at the click of the publish button. I am immensely proud of what we have managed to achieve so far and the people we have managed to interview. Outside of stoke-on-Trent we have a good name and people seem to respect what we are doing, in the City, until very recently we were given the cold shoulder or just paid lip service to. Relations with the council have got better, we have in the past been critical of them and what they have and haven’t done. We have never sensationalised anything and we try not to criticise the city unduly, we are both proud of the city we live in and want to see it improve and get better. Not everything in the garden is rosy we know that and the City Council know it as well, we like to think we are balanced in our views.
Other media organisations in the city are interested in what we are doing and how we are doing it. Our relationships with them are, shall we say, on nodding terms. Every now and then we have a little flare up and there is some posturing from one quater or another, then it all goes quiet and we carry on doing what we are doing with a wry smile, because if people are reacting to our presence then we must be annoying them or putting them under some pressure, which is only a good thing.
So why do I feel insignificant? Well now I have spent a few minutes writing this down, I don’t. Writing this has also made me think a bit more about the Grass Roots of it all.
I don’t see Pits n Pots as being anything great, I just do it. As I have said I am immensely proud of what we do, but the important bit is, ‘I just do it’.
I don’t need to think about it, because I am passionate about the city I live in and I want see it get better and more prosperous. To do this we need to make sure that people are aware of what the council are doing, we need to hold the power we give them to account.
As soon as something starts becoming a chore then it doesn’t get done.
If you are going to do something grass roots do something you are passionate about and that you can just do, don’t try and emulate anyone, don’t think I am going to write the best content about F1, because no matter how passionate you are, unless you are living with the teams on pit lane you can’t just do it.
Be honest with yourself, is it something you ‘really’ care about? If it is great, if it isn’t and you are just thinking I’ll start writing about Toy Town City Council because you have seen Pits n Pots do it, then you will more than likely fail.
It’s not a game, it is one hell of a lot of fun, but it isn’t a game. It is hard work and be very clear about the risks you are taking every time you press the publish button.
Would I change what I do?
Nah, never, it is too much fun.
Hey Mike
Very insightful & honest post. Must read Pit n Pots now sounds a lot like what we are trying to do here in Drimnagh. Good luck on Friday in #thatlondon (why do ye call it that) you’ll be grand. Your ‘I just do it’ attitude was a great help to me & made me realise it’s better to be doing than thinking.
All the best.
Pauline
Pauline Sargent(Quote) (Reply)
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Thanks Pauline :0)
The best way is to ‘just do it’ if you think about it too long and assess it too much you will never do it.
You are doing great stuff in Drimnagh and we will get over to vist soon.
Michael Rawlins(Quote) (Reply)
How did your trip go?
Matt(Quote) (Reply)
I’ll be posting something about it a bit later.
Michael Rawlins(Quote) (Reply)
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