#Hashtags#

Hashtags are to the social web what emoticons were to Web 1.0 and TXTing. While both are forms of expression and sentiment, there is one subtle, but vital difference. Hashtags are not only part of online culture, they are defining a new era of communication on the Web and IRL (in real life). With over 140 million Tweets flying across Twitter every day, hashtags surface a method to the madness – the ability to group conversations into an organized timeline. But what started out as a way to index conversations in Twitter has now substantially altered how people convey, relay and discover information in and out of the popular nichework. The hashtag has also become an effective form of #selfexpression.

In social media, “x” no longer marks the spot, “#” is now the indicator for popular culture and all that moves it. In the social economy, the hashtag is an indicator of value in the Twitter information exchange. Each hashtag represents revolving markets with varying lifespans determined by the significance of the conversation and its continuously fleeting demand. Some last only minutes, while others endure for hours or days.

While many struggle to understand the value of Twitter, those who get it are literally changing how they connect and talk to one another. At some point, a chasm emerges between those who use Twitter and those who do not. In other channels where Twitter users and other non-users are connected, for example email or text messaging, the culture of conversation becomes noticeably divergent. To begin with, Twitter users, like txters, are groomed to speak with brevity. Subconsciously aware of the character constraints of Twitter, communication is concise, to the point, with an emphasis on shortform bursts. This digital shorthand if you will is only part of what’s changing. Digital anthropologists have long observed the impact of text messaging on the ability to write in longhand. R U surprised? Prolly not…LOL! Twitter will also become the subject of educational studies to prove that the culture code of communication is transcending status updates to affect everyday engagement. Specifically within 140-character inspired transmissions, the hashtag is playing an important role.

#Brian Solis

Social Media

Semantic web is the word that is on everyone's lips these days and this was the first words spoken at the Social Media Boot Camp hosted by Rlabs.
Mike Santer Director at Rogarem presented a talk on the future internet.

Examples: If information about shops,restaurants,cars,music,movie tickets etc. were stored in RDF files, Intelligent Web could collect info form many different sources combine info and present it to users in meaningful ways...that in itself had all our attention. Our very own Clinton Liederman took us on a journey with the Geosocial Universe, saying that 55% of journalist say that Social Media is important or somewhat important for reporting and producing story's, and how companies who still don't make use of an online presents is missing out big time as Google is better then the yellow pages.
The founder of RLabs Marlon Parker who just came back for spending time in the Silicone Valley has a total new mind shift on how this are being done inspired us with his talk on Local,Social and Mobile. We ended the day of with a brainstorming session planing our online fund raising & campaigning with the help of Collin Habberton from givengain South Africa and now we running our Do Good, Give Hope winter campaign.

social media class

Facebook has been my favourite and easiest so far. Google is a great tool for my business so far. Helping me immediately to whatever artwork , place or business i'm looking for.

Living on the Edge

This evening in the 1st Social and New Media session we had a great check in and after asking the class whether they wanted time off next week, as it is a public holiday the Monday and Wednesday and we have class the Tuesday evening. The group unanimously decided to come to class. This is very exciting for us as it shows their enthusiasm and we as the facilitators were really glad about this. Gary Saaiman played a video as part of opening the evening. The video was about BMX biking/tricks. Not sure how to describe it as it included lots of tricks and acts and really living on the edge. He then shared with the class how we all have talents and gifts and opportunities availed to us. It is up to us to make the most of it and really live on the edge. Don't be afraid to take risks. Thank you Gary for sharing with us.

Human Face to technology

Over the past weekend the RLabs Team was again in the Academia space. This time it was not a Social Media Surgery but sharing stories. Cape Peninsula University of Technology had an open day and they invited the RLabs Team to do a presentation and to share the RLabs story. Some of the team members shared their personal experiences of how they are using technology to empower communities through innovation . Monique Ross (She's the Geek) shared how creative one can be in IT and IT is just not on a PC but working in a real world bringing it together to reconstruct lives. . 343 kids attended the CPUT Faculty Open Day this past Saturday.

RLabs at Baba Indaba

Diapers, cots, prams, bottles, soft toys, baby clothing, teething gel are just a few thoughts that spring to mind of an expecting mom. To enrich parents and parents-to-be more about baby stuff was the SABC Education Baba Indaba. The Baba Indaba was designed to inspire new moms to delight in their pregnancy, bring fresh ideas to parents, stimulate toddlers and entice kids with various essential, interesting and fun products.



This annual event was held in Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. On 23-25 July the CTICC was the venue where parents, babies, toddlers and tweens were entertained, inspired and encouraged to discover a world of fun and education with a variety of exhibitors. For the first time in South Africa the Kids Indaba, which focuses on children between the ages 6-12 years, was part of the already well-known Baba Indaba.

Among the necessary new-born products, nutritional and healthy food, educational cartoons and maternity fashion shows, was Bridgetown’s very own Reconstructed Living Lab (Rlabs) to stimulate the children via computers. Rlabs was determined to take Social Media Surgery to the younger generation, who were eager to interact with technology. Rlabs aimed to increase the understanding of technology and to educate the children between the ages of 6-12 years about various educational sites, children from as young as three years old were playing games on the Wii, X-Box and the PC’s.

Most of the children who passed-by showed an interest either by pulling their parents towards Rlabs or running towards a pc or the games projected on the screens. They were knowledgeable as well about the internet and exchanged their favourite sites with the Rlabs team.

Technology has weaved its way to the very young ones and to enhance the phrase “...if you can’t beat them join them,” Rlabs encouraged the parents to embrace the ever transpiring evolution of the online world by introducing them to sites beneficial to their children’s development.

Improving the Knowledge Exchange landscape on the Cape Flats using Web2.0

One of our papers titled "Improving the knowledge exchange landscape in the Cape Flats, a developing community in South Africa" published in the South African Journal of Information Management (SAJIM) explores the use of Web 2.0 services to ease the access to information by people living in a socially and economically deprived area. Even more barriers exist, namely that the community is affected by gangsterism and drugs. The article reports on an investigation into the use of Web 2.0 technologies to enhance the information flow within the community to assist preventing the growth and spread of gangsterism and the use of drugs among South African communities, especially those in the Cape Flats. The findings showed that, through the use of Web 2.0 technologies, interviewees (ex-gang members and ex-drug addicts) learnt to use, exchange and disseminate information that could be used to uplift their communities. This paper was based on the work at the Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs)and it is amazing to see how the team have developed since the time the paper was written.

Source: http://marlonparker.co.za

Day 2: World Bank Innovation Fair

Catch Day 2 of the exciting World Bank Innovation Fair below:

Day 1: World Bank Innovation Fair

Below is a video (DAY 1) of the World Bank Innovation Fair where some of the Reconstructed Graduates were part of the Social Media Factory team managing the Social Media activities:

Business 2020.

Today Impact Direct Staff attended a Business Breakfast at Granger Bay Restaurant organised by New Trends and Outlooks a business owned by two young men Kyle Jonck and Jason Martin.

The aim of this breakfast is to get business men and women using the power of social media therefore the two guest speakers was no other than Marlon Parker that spoke about “Important Jumps for the future of your business” fish where others are not fishing.

The other speaker was Dave Duarte a Digital Media and marketing educator in Cape Town and his talk was around “Marketing 2020″ He shared so many interesting facts regarding marketing and social media.

“As we go forward, I hope we’re going to continue to use technology to make really big differences in how people live and work.”
Sergey Brin




Jason Martin (19) Had been a drug Addict since my Father past away in the year 2001, for his life was hard as a young lad. His mother could not provide for him, all clothes he wore was broken, life was tough. He only family member finishing his education and establishing a business

Since he accepted Jesus His Life went from better to Better, Strength to Strength Today he’s set free of Drugs named; Tik (Methamphetamine
), Dagga (Marijuana), Tobacco and Alcohol he is now 4years free of it and fall part of a team called the Impact Team. Jason now an ICT Student at College of Cape Town.



Kyle Jonck (20) An Economics student at Unisa.
Grew up in Mitchells Plain, in a dysfunctional home.
This did not keep him behind, he never indulged in any form of drugs
He decided to take on the business world, looking forward to the future in expectation
of accomplishing goals

New trends & outlooks started with two youngsters from Bridgetown Athlone .Kyle Jonck and Jason Martin met at the Impact centre ,they decided to start a business conference ,with the aim of empowering the youth ,business leaders ,entrepreneur and people wanting to start their own business.

Well done Kyle and Jason for a great event

2010, More than Football

After two consecutive years of social media for social change training under the umbrella of Rlabs, this past weekend they launched the 2010 social media for social change sessions. This is the 3rd year of training happening together withImpact Direct and CPUT. For 2008 -2009 Rlabs trained more than 70 men, women and teens on the platform of social media. The launch for 2010 social media for social change sessions 17 people signed up to join the mom3.0 and the reconstructed sessions this year.

2008:

This was the first year when Marlon Parker took a gamble to take ex-drug addicts and ex-gangsters into the Lab at CPUT to teach them computer skills in a undisciplined way which was social media. Something that I have to highlight we knew nothing about computers besides knowing how to steal them. Later in the year Rlabs launched the mom2.0 this was house wives of the community which did the same training (social media for social change).

2009:

The intake of 2009 mom2.0 and the reconstructed sessions was facilitated by a team of the 2008 graduates remember they knew nothing about computers and social media but they managed to take them through to graduating the end of December 2009.

2010:

A very interesting year again a team of 2009 graduates will manage the sessions. This year’s sessions will be more spiced up the training will not only be manage in the Rlabs it will be more practical where the students will go into the community, malls, mountain and beaches to take video clips and pics and do their stories around that.

As a graduate of 2008 I’m a witness how champions are being developed through this Rlabs project. A message to these years’ students if you know nothing about computers and social media you are a perfect candidate of becoming a great champion for the community.

Source: RLabs.org

Social Media for Non-profits workshop

Yesterday as we hosted a number of non-profit organisation representatives it was exciting to see how these non-profits would use Social media as part of the organisation strategies. It was also an opportunity to have members of the Reconstructed Team (Craig Ross (in image above), Brent Williams and Clinton Liederman) to facilitate the workshop. The day was a huge success as we not only managed to get the participants excited about Social Media but we also explored way of how it could be used practically within the various organisations for Social Change.

Some of the topics covered that got the participants talking was the use of blogs, micro-blogging and mobile phones as part of the organisation to engage with various stakeholders. Some of the challenges for many of the non-profits were the lack of resources (E.g. bandwidth, having staff dedicated to social media strategy etc). However, during the workshop we were able to discuss a basic Social Media strategy that could support Non-profit organisations. Using the following steps as part of the Social Media strategy proved to be useful to the participants:1)listening 2) participating 3) creating 4) building networks and 5) evaluating.

At the end of the day all the participants managed to start a blog, micro-blogging, get involved with social networks and draft a basic social media strategy for their various organisations.

Social Media for Social Change - Video

Marlon Parker talks to Nick Booth about Impact Direct in South Africa from Podnosh on Vimeo.

Angels and Mobiles

Thanks to Nick Booth for recording this quick video displaying our MXit Angel project.

Angel service for Drug Addicts in South Africa from Podnosh on Vimeo.

Read his post about the Reconstructed project here