Vikki Chowney

Buying Nothing™ for the party

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:49:00 GMT

As some of you might know, I'm a big fan of Do The Green Thing's cheeky approach to encouraging people to be a bit kinder to the environment. As such, this campaign may have been launched last year, but I still think it's fantastic and this post is long overdue.

Originally created for Black Friday (the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season), it allows people to literally buy Nothing™.

Available exclusively on Amazero, it's the world's most achingly desirable and deliciously sustainable product, because it takes zero energy to make. Green Thing describes it as; "the world’s first ‘nicotine patch’ for environmentally conscious shopaholics. Now you can shop your sustainable heart out and buy Nothing™"

Just brilliant. It's a swift kick to those that jump on the green bandwagon, an underlying poke at Amazon's role in over-consumption and features some fancy Photoshop skills to boot.

Stickered laptops and posters on your bedroom wall

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:47:00 GMT

This is the third time I’ve sat down to write this post. Annoyingly, my blog has started to not save things after I’ve spent hours (well...) writing. C’est la vie.

I asked a group of my friends last week to get involved with a theory I’d been working on. For some time, I’ve been drawing dotted lines between the business of plastering your bedroom walls with posters, and decorating the top of your laptop with stickers. It’s wholly possible that the motivation is the same, but that doesn't mean I"m right.

In fact, the people that responded to my question proved a whole other theory. As it turns out, the ‘bloggers’ among them did indeed plaster their laptop cases to high heaven. Nude laptop theory was rife, causing some unrest within the group - but leaving your MBP to its own super-shiny devices is no bad thing. Actually, the people that tended not to decorate externally, personalised their desktops instead. The notion of keeping things tidy and in the right place seemed to be a much bigger issue for most, and it was certainly the most argued point - far more than stickers.

I don’t know whether this is because those that make a living by being naturally exuberant are more inclined to wear badges of honour, or something else. But those that straddled both the stickers and the desktop categories had roles/jobs that seemed to do the same for the most part. It’s made for an interesting experiment to say the least.

Rupert Howe's super-cute desktop

Terence Eden's laptop

Alfie Dennen's desktop

Kalam Ali's laptop

Kai Turner's desktop

James Whatley's laptop

Daren Forsyth's laptop

Phil Campbell's laptop

Louise Campbell's desktop (and gorgeous Snow White-stickered laptop above)

When love conquers all

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:35:00 GMT

Sometimes, passion for a brand outweighs everything; disappointing service, a poor experience or simply a bad product.

I'm in love with the Hype Machine for instance, which I use every day to stream music and find new tracks or artists, straight from the site. Though I've been an avid evangelist of the site for years, I have - up till now - never received a response.

A bit of context first. Every January, the blog aggregator picks the best artists, albums and singles from the previous year and releases them bit by bit over the course of the month. A countdown to the cream of the crop if you will.

This time last year, I listened to it almost non-stop. It was presented as a list, and I could skip tracks or repeat as desired.

But this year, Hype has decided to combine the zeitgeist with its radio brand, presenting it as three hour-long shows with a somewhat irritating DJ talking over the music. None of which are full tracks I might add, only clips.

I was fairly gutted about this, as I'd been looking forward to the finding out which tunes had made it. I vented online, and received a response from one of the founders saying that Hype would take my thoughts into consideration (at least he tried).

Has this changed how I feel about the brand? Not really. Because of the strength of my feeling towards Hype, upon finding that the zeitgeist wasn't what I expected, I simply went back to my normal behaviour. This meant using the 'Loved Songs' list to hear my favourite tracks. I've done the same since, and I still recommend it just as highly.

When passion outweighs everything else, there's a risk that brands can get complacent. Apple has the market sewn up, and a sense of over-confidence in its product that means that any promotion around new products seems almost arrogant. Yes, having a fantastic product is half the battle, but where's the line? Does this make brands like Hype and Apple unstoppable? Who knows, I just want my zeitgeist back.

I've been thinking...

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT

A few things have been bothering me about my blog of late.

I think it's mainly due to the fact that I'm writing 'full time', and I suddenly find myself with a structured output for the majority of my work-related content. I find myself frowning a lot when I get sent pitches or content for this blog. As is the standard moan for most media, it's actually not because the content isn't relevant, it's because it's so perfectly targeted - that I'm a tad restricted.

Since I started this blog, it's been organically focused around social change; from my projects at G20, to Global Cool and the rest. It's not to say that I'm all of a sudden not interested in these areas, I just find myself wanting to be a little more flexible with what I write here. That is, after all, the point of having a blog in the first place.

Take NaBloPoMo for instance. I didn't particularly get on well with the concept of such a regimented schedule - but I might have found it easier had this place been a little more open.

So in the spirit of a new year and a new start, I'm stripping out the boundaries (which I've probably put in place internally, rather than publicly). Silly though it may sound, this is a big step for me. I thrive within structure, and I respond well to some kind of focus at least within my work.

However, c'est la vie. Let's see what happens.

Why I'm not at COP15

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:30:00 GMT

In short, I should be. I finally got semi-accreditation at the end of last week (in the form of an NGO pass no less), but as is always the issue, logistics and red tape have been the only prohibiting factor in gaining access to the summit.

Oxfam once again invested resource and time in sponsoring me to attend. Without being part of a large news group or agency, it's almost impossible to get in as a blogger without this. They've always been very good at providing this support without expecting specific coverage in return, which gave me a lot of freedom at the G20 summits in London and Pittsburgh.

The accreditation process for COP15 raised the usual issues, the first of which was an online form that timed out after a few minutes, making it a veritable race to complete before you got thrown off the site. Then, like Pittsburgh, when some of the bloggers under the Tck Tck Tck banner (the group that represents a wide variety of charities) weren't approved - we were asked to re-apply, putting NGO contacts down to signal to the UN that we'd be attending under their approval. When I found out that this process had been closed, as the accreditation team had approved TOO many media, journalists and NGOs than the venue could actually hold - without even processing governmental staff yet - I threw my hands up in despair.

I decided then not to go, as I didn't see the point in adding to the estimated 41,000 tonnes of "carbon dioxide equivalent" that will be emitted "for the whole conference including travel to and from Copenhagen". I didn't get accreditation for Pittsburgh either, and spent a lot of the time in the official offsite media centre. It was fine, but I found it frustrating as I could have watched the live feeds on Sky or the BBC from anywhere.

Even though the majority of world leaders only flew out late this week, lending my input for Copenhagen while back in the UK is proving to be tough. I'm led to conclude that actually, though being there but not BEING there was irritating to me, being in the local vicinity meant that I was still plugged in. I could still talk to the other delegates, media and observers for a different opinion. Whatever people might say, sitting in a room with someone that can answer a question vs. blogging from the other side of Europe with relatively little external input is a very different thing.

I'm disappointed that even though time and time again, online journalists and bloggers have proven themselves to be vital in providing a diverse range of viewpoints, it's still incredibly difficult to get an appropriate level of access. I'm not asking for a free for all, but I haven't seen any input on what's happening at COP15 from any perspective other than major broadcasters or NGOs. What I'm really missing is what this means to the average person on the street, and an opportunity to influence or ask questions as the summit happens.

A few lessons from NaBloPoMo

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:49:00 GMT

I didn't do very well at NaBloPoMo. I lasted for about two weeks, posting a short piece every day, but then I hit a wall. It wasn't that I couldn't find anything good enough to write about, it was simply a matter of time.

I'm not really sure why I attempted the project in the first place, I think I was just curious to see if I'd learn anything. In fact, I really have.

I went through what I'd assume is the typical cycle for anyone attempting one of the various video/blog/novel projects that happened throughout November: proud that I got through the first week, naively thinking it would be fine to put it off till the last thing I did during week two, hating that I'd agreed to do it and resorting to posting photos on week three, then utterly exhausted/skipping it entirely on week four.

The purpose of National Blog Posting Month from the organiser's perspective seems to be encouraging creativity among bloggers, but I actually found the opposite to be true. I'm a firm believer in the fact that creativity can't be forced. It can be encouraged, through inspirational surroundings or such, but when I signed up - I'd made a commitment. Maybe that says a lot about my own character, but I couldn't look at it as anything else.

It became a bit of a chore. All of a sudden I wasn't enjoying writing for my blog, I was resenting it. Maybe it's because I'm a writer during the day, and produce a lot of content that fits into an editorial schedule. Therefore, having one at home as well didn't suit me?

Perhaps it was the sheer volume of it all. Since I started this blog, I've been setting my times and places to write for it - and I've never felt tied down. Or perhaps it's just as simple as placing priority on what pays the bills over what doesn't. You can be utterly in love with a subject, but if you're exhausted from a day of work, it makes no difference. Whereas some people may have responded well to the project, I wonder if it's those writing their blog full time that found it more useful - instead of those that treat their blogs as a secondary output.

A week of posts in one

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:15:00 GMT

So, I'm behind on NaBloPoMo, REALLY behind. I feel bad, as I wanted to do the full month, but sometimes other things just get in the way. I'm not going to rest on it for too long, and instead have written the digest-style piece below covering seven interesting things I've seen or done in the past week:

1. Greenbang covered the new pan-European 'Sensors Anywhere' (SANY) project, which is attempting to make it possible for data could to be freely and easily exchanged by researchers across the globe. Most importantly for me, this would make it possible for policy-makers seeking ways to better adapt to climate change.

2. I spoke at the 140 character conference on Tuesday about G20 Voice and how the project only worked because of the technology we were able to use to 'report back'. I meant to finish by saying that the key aspect was the element of freedom (no restrictions or expectations on what we had to cover) within a fairly strcutured programme. We as bloggers always expect to do whatever we want to, but actually, still respond to having some kind of schedule to dip in and out of.

3. Helen Christenson launched her photography show 'Meltdown' on Wednesday, which tracks her journey through her mother's homeland, observing the effect of climate change on the landscape.

4. The highlight of the BIMA awards 2009 on Thursday was a performance by Beardyman. I couldn't believe that one man could so acurately beatbox like that. Incredible.

5. Treehugger showed us a new stylish concept for solar power charging - the iPetal. It's nowhere near production, but in a world where appearance is everything, it's products like this that are going to drive a mass audience to 'be green'.

6. A Guardian story popped up in my Google Reader during the week about Siemens' new bulbs. Exciting huh? Well, actually the new LED lights use less than a quarter of the electricity of a standard traffic light, and cut down on emissions related to fleets of vans having to change them every six months. The concept won first prize this week in the energy and environment category of the inaugural iAwards, set up by the government's Business, Innovation and Skills department.

7. Bizarre news came out yesterday that computer hackers had broken into computers at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at East Anglia University and claim the data they found proves that global warming has been overstated. The CRU responded by saying; "[our] research is, and has always been, fully peer-reviewed by the relevant journals, and is one strand of research underpinning the strong consensus that human activity is affecting the world's climate in ways that are potentially dangerous."

Bus stops and green art

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:35:00 GMT

While pondering today's NaBloPoMo (almost halfway there!), I came across a tweet from my good friend Alfie Dennen's new project Bus. Tops. Just a little shout out before I continue, as its just been chosen as one of the 12 commissions of public art across the country by the Arts Council and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Very exciting news.

With this in mind, the Bus. Tops account had posted the link to another bus stop and arts related project; an exhibit in the Tate Modern's 2007 series 'Global Cities'. It was in fact, Treehugger's coverage (which is one of my favourite eco-blogs, alongside Greenmonk and Greenbang).

"...too bad it's just part of an art show, rather than out on the streets. For his commission, the artist Nils Norman has borrowed a bus shelter, a sign and a lamppost from London Transport and turned them into vehicles for environmental information whilst making them look like everyday advertising."

The posters depict impending environmental disasters and the roof has been adapted to show how green spaces could look in the future. Nice.

Ghost Forest

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:02:00 GMT

I'm planning to visit Ghost Forest in Trafalgar Square, London on Monday. It's an 'original and ambitious art installation' by Angela Palmer that visually expresses the connection between deforestation and climate change.

The project itself involves a series of 10 rainforest tree stumps with roots still attached, which have been transported from Ghana and rearranged as a 'ghost forest'.

It'll be there from the 16-22 November, before heading off to Thorvaldsens Plads in Copenhagen for COP15 throughout 7-18 December.

Muse-tastic

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:49:00 GMT

I'm LOVING this new Muse video. The band is showing its techy side, which reminds me of Felix's Machines that I first saw at TED in Oxford. Take a look...

IAB Engage 2009

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:14:00 GMT

I spent today at the IAB's Engage 2009 conference. Charles Leadbeater, author of We-think: the power of mass creativity, was the best speaker for me. I liked his advice for dealing with trolls ("sometimes, you just have to let it go") and it was refreshing to see someone speak so fluently without the dreaded PowerPoint. His note about the future of media being about 'mutuality' was music my ears as well (as that's what we're trying to do with Reputation Online by combining editorial with UGC).

I also found his insight into the way kids interact with the online space really insightful. I realised a while ago that I don't have any connection with anyone under the age of 21 any more, so his firsthand experience was great.

He spoke about his son hating things that stop him from grazing content; copyright, ads etc. "The dominant part of his culture is playing. It's a fragmented space in which he is a participant, instead of a passive watcher".

Leadbeater also made an interesting point about the potential for 'playing' online to be integrated into Education. One Sunday, his son had discovered an animation tool online and was so excited by it that he pondered making it a career choice, asking for extra software and books to teach himself. Leadbeater said that in an ideal world, this could have been continued at school the next day if his son had been able to go in and ask to learn more from his teachers.

He compared this to his own experience of a Sunday night as a child, which was all about Songs of Praise. He noted that he admired the architecture, fashion, design within the show, because that was all he could watch. For kids nowadays, there's a vast amount of subjects and information online to get involved with. Yes, this could mean that they don't pay attention to each one as much as he did with SOP, but it's an interesting idea all the same.

Tech not causing social isolation after all...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:48:00 GMT

US firm Pew Research has released its report into social behaviour, called 'social isolation and new technology'.

From the company's Internet and American Life project (which is a nonprofit), it looks only at American users of social-based technology, but is still a fairly good gauge of Western use. The main outcome was that technology is not leading to social isolation and those that use the internet and mobile phones actually have larger and more diverse social networks.

Keith Hampton, lead author and an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennyslvania said;"It is a mistake to believe that Internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation."

He also said that the key findings of the study "challenge previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of new technology."

It found that on average, the size of people's discussion networks is 12 percent larger among mobile phone users, nine percent larger for those who share photos online, and nine percent bigger for those who use instant messaging.

The diversity of people's core networks tends to be 25 percent larger for mobile phone users, 15 percent larger for basic Internet users, and even larger for frequent Internet users, those who use instant messaging, and those who share digital photos online.

You can read the full overview on Pew's website.

FTBC on the QT

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:00 GMT

I'm going to FTBC on the QT this Wednesday, following a quick call from my good friend Olly Knowles (who's now at Momentum).

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer do some great promotions and events that help make the condition more relevant and visible to younger people. This session on Wednesday is a celebration of what's been done in 2009 (like the tie up with Topshop as pictured above), and a look forward to what they want to achieve in 2010.

I'm looking forward to it, as I'm very supportive of an organisation that combines funding research, with education. It's a smart approach, as one without the other is meaningless.

The story of Gabura, launching tomorrow

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:12:00 GMT

From tomorrow, you'll able to watch 'From Daily Life to Disaster' - an interactive online documentary about the impact of climate change on a small village on Bangladesh - via oxfam.org.uk.

Viewers can choose which stories they find most interesting, watch them and watch it a number of times from different perspectives. 'Gabura' contains extraordinary footage of cyclone Aila as it hit, plus snapshots of life in a village experiencing the terrible effects of climate change.

The project aims to show the impact of climate change on a community in a sensitive and innovative way ahead of crucial climate talks in Copenhagen this December.

Digital table tops at Inamo

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:26:00 GMT

I love the digital table tops at Inamo in Soho. There's no waitress, just servers. You can scroll through the menu by clicking two buttons on your side of the table, place an order and check your bill in real time. You can change the atmosphere of your surroundings by changing the light, 'tablecloth' or even play a game.

The 'chef cam' is a great idea, but isn't too clear and a little far out to be truly interesting. I'd love to be able to click through multiple cameras and watch how my food was being prepared. They do amazing lamb as well :)

Come Dine With Me gets a real-time boost

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:57:00 GMT

I said that there would be a few curveballs during NaBloPoMo, so here's the first. I found out via Mr Whatleydude (and Brand Republic) yesterday that Come Dine With Me, the Channel 4 cooking phenomenon, is set to launch a 'social media extension' for its show on November 9th.

I'd have thought they would have teamed up with 'two screen' specialists Mint Digital, but have instead chosen to bring in Monterosa Productions to create what looks like a real-time interactive platform. It will allow viewers to 'rate, slate and debate' while they watch the show live, as well as play an online game to correspond.

If you're based in the UK, the final four episodes of the current series will act as a trial for this new initiative, with a view to extending into 2010.

Berlin, Berlin...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:51:00 GMT

I've been in Berlin for the past two days for the Global Online Giving Marketplaces annual meet-up. I'd been invited to come and talk about 'all things digital', focused mainly on my work with G20Voice, Global Cool and WCAFI, as well as suggesting ways to interact better with a younger digital generation.

Last night I met some of them at the Betterplace loft, which is 'hosting' the session this year. I chatted to some of the founders, and was really impressed with how technically switched on they were. They told me how they act almost like a 'dating site' for donators and charities. Anyone can join the network, submit a request for money or support and wait to see who responds. Other people can go to their profile to verify that the user is kosher, and provide a 'recommendation of trust'. Fantastic. The team is also coming to the UK soon to talk to 'some people' about how to gather up people's unused loyalty card points, and turn them into something valuable for those in need. It could work really well, I never use mine.

This morning for the main panel session I used Prezi for the first time, which went very well (after some initial issues with photos becoming very pixelated, and a few WiFi hitches at the location).

I talked about ways in which the digital space alleviated philanthropy (easier to get involved, you can see where your money is going, there's an opportunity for people to get involved that have never been able to and it closes gaps between 'politics' and 'public'). Then outlined a few trends, inspired by Adam Kleinberg's megatrends piece on iMedia Connection (mass collaboration, globalisation, a sense of urgency to fix the planet's problems, the 'now' mentality and a mistrust in corporations). I also covered how I think marketplaces (or anyone for that matter) can reach out to a 'new digital generation' (its not 'where', it's 'who', give people the tools to do it themselves and set your content free).

Finally, I rounded off with a quick overview of how blogging has changed the coverage of large political summits (before nothing was in real-time, everything was broadcast one-way, languages were restricted to the countries accredited to send journalists and coverage was generally very policy heavy). I also referenced that I didn't think seasonal campaigns worked well when trying to build a relationship with a blogger, and that there's a need for a single contact to manage most projects (or a community manager perhaps).

On the panel with me was Daniel Grotzinger from controversial 'become a homeless person' game pennergame.de, who sparked a lively debate about the ethics of his company. At first, he was just trying to build a games company, but it has steadily become more about making people aware of their actions. It drew attention to the issue, and now both the company and its users donate money to relevant charities.

Reinier Evers, the founder of Trendwatching.com was also very interesting, talking about 'Generation G' - or generation giving. He spoke at length about the concept of 'status' being so front of mind when people donate, which I think is actually something marketplaces need to capitalise.

All in all, it's been a really insightful day. Berlin is beautiful and cosmopolitan (it was snowing when I landed), but maybe next time I'll have more of a chance to look around!

TckTckTck announces The Fresh Air Centre

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:50:00 GMT

Today's NaBloPoMo is dedicated to the news that TckTckTck's latest effort to unite with other NGOs and fight climate change as a unit, has now launched. The group has announced that for COP15 in Copenhagen, they'll be covering the Summit from 'The Fresh Air Centre', a rapid response digital media hub.

The Fresh Air Centre will be made up of two spaces; a smaller one behind the security perimeter, and a larger, more open space downtown. The first is open to accredited bloggers, communications staff, and digital campaigners, the second a larger collaboration and community area.

Avaaz, 350.org, WWF Int, Greenpeace Int, Oxfam Int, NRDC, and UN Foundation are already confirmed to take part, as well as bloggers from Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Treehugger, OneWorld, GlobalVoices, WonkRoom, ClimateProgress, Adopt-a-Netogiator, WorldChanging.org.

Want to get involved? If you are a blogger, apply to join here (some subsidies are available, especially for bloggers representing the global south and diverse communities). The same goes for NGOs, especially those sending digital media people (especially if involved in rapid response channels like e-activist lists, Twitter and Facebook groups or home page content).

Very exciting...

Totem poles & the Eden Project

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:22:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, my Mum and I went back to the Eden Project near Fowey in Cornwall. We'd visited there ten years ago while it was being built, and want to take a look at how it had changed.

One of my favourite moments was walking through the rainforest domes and seeing these...

A short explantation next to them told us that they were created by West African sculptor El Anatsui. He used the charred wood from Falmouth docks, that has been destroyed by a fire, to build these fantastic faces. I liked the fact that the trees came from his home nation in the first place. It was a fitting end to the story that they'd ended up at Eden.

Climate change and its effect on women

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:09:00 GMT

I was just sent a link to this fantastic article by Jess McCabe in The Guardian, in which she talks about climate change being a feminist issue not because of population control - but because it is women who are on the front line, facing the effects of climate change and dealing with them for their communities.

She quotes some statistics from the Women's Manifesto on Climate Change to frame this. "Poor people are likely to bear the brunt as the climate changes and 70% of the world's poor are women. According to one estimate, 85% of the victims of climate disasters are women. Another study found 75% of environmental refugees are women."

I was reminded of New York Climate Week, during which I chaired a heartbreaking debate that included 'four courageous women' as part of ClimateVoice and the work I do with Oxfam.

I sat and listened to their stories of how climate change was changing their lives. Sharon Hanshaw lost everything during Hurricane Katrina but is still not receiving any help to rebuild her own life, Ulamila Kurai Wragg from the Cook Islands has seen things change first hand having been born and raised in the Pacific. Constance Okollet spoke to us about Uganda, and how her village once thought God was punishing them, and Ursula told us that she had been tasked with telling the world about her home in the South Pacific by her elders.

It was probably the first time I'd spent time with those in the thick of it, and it scared me. I felt selfish and I felt like most of what I was doing wasn't making a difference. The kind words of Ulamila (who gave up a high paying job to focus on campaigning around this issue) put things into perspective however. She said that it's unfortunately in the hands of a few - at the time she was talking about the G20 in Pittsburgh - to put their money where there mouth is.

I'd like to think that trying to live with a little more awareness and not waste so much can still make a difference, but these women were all too aware that for them, it was too late. Sad yes, but the most poignant moment of my trip and not one I'll forget easily.