Ignite Cardiff
Apr 14th
It’s only taken me a week to get round to this, but hopefully it’s been worth the wait!!
So last Wednesday was Ignite Cardiff 2, at Sodabar. I won’t explain what Ignite is, just clicky here and have a read. But to summarise: It’s ace.
I was down to do a talk at the first Ignite, but just didn’t have a clue / time to prepare really, so offered to do this one instead. My first real public speaking experience (excluding Uni presentations etc etc!), so I was a smidgen nervous! An amazing turn out made it all the more nerve racking, but strangely, I love that!
If you’ve never been to an Ignite, then I really suggest you try and make it to the next one. Some really interesting talks. If you missed it, you’ll be screwed when the Zombies attack, be spending far to much on Wine, and have no idea where your Cat is. Intrigued?? You should of attended….!!
My talk was on Cardiff Twitter trends. A subject that, at first, worried me, because I thought it would be really dull to talk about (Stats, stats and more stats). Evidently, I think it went well. Of course, I think it went appallingly, but others beg to differ 
There is a video coming soon I think, but for now, there is a plethora of stats available here. It’s important to remember that these stats are in no way gospel, they are just an analysis of Cardiff Tweets over a period of time, extracting pre-defined terms that signal our emotions. Also, if you aren’t within a 10 mile radius of Bute Park and you don’t have your location set with Twitter, then you’re not in the stats
So that’s that, an evening with like-minded people, a good laugh, and some interesting talks. Ignite Cardiff is a definite must for anyone with an interest in the web, geeky things, social media / networking, or just a good night out
And I did that whole post without mentioning the copious amount of Alcohol that was provided free of charge for speakers and guests, because, although its an amazing perk, the event sells itself without that Special mention to Neil, Claire and anyone else who played a part in organising the event, really excellent
Roll on Ignite #3
Apr 6th
There’s been quiet a few stories about Twitter recently, regarding its status, ownership and the people that use it. So I thought I’d pipe up and share my views!
Firstly……I think its safe to say that, no matter who (if anyone) buys Twitter (Google, Facebook, Yahoo)…It will remain free, 140 character limited and as ace as it is. The user group is such a close knit niche that any huge changes will just drive people away, and I’m certain that anyone opting to buy the service will appreciate that. Of course, that’s not to say that it won’t get covered with adverts, or change its look and feel (again, I think this is unlikely), but fundamentally I feel that it will remain the same. Which is ace.
For me, Twitter has become a massive part of my online Social Networking. I’ve met new people, people with similar interests that I can discuss similar likes / dislikes with, and also people that I would never normally socialise with, who can offer a decent opinion to the things I tweet about. It’s safe to say, that without Twitter, I’d be a bit lost at times. It’s inspired me to create things that I wouldn’t have ever thought of creating (Shameless plug for http://www.tweetview.co.uk here!)
Maybe that’s a sad thing to say. But I’m sure those who use Twitter daily (probably without even thinking!) will agree, that as long as Twitter keeps its “charm”, then no matter who owns it, it will still remain an ace web app to keep us talking.
So that’s all I have to say on the matter. Twitter is ace. Fact. And no matter who buys it (if anyone), I’m sure (I hope!) they will have the intelligence to know when something is good and doesn’t need changing, and will find innovative and hassle free ways of making money from an already perfect service.
Done.
xx