Passionate Blog

How we use social media - some notes gathered for the Black Country Social Media Cafe

THE Black Country Social Media Cafe is described as a place for people interested in social media to gather, get acquainted, chat, plot, scheme, and share.

I attended the first meeting a few weeks back when guest speakers Pete Ashton and Chris Unitt outlined lessons learned on a visit to SXSW.

At the next meeting, to be held on Tuesday, May 12, at 2.30pm in the Alchemy Bar in Wolverhampton city centre, there'll be a chance for members to say a little about who they are and what they do, with a particular emphasis on how they have been able to use social media in their work.

It's unclear whether I am going to be able to make it to the next meeting, because of a work commitment. Nevertheless, I have been thinking about how our work has been transformed by social media, so am posting here about its impact on my professional life. As I think about tomorrow's JEE Camp, I also thought it would be useful to pull some of my experience together in this way.

Overall, I'd say that a growing knowledge of social media has allowed me to:

* Survive and diversify in my chosen career.

* Make and strengthen new contacts whom I never would have met previously.

* Improve ways of finding, researching and completing existing work

* Find new income streams - both directly and indirectly through blogging but also in offering my services to help others get to grips with the concept of social media and understand that it's not about technology for the sake of it 

* Better promote my work across various disciplines

Truck theft a low blow for Wolverhampton safety firm

WE wanted to help spread the word about a truck stolen from a Wolverhampton businesswoman, in the hope someone may have some information.

Leila Kirk, who set up her own health and safety firm after fighting back from a horrific fall at work has been dealt a cruel blow by the theft of the vehicle, which she says was 'vital' to her company.

Mrs Kirk is an occupational hygienist who set up Workforce First in 2006 in a bid to help small companies become as safe as possible, and prevent work-related dangers.

But the mum-of-three was dismayed to discover the theft of her Mitsubishi pick-up truck on Bank Holiday Monday.

“I use it to transport all my testing equipment when I am going out to firms. It is bulky and I need the truck – essentially, the truck IS my business,” she said.