Social Media Picnic
May 15, 2008 by Documentally
[Please join us every year on the 25th of June at Orwell's grave. Ping @Documentally]
Let’s discuss civil liberties, CCTV, privacy and surveillance in the company of Orwell!
Whilst on Twitter I mentioned in passing that I was thinking about holding a social media picnic at the site of George Orwell’s grave and the response was pretty good. Mostly people wanted to say that they were sorry they lived so far away and that it was a good idea. (It’s easy to get to)
Why do we not have more social media meet ups outdoors? Especially in places of relevance to a theme? For this very reason I have been thinking also about a social media music festival (If i say social media one more time in this post i think i may shoot myself) and/or getting some geeks out ‘Bushcrafting‘ too. (Follow @Bushtech for more on this).
Granted, at the moment as I write this it is raining outside, but on the whole the Summer is a time to be outdoors, even in the UK.
We tend to be much more chilled and relaxed when outside (i.e. no suits) and I feel the unconventional nature of an open air meet may draw out a flavour of thought we would not normally see with ties constricting blood flow to the brain.
I wish Google’s Campfire One and the Picnic Network were more like a hippy geek meet up round an actual camp fire deep in the woods. Once everyone’s arms were tired from waving their phones above their heads for a signal, who knows what the suits could spawn.
So why not just do away with most of the facilities and arrange to meet a select few people in a field somewhere..? We organise who brings the potato salad and who brings the wine and that’s all we need really.
I am up for it and I think Orwell’s Grave is a good start. It has a pub nearby, so in an emergency, the toilet can be used and I am sure when picnic supplies run low, a steady flow of good local ale would safely ensure the ideas also keep flowing.
I have bought the domain SocialMediaPicnic.com and at the moment linked it here. I’d be happy link it to a site listing other open air events going on in the world.. Anyone want to build a wiki/blog or hub site?
Let me know in a comment below if you are up for the first picnic at Orwell’s grave, I have preempted the local Vicar and she is happy to have people sat around on the grass on the afternoon of the 25th of June (Orwell’s birthday), providing no one needs burying that day.
Never-the-less.. Me and Eric will be there with bread wine and cheese, no doubt tweeting, possibly streaming, certainly drinking and eating. Well maybe not Eric. But i’ll bring enough for him too.. just in case.. 
Here is the postcode: OX14 4AE
Update:
People who have attended in the past
Me – Documentally
Dr John Perivolaris – @JohnPerivolaris
Brian Jones – @iambrianJones
Hedgewytch – @Hedgewytch
Phil Campbell @PhilCampbell
..and various locals and passers by.
NOTE: Although the event is burial dependent.. There is always the pub, which I have already tested.
This sounds like a plan.
It would be my first social media meet up, and would be great to meet offline people I’ve listened or watched, (which sounds slightly stalkerish) online
This is a great idea. We need more about the important issues that affect our daily lives and no one else seems tho think about. And if that discussion takes place in open spaces, then all the better.
Yes please!
I’m in.
Are we gonna try and raise the dead or just dig him up?
er yes. again.
Doubleplusgood…!
‘Party like it’s 1984′
I really wish I could be there, Orwell is a favorite of mine, and the whole idea of streaming a picnic from his grave…
Just not in the cards unless I hit the lottery.
Have a drink for me!
Yup, that sounds good – assuming nothing else gets in the way, I’d hope to be there!
Hi ChazFrench.. no worries.. how about you organise the next one and we will come to you:
I’d be in! Sounds good.
Yup, I’m in.
Been talking to Mike about using my place for a salon style meet-up. Maybe it would work out for geek retreat too? Similar size to your dad’s place from the look of things. I’ll doubtless bump into you soon to discuss it anyway…
Sounds interesting! I’m probably up for it, depending on the weather.
I’ll be there.
Count me in! Also, I can build Mediawiki instance with some customisation for the new domain, should you require it!
ok I just tried to post a video message and it hung up twice on me saying it was posting it to Seesmic. So back to the typing method. I would love to offer a live performance via my New York studio. You tell me how many songs you want to hear. Maybe even connect the laptop on your end to some speakers for some really nice sounds! Ok hope you think this is a great idea…
Oh boo, I’m going to be travelling to Glastonbury that day. I love the idea of an outdoor meetup though, please let me know about the next one. One day we will finally meet!
definitely would like to get down, i’ll be just back from san fran so may be suffering from jet-lag, also, is it planned for the evening or during the day? any times you could give would make my life a lot easier
Awesome idea and definitely interested however I will not know whether I can make it until closer to the time.
Count me in, thanks
I’d love to come but am (as ever) at the whim of my working hours, Devin’s working hours and babysitter credit.
I’m BIG on the outdoor geekiness and, if I can get there, can help out lots with bushcraft and other fun stuff. Is there enough space for proper archery – and who’d be up for a go..?
I suspect I will be rattling my tin mug up and down the bars as usual – but I’ll let you know if I can escape.
Hi Danacea.. i think your ideas would sit well with Geeknbury much better http://geeknbury.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
This is just a chat/discussion picnic and maybe a few beers..
oooh Archery ! I won several awards at Archery its about the only Sport I ever really excelled at.
Bah! I had a car when I signed up… I’m not sure of the logistics of getting there and back in time to teach in the evening… bugger, I REALLY want to be at this… uhm, lemmethink…
Sorry to say that I will have to miss this event.
I’m in. Roughly what time is afternoon. I’ll put it up as an event on http://olney100.ning.com
Forgot to tick the box
Afternoon normally happens after midday..
2pm to be safe.. it depends if something is on or not at the church.
Sounds suitably appropriate.
This sounds a fun idea, albeit it off in the middle of nowhere (aka ‘outside central London’) otoh I have a car, am not booked elsewhere that day (so far) and if the weather is nice …
Mad and thrilling…I post a tweet about Orwell and Bowie after engaging in a tokbox-driven music fest with @philcampbell…after phil goes to bed I carry on watching music videos…buzzing off the sheer energy of early ac-dc…immersing myself in prime 70s bowie…then into books…thinking of the chilean poet neruda and how he met lorca in spain before lorca was shot by fascists…then onto orwell and his own involvement in the spanish civil war…and how the energy, life, love and fuck you of pure rock and roll, no matter how primtive and unsophisticated, are undeliably married to the philosophy of resistance and independence…I WOULD LOVE TO MEET AT ORWELL’S GRAVE I love all you mad, driven, carefree and careful holy men and women guarding the human heart and amplifying its capacity for expression!
From London all you need to get there is a train ticket and a bicycle. There is a direct train from London to a nearby train station that is only a 15 minute bike ride away. Unfortunately won’t make it this year.
The Social Media Picnic just got a mention in the Guardian.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/apr/05/gowalla-foursquare-location-jemima
Please put your name down below if you are interested in attending this year. Just incase for some reason civil liberties are suddenly at the forefront of peoples minds and lots want to turn up. We may have to limit numbers.
Cheers.
Excellent idea! Don’t know if I’ll be able to come, but I’m willing to put together a web space of some sort if nobody else is doing it.
Sounds good, put me down for this years get-together.
Will be there
I intend to be there – bad back permitting!
I did also set-up a posterous (http://socialmediapicnics.posterous.com) in a hope to organise other events in the future. With luck I’ll have some of these ideas a bit more together by June (or not depending on how things go). The site is a group site though, so if you would like to contribute your ideas / events please let me know and I can add you.
Alan
tontowilliams[at]gmail[dot]com
I’m in. Love Orwell. And let’s make room for Huxley and Zamyatin whose dystopias were just as (some would say more) relevant. Only by fully understanding how a dystopia can come about do we have any chance of creating a utopia.
I’ll be there.
Third time lucky, but this time I’ll make sure there’s no outstanding work to hold me up.
Doubleplusgood…!
Hi Janet, what did you have in mind? It appears Alan has put the posterous together. Alan.. could you grab a list of perspective attendees on the posterous?
Garrett, Josie, Dave, Derek and everyone.. it will be great to see you all..
Thanks for the comments.
I will certainly post an entry for this years gathering at http://socialmediapicnics.posterous.com/ and am happy to gather names and pass them on or refer people here or to your posterous post so people aren’t registering all over the place and someone gets lost. The idea I had for http://socialmediapicnics.posterous.com/ was for people to use it as a repeater for their events or for one offs. I intend to organise something myself but don’t want it to be a site that only I use.