Social Media Surgery

(N.B. This is one of those posts where the links are everything. Click on 'em!)

I've just returned from a day at the Great Yorkshire Show running a Social Media Surgery on the Country and Landowner's Business Association stand as a 'surgeon' with John Popham (who may be best known for #twicket in Wray but deserves far more recognition), Paul Webster aka @watfordgap from Retford/Nottingham, @grahamrichards from Harrogate but active in Richmond and Lower Wensleydale area, and @MonicaTailor from Leeds/Harrogate. Exhausting but exhilarating!

What's on the end of his stethoscope?!  Surgeons with an iPhone and an Android trying to organise a mobile Huddle....

Monica......

Meeting Lord Henley was one thing, but having Sir Ken Morrison (Clue: he doesn't own Tescos!) quizzing us about Facebook and Twitter was quite something else.

(Youtube links to follow: they are taking eons to upload and I need sleep!)

The day was full of visits from rural businesses - from caravan parks to country house hotels, from shooting schools to voluntary organisations seeking to help their members. People travel to the GYS from not just local counties, but we met people from Devon and Cornwall too. (We googled it, it's a long way!)

It was quite depressing how few rural businesses can even cope with the email inundation of today, let alone who understood what they should be doing with Flickr, Tumblr, LinkedIn and Google+. BUT, it was also fantastic to meet a wealth of people who get IT. Hopefully, the suggestions of five voluntary social media surgeons helped to provide advice and suggestions for those who came to our luxury abode.

It would be great to follow up on many of those people so if you find this website, please get in touch. (I have linked to a couple of our visitors above, and checked your online presence - please get in touch!).

Many interesting questions were asked and our live broadcast to the world over an iPhone allowed people from elsewhere who could not be in Harrogate to ask questions to be answered by our live debate. Question Time had nothing on this!

I visited the cow sheds (slightly bizarre and unexpected chat about straws and AI with a total stranger!) and went to admire the Shires, as well as visiting estate agents to ask what effect lack of broadband was having on their house sales, and talking to NFU and CLA about support for Upper Eden projects. One day simply was not enough and if I could, I would return again tomorrow (Weds).

I've stuck a few photos up!

I came home with two things: a full tummy from the Food Hall, and a poster which will be displayed on my window as soon as I can track down the lost sellotape, which I suspect the advent of the summer holidays and the return of the twins might explain!

Please, if you need help, come and ask. And come to the Warcop & Sandford Exchange for hands-on and 1-2-1 help and advice from a variety of people who can help you out with t'interweb and computers.