Rage of the Crowd

Hannah Rudman continues - about the impact of digital...

...if we don't engage with audience the audience will rage at us - because its what they want.

The importance of the experience economy is still there. The virtual version and the real life version both have value. "Status stories" will be more important than "status symbols" - an experiential story-led culture.

The creative sector is very good at creating content, creating experiences. A quirky example is now up: a website called "requiem for you" commissions for your own requiem. A few gloomy faces round the table - in between the laughs! You get to hear it before er... its "premiere".

Another site.... Personalised stories through sites like "flatten me" - unique pieces of art can be afforded by many more people. I'm going to get Salman to write me a novel, just so I get the chance to reject it for being a bit baggy and verbose!

Videos online at festivals - allow people to "look in" - but they're not doing it via TV - but via the internet.

Edinburgh Jazz festival had an idea for co-curation with their audience - which reminds me that today there was talk about the Poet Laureate being partially chosen by the public. Pam Ayres come on down.

She gives a mention to Swarmtribes - a way for fans of bands to organise their own network - and also Hide & Seek festival, "social games and playful experiences."

So much was cocurated - and much was only done on the day of the event etc. - with the audience from the festival becoming their own community. Just like when I did jury service last year...it just shows that all you need is to create a real "social space" and how the internet can help making it easier to maintain those connections after you've first met.

Ooo, Social Website are officially more popular than Porn - who counts these things? Google I presume.

Good Reads - allows authors and readers to share "good reads".

Changing business models are important - adverts on mobile phones in return for free content. Medici TV is a live classical concert shown online.

Paul Coelho made his novel The Alchemist available online for free and it sold more copies in Russia where it had been pirated than before. In other words, giving it away has increased sales rather than decreased it.

"Obscurity is a far greater threat than piracy" in the digital world. We've had a quick look at the Poetry Trust's forthcoming Poetry Channel which will provide podcasts from the Aldeburgh Poetry festival.

If we're not selling copies of content we need to sell something that cannot be copied - "valuable intangibles" according to Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired. Therefore "the end of control" sees a real problem to control the "content" you own the rights to - but you can still own ane xploit the context, meaning, relevance, experience, embodiment and timing...

Finally - making the point about the "rise of the Amatuer" - relationship building with audiences is more and more important. "Sharing is caring..."

So when the end of control is nigh... organisations have to change.