Social media may be a perpetual humiliation in certain non-internet-based circles as friends boom: "What's that you're doing? 'Checking in'? What's that?" You peer around, "shh" you say. "I'm using Foursquare, I know, and after the revelations of Facebook Deals yesterdays I know it's not hip and cool but I want this badge, okay?" And after a short diatribe about why social media is a cruel but necessary object in modern social functions, you sit down to eat dinner.
Conversations like this happen everywhere, and not just to me, but luckily next week around the country you can uncover your adoration for 'soshal media' to its full voracious extent as younger brother of Internet Week, Social Media Week makes its debut.
Social Media week only lasts five days (February 7 - 11), and at the chime of midnight on the fifth day we must all simultaneously log out of Foursquare, Google Latitude, and Facebook Places. It is rumoured that at this time we will also discover the key to eternal battery power.
Taking place in New York, San Francisco, Rome, Paris, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong and Istanbul alongside London (full details online) we've pulled out our favourites events from the schedule to share (and may be bias towards fun events after work). But hurry, as places are being picked up speedily.
Open Agencies
If you're looking to poke around some of the best agencies in the city, 1000heads, 33 Digital and We Are Social all open their doors. 33 Digital promises a brief full of clever secrets, whilst 1000heads turns its hand to medicine, becoming the doctor of social media allowing you to make appointments with 'heads Molly Flatt, James Whatley and Tim Denyer. Rumour has it you'll gain 1000 Twitter followers solely from standing within a three metre radius, but rumour may, of course, be completely fictitious. LBi are also letting you spy around their offices down Brick Lane.
Pop Up Ogilvy
Ogilvy are bringing back their pop up ideas shop for the week.
Here's a little video of the Ogilvy Idea Shop East:
10 Ways to Suck at Social Media
There's a wonderfully titled guide called '10 Ways to Suck at Social Media' which sounds beautiful. If this is your principal goal, we also recommend regurgitating jargon frommwhatthefuckismysocialmediastrategy.com to friends, family and colleagues whilst nodding sagely. Anyway, the night sounds light hearted, focusing on campaigns that went badly. 'Lighthearted' it says, so minimal sniggering please.
Free Drink, Free Think
Mid-week , a nice educational and informal chats-and-networking event is happening involving Justin Pearse of New Media Age, Roger Warner of Content and Motion whose salmon trousers may make an appearance, and Molly Flatt (see above) amongst others. Expect the DMA Social Media Council to present findings of an epic survey of marketing professionals: "The Value of Social Media. What Marketers really think", and panelists giving insight into their social media work, discussing how brands engage and what the new CAP code means for us. Add some free booze and you've got yourself a debate.
Writing for the Web
In much the way I'm doing now, if you're just starting out writing for the web, Sweet Retweets aims to help you write, nail awesome blogs titles and avoid double entendres, and other bits and bobs.
Gaming
Some very nice gaming events are taking place. Nokia, JWT and Wired Editor, David Rowan sit down at Game On! Games and Brands to discuss the latest gaming experiences, creative mobile efforts and other ground-breaking whizzbangery. If you can blag, bribe or barter your way toGamification and Game based Marketing, your life would also be massively enriched.
These are just a few of the array of events taking place.
You can find news of Social Media Week on both Twitter as @smwldn and Facebook.