Ning the Merciless

Today saw the launch of a Biggerplate Members community on the popular social network site "Ning".

There is a need to build a greater sense of community and communication amongst the many members of Biggerplate, and I am hoping the Ning Cmmunity might enable this to develop a little further. The community will be linked to the main site very soon, and I encourage anyone who is not already part of Ning to check it out, and of course join the Biggerplate Goup and start talking to some of the other members!

Importantly, the new area hosts a discussion forum which will hopefully enable users to request maps or map templates that they cannot (yet) find in the library. Hopefully, other members will then be able to help with these requests by uploading a map to the library if they have something relevant!

Come get involved here

Liam

Biggerplate Joins the Twittering World

I have to be honest, I don't really get Twitter. The idea of following a person (or organisations) every update seems to me, a little, well... odd.

Until now, I have therefore resisted the urge to join this growing phenomenon, but then someone made a very valid point to me via email this week that forced me to reconsider my position. The point went something like this:

Friend (who will remain nameless to avoid giving any undue credit should this twitter thing work well):
"You are always saying how people avoid mapping because they dont understand it. And you say that once people try it, and try it properly, they almost always realise how useful it can and could be."

Liam: "It is true"

Friend: "Well the same is true for Twitter. Just because you dont understand it, doesnt mean it isnt very useful and interesting for those who use it."

The point was a valid one, and in agreeing the point was a good one, I simultaneously had to agree that I would sign Biggerplate up to Twitter. Therefore, as of last week, Biggerplate is now on Twitter, and can be found here!

Do not think I am grudgingly taking this up, I firmly believe all people and organisations should all make an effort to keep pace with emerging trends (not that Twitter is really emerging anymore!) Anyone signing up to this sort of sharing platform has a responsibility to engage properly or not at all, and I will therefore be giving Twitter my best shot, and I am fairly confident my friend will be proved right again. How annoying...