It was a really great opportunity to meet up in person with such an inspiring group, bringing perspectives from all over the world and I’m coming away bursting with ideas. I’ll be elaborating on some of the most interesting topics from the conference over the next few weeks, but for now it’s off to the bar to toast the completion of a great event.

Samsung has just announced its new sports tracking Hope Relay app in the lead up to London 2012. Chef Jamie Oliver, athlete Victoria Pendleton and David Beckham are launching the initiative which will allow anyone to download the GPS powered app that tracks any mile walked, run, or cycled provided it’s under 25mph per hour (which stops you hopping in a car to notch up the miles!) The Korean tech company has pledged to donate £1 for every mile clocked up between now and 12^th August (up to a maximum of $1 million) and is donating the funds raised to several children’s charities including Kids Company.

The app has some very clever features that stand to make it a great success.  Users will be able to create their own avatars, share stats on Facebook and form teams to compete.  The top performers may even see themselves on the posters adorning the Samsung Tour bus following the Olympic torch later this month.  Samsung hopes thousands of people will get involved and raise millions.

Similarly, the American Cancer Society has developed a mobile app for their DetermiNation programme.  Among other things, the programme gives members access to fitness training for long distance running, exclusive race events and mentors. The mobile app (for iPhone, Android or Blackberry) helps fundraisers track their progress, keep their personal fundraising web page up-to-date, get the latest updates from the charity and send emails and photos , all directly from their phones.

With new technology being developed to aid on-the-go donations, and creative use of tie-ins with events and social media, there is no doubt we’ll be seeing more and more innovative mobile fundraising apps. They make it all so easy.

Well, this might just be the carrot for me to download Hope Relay and get running.  Anyone want to join me?

Our starting point was a spreadsheet full of data. It’s been a challenging but fun process to first come up with a concept for presenting it in an engaging way, then developing the content and bringing it to life. The project evolved as it went on, turning from a static infographic to a fully interactive tool that offers granular detail as well as overall thematic commentary. Since going live, it’s been published by various technology and financial publications including Techworld, CIO, Infosecurity and Cards International. Most excitingly however is that the map has been published by The Guardian Datablog – a site that focuses on data journalism showcasing the most innovative interactive infographics from across the world.

Looking back over the project now that it’s at an end, I wanted to share a few rules of thumb that helped us make it happen.

(Click on the image to see interactive map.)

Follow the Data: Tempting as it is at brainstorm stage to come up with all sorts of cool stats and trends that you could make into an infographic, make sure the raw data you would need is available before you commit to anything or you’ll end up with an info-less infographic. It may look pretty, but it won’t add much value.

Control Scope-Creep: It’s easy to get carried away by the creative energy sometimes. New suggestions or ideas may pop up half way through the process, which help create an ever better result. This certainly happened for us but it does mean development can take longer than expected so knowing where to draw the line is important too. When someone suggested extending the map to cover the whole world, for example, we decided to leave that for another project.

Make it Different: Infographics are a dime a dozen these days, so if you’re going to make one, make sure it is done well and includes content that is genuinely interesting and/or engaging. Jumping on the infographic bandwagon without strong data, insightful commentary or a compelling creative concept can be a costly way to achieve little.

Be Realistic: Getting any initiative like this right is a time-consuming process. Generating initial ideas, refining them, agreeing content focus and actually developing and revising the material – each of these stages is important and shouldn’t be rushed. Think realistically about your timeline from the beginning and don’t be tempted to set tight deadlines. And factor in contingency for those ad-hoc great ideas that need to be worked in halfway through as well.

Make it Easy for the Media: As well as posting the final map on FICO’s website, we’ve offered it to the media. We made it as easy as possible for them by making sure we had all the files they would need to embed the map into their own websites quickly. To make sure all bases were covered, our designer was on-hand as well to respond to any journalists’ requests straight away.

Any top tips we’ve missed, or examples of great interactive graphics you’d like to share?

Today, technology like this still seems futuristic, even though it’s fifteen years since my little test drive. I had been invited to attend a testing day for robotic car technologies taking place on an as-yet-unopened new stretch of motorway in Holland. There were several different technologies being tested there that day, all intended for consumer use. There was a car that would identify when its driver had a heart attack, seize control of the vehicle, call an ambulance, indicate, and pull over safely to the side of the road. There was another that would enforce speed limits by learning them from specially equipped road signs. And there was the motorcade I mentioned above, in which only the front car had a driver, and all the others followed it safely at high speed. Back in 1997, satnav was still an expensive luxury (with maps stored on CDs in the boot), and the internet was just starting to break through commercially. A smart phone was one that looked nice. Those robot cars felt amazingly futuristic, so perhaps it’s not surprising that it’s taken such a long time for those innovations to reach our streets.

This week, I saw the news that Nevada has given Google approval to let its robot car roam the streets. According to The Telegraph, it’s the first state to grant such a licence, and the car has been given a special red number plate with an infinity symbol on it so people can identify it. Google has a lot to gain by this: it famously drove cars (and even snowmobiles) all over the world to gather images for its street view feature, and some of those images are a few years old now. Having a fleet of drones that could easily update its imagery would be a fantastic asset.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=peDy2st2XpQ

Back in 1997, there were some remaining worries about how cars would react to an unpredictable world where drivers are maniacs and children step into the road. The biggest question mark, though, concerned the legalities: who’s responsible if a robot car is involved in a fatal crash? Is it the car’s owner? The passenger? The manufacturer? Or the maker of a particular component? Can you get insurance for a robot car, and if so, who pays for it? I don’t know what the answer is in Google’s case, but they probably have so much money it doesn’t matter. They can afford to settle any claim they face. I suspect we’ll need to do much more work, as a society, on clarifying the legal issues before we can all use robot cars for our daily commute.

We’ll also have to overcome our fears. I love technology but I’m not sure how comfortable I am with having large robots zipping around our streets, relying on their sensors and maps not to hit other cars, cyclists or pedestrians. What do you think?

It has inspired us at Catalysis to provide our own top tweeters list, which we’re calling ‘Catalysis’s top twits’. Enjoy!

Greyworld
@greyworld
Public artists Greyworld produce beautiful, playful creations in public spaces. The tweets are quirky, inspiring stuff, as well as work-in-progress images of their latest projects. Always lovely.

The 99 Percent
@the99percent
Promoting ideas, tips and blogs for inspiring creativity, this is well worth following if you find yourself in need of a creative boost from time to time.

Peter Whitehead
@peterwhitehead
We’ve followed Peter from his days as editor of the now defunct FT Digital Business supplement, but it must be said that his tweets just get better and better. Love music? Hate South West Trains? This is your man.

Sixth Form Poet
@sixthformpoet
Opinions, jokes, puns and other weirdness – the feed to check on a 5 minute tea break.

Andrew Walker
@killdozer
Self-proclaimed tech god, Tweetminster co-founder and fellow Tech Cityer, Andrew tweets some great social media bits and is acerbic enough to keep us entertained too.

Get Ahead of the Games
@GAOTG
Official Twitter feed to help Londoners navigate the transportation hell-hole that London is set to become during the Olympics. All cursing about the ensuing disruption to be directed at @mayoroflondon, naturally.

James Martin
@pundamentalism
This chap has won my personal award for tweet of the week several times. Ridiculously prolific punning, most of which hits the mark. You just have to wonder when he’ll run out of ideas.

Adam Dustagheer
@adamdustagheer
This multitasking digital communications manager tweets cool digital bits, London-based musings and politically-minded thoughts.

Malcolm Tucker
@malcolmtucker_
Angry Scot. Hates modern culture, politicians, celebrities and pretty much everything else. Probably hates us too. Clearly loves profanity, though, so take care, you sensitive souls…

Smile Machine
@smilemcn
Another one from the Tech City stable, Smile Machine makes cool digital things. Tweets apps, digital, creativity and cutting edge tech comment. We like.

So, who did we miss? Any other top tweeters we should be checking out? While you’re having a think, make sure you check out our tweet action @catalysis_comms.

The Pirate Bay describes itself as “the world’s largest BitTorrent tracker” and has been described by the LA Times as “one of the world’s largest facilitators of illegal downloading.”

The BPI, which represents the UK recorded music industry, instigated the case and welcomed the ruling. Its Chief Executive Geoff Taylor said: “The High Court has confirmed that The Pirate Bay infringes copyright on a massive scale. Its operators line their pockets by commercially exploiting music and other creative works without paying a penny to the people who created them. This is wrong – musicians, sound engineers and video editors deserve to be paid for their work just like everyone else.”

However, there are critics of the Court’s ruling. Some Internet campaigners argue that while site-blocking will deter casual and unintentional infringers, such measures are largely ineffective and can be circumvented through various technical means. Furthermore, many see the case ruling as a dangerous step towards Internet censorship. Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, said: “Blocking the Pirate Bay is pointless and dangerous. It will fuel… even more drastic calls for internet censorship of many kinds, from pornography to extremism. Internet censorship is growing in scope and becoming easier. Yet it never has the effect desired. It simply turns criminals into heroes.”

The debate around piracy and censorship is gaining momentum as we advance further into the digital age. For example, the topic attracted a lot of attention earlier this year when many major websites joined forces to demonstrate against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), proposed US legislation designed to tackle online piracy.

These websites – including Internet giants like Wikipedia – are concerned that SOPA will give the US government the power to shut down websites accused of copyright infringement without a trial, and that rather than regulate the Internet, the bill will instead damage online freedom.

The political debate around blocking websites is moving beyond piracy to regulation of another kind. Last week saw UK newspaper The Daily Mail launch a Block Online Porn campaign to protect Britain’s youth. The paper says: “…the necessary filters exist. All that’s lacking is the political will to oblige the Internet Service Providers to apply them automatically. Indeed, it is one of the great myths of our age that it’s impossible to regulate the web, and that it must therefore remain above the law.”

Clearly music publishers, news providers, film makers and creators of other online content need protection from people and companies that copy their work and share it without paying. And of course we want to protect children from the dangers online. But should it be through blocking websites, which is viewed by many as the first step on the slippery slope towards censorship? What’s your view?

There are many different ways to write an introduction. You could try some Salman Rushdie type linguistic pirouettes or a phonological Michael Jackson moonwalk – dance across the page with dazzling verve to raise readers from the dull wet slumber of April and  gently lift them into the golden soft-hued  month of May. 

But if you’re writing about server virtualization or how your client has just won a top prize in an industry competition it’s probably not appropriate. It’s also damned difficult.

That to one side, intros ideally should both be striking, descriptive or contentious, and as attention grabbing as possible. Below are some examples of different types of introductions that can be used.

Imagine you are telling the story of Jack and Jill, the well known nursery rhyme. It’s a trite example but it does illustrate how, with a little bit of imagination, different introductions can be used to grab the reader’s attention:

The Anecdote: An intriguing/humorous story that relates to the subject.

It didn’t seem like a difficult task.  But Jack and Jill were extremely wary. They’d heard dark rumblings about something untoward that might happen to them. Children had even chanted their name in the street.  Their task was simple, fill up a bucket with water.  How could anything go wrong? But it did go wrong. Very wrong.

Dropped intro: You begin to tell the story in the second paragraph. The first paragraph alludes to the story in an interesting way.

It’s said that a well known children’s nursery rhyme is actually a metaphor for the chopping off of heads during the French revolution. But when you consider the innocent nature of the nursery rhyme you might think this interpretation is the work of a fevered and rabid mind.

Punchy:  This is useful for short copy or press releases – short, sharp sentences.  This style can also be used for longer pieces to change the rhythm of copy and accentuate points.

A couple of kids had a job to do.  It was straightforward.  But somehow they made a real mess of it. All they had to do was get some water.  One ended up cracking open his skull. The other escaped with bruises, scratches and dented pride. They never even got the water.

The question: Directly addresses the reader and urges them to read on to discover the answer. 

If somebody said to you there was deep water well sitting on top of a small, narrow hill, what would you think?

The quote: This should engage and intrigue the reader and draw them in to find out what happens.

”I thought it was a fun thing to do, Jill and me scampering up that hill to get some water.  But I didn’t reckon with the slippery mud surrounding the well. Before I knew it, I was hurtling down that hill on my stomach and Jill was right behind me.”

That’s it. Hopefully these points are self-evident. If not, feel free to harangue me.

Next blog post – some tips on how to make writing a bit more colourful.

In light of this, yesterday I saw something I thought I’d never see –Tupac performing live at Coachella 2012 alongside living rap stars Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Having been somewhat of a Tupac fan growing up (Scottish countryside – thug life) and having read quite a bit into the controversy surrounding the death of Tupac and Biggie Smalls I was genuinely taken aback by the performance.

It might be worth pointing out that this video contains some rather explicit language, racial slurs, references to gang culture, and drugs use. Classic.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo0Xg1YWV68

Technology it seems has the power to resurrect and add new levels of creativity to show business.  The hologram is an almost exact replica of Tupac, a digital recreation of a performance that hasn’t been witnessed for over 16 years.  The life-size Tupac is astoundingly realistic, down to the late rapper’s signature tattoos, jewellery and performance movements.  It was created using a blend of previously recorded live footage and CGI, and was created by Digital Domain under the supervision of Dr. Dre.

Rumours are adrift that a virtual Tupac tour may be in the making. Hologram Tupac even has his own Twitter account: @HologramTupac

Despite having been rumoured to have cost somewhere between $100,000 - $400,000 to create (cost unreleased), I believe that this kind of technology will revolutionise the future of live entertainment.  Imagine if, rather than having to watch music on-screen, music were performed by holograms in your living room. Or even better you could watch holographic representations of real life performances as they took place – Bob Marley, Notorious BIG, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon – almost alive and kicking on stage. Excellent.

The Guardian

I attended a session called ‘Digital revolution: how digital is revolutionising news gathering’. The panel (all from The Guardian) was made up of Dan Roberts, chair and national editor; Alastair Dant, lead interactive technologist; Paul Lewis, special projects editor; Polly Curtis, Whitehall correspondent; and Andrew Sparrow, senior political correspondent.

The most valuable part to me was a discussion on the role that social media has played in the development of news stories. I don’t just mean chasing the news topics. Social media now defines the way stories develop and the course they run.

In The Guardian’s own Three Little Pigs advert, the Three Little Pigs are accused of boiling The Wolf alive in retaliation to him blowing their house down. A whole flood of public opinion rolls in on this; including evidence that The Wolf had asthma so could never have blown down the house. It transpires the Three Little Pigs blew their own house down to commit insurance fraud. They only did so to pay off their mortgage. This second reveal ensures the pigs gain the viewer’s sympathy. Riots break out to get the Three Little Pigs out of jail. The story suddenly becomes so much fuller with this public involvement made possible through social media channels, though whether we trust it all is left to interpretation. What once was a story of home owner’s rights elevates to much wider issues, and eventually ends up driving topics that aren’t even really related to the initial story any more.

This links nicely to something Paul Lewis was saying about the role of social media in last year’s London riots. During the Brixton riots in the early 1980s, journalists worked out where trouble hotspots were by looking out for smoke and following police vehicles. Last year the experience was entirely different as social media alerted them to trouble hotspots, some before the incidents had even happened. Numerous events were scrutinised by the public, and their detective skills, confessions and deceptions added to the rich tapestry of information.

Which brings us back to the role of journalism. There has been some concern, perhaps accusation, that journalists have become lazier as a result of social media. Has the media even become redundant? In some limited cases, perhaps. Citizen journalism does a great deal for the immediacy of breaking news, and for adding colour to prevailing stories. But The Guardian, as a bastion of ‘real journalism,’ was clear that it simply brings more responsibility to the paper to ensure the sources it uses are valid.

So in addition to giving us news faster and on more diverse platforms, perhaps we can also thank social media for making journalists more accountable. Because even if they do take the lazy option and just copy what the public has shared without validating it, comments on news articles and blogs put their interpretations right in the firing line. It’s this relationship which prompted Polly Curtis’ reality check blog, in which she investigates – with help from public – the truth behind the biggest stories of the day.

So after a dizzying ride through the world of journalism in the era of social media, I’m certainly less cynical about how much work goes into allowing stories to develop with public insights. Done properly, journalism today isn’t comparable to the student copying and pasting their essay answer from Wiki. In fact, it’s more like that student sitting down to write their essay from a much wider and richer variety of sources.

Writing is one of those things that we think we can all do. And we can. Well, at least those of us who didn’t spend our childhoods making petrol bombs, stealing sweets and bunking off school. But using words to get your message across effectively can be an art. And like any craft there are techniques.

But first a bit about words. Well-crafted words make all the difference.  They can raise populations to war, win loves, and inspire, educate and elevate. Consider the following written in Iran 1,000 years ago: “Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with an unconditional love like that… it lights up the whole sky.”  See what I mean?

Gene Fowler, an American journalist and author, once said: “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. “  A little overstated perhaps but the point is made. To help soothe your fevered brow this blog is the first in a series offering writing tips and writing techniques that will help put a polish on your copy.

But first, some overarching rules:

Number one – Always keep the reader in mind

Holding your virtual reader in mind will help focus your writing and avoid conferring God-like qualities on your audience in which you unconsciously expect them to not only decipher what you’ve written but also read your mind. Don’t worry. We all do it.

When drafting copy keep asking yourself: ‘Will the reader understand this? Am I explaining this clearly enough? Am I assuming too much a priori knowledge on the part of the reader?

Number two – Ditch the jargon and academic approach

An academic approach to writing has its place – and let it stay there.  One dictionary definition of jargon is as follows: ‘Any talk or writing that one does not understand.’ Need I say any more?

We work in the world of IT and recently came across this gem: “A best of breed approach delivers synergies between silos enabling out of the box thinking for CRM, ERP and HR deployment. Your TCO will fall and ROI increase.” Er… precisely.

It also might be instinctive to adopt an academic tone, especially if you’ve spent years being prejudiced by the educational sausage factory.  But in the real world, people don’t communicate like that and if they do, they come across as pompous.

Number three – Don’t be afraid of being bold

Strong points grab the reader’s attention and keep them hooked in. You may have noticed one or two in this blog – purposely, to illustrate the point.

Number four – Take time to proof read

You need to proof read carefully to see if you any words out. Get someone else to read it or put it to one side for a few hours or even overnight. Then you’ll be freshly sharp and able to look at your work objectively.

In the next writing tips blog post we’ll dive into some of the nuts and bolts like different types of introductions and bringing ‘dry’ subjects to life. So stay posted.