The outcome of political careers and even campaigns is increasingly dependent on the successful mastery of new communication tools including social media. Many MPs and members of Congress are embracing the use of social networking tools to keep in touch with their constituents, whilst Facebook, YouTube and even Twitter have potentially changed the nature of election campaigns in reaching out directly to grass-roots supporters, with the recent US presidential campaign also showing how effective these tools might be in raising funds. At the same time, it is not clear whether these tools are likely to prove effective in engaging any voters except those who are already interested in politics, or whether their apparent ‘democratisation’ of traditional party structures is to be believed.  Do we yet have any evidence to suggest that social media has genuinely altered the nature of election campaigning?  Is there any evidence to suggest that traditional gate-keepers in the political communication process (political parties, press secretaries, political editors in mass media, etc.) are truely being bypassed? Or that traditional political institutions are being altered?

Journals and peer-reviewed publications are still the most widely used channels through which research is disseminated within the scientific community and to a broader audience. However, social media is increasingly challenging the supremacy of editors, reviewers and science communicators. Blogging about science has become a new way of engaging “the public” directly with researchers whilst researchers are increasingly using blogs within their own academic communities for peer-review purposes. Panellists will give their perspective on how social media has changed the nature of the scientific debate amongst scientists, and how it has impacted on engagement with the public understanding of science.  So, if social media offers the opportunity of unmediated exchange between scientists and the public, is this the last nail in the coffin of science journalism? Do blogs have the potential to  become a respected medium for academic exchange?

Theorists such as Yochai Benkler have suggested that the accessibility and inherently social nature of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, social networking and wikis mean that we might expect them to enhance our democratic freedoms through the opening of new channels for debate and collaboration. Academic research suggests that such new opportunities have not been equally taken up, and that in many areas, new social media are simply being used by old ‘elites’. At the same time, blogs and social media are having significant effect in enhancing accountability and transparency, particularly in repressive regimes like Burma and China. This session will ask whether we should be so quick to dismiss the socially egalitarian and politically democratic potential of social media or whether there might equally be more mundane but significant social impacts which have so far been ignored. Is there any evidence that the advent of social media have enhanced the potential for meaningful collaboration? Or for political deliberation? Or engagement across rather than within particular groups? Have they lived up to their democratic potential? What are the downsides of the “Twitter revolution”?

Among the traditional media, blogs and other contributions to citizen journalism have for a long time been regarded as posing a significant threat to ‘quality’ news reporting, whilst the global recession has shown that the threatened failure of high quality local and regional media outlets was not a groundless fear. Whilst some of the most successful social media sites are professional media productions such as CNN’s Twitter news feed and the Huffington Post, many critics of social media now fear that the collapse of traditional business models will see a real decline in the depth and quality of news reporting, particularly at the local level. On the other hand, blogs and social media are seen as potentially democratising the production of news, enabling fast, first-hand reporting often in areas where traditional media face political and other restrictions. In what ways can traditional media outlests ensure that the use of blogged or “tweeted” information is accurate and legal to publish? How can the originality and immediacy of “citizen journalism” be retained and incorporated into mainstream media? Does it need to be?

The concept of the “entrepreneurial university” first emerged in the US around the year 2000 and spread quickly to the UK and the rest of Europe. Today this idea has attained an almost mantra-like status Read the rest of this entry: Tracking the performance of the “entrepreneurial university”…. »

In the popular mind, science is often represented as a profoundly cold and impersonal affair, strictly governed by method, reason and impartiality. It is carried by the notion that the scientific endeavour is propelled by the anonymous knowledge-worker who carries out experiments under strictly controlled conditions behind closed doors.  Steven Shapin, eminent historian and sociologist of science, explored these elements in a lecture at the Said Business School, based on his latest book Scientific Life: A Moral History of a Late Modern Vocation. He pointed out that before the twentieth century, scientific practitioners mostly used to be amateurs who —however competent— did science for love, a romantic vocation… driven by the desire Read the rest of this entry: Charismatic Authority – betting on the jockey and not the horse »

Twitter could not buy this publicity! Current events in Iran show how widely the use of social media tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Co, have revolutionised politics and indeed political dissent. Unquestionably, corporations, newspapers and even governments are increasingly embracing blogs and Twitter feeds as key-elements in their communication strategies. Yet, research shows that the landscape of social media use and impact is a complex one, quite unlike the simple depiction of democratisation of content production that was widely heralded with the advent of Blogger ten years ago.

The Oxford Social Media Conference organised by the University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Internet Institute, will look back at the evolution of blogs and other social media to give a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which such tools have or have not made a difference at the social, political and economic level. In addition, speakers drawn from academia, industry and the media will be asked to look forward to identify the trends and developments which will mostly shape our experience of these technologies in the future.

Date: September 18th 2009
Time: 9:00 – 17.30
Location: Saïd Business School
To register your interest: events@oii.ox.ac.uk

The Organisers: Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and The Oxford Internet Institute

For further information on speakers please click here

There’s no better way to kick off an entrepreneurship trek than by having breakfast with Joe DiNucci at Bucks of Woodside.   I first met Joe when Silicon Valley Came to Oxford (SVCO) back in November ‘08.  He’s the type of guy you wish you could have on speed-dial because his wisdom, experience and hilarious anecdotal stories always hit the spot.  That, combined with the fact that he’s no more than 2 degrees of separation from anyone in the Valley, arguably makes him one of the best integral coaches in all of California.    

“I distinguish between having an MBA and being an MBA. Never be an MBA.”  – Joe DiNucci

After breakfast, we headed to the world’s hottest startup on earth – Twitter.  When we arrived at their office, we were greeted by founder Biz Stone (@Biz) and many others from the Twitter family including Oxford MBA alumni Santosh Jayaram (@santojay) who now runs Twitter’s operations.  It was interesting to hear Biz explain Read the rest of this entry: Starting our trek with 140 characters or less »

We headed back to San Francisco this morning to visit the team at YouNoodle, a software company which uses an algorithm to predict the success of startups.  Bob Goodson, YouNoodle’s co-founder and CEO, shared his thoughts on entrepreneurship and experiences on running a startup.  What was particularly cool however was the candid Q&A session we had with Bob, which included questions concerning arbitrage (i.e. if they can predict the success of a start-up, then surely they could use this info to make a fortune through investments?) Read the rest of this entry: How much will an Oxford MBA’s startup be worth in 5 years? »

For the past 8 years, the Said Business School has hosted some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs during its annual Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford (SVCO) event.  This flagship event, held every November, provides an opportunity for Oxford MBA’s and others to interact with Silicon Valley VIP’s through a full day of masterclasses, garage-style sessions, panel debates and networking.  And for those select students who volunteer their precious time during the hectic Michaelmas term to serve as a “buddy” for a VIP receive a much greater reward… Read the rest of this entry: Oxford Comes to Silicon Valley 2009 »