Twitter, tweets and chickens

As I hinted in previous blogs, I intend to introduce some life changes. Although I love every bit of my life (well most of it), the tension between giving the rapidly expanding world of social enterprise the dedication it needs and being there for my brood (and I can see the irony there) means that something has to give. The first victims of this rationalisation have been our chickens (Seen above). This weekend we said good bye to our feathered friends. Protests have been vocal, particularly from third born, animal lover extraordinaire. However the dear old chooks needed heaps of care, several times a day and a big clean at the weekend which never quite liberated my garden from the inevitable emblems of good luck. So when we were offered a foster farm in Northamptonshire who collects rare breeds (Our ladies were a class act), we jumped at the chance. Frankly I am relieved, they were lovely and the eggs were great but even jobs that only take a few minutes a day, like calories, add up in a bad way.
Maintaining the feathered theme I want to speak out in support of Twitter. I am no dab hand at technology, as anyone who knows me will confirm, usually with a snort, but I think Twitter it great. It is fresh, uncensored, informative and absolutely genuine dialogue. Through Twitter I have a sense of what is going on in the social enterprise world Globally, and it’s all done without taking itself too seriously. Those who use it well do so with tongue in cheek, you can spot those who do it as duty because it’s all information with no attitude.

I know it’s not for everyone but I think Twitter and social networking is a very important part of the future of our movement. Association and the freedom to form collective opinions and share views has always been our rock bed, but now you don’t need to be part of the in-crowd to get in. All that I find out I share and there are plenty of others like me. Between us all momentum grows very quickly and we can not only generate interest but also distribute information and create actual non virtual interaction. People log on and then turn up. As example would be our Transition’s document that is going to be launched tonight. Through Twitter people have found out about both the launch and the piece itself. They have been able to express their views, unedited and join in a conversation about the opportunities and threats of social enterprises entering the public sector outsourcing debate en mass. Our venue tonight for the launch is the wonderful social enterprise, the London Early Years Foundation in Westminster which, like all venues, has limited space. The event itself is hopelessly oversubscribed which is not surprising as we have Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and Derek Myers, CEO at Kensington and Chelsea giving us a cross party launch. Social enterprise has the unique ability to operate across party politics. Twitter has the unique ability to allow anyone, be they in Wapping or Waikiki to join in. Needless to say Matt will be Twittering for SEL (SocEntLdn) and Dom (DomPotter) and I (aogdennewton) will be Twittering up a storm on our own accounts, so one way or the other see you all there!

Watch the birdie

This morning was even more manic than usual in the Ogden-Newton household. A photographer and crew arrived at 8am to shoot us as a family for an interview I've given to the Guardian. The piece is on the new entrepreneurial middle class, but alarmingly they wanted us pictured with our chickens.

Firstly we had to get the boys out of bed which was tricky and then of course the chickens didn't want to play ball. The scene was hilarious, all of us running around time and again trying to gather up increasingly harassed chickens and then clutching them pull sensible faces. I predict disaster, we will look even more dotty than we are. Still running around like chickens is probably as good an analogy of the middle class today as your going to get.

I am now in Leamington Spa meeting my Regional counterparts in the social enterprise world, and aside from the joy of meeting up, its pretty much doom and gloom. Ironic really when you consider how social enterprise is on everyone's lips and we are all more cash starved than ever. 2011 looks more like a budget figure than a calendar date at present. Something has to be done. We have all worked so hard to get the movement where it is and still have so much to offer, even in such difficult times there has to be a way forward. I need inspiration and so am off to the bar to chat with colleagues and find a way, together, social enterprise style.