Category: Tech

The HashKey – A Fun Side Project

Being a consultant is fun. You’ve got some time to work on projects that cater to your favourite obsessions outside of your paid client work. And you can make those projects pretty crazy ones, all in the name of experimentation.

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The HashKey is the latest fun experiment I’ve been involved in. Masterminded by my boyfriend, probably as some huge romantic gesture to keep me engaged, I’m really just a figurehead as a ‘social media fan’, but it’s been a blast so far nonetheless. (My hands are so famous now!)

We received a ridiculous amount of press, agency and influencer attention in the first few days we went live, as we knew we would; this product is peak social media sharing ammunition. It’s just interesting to see whether that level of conversation converts to getting this thing funded!

Watch my starring role in the Kickstarter video here!

 

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Let’s Get Ethical

Short update – last week I took part in a small roundtable with the CIPR (Chartered Institute of PR for those not in-the-know – I wasn’t…) to advise them on their social media and technology ethics policy.

I’ll be honest – I think most people in the room had thought about this a lot more deeply than I had in the past, as they were mainly lawyers and academics. That said, it was a fascinating afternoon, and incredibly productive.

The main conclusion I personally drew was that social media doesn’t have the same need for an ethical conduct as other disciplines, because of it’s incredibly public, consumer-empowering nature. If a brand, individual or organisation does anything that breaches a ‘code of conduct’ – purposefully or otherwise – they are likely to be found out, sooner or later.

Thank God for accountability, right?!

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Post-Alphabet: What happens after Generation Z?

Generation Z is the buzzword of the moment. Those now-16-year-olds born with iPhones in their mouths and social networked from the womb.

But, with all this excitement around a new generation to categorise and stereotype, I couldn’t help but wonder: who comes after Generation Z? What defines them, the kids being born now, and what can we call them?

There are no more letters left, so I went for the Post-Alphabet Generation.

And based on the Apple Watch keynote that just took place – post-alphabet is exactly where mobile technology is taking us.

Doodles and personalisable emoji are going to be the most frequently used form of communication. If you want to send a reply, the language in the messages you receive is scanned to automate responses. Alerts and notifications are a series of vibrations, like a tap or a nudge. Motion sensors know when you’ve lifted your wrist to even engage with your Apple Watch. There’s no keyboard, so the written alphabet is already gone in favour of dictation.

To the Post-Alphabet Generation, this first Apple Watch will be like a Nokia 3310. These, and Google Glass, won’t be fads tech giants are trying to make work. (The Apple Watch is the first sign that we’re on the way there.) In 16+ years time, they’ll have struck gold and converted us all.

Apple Watch Doodle Apple Watch Emoji Emoticon

Here are my initial thoughts from last month when I started thinking about the Post-Alphabet Generation and their relationship with tech. I’m publishing now after the official Apple Watch announcement because I’m interested to hear everyone else’s thoughts!

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Posted on by Jessica Riches 1