The Social Business, #57
Bye bye Twitter, hello new website, plus a thank you message from 2050
It’s been a week of finally getting round to doing things that I’ve meant to do for a while.
Having not posted there for over a year, I finally deleted my Twitter account.
I actually feel really sad about what’s happened to Twitter.
I used to love it - and like many people probably spent too much time on there. But it was genuinely useful - and for a few years a largely positive social network.
I couldn’t have done my job without it - in fact it’s questionable whether I would have had a job at all.
It helped me to build up networks to support the work I was doing - and to get noticed. Empty Homes Doctor wouldn’t have gathered momentum without Twitter - and it was the same with other successful projects like Zero Waste Leeds and Leeds School Uniform Exchange.
Yet over time like so much of social media, it gradually became more toxic, and less useful. And then Musk took over - and there was no way I was hanging around to see what he gets up to next.
I don’t miss what it became - but I really miss what it once was. I’ve set up a Bluesky account to see how that develops - and obviously I’m focusing my efforts on this newsletter too - which has been a much more positive experience than my last few years on Twitter.
A new website
Alongside my part-time employed role, I do some freelance work - focusing in particular on two main areas - social business support and climate action.
Last week I finally got round to creating a website - to share more about my theory of change, my experience, and some of my recent work. If you know of anyone who’d be interested in working with me, please encourage them to get in touch.
Staying hopeful - and thinking of the future
One of the main things I focus on in my work is the climate crisis. As I’ve mentioned several times before, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
So I’m always on the lookout for interesting perspectives that can help us to explore how best to respond - and to manage the difficult emotions that engaging with the climate crisis can provoke.
I’ve found that taking the long view - and trying to imagine a different future - can be very helpful.
So I like the look of We The Hopeful - and this video from Louise, in Paris in 2050 - thanking us for what we did.
I also liked this post from climate psychologist
reflecting on how we can best approach tackling a systemic problem like climate change (clue - it’s not about nudging, or behaviour change campaigns). Renee is well worth subscribing to on here.
Other things that have caught my eye
Twenty years ago, I sat around a kitchen table with the founders of award-winning paint reuse social enterprise Seagulls Reuse - to help them to come up with their first business plan.
They’re a brilliant social business - and I enjoyed being part of this short film, which they shared last week and which celebrates their twenty years of making a difference in so many different ways.
Green jobs: I met with the people behind this new project in Kirklees - which is all about working with local communities to reduce fuel poverty and to take practical climate action. They’re currently recruiting for three roles.
And I’ve been working recently with Leeds Bike Mill - who recycle bikes and have just received funding to launch an Active Travel Hub. They’re currently recruiting too.
Relating to active travel, I like the look of this new project from the University of Leeds - INFUZE - which will be exploring a range of ways to imagine and create a future city where you don’t need to own a car.
I live in Leeds - and we went nine years without owning a car - so I’m excited to see how this project develops. You can find out more about the project here - and, you can tell them what you think here.
Glad to see you've got your website up and running, Rob. It would be great to have another chat in the New year to see how we can support each other.