A long time ago (about one month) we were in a meeting on Mediamatic Travel. We have those meetings every Friday. Their purpose is basically discussing ways how we could improve the website, what has been done, what still needs to be fixed etc..
So in this particular meeting we were discussing ways on how to motivate people to participate. And since this is the main concern in my research, Willem ( a.k.a. the boss) asked me to give a presentation about 'online participation' on the event Kom Je Ook?.
First I thought he was kidding, then I hoped he was kidding, but he wasn't... I do think it's a nice opportunity for me to share my thoughts on online participation, but this also meant I would absolutely have to know everything about it. This is something I agreed on with myself.
Now I've already done the presentation. And though it didn't turn out the way I wanted, still I'm pleased I didn't have a nervous breakdown. Actually everybody who has been working at Kom Je Ook? is pleased with that. Thanks, everyone for the excellent breathing exercises, psychological tricks and coaching, it really worked!
After the presentation some people came up to me and asked for more specific information about online participation in the cultural sector. And this was actually the best part of my Kom Je Ook? experience: Having a discussion instead of a monologue.
You see, it really made me feel like I was doing something useful; Being able to share my opinion/ information is one thing, but listening to people that are working in the business and trying to understand their worries and arguments is another.
The whole experience of being an intern is pushing me more and more towards research. I have so many questions about social media and online communities, and there is just no general answer.
I also discovered that the kind of research I think is most suited to examine 'social media' is qualitative research. And by research I mean: research on online interaction and participation. In qualitative research a nuance isn't lost and it's focusing on meaning in stead of numbers. This gives me a better picture on how people are using social media and why.
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