A Swarm of Bloggers Descends on Northern Serbia
A chatter of bloggers, a swarm of social media, or a flock of Twitter: Whatever the collective noun, 250 of the Balkan region’s leading and most prominent bloggers and social media drivers came together in Novi Sad, Serbia, for the fourth annual BlogOpen. The great and the good of Balkan blogging discussed, debated and shared insight on the future of social media and the uses and issues faced in the region.
The Balkan blogosphere enjoyed two full days of thought-provoking presentations from international trailblazers in social media and the digital world. While most attendees came from the ex-YU states, keynote speakers were largely culled from beyond Balkan borders, providing the blogging masterclass with an international perspective and tapping into a broad pool of experience and knowledge.
As well as exploring best practice and case studies, BlogOpen was focused on how regional differences (and similarities) alter the use of technology in the Balkans. Presentations from Mark Voermans (Microsoft), Matt Gierhart (OgilvyAction), Natasha Friis Saxberg (Gignal), American artist Hasan Elahi and Italian technology evangelist Simone Brunozzi (Amazon Web Services) spoke about how to perform better, engage more effectively and communicate with greater efficiency, as well as issues such as privacy, security and digital behaviour.
The UK Government’s former social media chief Tiffany St James shared her experience of digital engagement and how Britain’s government departments tapped into public needs to tailor campaigns around issues such as swine flu, better parenting and the recent riots.
From Serbia, Vladimir Stanković gave one of the most entertaining presentations. The creator of the much-loved Deda Bor blog encouraged people to laugh at themselves and situations, and even to love those who hate us do. It was an interesting perspective, and one that struck a chord with many in attendance. So entertaining was his presentation that nobody minded when he ran long over time! Other speakers included Ivan Brezak Brkan, from Croatia, who shared his experience of using blogs to create a better brand.
One of the most affecting presentations can towards the end of the weekend, when Macedonian Mite Kuzevski spoke about digital activism in Macedonia, when bloggers and Twitter users raised their voice in collective protest over the alleged police killing of a young Macedonian student. His report was not only informative, it was also quite humbling, showing that great things can be achieved using social media.
Of course, there was a social side, too. While social media presents many opportunities to connect, the face-to-face interaction at such gatherings can enhance any digital contact afterwards. I enjoyed meeting Petar Vojinović, Marko Herman, and Nebojša Radović, among others, and had great discussion with Simone Brunozzi, Tiffany St James, Natasha Friis Saxberg and Mark Voermans.
10 / 17 / 2011 6:06 pm
It was great having you here 🙂
10 / 17 / 2011 7:19 pm
Thanks, Dragana. It was a really enjoyable and interesting event. It left me with a lot to think about, as well as some good new friends and contacts. I hope to be able to attend next year’s event, too.