Thanks to @outtherehq for the tip-off.

A really interesting idea from ING Direct that I’ve just come across, opening itself with “Welcome to the ING Direct Feel Good site dedicated to bringing you news that will make you feel good. Here you can find the latest good news press articles, comment on these stories and share your own feel good stories and images. We hope you enjoy the site.” It looks like it’s been there for a while, but I’ve not noticed it before… and although, clearly, it’s about saving, there’s some interesting non-saving stuff there… only 200 Twitter followers at the moment, but a really interesting idea…

See the full mind map created by Andrew Wilcox using ConferenceReaction mindmapping software – I could see him doing it on his tablet (out of the corner of my eye).

The Social Media Safari from Jonathan Marks on Vimeo.

De Montfort’s new leader uses Twitter to engage with staff and students. Sarah Cunnane reports

A university vice-chancellor is hoping for tweet success in his new role by reaching out to his staff and students and others in the sector via the social networking site Twitter.

Since taking the reins at De Montfort University last month, Dominic Shellard (@t) has been quick to embrace the Twittersphere.

In doing so, he joins university heads from around the world including E. Gordon Gee (@presidentgee) of Ohio State University, Richard Descoings (@rdescoings) of Sciences Po in France and Steven Schwartz (@macquarievc), vice-chancellor of Macquarie University in Australia.

But Professor Shellard’s UK peers have been slow to take to social media. He is only the second to personally twitter, following Martin Hall of the University of Salford (@VCSalford).

Read full story

Study finds virtual learning environments taking off despite dogged hostility. Hannah Fearn reports

Hostility between academics who advocate teaching through virtual worlds and those who scorn the idea is being blamed for holding back the evolution of higher education.

The warning comes despite evidence that universities are slowly embracing virtual environments such as Second Life for teaching, according to a report from the Virtual World Watch consultancy.

The report, Zen and the Art of Avatar Maintenance, says that like the two characters in Robert M. Pirsig’s 1974 book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, academics hold polarised views of learning online.

“Some people take to it with great enthusiasm; others recoil in dismay, horror or anger,” writes the study’s author, John Kirriemuir.

Enthusiasts do more than welcome the chance to work in a virtual world, they embrace their avatar, or online alter ego, and dress it up in new costumes and designs.

Read full story

This seems like a simple social media idea that could work – be interesting to see how fast it gathers steam – a simple idea on Facebook and Twitter: “Pick up 7 pieces of trash on 7th of every month”.

Does anyone else get discouraged when they read COLLIDE? Every time I pick up a new issue I’m reminded how not awesome I am when it comes to utilizing media as an effective tool in ministry. It’s humbling to hear from experts who know how to launch an Internet campus, construct a contemporary worship space, design a church logo, make a motion loop, shoot video on a green screen, build a website, produce a mobile app, podcast sermons, layout and print dazzling mailers, run a digital mixer and light board, maximize presentation software, and daily craft hilarious blog posts that change the lives of readers with astute cultural observations and deeply theological insights. Who can measure up to these geek prophets?

This whole media and technology thing can be overwhelming. Keeping up with the trends often feels like an unattainable goal that might not even be worth pursuing. Still, I can’t ignore the fact that media is the language of our culture. We need to be students who are learning how to speak “media” with increasing proficiency. Instead of throwing up our hands in exasperation and wallowing in self-pity because we’ll never measure up, might I suggest we consider focusing on a few key starting points. Sure, we can’t all be experts or IT pros, but there are some basics that we need to have down if we’re going to connect with others and make an impact on our culture, so here we go. These are five things we all need to know how to do:

1. Tweet
2. Brand
3. Collaborate with Artists
4. Upload & Publish
5. Learn

Read the article in full on the Collide website. Thanks to @sharecreative for the link.