The Cyberchase Blog

Create: vote for your favourite

2007-07-06T14:47:00.000Z

The latest top 5

2007-06-19T22:01:00.000Z

Well, we have two new people into the top five. The top of the league now looks like this:

There are still points to be earned from Create and Useful.

Could you change who tops the charts?

Useful: What you need to do

2007-06-19T15:40:00.000Z

Web 2.0 is sometimes referred to as 'The Useful Web'. Web 2.o is just a buzzword is used to describe the current wave of web-based services that promote online collaboration, user-generated content and file sharing. In contrast to the static, brochure style Interent of the past, a new style 'conversational web' is being created and led by ordinary people. It is fuelling the success of websites such as Flickr, Digg (citizen journalism) and Del.icio.us(social bookmarking).

In this final challenge, you will gain insight into different useful services online and how brands can start to be useful to people.

What you need to do:

1. Review insights generated from ‘Buzz’ (if you didn’t take part, you can chose one of to look at either Caroline's post on Top Shop, Rebekah's on Gu, Richard's on Marriot or Jessica's on New Covent Garden Soup).

2. Use these to think of a need or gap for a service or function in the market place.

- See if there is anyone else out there doing a similar service that you could use / partner with

For example, what if Masterfoods developed a collar to track your pet and see when it's hungry? (An interesting article on the technology and here's a link to the actual product)

- If you can't find it, maybe your idea is something completely new

3. Create a blog post detailing your observations about 'the useful web' and one idea for how your chosen brand could be useful. (Have a think about how you could present this idea - doodles, diagrams, images from Flickr etc)

4. The people with the best ideas will then be asked to share these at the Useful seminar on Monday 9^th July

Challenge tip:
Explore and play with different online services. Tag your findings on your del.icio.us account and expand your network to other people working on that brand. If you get stuck with where to start asking a question on Yahhoo Answers could prove an interesting starting point.

Getting your entry in:
When: Midday on Wednesday 4th July
What: Fill out the survey that will be sent w/c Monday 3rd July. (It will be very short - you'll only be asked tick a box to say you've done it and include a link to your blog post).

Judging:
The judges will review :
50%: your insights about 'the useful web'
50%: the usefulness of your idea for your chosen brand
Bonus points will be assigned for how you creatively present back your idea

Challenge inspiration
As usual, keep taking a look at the reading list as this will be updated throughout the challenge.

Buzz: what you need to do

2007-05-30T11:27:00.001Z

Each day people from around the world are talking about issues that are important to you and your client. Whether that be conversations about the brand, its competitors or industry issues, what people say online has an impact on the success of marketing campaigns. Harnessing this buzz can help to build brands and products. (Just take a look at the Arctic Monkeys as an example).

The first place to start is learning to listening. In Buzz, the penultimate challenge, you will learn how to make these conversations visible in order to gain insight into marketing opportunities for clients.

Your challenge will be to choose a brand, monitor what is being said about it and then report back on the opportunities and issues for that brand.

What you need to do:

1. Pick a brand from the selection below (remember to choose a brand that interests you as you will be working with the insights you generated in the final challenge).

Retail: or

Telecommunications: or

FMCG: or

Drinks: or

Hotels:

Airlines:

2. Chose your search term and register for Google Alerts (using a Google email address)

3. Set up a Netvibes page with web services. To find out how, take a look at the video tutorial here. Also included are links to templates that you can use as a starting point for B.A. and Samsung, if you chose one of those brands.

4. Do some of your own listening in (the reading list will be updated with services that you can you can chose to use).

5. Write a post about the services you used and your five key findings (these can be a mix of opportunities and issues for the brand).

Challenge tip:
Timing is important in this challenge. Ideally get signed up to Google Alerts this week and set up a Netvibes page. (This should take 20 - 30 minutes). You can spend next week 'listening' and experimenting with any other services.

Getting your entry in:
When: Midday, Wednesday 13th June.
What: Fill out the survey that will be sent next week (it will be very short - you'll only be asked tick a box to say you've done it and include a link to your blog post).

Judging
The judges will review your use of services and the quality of the insights generated.
Bonus points will be assigned for innovative ways of listening.

Challenge inspiration
As usual, keep taking a look at the reading list as this will be updated throughout the challenge.

Create: an update

2007-05-30T10:29:00.000Z

An update on where we're at with Create:

1. Podcasts are to be submitted by Monday 2nd July

2. If it's proving difficult to buddy up (a reminder of the buddy partnerships, here) then you can do this challenge on your own. If you decide to work on your own, let us know with an email to game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk

3. Where possible, try doing a face-to-face interview, using a DVR as this is the easiest, most reliable way of capturing your coverstaion. (The DVR can be booked out from Amy). For any interviews that need to be done by conference call, you can use Skype and record it using Pamela. Do get in touch with Mike & myself to talk about how this can be set up on your computer.

4. Some useful links:
- An overview of the challenge (e.g. what you need to do, judging criteria)
- How to prepare a good podcast
- How to make a podcast
- An example podcast (with Dare Creative's Partner, Flo Heiss)

5. And finally, but very importantly, for Create you get to choose the prize. At the time of posting this, the winning prize is a DAB Radio. If you want to change that, click here.

The top five (so far)

2007-05-30T10:20:00.001Z

The five people topping the league table in chase of the grand prize are:

These results are based on the scores for the first three challenges.
There are three more challenges left.

Could you change the result and be the overall winner?

Mobile: seminar footage

2007-05-24T10:52:00.001Z

Rebecca Jones from enPocket came in and talked to us about mobile. Take a look at the footage and slides from presentation here.

Example podcast with Flo Heiss

2007-05-23T00:42:00.000Z

I made a podcast last weekend to help walk you through the process. It's an interview with Flo Heiss, the creative partner of Dare. We talk about Barbera Streisand, Web 3.0 and the new book his is planning with the Creative Social.

The Podcast: Hobart65_podcast01.mp3

Set up: I emailed Flo...

Hi Flo,

Would you will be willing to do a 15 minute interview for a podcast?

The subject would be your recent "The Way I see it" blog post. I'd post the file on itunes and a few blogs. I'll be doing this via a conference call, you just need to give me a time and a mobile or land line number.

I was going to try and give this a quick test tonight, probably around 9. If that isn't convenient then you could suggest another window that might suit. Lastly, it might be good to have someone to discuss against...do you have anyone in mind I could invite?

He replied:

Sure thing. Can we do this in person? Maybe next week here at Dare over lunch?
Other thing: Are you still coming to visit us in the countryside this Sunday?
No worries if it’s a bit short notice.

So I changed to a face-to-face interview.

Yes, lets do it on Sunday. I'll bring a recorder. Hopefully I'll have a new fancy one by then

Preparation
I was going to base my interview around a recent blog post he'd made. This is my interview plan, written by Rebecca.

Flo, tell us a little bit about yourself (your background and what you're doing now)
Now you're involved with a group called Creative Social. Can you tell us a bit more about them?
So web 2.0 is a new buzz word that many of us are only coming to grips with. What's your summary of what web 2.0 is all about.
Can we expect a Web 3.0?
The Filter is a really interesting concept. What you're saying is the way we experience the Internet will really change. What do you think the impact on digital marketing will be?
So you're predicting the death of the humble banner ad?
What will be the effect of this type of marketing in 20, 50 years time?
How will this change how we work with clients?
Are there any examples of brands starting to do this now?
You talk about digital becoming free. What will people expect to pay for?
This is a really interesting thought; how can we keep in touch with you as you develop it? (he gives his blog)

Equipment: I decided to try and test out a new recorder, the Roland Edirol R09W

The R09 is very light and has high quality built-in stereo microphones. The recording quality is very high quality. I made sure I had some fresh batteries and an empty 2G memory card. Finally, I tested the settings quickly and practiced the controls the day before.

The interview: This lasted around 18 minutes in the end. I was thinking I would edit it down to 15 mintues.

Editing: Getting the file off the recorder was very straight forward. Simply plug in with a USB cable and copy the audio file. The 18 minute interview file was 300MB WAV file. (A windows file format). I made a copy of this file for editing, and backed up these two files onto a CD. I listened to the interview and then decided to use it unedited. I simply deleted the beginning of the interview as we prepared.

Post production: I kept this simple and quick,. I used Audacity I'd never used this before, so I found this very good introduction to Audacity on IT conversions. I did the following:

'compressed' using the built in plug-in (settings 18DB, 2.1 ratio)
normalized using the built in plug-in
converted the track to mono, using 'split track' and then Project > quick-mix
converted the setting to 44kHZ sound
exported the file to an mp3 file

Finally: I checked the file in itunes and edited the information in itunes.

Making your podcast

2007-05-14T12:25:00.000Z

You have to ways to make your podcast recording:

Telephone interview using Skye
Face to face using the office Digital Voice Recorder

Telephone interview
Setup

Print out two copies of your interview guide
Give the guide to your buddy and write down their direct line number
Get the login details you'll from Bethan (needed for the next step)
Go to Dan B’s computer (Dan is now sitting downstairs next to Andrew)
Login using the details Bethan gave you ( not you're own)
Put on the headphones and adjust the microphone position
Open Skype (icon on the desktop)
Add your contact numbers using ‘add contact’
Use the full STD code e.g. 02074782172

Practice

Select Tools > Make conference calls
Add the direct line number of your buddy and click start
When you buddy answers, the application ‘Pamela’ will automatically record the call
Talk to each other, and practice your introduction
Finish the call by clicking the red ‘end call’ button
Switch to the Pamela application by clicking the tool bar at the bottom of the screen
You should see your recording listed in ‘Skype recordings’
Press the green play icon at the bottom of the window to check your recording
If everything has worked, now do the interview
If you are confused, or something does not work, make a note of the problem and email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk

Interview

Select Tools > Make conference calls
Add the direct line numbers of your buddy and interviewee(s)
Click 'start'
The call should be automatically recorded, you will get an audio reminder
At the end of the call you will need to take a copy of the audio file
Your file is in the folder ‘Callrecord’ on the desktop
Make a backup of this file
Remove your contact numbers from the Skype application

Edit

Do not spend too much time editing. Just delete the bits you don’t want.
Open the application ‘Audacity’: Start > Programs > Audacity
Open your recording: File > Open
Use the space bar to play the audio
Use the mouse to position the play head, and to highlight a piece of audio
Use the DEL or backspace key to delete
Once you have finished editing save the project: File > Save Project
Export the edited file as an MP3: File > Export mp3
(Give the file a new name, do not overwrite the original)
Make a word document named with the a title of your podcast which contains a short description of your podcast and your Cyberchase identities.
Put all your files (original, audacity file and edited) on a CD
Give Bethan the CD containing your mp3 file and word document
Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk, cc'ing Bethan Williams

Digital Voice Recorder

Print out two copies of your interview guide
Get the Olympus Digital Voice Recorder WS-300M
Make sure it is charged up and has sufficient space for your recording

Practice

Make a short recording of your opening
Transfer this file to your computer and check it (via the built-in USB)

Interview

Record the interview with the machine.
Make sure you take a spare battery.
When you have finished transfer this file to your computer
Make a backup of the file and delete from the recorder.

Edit

Go to Dan B’s computer (Dan is now sitting downstairs next to Andrew)
Follow the instruction above for the Skype interview.

Please tell us if you have any problems you have, or need more instructions.
game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk

Create: Getting started

2007-05-04T12:01:00.000Z

We will follow up next week with some guidance about the actual mechanics of the interview. For now, focus on the preparation and planning. We've prepared this guidance to get you going.

It’s easier to do a good interview if you are well prepared. Aim to get the planning side of an interview started, and a feel for the amount of preparation required. The two main areas to look at are:

Setup
Topic guide

Setup

Try and decide who you are going to interview and contact them today via phone or email. Make this initial contact short and simple. For example: " Would you be willing to do a brief phone interview next week about [subject] ". Just try to get a simple agreement in principle first, before spending time on explaining the details.

How do you pick someone? The interviewee(s) should have an opinion or experience that you would love to discuss or explore. Rather than crafting a long wish list of people, it’s better to focus on the availability and willingness of interview prospects. Equally, you could do panel or group of people. Use your network and connections to get to someone interesting quickly.

Decide on interview duration. This could be anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes, we suggest 15 minutes. In the interview, stick to this allocated time. If you need more time then reschedule.

Once you have an agreement in principle, as part of the subsequent confirmation, it’s a good idea to send a ‘topic guide’, or interview guide, so your interviewee can think about their responses. Let them known that you are going to prepare a topic guide prior to the interview. Make sure you give them sufficient time to read this and prepare.

Topic Guide

A topic guide is a short word document that sets out the areas you want to discuss. It prevents you drying up in the interviews, gives the interview structure and makes sure you have covered all the things you want to ask.

A topic guide is just a simple 'shopping list' of questions. Start by listing the four or five general areas you want to cover. For each general area, think of specific open questions you would ask. Aim to have at least three questions you could read out loud for each general subject area. Good open questions are quite hard to do, so this is where you will spend the bulk of your preparation.

Remember a topic guide is only a guide not a script. Be flexible with your questions and follow the flow of what’s interesting. The art of interviewing is listening and responding. Your interviewee should do most of the talking.

Top and tail the topic guide with house keeping necessities:

Beginning:
Why are you there? Give a brief overview of the reason for the interview.
Remind them you are recording and the intended usage
Introduce the other people

Ending:
Try to have a key finishing question prepared
Tell them what happens next
Ask them if they want to be informed of the result of the interview

In Summary
Start the setup and topic guide early. This will help you make a better podcast. Any interview will have these common sense 'kick off' tasks, the key is doing them efficiently:

finding an interesting person (or people)
getting their agreement
arranging a time
preparing with a topic guide

If you need some more inspiration have a look at the updated reading list where there are a range of useful books about podcasting.

Which prize would you like to win most?

2007-05-04T09:41:00.001Z

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Create buddies

2007-05-03T11:41:00.000Z

Say hello to your Buddy and get creating...
Jess and Carole
Caroline M and Helen
Rebecca McD and Will N
Alex and Lara
Amy and Bryan
Simon N and Scott
Kate and Ethne
Andy T and Andrew W
Anthoula and Mark D
Bethan and Ryan
Sam L and Sameer
Shaun and Rebekah
Sam B and Pau
Debbie and Chris W
Chloe and Jon
Jo and Snox
Dan B and Magalie
Dan W and Paulo
Richard D and Phil
Natella and Stephen
Natalie and Susannah
Steve and Nina
Paul W and Will S
Russell and Edmund
Shwan and Pod

Mobile Treasure Hunt: initial pictures

2007-04-27T15:17:00.000Z

Initial pictures from yesterday's treasure hunt have been updated to Flickr.

(Your photos, video & audio clips will follow next week)

Challenge 4: Create

2007-04-27T13:53:00.000Z

The nature of media has changed. Two trends have caused this transformation. The internet has democratised distribution and cheaper technology has put the tools of content production tools into the hands of amateurs. This fourth challenge, Create, will give practical experience and understanding of this new world of niche content.

Your challenge will be to work in pairs and create your own podcast. (From that we will have a sort of 'Podcast Academy').

What you need to do:

The task is to interview someone you admire. The topic can be about anything, and you can chose anyone. Pick something that personally interests you. The interviewee could be a family member, someone creative or a work college. Anyone, as long as they share your interest and passion.

UPDATED: You can team up with buddy from a different department or team (to find out who you're working with, click here for the buddy list). Or, you can chose to work on your own (but let us know if you decide to do this, by emailing game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk)

An 'interview' machine, with Skype and the necessary recording and editing software has been set up.

There will also be a tutorial on creating a podcast and some best practice guidance on planning and conducting an interview.

UDPATED: Task completion
• When: Monday 2nd July
• What:
- Give Bethan a CD containing your mp3 file
- Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk, cc'ing Bethan Williams with a link to your blog post which should contain the title of you podcast, who you buddied with, and a short description of your podcast

Judging
The scores will be based on:
• Judges: The judges will review the podcasts and blog posts, giving points for the interestingness and entertainment value. Bonus points will be assigned for the 'passion rating' of the podcast (how enthusiastic and energetic you and your interviewee are about the subject).

• Public vote: The top five podcasts will then be put up for a public vote

Challenge inspiration
As usual, keep taking a look at the reading list as this will be updated throughout the challenge (take a look there now for some links to interesting podcasts)

eBay: Seminar

2007-04-10T22:47:00.000Z

Bafta winner Time came in and talked to us. Check out some of the links he shared and take a look at the footage.

New date and new teams for mobile challenge

2007-04-06T15:32:00.000Z

We had to change the date of the challenge...the new date is 26th April (next Thursday). It should be in your diaries but please make sure.

We've also had to change the teams - check out you new team mates below.

Garibaldis
Amy, Alex, Jo, Rebekah C, Chris Waldie, Anna (from Enpocket), Andy T

Chocolate Fingers
Carole, Jess, Sam L, Simon N, Steve, Magalie, Edmund

Ginger Nuts
Ethne, Caroline M, Nat, Rebecca McD, Dan W, Vix, Snox

Shortbread
Chloe, Pod, Jon G, Richard D, Shwann, Stephen, Will N

Peanut Cookies
Dan B, Helen, Debbie, Nina, Scott, Pau, Lara, Jacqui (from Enpocket)

Teams - those of you who are around, please try to a have a chat and email the gamemaster BY END OF PLAY ON MONDAY to tell us who your team captain is.

Friday 4pm is Cyberchase time!

2007-04-04T15:13:00.000Z

By popular request we have set aside an hour and a half a week within office hours for people to devote to Cyberchase. And when possible Rebecca and/or Mike will also be on hand to answer questions via Google Talk, if required. If you haven't already done so, you might like to use the first of these session on Friday 13th to set up the tools that have been introduced so far.

Best post poll - eBay

2007-04-04T15:01:00.000Z

Get Free Opinion Polls

Challenge 3: Mobile - what you need to do

2007-04-04T13:55:00.000Z

Your third challenge is to take part in a treasure hunt, for which mobile will be a vital component.

How it will work
The treasure hunt will take place from 4pm on Thursday 19th April. (Make sure you put this in your diaries).

You will be work in teams of about 6-8 people (teams announced soon) and will follow the treasure hunt trail, using your mobile phone to both answer clues and creatively record your journey.

The treasure hunt should take no more than an hour and we will all reassemble back in the boardroom for drinks, prize giving and guest speaker seminar.

Improve your chance of winning
Have a play and discover the range of services available . We will suggest the ones that we think we are useful or interesting to try. (Do this with a view to working out which ones you think we will use on the day).

Typically, these will fall into one of three categories; organisation, pictures or music. You may find that as a learning process, it is more effective to record your observations in a 'review' style, using your blog as your notepad.

Judging
The scores will be based on:
• Team result (getting all the clues right, the speed at which you do this and the 'interestingness' of how the journey was recorded and)
•Members from the best team will then be asked to compete against each other in a quick fire quiz (which will include some questions on mobile, so get swotting) in order to reveal the winner.

The prize
A super 3G phone.

eBay: the challenge winner

2007-04-04T00:12:00.000Z

Announcing the winner of the eBay challenge....drumroll....

Miggot 1 for the amazing hand held sewing machine and getting an miracuously massive profit of £23!

Not only did Miggot 1 receive the kudos of being an eBay expert (with, we hear, assistance from Netvibes), she also took home the healthy combined profit of £24.85 (bolstered with some more cash to spend on eBay).

eBay: The winners of the 'most surprising item' vote

2007-03-20T12:21:00.000Z

There were some awesome entries, including blow up palm trees, crutches, but the winners as decided by the public vote were:

First:
Sweaty buddha for the stick insects

Joint second:
Girldegourme t for the fake fry up

Woolly Knuckles for the inflatable sumo suit

The winners points will be added to the scores of the next phase of the challenge.

eBay: The second part of the challenge

2007-03-20T10:17:00.000Z

The second phase of the eBay challenge is to SELL your surprising item.

What you need to do:
Using your eBay account, you will need to log in and set up yourself as a seller, then put your item up for sale.

Some tips:
• Think about timings; when will the auction end? Will it end at a time when people will be likely to be online and surfing? (Make sure that the auction ends before the challenge deadline!)
• Consider how you will describe the title of your item and which category you will market it under
• Think about your starting price (lower prices can generate more interest, but you do run the risk of not getting the price you wanted)
• Take into account the cost of postage

Challenge completion
• When: Midday, Friday 30th March

• How:
Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk (cc'ing Bethan) to notify tell us when you’ve uploaded your post for this challenge. As well as your observations, you post must include:
An image of the item you bought
Your auction number
What you paid for it
The outcome of your auction (including details of what you sold your item for)

Judging
The scores will be based on last night's public vote for the most surprising object and:
• Judging panel: the posts on identity
• Bonus points: selling the item for a profit

The prize
Cash!* You have the chance of winning a cash prize equal to the combined profit of everyone’s sales.

*In case one of you creates a huge bidding frenzy around your item, the winnings will be capped at £100

(Any money not made back can be expensed, up to £15)

Vote for the best Identity post

2007-03-05T17:41:00.001Z

Get Free Opinion Polls

eBay: Tips to improve you chance of winning

2007-02-26T12:49:00.000Z

Find a number of items to bid on in case you don't win your first choice. But avoid winning two items.
Make sure that the total of your bid (item plus packaging & posting) doesnt' come to more than £15
Use eBay tools such as Auction Sniper to increase your chances of winning a bid
Get sellers to send item to Partners Andrews Aldridge office, rather than home address, so that you can add your item to the display in the office.

Challenge 2: eBay – What to do

2007-02-26T12:33:00.000Z

Your second challenge is to buy the most surprising thing you can find on eBay.

What you need to do:
1. Set up your eBay account. This account setup asks for quite a bit of personal data. address, dob etc. We advise you use your real data. But make sure that when it comes to choosing you seller name you use your online identity, or a slight varient. Even if you already have an eBay ID, set up a new account (so that everyone is on an equal footing in terms of reviews).

As part of the signing up process, we’d recommend that you set up a PayPal account, as this is the preferred method for buying payment eBay. The best account for you to choose is a personal one (the default is business) and don't worry about getting the account verified for this challenge, you can always do this later.

2. Search eBay for the most surprising item Keep a record of your purchase, so that you can claim the money back on expenses. Your budget is £15, which needs to cover postage & packaging costs. Remember bidding can take a few days, so get hunting earlier rather than later.

3. Write a post about eBay, on your experience of finding your object and buying it. Themes that you could cover include:

How trust is created and eroded
The depth & breadth of the eBay community
Factors for good customer service

You should also include the cost of your item and a photo of it. If you want to score bonus points also include a picture of how the package arrived before you opened it.

4. Task completion
When: Midday, Monday 12th March
How:

Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk (cc’ing Bethan) to notify that you have successfully bid for your item, with the amount spent and the sellers picture of the item.
Hand in your item to Bethan so that we can put together a public display (this should mean that you have placed a successful bid by Wednesday 7th March, to allow for time for the item to be sent to you. However, this will vary depending on the seller).

5. Judging
The scores will be based on:
Public vote: the most unusual item
Judging panel: the quality of the post
Bonus points: the most individualistic or amateur postal packaging

6. The prize
Will be revealed at our next seminar, as it's dependent on what you buy.

Good luck!

Vote alert: Identity

2007-02-22T11:23:00.000Z

All the entries are in. Browse through them in the gallery and then cast your vote!

You can vote for one person; the person whose image & screen name you most wish you'd come up with. But you can keep changing who that person is right until the closing minute.

(Your entry is highlighted in pink, the person you have chosen will be highlighted in turquoise)

And, you can see who everyone else is voting for too. So, don't forget to keep returning to the vote page, to see who's been voting for you...

You could be a winner, just like Grey Cat, today's most winningest kitten on Kittenwar

Tool tutorials: setting up your blog

2007-02-16T12:36:00.000Z

There are a couple of video tutorials on the Reading List:

Get a blog from scratch (in 7 mins)
Personalising your blog (in 7 mins)

And while you're at it, take a look at 'Top tips from a top blogger', put together specially for us by blogging hero, Phil Gyford.

The latest Cyberchase Identities

2007-02-15T14:24:00.000Z

To keep up-to-date with the latest identities from your colleagues
check out the Cyberchase Flickr account. (We'll be uploading them
there, as you send them in)

========================================
identity1sdfdd.0 dentity1sntitdd.0
NoChildGenius1sasbdfMiggot 1 1abdsdfdPrincessorinoco
========================================

Guidance and policy when using your blog

2007-02-14T16:13:00.000Z

Firstly, you'll need to create a blogging disclaimer. This is very quick and easy to do:
• Go to your Blog dashboard and select ‘Layout’
• Add a section titled ‘Disclaimer’
• "Comments or opinions expressed on this blog are those of their respective contributors only"

Blogging Policy
• Respect the company’s confidentiality and proprietary information.
• Make it clear that the views expressed in the blog are yours alone and do not necessarily represent the views of your employer.
• Ask your manager if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog.
• Be respectful to the company, employees, clients, partners, and competitors.
• Understand when the company asks that topics not be discussed for confidentiality or legal compliance reasons
• Ensure that your blogging activity does not interfere with your work commitments.

Blogging Guidance
• Tell the truth.
• Use human voice.
• Write deliberately and with accuracy.
• Acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly.
• Keep all comments unless they are spam or off-topic.
• Reply to comments when appropriate, and do so promptly.
• Always do a basic spell check.
• Disagree with other opinions respectfully.
• Link to online references and original source materials directly
• Link to your competitors and say nice things about them
• Resist blogging any murky details about your private life; it might put strain on you personal and work relationships.

Ideas for your blog

2007-02-14T16:12:00.000Z

These are things that popular blogs do, and are a starting point if you get stuck. Hopefully you’ll have more interesting and original ideas yourself.

1. Write a 'How to' guide - people like these because everyone like to learn something
2. Lists - come up with one, like this!
3. Have an issue - try and get support for something that you’re passionate about and your audience may care
4. Interview - if you have access to someone interesting, get them on the phone and interview them
5. Review - it could be a book, film, art, etc.
6. Case study - write about a real world experience from your POV
7. Research - try and find something out and make a few conclusions
8. What's new, trends - if you’re on top of your subject, highlight what’s new in that field
9. Ask the audience - focus on an issue and ask people to feedback
10. Be controversial – take a strong POV and argue it

And, aim to try and post at least one thing a week.

For a seven minute tutorial on how to create your own blog, take a look at this.

Some Challenge inspiration

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1. Remember Mini Pops? Well, why not have a go at creating your own character?
(Take That, in case you were wondering).

2. Explore these well known sites that deal with Digital identity

3. Think about the places that you love. Take a look at one through Google Earth for a new perspective on it

4. Get your Personal DNA and post it to your blog. (Once you've assessed your own personality, you can ask other people to assess you....)

5. Find your Celebrity face match (Check out the ways you can display the glamorous results on your blog)

For more ideas & inspiration for this challenge, take through the posts on the reading list.

Challenge 1: Identity - what you need to do

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Your first challenge is to create your own online identity and blog. This will be used throughout the Cyberchase game.

What you need to do:
1. Create your identity, consisting of a screen name & and icon. The screen name should use letters, numbers and ‘_’ or ‘.’. Your icon is what will be used to represent you online and on the league table. Your icon should be square and recognisable when reduced to 48 x 48 pixels.

When you have created your identity, update the Identity template (click here to download it) by dropping your icon into the image space and type your details where shown.
We will then use this to create your online and offline identity for the league table.
Remeber to keep your identity a secret for now.

2. Set up a Gmail account using your screen name. (Your identity name & Gmail account should be the same). You will receive an invite to create a Gmail account by Tuesday 13th.

Note Tim Cayless has pointed out " We don’t need g-mail invitations anyone can join email here ". So you can just go-ahead and sign up.

3. Create a blog by going to Blogger and selecting ‘New blogger’ on the top right of the screen. Follow the onscreen instruction to start your blog and remember to fill out your profile.

4. Write a post about identity, how you developed your own identity and your observations on identity within the digital space (& any links to interesting articles, video or sites)

Task completion
• When: Midday, Tuesday 20th February
• What: Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk, cc'ing Bethan Williams, with your completed identity template, your blog address & Gmail address

Judging
The scores will be based on:
• All of the online identities (screen name & picture) will be put up for a staff vote.
• A judging panel will then review the individual personal profiles and posts on identity.
• Bonus points will be assigned for best looking blog personalisation.

The prizes
The winner gets to celebrate with a dinner for two at The Ivy

Two runners up will receive personalised M&Ms

Challenge inspiration
For some winning inspiration check out the reading list

Welcome to Cyberchase

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Over the next three months you'll be taking part in six cyber challenges. Each challenge explores a different aspect of the ever-evolving digital world. The aims of the challenges are to encourage your own exploration of these themes and introduce you to the tools that will help you to do so.

Every challenge will earn you points, and points will earn you prizes. There’s a prize for each challenge winner and a special prize for the overall winner, the Cyber-ace.

(Take a look at the slides from the Kick-off presentation here).

This blog will be the course hub. From here you will be able to:
• find out all you need to know about each challenge
• access the League table
• view reading lists for further resources & tutorials
• get dates for your diary in the Calendar

By completing Challenge 1, you will have created your own blog. This will be the place where you:
• record your observations
• post your submissions

You can also use as an online ‘notepad’ to share with colleagues

As well as the online league table, check out the one in the office…. so you can keep tabs on your competition.