Tag Archives: BBC

BBC famous faces say Give an Hour

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The BBC is leading the way with Give an Hour! 

We’ve already seen a flurry of social media and online activity following the launch of the BBC Give an Hour website this morning: a broadcast from Liverpool on BBC Breakfast news, and of course the first airing of the Give an Hour TV trail on BBC at lunch time.

BBC celebs say Give an Hour

A team of famous faces including Gabby Logan, Stephen Nolan, Simon Rimmer, Colin Jackson, Linda Robson, Christopher Eccleston, Alvin Hall and the fabulous Stephen Fry have recorded a special film to tell us who they would like to get online during Give an Hour, and what they would show them. Watch the film below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-Y3odkcEfms]

We think this is brilliant – and want as many people to see it as possible, so please help spread it far and wide by:

  1. Watching it, on the BBC YouYube channel.
  2. Liking it, and if you have a YouTube account adding to your favourites.
  3. Sharing it, on your website, intranet, twitter and Facebook.

AND DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE PLEDGE LINK bit.ly/Give-an-Hour

Films for you to embed

In addition, there are eight embeddable celebrity-fronted  films available on bbc.co.uk/giveanhour.  Themed around passions and hobbies, these are designed to help potential digital champions get someone they know interested in going online.  They all have accompanying downloadable guides.  Watch:

Inspired to Give an Hour?  Help someone you know get online; it could change their life.  Find out how and pledge an hour of your time at www.go-on.co.uk/giveanhour

BBC casting for 1st time web users

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BBC Logo

The BBC are looking for individuals who are about to embark on their digital journey and use the internet for the first time.

They’re looking for people for whom using the internet is a huge challenge but who have decided to give it a go, hoping to understand what their barriers have been up until now and what their motivation is to get online.

People are being sought from all walks of life, from all around the country and from all age-groups, with the ideal subjects being likeable, chatty individuals who can express what their anxieties or concerns are and why it’s important to them to have a go now.

They’re operating to a tight deadline, so are keen to speak to people ASAP and start filming anytime from now until the end of September.

If you know of any potential first-time users who would be interested in getting involved, please contact rakhee.hindocha@bbc.co.uk or  claire.dunn1@bbc.co.uk or call them on 0208 008 1105.

Is there an offline future for TV?

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We’ve really been enjoying Aleks Krotoski’s current BBC series The Virtual Revolution (see trailer in previous post). Aleks has written an interesting piece on the making of the programme on Guardian.co.uk, where she discusses her frustrations with creating a ‘linear format’ for the TV show, when, really, she saw any discussion of the internet as being ‘multi-platform’ and interactive.

We know that many mainstream TV shows, especially last year, became simultaneous ‘online events’. Celebrities and ordinary people tweeted their thoughts, analysis and insults during X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and high-profile football matches. It’s definitely the case that more people are now watching TV with their laptop and smartphone in front of them, and that trend will continue into the coming year. Even good old Eastenders has made an online only spin-off, E20

What implications does this have for TV? Will a new generation of presenters, like Aleks, start moving elements of their TV shows entirely online, meaning that people only watching on the box will miss out? Or will TV remain a haven, cut-off from the rest of the net?

We think that TV is increasingly going to be situated in a broader online landscape, and will be all the better for it. Watching their favourite TV show migrate online may be a ‘eureka moment’ for many people, encouraging more and more of them to get online.

What ways do you think TV will be using the internet in 10 years time and is there one ‘killer app’ which you think might drive millions more to use the internet? Let us know your thoughts…

BBC’s ‘The Virtual Revolution’

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The BBC’s new series ‘The Virtual Revolution‘ celebrates 20 years of the internet and explores how the net is reshaping almost every aspect of our lives. It certainly grabbed our attention.

In episode 1 Dr. Aleks Krotoski meets some of the biggest names of the web, including the founders of Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft and the inventor of the web himself, Tim Berners Lee.

If you needed some confirmation of the power and reach of the net, then this programme will do that for you. Watch the trailer below or catch the whole episode on the BBC’s iPlayer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cKc_pvpuqg]