Presentation to digital High Street conference Halifax, UK. From basic digital high street - just get on line simply - through to

1. William Perrin
@willperrin
http://talkaboutlocal.org/ar
Quick, simple, cheap steps to a digital
high street
Building blocks to bring your high street alive online
13 May 2013

2. Trained people in over 200 places to find a
voice online
Initially funded by Channel4 and AWM
Specialised in deprived or isolated areas
Cheap simple, consumer facing web
services – Facebook, Wordpress.com,
Twitter
Convene ‘hyperlocal’ publishers through
our unconferences
Resolutely public service approach
Featured in almost all media – BBC TV,
radio, The Guardian, The Times etc
Clients from community group to Blue Chip,
funding community work

3. By Nicholasink at en.wikipedia
The average high street online today

4. Keep
It
Simple,
Stupid
If your town centre or high street is a desert online, don’t
over reach
A basic blog is an excellent start - quick, cheap effective,
low risk, excellent Google potential
Skill requirements low, much can be done from mobile
phones, TCM equivalent needs basic training and moral
support
BUT involve local people as direct contributors – they
own the high street, not you

5. oas
is
Photoree by Teg
Don’t’ rush to unsustainable web development if you have a desert – try an oasis first

6. Telling stories
Reflecting local character
Positive, optimistic tone
Evoking people’s memories
Interviews with shoppers and traders
Pictures, simple video
Create a culture of talking about the local experience
People talking to each other
….all made easy by a simple blog or Facebook page
Authenticity in a
world of commoditisation and
PR
See ‘Internet and the new aesthetic’ for more
on authenticity http://tinyurl.com/cw5fhvf
NOT
Breathless PR
E-commerce
Expensive

7. But if you already have fertile ground – here’s some more advanced stuff you could try

8. Augmented reality on a tablet – Camden Borough council
planning applications (unofficial). Floating logos correspond to
applications. Layar service and Talk About Local’s software.

9. Blue plaques from Plaque Guide – Layar service, Talk About Local
software

10. Overlays information from websites onto the
camera view of your tablet or mobile
High impact, ‘wow’ factor
Aids ‘discovery’ off track – markers can be in
places you can’t see due to intervening buidings
and ‘Take me there’ provides map
Can be fed by simple wordpress.com blog
Cheap, quick, simple – Talk About Local’s new
software developed with NESTA and The
Nominet Trust
Here’s me demonstrating it on BBC TV (second
interviewee) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
18840183
Or use geo-tagging services like n0tice.org

11. For a simple blog or Facebook page ask around amongst
local bloggers or free lance journalists, see who you can
hire locally
For quick, cheap, simple augmented reality
contact us at Talk About Local (we can help with blogs etc
too)
hello@talkaboutlocal.org
william@talkaboutlocal.org