Simon Mainwaring

We First provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of their good work in ways that build their business

Posts

 
December 6, 2010

‘Waiting for Superman’: The education of a country in desperate need of change

by

Last week I had the opportunity to see Davis Guggenheim’s new award-winning documentary, ‘Waiting for Superman’. Rarely is a documentary this moving and even rarer still is that documentary about public school education. What really struck me was the interconnectedness of all issues related to the core challenge of public education. As Guggenheim very elegantly […]

Last week I had the opportunity to see Davis Guggenheim’s new award-winning documentary, ‘Waiting for Superman’. Rarely is a documentary this moving and even rarer still is that documentary about public school education. What really struck me was the interconnectedness of all issues related to the core challenge of public education. As Guggenheim very elegantly …

Read More
 
December 2, 2010

Big Citizenship: Where social media meets social activism (Part 1)

by

Social media has powerful implications for social activism that drives positive change. Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Alan Khazei, author of Big Citizenship in which he shares the lessons he learned from building City Year, a nationwide volunteer movement in which young people give a year of service in schools and classrooms …

Read More
 
December 1, 2010

Your chance to save the life of a celebrity

by

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawIuy0yqSU Today the world’s top tweeters are sacrificing their digital lives to give real life to others affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. The list is a who’s who’s of social media heavy hitters including Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Khloe Karshasian, Jay Sean, Swizz Beatz, Serena Williams, …

Read More
 
November 29, 2010

Digital death, extended life

by

This week Alicia Keys launched an ingenuous campaign, conceived with TBWA/Chiat/Day New York, that leverages her celebrity to fund her charity, Keep A Child Alive. Like actor, Edward Norton, and his fund-raising platform Crowdrise, Alicia has enlisted the power of her celebrity to help improve the lives of children affected by AIDS in Africa and …

Read More
 
November 24, 2010

The two most powerful words in social media: Thank you

by

As many of you know I’m Australian but live in LA with my family. One of the great pleasures of living here is the Thanksgiving holiday. Almost every culture has some annual expression of gratitude but every year I’m struck by the shift in peoples’ thinking and behavior for the few days over Thanksgiving. It’s …

Read More
 
November 22, 2010

Why social media makes brands do good

by

You hear a lot of social media commentators calling for brands to do good, myself included. So does that make us naive, idealistic or unrealistic? Nothing could be further from the truth. No one expects companies to turn over a new leaf or be any less self interested than they have been. Their first responsibility …

Read More