ICT&Media-profession day

On 12 December the College-University of Rotterdam organized the so called ‘day of ICT and media -profession’ conference. The event was held on two locations; the Academieplein with the morning program and the afternoon at the Pieter de Hoochweg; where the communication and multimedia institute is located; the main location of my education. Last week the school invited me to come and help at the day itself, and since there were no lessons I thought I might join in.

The afternoon contained mostly guest lectures though at the main hall held some informational company stands, amongst others IBM, Logica, T-Mobile, Mangrove, Riscure and Delta Energy.

The day itself wasn’t badly organized but the amount of students was unbelievable. And don’t get me wrong, I did not meant that in a positive way. As the food and beverage counted on three hundred people, not even a third showed up; resulting in slightly offended company holders (presenting in front of an empty classroom isn’t that attractive I guess).



So, why is that? Why didn’t the students show up? Was it such a bad timing ? Were it extraordinary boring companies? Maybe the terrible subjects? Or would it be the worst of all; the free beer?

I guess not.

The timing would be right, Friday afternoon, near the weekend so that would be fine. The companies weren’t that bad at all and they had quite interesting topics like ‘how to hack the public transport’-cards and mobile innovation. And free food (even salmon) and french wine, god please, it couldn’t get better.

What is it then?

To be honest. I don’t have a clue, but I do know this:

• The day was promoted through email, which nobody reads.
o You could say that’s the fault of the students, I agree slightly. Students get spammed by mail a lot, and as they don’t throw away their mail their mailbox claims to be ‘inaccessible’.

• The day was promoted on the school screens, which nobody sees.
o Again, you could say that’s the fault of the students, I agree as well, slightly. Because 99% of the time the screen shows useless information, which all looks the same. So why look at it? Besides, you have to look 4 meters up to read it. So why bother.

• The day was promoted on A3 posters, which you do see, sometimes.
o But again, I would not be really attracted. The poster contained ‘the same old’ easy layout and some information about an ‘ICT-Day’ which I guess it had to do something with stuttering guys with glasses talking like beavis and butthead. It did not contain companies or information, or well, maybe it did, but I didn’t see it.

And the location? I don’t know. For me it is familiar. But, for most of the ICT students it isn’t. Because they are in another building I thought, and I heard that the morning lectures which were on that location were a lot busier.

Too bad, because the opportunity to talk with somebody like the chairman of t-mobile isn’t very daily.

The College-University Fair, do you stare or do you dare

On Monday 3 November the college-university of Rotterdam organised a fair where students from second and third year could get information about their possible ‘minor’ (the so called ‘specification’ within your study). I had the chance to promote and inform other people as a representative of the ‘minor’ I am following currently, formally known as ‘concept development’.

The fair took place at one of the main buildings of the school department offering information and services and first encounters with these ‘minors’. As soon as I entered I had the feeling of chaos, and it was, quite.

Though there was a map, the interaction with the environment lacked severely, not mentioning the programming and understanding timetables and ‘whereabouts’ on the location itself. We even had to share our small stand which made it even harder.

In the afternoon we organised two lectures for interested students, and two times we were able to fill the room, nevertheless not always with the most interested students seeking for their obligations within the minor.

The presentation ‘thinking outside of the box’ answered questions of students as in why students should choose for this minor, what you can do by following this minor, what is expected from you and of course, what do you expect from it.

A lot better than previous slides I have seen, I must say. The presentation has improved a lot, and fairly stands out amongst the others. Strong and clearly students could see now what it is about, with me and my fellow student giving live examples and interact with the audience. And by taking that last thing, that is exactly what should be, by my understanding, more encouraged.

Interacting with the potential students can be improved. This could be simply realized by picking examples and making it more fun which is exactly what will keep it attached, remembered and told about.

Simple solutions to make the concept development presentations more interesting is to start with a ‘check in’, a kaospilot technique, naming what were you thinking in a maximum of one sentence, breaking the ice already.

The content of the presentations could be also somewhat more active, like naming trends, you name a trend! What did you noticed lately? Or why do you have an iPhone ? Why do you wear GStar, why do you stand still on the escalator? You could play more to the awareness of the students present, like 'did you notice the red arrows on the sealing?' or 'did you notice that the text under my name tag is upside down?'.

Let them name their ideas, their quest for life, let them think out loud and feel free to join the fun and serious sides of concept development.

Pinky and the Brain, Brain Brain Brain!

Well the brain training is over, so I’m back being dull again. What am I talking about? Well two months ago a friend of mine told me about this test you could do in a hospital and get paid for it. What? I’m not getting drugged, no way, and for G’s sake they sterilize you as ‘this comes with it for free’.



No, no, you are getting it all wrong! It’s fun, it really is. I did not have to take any pills, you have to do some exercises for six weeks long. Your exercises and results will be measured and put next to a group of people who didn’t exercise (and if you want to know; yes they get less money of course).

So what do you do ? Well it is training like hell, for a maximum of around an hour per week, for six weeks long and take one MRI Scan at the beginning watching Finding Nemo and at the end, watching some old cartoon about some stupid cat running after a highly intelligent mouse (you know! But I lost the name, you may hit me for that).



So you get paid by watching? Yep, and doing some of these tests, and you will be escorted by three naked nearly graduated nurses, or well almost naked… or maybe I’d imagined that. Well it’s okay we all know we are thinking every five minutes of… I’m drifting away; back to the subject. They were pretty though.


For me it was the first time doing this MRI Scan, and I have to confess; it is frightening at the beginning. I felt the first hour quite uncomfortable in this huge toilet paper holder making sounds like one of those old cassette decks you’d dropped for over a hundred times, mixed with Autechre and Aphex Twin in reverse.

The most frightening part is when it is all dark. The lights are off, you can’t see a thing and you are stuck in this machine. Your head is stuck in a barred bucket, you feel trapped in a small sewer. You have elastic bands all over you to hold you from moving. If necessary you can press the emergency button wired on your side. You are seconds away to be send out to space. Then the sounds starts. Lift off.


The whole machine, as so it feels, starts to move, like a theme park attraction. You hear multiple sounds, from the cluttering sound of a jamming cd, to the high voltage beep sound of an old television. Simultaneously, and sometimes differing in speed and wave length. Amazing. You start to focus on this ultra dolby digital surround sound. As in you are in the seat of a machine where Jodie Foster should be. You are to be send out to another world. Then somebody asked through your headphone if you are still awake.

Mongolia Booklet Preview

It is Done, the booklet I am working on for over four months now! The booklet contains out of 21 pictures with a title to inspire, followed by a meaningful script which is sometimes surprising, realistic, sad and even funny.

The booklet contains photo's from Russia and Mongolia in a chronological appearance which could use as a guide or as motivation to go to / or do a course in a foreign country, and I hope to inspire other students willing to go somewhere. Each photo is representing a motivation, but has also a story to tell. Therefore it should be a booklet which is fun to browse trough but also to study closer.

A translated example page:

you will create objectivity

you will fall back to the facts and will not be influenced by you feelings. the slaughter of some livestock and giving the bladder to the dog could be horrorfying at first sight, for the other it is essential to survive, like this craftsman stripping sheeps near Avarga Toson.

Buy & Die !

Some time a go, in the time of the CPD, a Guest lecture was held. The lecture organized by students contained two speakers and a workshop. The second speaker was the strategy director of Ara, a company responsible for the promotion of the royal Netherlands air force, Cordaid, Campina, several ministries and many others. He had an interesting and understanding vision.

Trends on the internet, which was the subject of the day, wasn’t easy according to him. A thing to start with is to read the clue train manifesto which is downloadable on the internet for free. He referred to the manifest as that a powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed with result that these markets are getting smarter.

Markets are like conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. There is a question, an answer, a conversation between two sides. Traditional single side media is going downhill, because of this oneway traffic, social media is making individual and group activities more and more possible and visible to the rest of us. And most corporations –quoting the manifesto- lack in the involvement of the customer, ignoring this development. Which I would like to call the "Buy & Die"-Attitude. They stick to talk in a soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, ignoring their ability to deliver genuine knowledge, opting instead to crank out sterile happytalk that insults the intelligence of markets literally too smart to buy it. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.

Because there are people that will match your communication. And that is interesting. According to that statement he showed a display of integrated marketing communication:

As presented in this diagram you can see there are four categories of people in the world of the web (see the pyramid on the right). The creators represent 7% at the top of the pyramid, the ones that make content, contribute if via Wikipedia etc. The next step in the pyramid are the critics which account for 18%, collectors 18% and finally the wonderfully named “couch potatoes” (Robert Armstrong, 1976).

Engagement by marketing differs per group. With couch potatoes reached by Push marketing, collectors are reached by providing content, critics with dialogue and finally the creators can be touched by giving a platform for their creativity. Interesting and definitely good in understanding marketing and communications worldwide.

Do you have a Bie & Die Experience ?

So... Comprehensible

It is said in many occasions; returning home from a study or course in foreign countries enlarges future possibilities and opportunities. But not only job opportunities is said to magnify, gaining experiences, feeling other cultures will broaden your view.

What I have noticed as well, and with me many others, is that it also will also create a certain point of view on your own country, your own town, your surroundings. You begin to notice how easy some things are, it is so comprehensible that it makes you feel lucky.

Lucky to be born in this country. Lucky to grow up in a regular family where you have water, food, electricity, television and even a computer later on. A garden where you could play in and a ridiculous amount of accessories that would trigger your creativity.

When I think of Vladanka, a
friend from Serbia, it makes me feel sad. She is working overtime in a pizzeria
and working in one of those orphanages seen on those news items sometimes. Or
Igi, my Mongolian mother, who is working as a teacher to support her mother, her
son and her nephew. Not to speak of the street children who are even worse off,
demanding money, daily.

It makes me feel unpleasant, of how
people sometimes criticize so easily, not being critical at all. It is ignorant
and most of all ingenuous. If things are bothering you, if things are not right,
if things have to be done and you know how, step up, talk, undertake and be
entrepreneurial.

For instance:

In my city there is even a special bulletin for youngsters that is functioning for direct advice to the government and several institutes. I am going to visit this group soon, it is filled with active youngsters participating in making a better city. I’m looking forward to work with them...