Hello, totally agree on your stance on being anti-workfare - Ive just written this lengthy blog on the unpaid Jubilee stewards myself http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tiernan-douieb/was-unpaid-jubilee-work-e_b_1578831.html - and as someone who is self-employed and often broke I too am very wary of any scheme to get me to pay to do work. Except for the Edinburgh festival which somehow cons me into doing it most years at the cost of my bank.
Anyway, the BNV thing isn't like that though. I got asked to do the same 'mission' as you, and it involved me sending a handful of tweets, 'reporting' back and then being given two free tickets worth £70 as a thanks. Fair enough if going to this sort of thing isn't your idea of fun, but I wanted to go anyway and sending the odd tweet or Facebook message out to my followers makes it more than worth it if I get to go for free. I'm sure I'll spend a few quid on booze when I get there but that's my own vice and not something I feel I'm being forced into doing.
Good work on being wary of it all in these current times, but sometimes it is just fun and it seems BNV are merely working on the 'word of mouth' aspect of current social media. I, for one, am quite happy to play along. Promise I have nothing to do with them btw, just my own humble opinion.
From one Information Officer to Another
Anyway, the BNV thing isn't like that though. I got asked to do the same 'mission' as you, and it involved me sending a handful of tweets, 'reporting' back and then being given two free tickets worth £70 as a thanks. Fair enough if going to this sort of thing isn't your idea of fun, but I wanted to go anyway and sending the odd tweet or Facebook message out to my followers makes it more than worth it if I get to go for free. I'm sure I'll spend a few quid on booze when I get there but that's my own vice and not something I feel I'm being forced into doing.
Good work on being wary of it all in these current times, but sometimes it is just fun and it seems BNV are merely working on the 'word of mouth' aspect of current social media. I, for one, am quite happy to play along. Promise I have nothing to do with them btw, just my own humble opinion.
Tiernan Douieb