Lizzie Jackson

There will be older ones, I’m sure,  but the e-mint list has been going since 2000 when four of us UK online communities folk got together at Vircom, an online communities conference in San Franciso. There were only five UK online community managers there and 455 from the USA.  A slightly larger group of six got together a month later in the Mint Bar, St John’s Street in Clerkenwell. ‘Oink’, a friend of the esteemed Howard Reingold, showed us all how to send an email from a mobile phone.

e-mint’s gone on over the years and has grown, had meet-ups and video conferences.  Has met in pubs, empty offices and basements. During one post-meeting drink at the BBC’s Bush House men in space suits burst in looking for Anthrax as we simultanously watched what was happening outside the building on the 9pm BBC News.

The idea to formalise e-mint was accepted,  and then rejected (but the paperwork has all been done). The idea to lose the – between ‘e’ and ‘mint’ was also discussed and rejected. The Drupal platform came and went (sorry Ian!), and the idea of conferences have come and gone (sorry everyone!).  Chairmen came and went (Mr Brake,  Mr Hall and Ms Littleton). Reports were sent into Government which helped keep our industry from having legislation imposed on it in the UK (thanks e-mint!).

People have come and gone…and come back again.  I’ve been gone for the last year or two, but the PhD (on social media) will be handed in next week, hurrah, and not before time. So I hope to be around a bit  more.  There was a meeting last night which I missed, darn. Everywhere you look there are groups forming about social media…but few (IMHO) have the same friendliness, open qualities, and longevity, as e-mint (thanks Beks et al!). It’s about time for a ten year celebration isn’t it? Thanks for the reminder Jen.

Funny how the social media industry  has survived both the dot.com crash and now the global recession. For something which continues to elude a ‘traditional’ economic model, that’s pretty good.