Today we hosted our second NetTuesday event in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and decided to do things a little differently. I spread some large sheets of scrap paper out on the table and bunched together some textas and crayons in a jar. The atmosphere was informal, and everyone was encouraged to participate whilst sipping lattes and munching on muffins, although I ended up visually facilitating the session (people are afraid that they can't draw!) based on the discussion. The idea was to capture some ideas, experiences and general conversation about ways people are making a difference. It was great to be able to walk away with a visual map - and to see the variety of things people have worked on and would like to do. I wouldn't mind having something like this at all our meetings - it was a really fun and interactive way to record our morning.

Here’s a glimpse of our discussion…

(Hat Tip Eileen Clegg for reminding me to think visually)

And here’s the inspiring thing. A lot of global projects already reaching people in poverty have the support of local small business owners and bloggers, who are flexible with their time and services for a good cause. We’re talking about doing something later in the year for Twestival or Tweetsgiving.  I’m looking forward to seeing what eventuates. How would you like to be involved? Have an idea or two on how people can help? Leave a comment 

The next Melbourne NetTuesday is penciled in for October the 5th – or locate a NetTuesday close to you.

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Thanks so much to Jasmin Tragas, the NetSquared Local organizer in Melbourne, Australia for sharing this guest post with us! You can get in touch with Jasmin through her blog or on Twitter.