Category: BCC Project

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Welcome to Instagram!

Well team – I’m delighted to announce that Bicycles Create Change is now on Instagram!

As you know, last month Bicycles Create Change celebrated it’s 1-year blog anniversary. It has been important to me to spend this year focusing on laying down some solid ground work to establish this blog. I have been reluctant to branch out into other social media platforms. Mostly because of time constraints given my PhD research, teaching load and other commitments, but also I am conscious of not wearing myself too thin and possibility diluting my passion and quality of content.

 

Instagram Origins

With this in mind, I recently had a conversation with a new acquaintance, who is a fashion designer. We were discussing different social media and I had mentioned my blog. She told me she was on Instagram and explained that as a fashion designer she more visually driven and so Instagram was ideal for her to share her identity, experiences and ideas. I asked her to show me some of the functions and was I pleasantly surprised at its simplicity. She ended our informal tutorial by saying ‘If you were on Instagram I’d follow you’.

 

A Different Medium

So on the 1-year anniversary, Bicycles Create Change branched out into Instagram – you can find me there at @Bicycles Create Change.

It has been a very interesting addition and I appreciate the different medium and what photos have to offer as far as expressing color, movement, places and moods – something which at times can be more challenging to express through writing. I have also been amazed at the effort that some people on Instagram put into the photos they upload. The quality and intensity of some of the images are remarkable and I’ve found it to be a great way to connect a whole new range and group of people.

 

Welcome to Instagram

I admit to going down the rabbit hole for a good week, checking out some of the amazing pictures, following leads and picture ‘crumbs’, exploring who is around and what they are posting. I’ve been revisiting some of my old biking trips for pictures and am certainly taking a few more photos when I’m out and about riding.

It’s been great being able to post my own images on Instagram that have not made it onto the blog (see below). I appreciate how the blog (text) and Instagram (images) are complementary as communicative mediums. Utilising Instagram has been an interesting development and I’m looking forward to seeing what might eventuate.

Thank you to those who have found and followed Bicycles Create Change on Instagram already. If you are on Instagram – drop in and check it out!

 

Instagram

 

Instagram

 

Instagram

 

Instagram

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Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary!

Horray!

Today is Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary! Amaze balls!

Wow.

It certainly does not feel like one year has passed (to the day) that I started sharing my love of all things on two wheels. It feels like we only just celebrated the 6-month anniversary. So much has happened since then.

What a year it has been, since its inception and the first maiden post. For the last year, this blog has been home to a wonderful collection  of stories, research and personalities detailing bicycles, riding and positive community change.

I am very pleased that I have stuck with it. I have learnt much along the way and have thoroughly enjoyed sourcing content to share. I definitely feel that there has been a change in my approach to blogging (for the better). Aside from being more strategic in how I invest time and energy into this blog, I have also derived much pleasure and satisfaction.  It has been surprising to see improvements in my technical skills, written confidence and some fantastic contacts and opportunities cropping up.

I am still humbled by the impact that a single bicycle can have on a person’s life. I know firsthand how integral riding my bike has been to my own mobility and mental health, and as a social cohesion tool that connects me to other people, locations and experiences.

I am constantly in awe of the amazing adventures, inventiveness and genuine passion that so many people have for their bicycles and getting out to contribute back to their communities. It has been such a delight to be involved in such a dynamic area. Although self-managing a blog can be difficult and challenging at times, I have been rewarded with inspiration and a sense of productivity that has been very affirming. This blog has helped my PhD research in many ways and I have been very happy with the complimentary way my research and this blog have developed concurrently.

I’ve included below a breakdown of the last 12-month analytics for this blog. It is very interesting to see and track such results. For example comparing the 23,000ish monthly visits from the 6-month mark, to the current result of 32,800 monthly average visits. I accessed this blog summary feature in the last six months and was both surprised and thrilled to see the results. Especially considering I have never officially ‘launched’ the blog, developed it to make money, or broadcasted or networked any promotions (which quietly, I have been happy with!).

Bicycles Create Change 1 year blog anniversary

The analysts and stats so far..

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I have been very fortunate to have a very supportive partner, family and immediate group of friends. It has been lovely developing a wider support crew and readership as well. All these people have been instrumental in helping me stay productive and interested. So to all those who have contributed time, ideas, feedback, material, suggestions and support – I cannot thank you enough!

And thank you to the readers!! Your time and support is invaluable to the creation of this blog. A very genuine and heartfelt  thank you for your encouragement and interest!

Although I am still waiting to hear back from a scholarship proposal as to the results as the outcome pretty much governs my next move, I will continue posting and promoting on our amazing cycling culture.  In addition to progressing my PhD, I have big plans for this blog in the 12 months. So stay tuned!

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Invite to SSWC 2016 riders to be research participants

I am hoping to collate some ideas, reflections and experiences from SSWC 2016. Hence an invite to riders involved in the SSWC 2016 to participate in an academic research project.

At this stage, I am still formulating possible research directions as I have been very disheartened at the lack of interest and exposure that singlespeeding has had as a cycling community. Coming from a community development and academic research background, I am hoping to positively contribute to this oversight – and the SSWC event is a good place to start given the concentration of passionate enthusiasts.

If you would be interested in being involved (Australian or overseas), please send me an email so that if/when this project gets off the ground, I can contact you to invite you to participate in the project. I will email you more details as the project comes to hand and this shout out is just a preliminary Expression of Interest (EOI).

 

Contact for SSWC 2016 Research Participants

So, if you participated in the Singlespeed World Championships 2016 in Woodend and would be interested in being part of a research/community project about the event and other Singlespeed culture and lifestyle explorations, then please send me an email at: <sswc2016.bicyclescreatechange@gmail.com> with ‘Count me in‘ as the subject line.

At this stage, there is no guarantee that this project will eventuate, but I will most certainly be pushing for it to happen in some shape or form and will email you with details so you can make an informed choice moving forward. You email contact will not be given, sold or used for any other purpose – only for contact my me (NG) only for this research project. If you know of other riders who maybe interested in being involved, please pass this on to them. This invite will be active until 1st December 2016.

Thanks so much of your interest. Happy riding until then!

 

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Invitation for Guest Bloggers

Calling all would be Guest Bloggers – here is your official invitation for submission!

If you know of a bicycle project that is contributing to positive social change, or if you are involved in an initiative where bicycles, people and positivity, big ideas and happiness converge – then I want to hear from you!!

Bicycle Create Change is inviting contributions and blog posts from anywhere in the world, in the form of stories, reflections, summaries of projects, research updates and insights into bicycle inspired projects that are working towards a better future for all.

This blog is an entrepreneurial-free zone, so we won’t publish blogs by companies, free paying marketing or advertising. Just genuine, interesting experiences that reflect the diversity, people  and pleasure that comes from a life on two wheels!

If you are interested contact Nina: nina@bicyclescreatechange.com.

Happy riding and happy writing!!

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9 month update

This week is the start of July 2016, heralding this blog being active for just on 9 months. Amazing!

It has been an absolute pleasure and a fantastic learning curve producing this blog. It has taught me so much about routine, researching, networking, editing, staying connected and the value of developing new skills. It has been a brilliant experience sharing and celebrating what I am are genuinely passionate about – bikes, community and positive change – and working on this blog has brought me so much joy and motivation.

9 month stats

Following the six month survey and the subsequent general feedback from that survey, I went to my host server Fat Cow and squirrelled through my account to find the first stats  (see below) I’ve seen for this blog since its inception. I was delighted (and happily surprised!) to see how many people have been visiting and enjoying this blog – and with 183, 955 hits as of July 2nd, 2016 that result is super fantastic!

I was unaware until I saw these stats exactly how many people were visiting this blog. It is very motivating. I feel super grateful that there are so many bicycle-loving, community-minded super-awesome spunks out there who active and interested in promoting a ‘cycle’ of positive change.

It has been a very interesting undertaking producing this blog and I have thoroughly enjoyed researching and networking content to share. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

I am excited about what the future holds and I am happy that you are along for the ride!

 

Bicycles Create Change blog: Stats after 9 months
Bicycles Create Change blog: Stats after 9 months

 

Thank you

Just a quick thank you to those who have supported, encouraged and contributed to this blog so far – to the guest bloggers so far, friends and family, Mauricio for his IT help, the regular visitors of Bicycles Create Change, and to all those people who have given help and support in a variety of ways (you know who you are – thank you!) and to my beautiful husband for his unwavering support.

Thank you so much for your interest and support over the last nine months.

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6 months survey results

When this blog hit six months, I invited those who wanted to participate in a six-month survey to help review and give feedback on this blog.

There were eight questions in the survey, and I wanted to release a quick overview of the feedback I received. There were 28 respondents, from all across Australia and overseas who provided some great comments that will help shape future posts and streamline delivery.

It was great to hear how this blog’s mix of academic research, various bike initiatives and personal input was received.

A big thank you to those who responded as I really appreciate your time, ideas and comments.

 

Main feedback

Overall feedback was positive and respondents found the content interesting and liked the variety, which was very good to hear. Some people commented on having more images, colour and pictures included with posts – which is a suggestion I have taken under advisement. Since this survey opened on April 6th and closed two weeks later on 20th April, I have made a conscious change to include more images – a difference that has made the posts more visually engaging. In investigating images, I have also been inspired to create some of my own images and graphics, which means I have learnt new skills in how to use quick and interesting image and content via software programs such as Canva, Pikochart and Quote Cover –  which I have thoroughly enjoyed and hope to use more of.

Although I agree that it would be great to expand into audio and have more interactive features and extra bells and whistles on this blog, I have been mindful to keep true to a more simple format for this blog so that it is a pleasure to maintain and not onerous, especially given my PhD research commiments.

Another point raised by a few comments was checking more closely for grammar accuracy in the early posts. This is something I am aware of. There were a few key reasons why I began this blog; to get more confident and practice continuously producing a variety of texts and to sharpen up on writing skills, finding my voice and being more concise and precise with my expression. So this feedback is something that I am very conscious of and have been working on. Since my first few posts, I have been not only checking more closely before posting but am also running posts through Grammarly as an extra measure and have been using a less verbose and formal style to reduce complex expression. This is something that I will continue to work on and develop.

Some participants provided more specific suggestions, which are very helpful when looking for particular aspects to work on, other gave general feedback and ideas – all of which were very gratefully received and taken on board. Although I cannot respond to each and every idea, it is very helpful to get some insights as to how the blog is looking and feeling from the consumer point of view.

I will be very interested to hear your ideas as to come of the changes you see happing since April 20th onwards. Below are some of the results that were received –thanks again for your input!

 

Samples from questions in the six month survey

 

Q. 1

 

Q. 2

 

What do you like most about this blog?  (Sample answers)

  • Community orientated
  • Interesting content
  • If your into cycling and social change its great. If not it would interest me enough to read it.
  • Usual, entertaining, enthusiasm of writer
  • This blog has an array of interests that is able to connect with both like-minded people and the broader community of people that care about community, making changes and education.
  • Diversity of really interesting and worthwhile “good news” out there.

 

Q. 3

 

 

What suggestions do you have for improving this blog?  (Sample answers)

  • Include more pictures of images
  • Some video
  • Some cool graphics to go with the daily posts
  • More people feature and more graphics
  • Spelling and grammar check
  • Get it to the public so it can be more interactive – market from it.

 

Q. 7

 

Is there anything else you want to tell me or think I should know? (Sample answers)

  • Best wishes for your research.
  • I’m interested in bicycles in China as China is the largest population who have been using bicycles for a long time, but most Chinese now are using cars and motorbikes – what is happening there?
  • Keep up the good work.
  • Great job of different and interesting posts.
  • Easier to create content and keep inspiration going once you involve other others.
  • Well done for generating a blog on an issue that is close to your heart.

 

Thank you to all who participated!

Please also feel free to use the comment function on individual posts – you certainly don’t have to wait for a survey to share your ideas. I’d love to hear from you anytime either through comments or via email.

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Guest Bloggers – Country Specific Fortnights

Starting next week, Bicycles Create Change is proudly hosting a fortnight of Country Specific blog posts from each of the Bicycles Create Change Summer Program Participants who will be our guest bloggers.

This means that the home country of each writer will be featured for a fortnight, and a selection of unique bicycles stories, local to that region, and inaccessible by English Speakers, will presented. Each writer brings their own distinctive take and will provide genuine and invaluable cultural interpretations on how bicycles are utilised in their home country in 5 posts.

Tomorrow we start with Japan by Sachie Togashiki, then in succession; Cameroon by Gabriel Besong Etch; India by Beula Juliet Alfred; Columbia by Mauricio Gonzalez Betancur. Each country will have an interval of 1 week of regular blog posts.

So, the upcoming schedule will look like:

Sachie 11 April – 24 April

Normal posts: April 25 – 1st May

Gabriel 2 May – 15 May

Normal posts: 16th May – 22st May

Juliet 23 May – 5 June

Normal posts: 6th June – 12th June

Mauricio 13 June – 26 June

I am very excited by this format, as it means that the expertise, personal experience and local cultural insights that each of these young professionals will inject into each of their posts will enhance the meaningfulness, imperative and authenticity for each story.

It also means that given the linguistic expertise of these researchers, we will able to gain far greater insights and access more content than those just published in English.

I am delighted that these four professionals have agreed to share their unique research translation and analysis with us and I can’t wait to read about how they perceive bicycles to create change in their home countries.

Enjoy!!

Guest Bloggers - Country Specific Fortnights
Guest Bloggers – Country Specific Fortnights
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Six-month survey is open

This week marks the 6-month birthday for this blog. Hooray!!

To date, I have not actively publicised or promoted this blog, as I wanted to work on it for a time so that I get a sense of the amount of work ( a lot) and what issues (technical and other) I would be contending with.

As part of my 6-month review, I am also looking forward and beyond. I have some great ideas and content to share in the next 6 months that I am very excited about. On such example, which is starting next week, is where each of the four Bicycles Create Change Summer Program participants will be guest posting 5 blogs that they have researched from their home countries and in their first languages (Japanese, French, Spanish and Indian) to broaden the contexts, experiences and scope of content sourced just in English.

Perfect time for a survey

So, this is the perfect time to conduct a survey to get some information about this blog, so that I can use the results to better shape future posts.

I’m inviting people to participate in the survey below, so I can get a sense of what is working and what is not – it will only take 5 minutes (8 questions).

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and ideas – so if you have a few spare minutes, I’d love to hear your ideas.

Please click here to take the 6-Month survey

 

The survey will be open for 2 weeks and I look forward to sharing the results with you.

Also, feel free to comment on any of the posts.

I really appreciate your interest in this blog – and a big thank you for your time and input in advance!

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Six months

I can’t believe it has been six months since I started this blog.

During that time, I have found new projects, made some new friends, attended some great events and have certainly had my horizons expanded.

I’ve found great satisfaction in sourcing stories from all over the world and reading about the inventive ways people use bicycles to help themselves and others. All the while, I’ve been invigorated by the energy and diversity of how people use, adapt and integrate bicycles into their lives and impressed by the significant changes and deep meanings that come about from a life on two wheels.

Technicalities, timing and content

The technical challenges and achievements that I’ve had to work with have been really rewarding – and I have learnt a lot in the process. I’ve enjoyed testing myself and expanding competencies in relation to new skills and confidence using IT programs and processes that were previously completely alien – yet are now areas that I feel much more capable and purposeful using. It has shown me that ICT does not have to be so mysterious – and that Youtube tutorials are an invaluable enabling tool!

Looking back, my one of my steepest learning curves has been in how long the process takes (time) and the actual process of producing content for the blog (product)– and this is something that I am still getting to grips with. The parity and intense time allocation required for research, reading, thinking, writing, editing and blog publish/design should not be underestimated.

This has been most evident in the last 3 weeks as Semester 1 has returned back and juggling 4 teaching appointments, a Ph.D., Blog, and life in general, has been very edifying and I have really learnt what my limits are.

I have enjoyed challenging myself to produce texts on a regular basis. My favorite technique so far was a mini-challenge to write 500 words every day for a fortnight. However, it became quickly apparent that producing content and then editing and polishing work are two completely different things.

Insights so far -working to improve

Editing for grammar and expression is still an area that I need to focus on and hone. I know that it will take quite some time to find my own voice and to relax into a rhythm style and accuracy that feels natural – which was one of the reasons for starting this blog in the first place. Getting into a routine of writing is one thing, and now 6 months on, I feel that precision and thoroughness is equally needed – so there must be a balance to be struck. Even after writing a post and looking at it, I find a week later as I look at it again, grammatical errors that make me a little self-conscious. (If you see any, please sent me a comment with the location). So, I remind myself to be more vigilant about expression and accuracy, without being too harsh – after all I’m learning! One technique that I have employed very recently, that I should have used earlier is to use Grammarly software to run my text through before I post. I have done this for the past couple of posts – just as an editing checker and using it picked up a number of small edits that for whatever reasons I have not picked up myself.

Pleased that I have achieved:

  • a variety of locations around the world as I did not want to focus on any one particular region, continent or demographic group
  • include a wider variety of information sources – in addition to news, videos and projects (all of which could easily be the basis for content in an of itself), but that these sources are intermingled with community events, academic research, literature findings, and a handful of select PhD musing and ideas –which means that there is not one specific focus – which I think could be quite limiting, but that there is a clear theme that runs through the blog which means some variety can be included, without straying too far from core themes of this blog
  • Promote community engagement – that I have been faithful to my love of creating and putting on my own community events that I have instigated and developed, which I enjoy immensely – as well as being a feature that sets this blog apart from other cycling news/product based information blogs

 

Six months

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Art Bikes Revealed

Sunday was the revealing of the Bicycles Create Change Summer Program Art Bike Project – and what a success it was!

It was a relaxed, colourful and highly informative session and not even the small amount of rain that came could dampen our enthusiasm. I picked the team up early and everyone was in good spirits as we headed to the Community Gardens. Then the heavens opened and a few worried looks were exchanged. Nevertheless, as always, the sun shone through intermittently and then we had a burst of beautiful blue sky, right on cue as we had our bikes in hand and were rolling out to go and set up. As we walked our ART BIKES down to Bethania Street Community Gardens, we received a few locals honking and shouting out well wishes for our presentation. We arrived in plenty of time to set up and get ready.

The proceedings

We had nine attend, which was perfect (I was aiming for between 5 and 15 for the audience) so there were enough seats. It also meant that when it rained a little at the start, there was enough room for the audience, presenters and all the bikes to fit comfortably under the pavilion. Quickly after that, the weather turned it on and we had gorgeous sunshine for the rest of our time there. After a quick welcome, the order of proceedings and topics for the Art Bikes were:

Sachie – Gender Equality

Juliet – Women’s Emancipation and changing roles

Gabriel – The importance of bicycles in Cameroon Culture

Mauricio – Corruption

Nina – Child Labour

The presenters introduced themselves, their topic/issue and their bike, then discussed how their bike was symbolic of the issue they had chosen. At the end of each bike, the audience asked questions and gave feedback – which was fantastic as there were some very interesting insights and ideas raised.

We then had a brief close and thank you. It was great to see people milling around and making the effort to go and speak to each art bike artist to discuss their own reaction, interpretations and feelings about some of the issues raised during the presentations. It was very relaxed and friendly, with lots of jovial chatting. Conversations that were more profound emerged later on. Thank you very much to the locals and friends who came on the day to participate – your good company and input were very much appreciated.

Garden Butterflies

It was also heart-warming to see people drifting off into the garden to look at what was in bloom and finding something to munch on. I was especially pleased to see how excited Gabriel was to spot cassava growing there – he was delighted to see such a familiar staple food from Africa there, what made it even more awesome was that he had not idea it grew here – GOLD!

Congrats to all!

I was very impressed by the thought, effort and research that each team member had put into their bikes. The symbolism, motifs, creativity and explanations that were demonstrated showed a depth of critical thinking and careful judgement that surpassed expectations and made for a very enjoyable and stimulating morning. The presentations themselves were witty, engaging and well structured. I was incredibly proud of our team and was thrilled to be part of such a meaningful, worthwhile and illuminating event. We plan to have each artist share their bike creation and development process in a guest post on this blog.

Congratulations to the wonderful team members who have worked so hard for so long – I am so proud of you!