Find our more about some of the spaces on offer on our social network CommonSocial
SINCE we launched in August, our social network CommonSocial has grown into a grassroots hub for discussion of the social and political issues in Scotland today.
One of the ways you’ve been using CommonSocial to get involved and discuss these issues with each other has been by creating spaces, focused on particular issues or organisations and full of information about everything from land reform to cryptocurrency. There are now 125 spaces on CommonSocial, which is a great achievement for a network that’s barely a month old!
With this list of spaces growing constantly, we’ve done a round-up of five spaces from the topical to the just plain interesting to see if there’s something we can tempt you with.
With the majorty remain vote in Scotland in the EU referendum vote in June prompting First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to stress that she would “take all possible steps” to secure Scotland’s continuing place in the European Union and a poll over the summer showing support from EU citizens for an independent Scotland in the EU, there’s no better way to keep up-to-date with the ongoing debate than to join the ‘Scotland in Europe’ space.
The space is built around what is described as the “campaign to maintain Scotland’s place in Europe” and is the one-stop-shop on CommonSocial for all information and discussion about the #ScotlandinEurope movement.
This space is the perfect place to shine a spotlight on the current campaigns and initiatives of Oxfam Scotland, the Scottish arm of Oxfam UK. Recently, Oxfam Scotland research and policy adviser Francis Stuart has written for the CommonSpace opinion channel about the issues faced by young people in low paid jobs. The organisation works throughout Scotland and across the world offering assitance to those most in need.
If you’d like to know more about current campaigns undertaken by Oxfam Scotland, or find more information about what the organisation does in your local area, then join this space and get involved.
Universal Basic Income, or just Basic Income, has become an increasingly high-profile issue, with shadow chancellor John McDonnell raising the issue when speaking about Labour’s plans to increase the national living wage at the party’s UK conference in Liverpool. The concept of a universal income has gained popularity and traction recently, and events including an evening of discussion and music have been organised to explore the issue.
In this space you’ll find articles and research papers discussing both the concept of Basic Income and the logistics behind implementing such a scheme. The issue of universal income is likely to remain on the political agenda for some time, so join this space to keep on top of developments.
At CommonSpace we’ve been covering progress in Scotland’s renewable energy sector closely, and there is certainly a lot of ground to explore. Recent developments include the launch of a crowd-funded community windfarm in Inverclyde and a poll by WWF Scotland showing 61 per cent of Scots support a renewably-powered future.
Covering “Wind, wave, tidal, solar, hydro, hydrogen and more”, join this space to get all your news on renewable energy in one place. Get involved with the discussion on renewable energy and use this space to share articles and to stay up-to-date with news and advances in the sector.
Taing do @GaidhligODE airson a' ghoireas seo! #SnaG2016 #Gàidhlig #Gaelic pic.twitter.com/oxuaxkL6Nw
— Bòrd na Gàidhlig (@bordnagaidhlig1) August 17, 2016
Ever wanted to try your hand at Scots Gaelic but didn’t know where to start? Join the Gaidhlig Space/Gaidhlig Oisean on CommonSocial for an informal and supportive space for speakers of all levels. Whether you’re fluent in the language or have only ever said “slàinte” while clinking glasses at a ceilidh, this space is your chance to talk with Gaelic speakers and to share your love of the language.
Discussion so far has included everything from helpful lessons about the weather to links to documentaries about minority languages – join this space now and see what you can discover.
How to get involved
To join the discussion on these spaces, you’ll need to be registered on our social network CommonSocial. If you already have an account you can switch easily between the CommonSpace site and CommonSocial using the green tab you can see in the picture above, and if you don’t, it couldn’t be easier to set up an account by following the link on the CommonSpace homepage.
The first time you use the tab to go to CommonSocial you’ll be prompted to log in there using your username and password, which is the same as your username and password for CommonSpace (remember, it’s your username and not your email address, eg Maxine Blane not maxine@common.scot). After that you can switch between the two with no need to keep logging in and out.
We’ve also put together a short video on how to get the most from CommonSocial, and our editor Angela Haggerty has written a handy guide with everything you need to know about Scotland’s new grassroots social network.
Pictures courtesy of CommonSpace/CommonSocial, European Parliament, allispossible.org.uk, Images Money
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