Over the last week we interviewed a few potential TM campaign participants. We got some useful information and some new ideas to work into the project.

One interviewee, Tasha, shares pictures of her garden frequently but only a backdrop to gatherings, never just pictures of plants! On the one hand, this is an affirmation of our core assumption that people enjoy to take and share pictures of their gardens, and on the other hand suggests that events are often the occasion.

Another interviewee said that he only uses hashtags if they are in some way humorous, sardonic, or cynical.  He also is more likely to click through a social media link if there is a riddle or delayed reveal aspect to the post.  Above all, he warned “don’t insult my intelligence.”

Daeve, a regular participant in TM campaigns shared that they are likely to participate if it involves a compelling social/political/environmental issue. They generally only take part in campaigns pushed by businesses if its a local artisan or small business with aligned values and if there is a giveaway or sweepstakes.

In terms of direct feedback for our prototype, they suggested narrowing the scope to a smaller set of hashtags and to ‘layer’ from general to specific ie. #permaculture #healingland #restoringroots. When I mentioned our love/hate relationship with the term permaculure, they suggested #decolonizepermaculture.

Another thing that became apparent is that everyone likes stories that increase their ecological understanding.

When we meet later this week, we’ll figure out how to work this new information into our next prototype.