Txt-spk, or text speak, is challenging the SHMU teams running Incluso pilots. We'd love it if the young people would write messages in English that's clear, spelled correctly and with impeccable grammar. It doesn't happen like that, though. Instead we get short messages like this one: kk u too ill fix it imrn or summin has any one got the m all yet That's more than 2 weeks old and we still haven't managed to translate it!

We mustn’t underestimate the influence of offline activity in our online researches as we try to engage young people using social software.   Engaging them with our research sites is an ongoing struggle. We try designing the appearance so that it looks appealing, try to include detail which reflects the flat, its activities and functions and engage them with video and photo uploads. The latest attempt to engage has been by a three-pronged approach: a competition, a poll and a discussion.  

Bring young people and social software together and copyright is always going to be under threat - either by accident or deliberately. This is a real issue for pilot partners of the EU-funded Incluso project who find themselves running social network sites, forums and so on, which are platforms for uploading and sharing music and video content. Staff and young people must ensure all digital content on their sites complies with copyright rules, but this is easier said than done.