The web is awash with social networks. And that’s a good thing, mostly. We see great value in the likes of Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and LinkedIn. From a personal point of view, however, I find it difficult to dedicate much personal time to the likes of Facebook, partly because I spend so much time online anyway and partly because I find it dauntingly big.

We’ve been intrigued by Ning since we discovered it last year. Scotland and Northern Ireland 4iP commissioner Ewan McInosh created 38 Minutes as a place to discuss ideas about new media. I was one of the first people invited to join. When I signed up Channel 4’s Nations and Regions Director, Stuart Cosgrove, asked me to set up company groups for Inner Ear and Radio Magnetic. I invited all of my colleagues and contributors and we got involved.

We’ve put the 38 Minutes blog post RSS feed in the left-hand-side bar of this website. Keep an eye on it, read the posts that interest you and comment when you feel moved to respond.

38 Minutes is growing (with over 300 members now) but the focus, enthusiasm and common interests of the members help it feel more like a real-world community than some of the major social networks. If you’re interested in exciting innovations in new media, with a public service remit yet a commercial mindset, head over to 38 Minutes and see what fires us up.