It’s remarkable when you think about it. Scotland (the funny, but beautiful, jaggy bit at the top of Britain). Scotland, a place populated by people with a peculiar fondness for munching on sheep’s innards – deep-fried. Scotland, the home of beardy wild men who routinely refuse to wear underpants under scratchy tartan. Yes, that Scotland is…one of the most inventive nations on earth.

It must be something in the water. Or maybe the IRN-BRU. Either way, our nation’s list of world-changing inventions could decorate a tea towel big enough to cover Belgium (a tea towel to cover Belgium, hmmm… could be something in that).

Think you could invent the next Facebook? Once-in-a-lifetime OPPORTUNITY…...

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The TV, the bicycle, the steam engine, penicillin, golf, the Krankies. Most of us are familiar with some of Scotland’s amazing contributions to the world. But the world’s come a long way since old John Logie Baird became the first man – but not the last – to bang the top of a telly in anger. As the folk at RAPP say…

Vive! The digital revolution, Vive! Social media.
Yep. There’s no denying that from the moment brainbox Sir Tim Berners-Lee (he who invented the world wide web) said, “Hang on chaps, I’ve got a wizard idea which might just help us work faster and get home in time for tea.” The way the world interacts and communicates has been changing at a fair rate of knots.

And it continues to change rapidly. Which is where you come in.
See, RAPP think that while facebook, Flickr, google + and the rest of the social media movers and shakers are simply splendid, they’re convinced the next big thing should – and could – come from Scotland. Think that’s just idle chitchat from the steamie? Think again. Things are about to get dirty, pretty and digital…

RAPP wants you to prove that earth-shattering genius is commonplace in Scotland. All you have to do is enter their competition ‘Dirty Pretty Digital Things’ – the quest to find the next great social media idea. The winner will be announced to the world during the forthcoming Global Social Media Week in Glasgow.

The next big thing?
What’s at stake? Well, apart from the chance of global fame and fortune you’ll win RAPP’s help to get your idea off the ground and make it a reality.
The competition is already open and receiving entries from far and wide. And from all walks of life too. You needn’t be a digital freak to take part. You just have to be someone with an idea that could take on the likes of LinkedIn or Twitter.

You might be thinking to yourself ‘gulp, that’s a big ask, I’m no software engineer’. Well, maybe not. But let’s be honest, the best social media ideas are all about understanding how people work not how machines work.
It’s your chance to invent the future. So what’s stopping you? Nothing. Quite literally. Because it’s completely free to enter the competition. And as easy as one, two, three. Here’s how you go about it:
1. Email RAPP at smw@uk.rapp.com for your entry form
2. Fill in the form – it’s just a few simple questions
3. Submit your completed entry form to smw@uk.rapp.com as soon as possible!

Then it’s simply a matter of staying up to date with all the chat online as the big day beckons. When the judges – a panel of industry experts – will finally reveal their decision.
Need some inspiration? Why not take a look at some of the ideas on the facebook page at: facebook.com/DirtyPrettyDigitalThings. And you can also follow on Twitter @DPDigitalThings.
So it’s up to you. You can either wait for the next big thing to come along. And the next one. And the next one. And the next one. Or you could be the next big thing. Hey, who knows, one day you may even turn up on a tea towel the size of Belgium! ■

Info: Dirty Pretty Digital Things takes place on 22nd September at The Lighthouse in Glasgow. Social Media Week takes place in Glasgow from 19th/23rd September. For full details of all of the events go to socialmediaweek.org/Glasgow