Twitter or Tumblr

What's the difference and why should I care, I wonder...

Facebook is down again...

Hot, fat, salty tears of frustration.

UPDATE:

Appears not to be Facebook, just my account. Frustration turning to rage, if things happens on Facebook and I am not there to see it in my mini-feed, does it really happen.

Am starting to question my own existence - how did it come to this?

Yikes

OK OK - new job, new blog. But is this it?

There is going to be some wild experimentation around here - so sunglasses at the ready. Please let me know what you think and I will let you know once I have found a template that doesn't a) give me a headache, b) make it look like a blog belonging to a Tweenie and c) doesn't make me want to claw my own eyeballs out to stop the unspeakable ugly from flowing in.

Clearly this isn't it.

Bear with me.

No News

'Who do you read?'

I realise there currently is the cult of Mr B going on, and it interests me just how, given the whole blogosphere mindset, why it is that everyone settles on the same few blogs (no offence to any of them). Is it because they have the insight? Is it because they jumped on the band-wagon at the right time? or maybe its because they are just humourous? Or perhaps they just post reguarly (I hope not)?

Well it got me thinking - which blogs or websites do I actually read? As in day to day. Well apparently nothing makes a good PR post, than some good, ol' fashioned endorsement. so here are the ones I like to read:

The Worlds Leading
Now I only found out about this from a freelance tech journalist who said to me; if you want to get ahead read this. And it is a must read. If you want to go into the Tech PR profession. Granted I am a little scared to put a link up to it, mainly because of the flaring I could get, but if you want to know your sh*it, this is what you need to read.

Holy Moly
If I can give you one tip in life (Baz Lurman style) it would be this: read Holy Moly and sign up to the weekly newsletter.

Popbitch
Please see above (I know it only comes out once a week and is non-conducive to the comment above but hey - its my blog)

Charlie Brooker
I would give, OK, maybe not my eye teeth but a lot just to be able to comand the prose like this man. There are certain times when I know, on my best day, I can never have comand of the language like he does and, as much as I hope, it won't happen. His Joe Mott column reduced me to tears of laughter and envy.

So thats it. Those are the things that make me want to write more and it annoys me I don't a) write like them and b) that I don't put more effort in so I can.

However there is one more link I give you (and I know Helen will kill me for this) if you are in London and you need the best networking event see these nights and get yourself on the list and hey, I'll see you at the bar.

The American-isms

This was never meant to be a blog about my bug-bares. but I am continually thinking that my computer is out to upset me. I found a new mouse and now it only understands want I am trying to do about, say, 5% of the time. I wouldn't mind except it keeps on clicking on things whenever it sees it. I swear, maybe it is because Alex can be a boy's name I get up to 20 different viagra programmes (which is always exciting to see what they come up with [excuse the pun] next).

Anyway, what's been interesting me lately is the difference between the Americans and the British. despite the obvious accents. Do we have different ideas when it comes to PR, and having said that, attitudes in general.

Now that sounds very simplistic. Obviously a) Yes we do and b) Yes of course. But let me 'break it down for y'all

In America (sorry if you are from there and feel free to disagree) there is no culture of national newspaper. Don't get me wrong, there is the USA Today and the Times. But, apart from them, in the whole country, really there are no national papers, well not how we British imagine. For example, (to get into the mentality) it is a bit like coming from a small village where all you rely on for news is the local paper, which (although doing a bang-up job) gives you only the local news. Now imagine that on a bigger scale (and yes, I do realise that most of the states are bigger then England, but here-in lies my point).

Now as PRs, whose job it is to know and read all the media, I don't envy those in the US one little bit. Imagine, you have to read all the local news, just to know whats going on. And I mean ALL the local news. From the Croydon Advertiser to the Yorkshire Post up to The Record. Everything. As much as I eat up news, as much as I enjoy the thrill of being up-to-date with everything. I don't envy having to sort through what is going to in order to spark conversation and interest and with the time difference all the time (sorry) what is totally news-worthy that you have to have waking people up to comment on, only to find it isn't local enough. Nightmare.

But, and I eluded to it earlier, it is a different market. And the more I work on international things the more I realise that, much like you can never count on your computer (see what I did there by bringing it back to the beginning - Richard Bailey taught me that [and plus the American office, from my experience are about twenty time more efficient than I probably am so it isn't really fair to mention them alongside my PC])

a) There is no such thing as a 'nationwide press' only demographics of readers and secondly

b) If you message is strong enough, then people will be interested, whether it is a local story or otherwise.

But I think that sometimes in the UK we don't fully realise how different it is. We are brought up on a media diet of so much nationwide choice, that often the American market can seem like a different world entirely. And one I (would personally love to 'do a Paull' and see) would one day hope to understand and see.

Learning Web 2.0

Five things, yaddi yadda

OK so my own rumours of a comeback were slightly exaggerated.

Well no, actually, we all wanted this (I say we...) except, it seems, my PC (who has transpired against me from the start by breaking my mouse and so leading to many a frustrated argument with said PC) so with no less then three offers to continue this meme (step forward Simon, Alex and god knows who else) I give you the five things you didn't know about me:

1. There is no food that I do not eat. No, really. There is nothing that I cannot stomach. Having said that there are somethings I wouldn't pick off a menu, (tinned custard) but, aside from that, it's all good. Generally the hotter the better.
2. I have a name for my PC, he is called Marvin. Don't ask, if you have to you, you haven't got the (now lame) joke
3. I have a Duke of Edinburgh award, in fact, I have Bronze and Silver. With Gold I still have to complete my 'fitness' segment (having done the 50 miles in four days carrying your life on your back part), and that I have to do until I am 26 and so am in no hurry...
4. I have travelled in Nepal (I was 16) and America (extensively, aged 18). To my shame my knowledge of Europe is pitiful having only seen Portugal, Spain, Ibiza (plus the Islands), France, Andorra, Greece and Belgium.
5. I am dyslexic. But also a complete wordaphile. Which is what made me stick at the English language and not give up (the English language that is, not being dyslexic. And by 'give up' I mean that all the while I was being re-taught the alphabet like a cretin, I was devouring books - literature-wise, not literally). To be fair after an awful time at a particular secondary school, my love of the language has helped me through and so am one of the few people to lovingly tend to phrases, and perhaps, it is that very reason why I started a blog.

And I know it isn't customary, but the last truth made me think of a few of my favourite adjectives; incandescent and apoplectic, both generally mean to be lost for words.

As far as recommending people to continue this, I don't think I will. Partly because I have had to borrow this laptop and so don't have time. But partly because if you know a person and you read enough, you can tell anyway.

Return of the smartmouth kid

Well... a proper return soon, consider this the pre-emptive fanfare.

Now, racists are roaming the country, preying on houses, or something like that. I mean, who can concentrate when Vista arrived today.

Now I have yet to pass judgement on the actual application, but lets be utterly shallow and focus on the name. What inspired Vista?

Vista, the bountiful god of vision (I'd imagine).
Vista, the cheap high steet holiday agent with the slightly yellow posters of sunnier climbs.
Vista, the rather disappointing smaller car.
Vista, the aunt with the whiskers.
Vista, one of the torture impliments at the dentist (the wizzy one probably).

I could go on.