I've Moved!!

Thanks to the marvellous advise of all of you I have run away from home and joined Wordpress.

The new address is:

http://wagesofspin.wordpress.com/

As ever I am still unpacking and other moving euphemisms, so I have to sort out the blogroll and everything, pop by for a cup of tea and admire the new views and tread mud into the new carpets...

Spring cleaning the blog

I have been whinging about it long enough. Well, not out loud and not constantly, that would be embarrassing in public places, but OCCASIONALLY I have commented in a dissatisfied manner that I should sort out how this page looks. I've also been told by (I'm sure) well meaning people that this looks bad (not the word used).

I throw my hands up in despair. My knowledge of HTML is limited and the templates that Blogger gives me aren't the best. Does anyone have any recommendations for what I can do to spring clean my blog?

All suggestions welcome.

Scrabulous shutdown

According to the BBC, Facebook have been ordered to remove the Scrabulous game from its website by Lawyers for toy makers Hasbro and Mattel, who say it infringes their copyright on the board-based word game.

Now I may be over simplifying things but it seems to me that they have missed a trick here. According to the Beeb the add-on regularly racks up more than 500,000 daily users. I can't remember the last time I played it for real. So it would appear that an otherwise fantastic brand revival is being thwarted, just for the sake of pride from the manufacturers. As one message on the 'Save Scrabulous' group wall reads:

I didn't have any Scrabble sets when I started playing Scrabulous a few months
ago. Since I got hooked on that I have bought two sets.

Of course, there is more to this than meets the eye.

Now the real issue stems from who owns the rights to the game in the first place. Confusingly Hasbro owns rights to the game in the US and Canada while Mattel has rights everywhere else in the world. So perhaps in the race between these two to cash in on the growing popularity, they are destroying the very cash cow that laid the golden egg (as it were). How foolish.

Gizmodo at CES

Some of us didn't get to go to CES (one day, one year) but it amuses me to see that not everyone was having a great time there. Several stands suffered a series of technical problems that were entirely to do with the bad men at Gizmodo.



A nightmare for the people at the affected stands, rather funny for the rest of us. But have Gizmodo gone too far? Apparently the guy responsible has been banned from CES in future, but what about the rest of the team. As someone points out on the site; Some of those booth people are pretty touchy and have long memories. Could this mean their chances of interviews, freebies and exclusives have been switched off too? What about sponsorship for the site?

Bloody funny though.

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.

Bond-o-rama

Oh come on, you try thinking of a Bond style title that isn't going to have people thinking a) you're an idiot or b)... erm well, that you're an idiot.

The Bond film has been everywhere this week, which is good. Bond and Christmas go together very weel. They are always shown in the UK at Christmas time and usually include some snowy scenes or two.

Whoever is doing the publicity for this on is doing a fantastic job - it is everywhere. I know that Bond creates its own storm, and having her Maj attend the premiere isn't going to exactly keep it out the papers, but still, kudos to them. Currently there are 167 google news Bond stories.

But where to go from here? How can they keep the story going? I fear that the end for this story is close. But I'm sure Bond'll be back in a year or so.

So to play us out, from You Tube - the Bond theme, done badly...


Right I'm off to look at Daniel Craig coming out of the sea again...

Happy Bonfire Night!

Remember remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason,
Should ever be forgot.

(For those who live outside the UK, all is explained here.)

Bad blogger, bad!

OK so after a couple of emails that verbally smacked me on the nose with a rolled up newspaper and said 'bad blogger, bad', I have decided to return once again. These days I seem to be constantly disappearing and then returning with a (small) flurry of activity and then disappearing again. For this I apologise, but sometimes real life does sometimes (*gasp*) get in the way of the online one.

So there is a lot to catch up on. People are moving, leaving, being promoted all around. Richard is advertising his old position for any students taking a year out and reckon that they can fill his relatively canoe sized PR shoes. Richard returns to his (whisper it now) events management degree, in which I wish him luck for the last year.

Seems like ages ago that Simon Collister was fishing for links, and now he sits proud astride the blogging beast, and has been recognised as such through a (now not so) new job for Green Communications, where I hear he is very much appreciated and having a fantastic time.

Steve Field is leaving the Pentagon and joining Edelmans. I am especially sad to see him leaving Pentagon, purely because of the shock I got when I first checked my site reader and 'the Pentagon' appeared under the IP owner. Cue, much fear, conspiracy theories involving a mis-spent youth and American travel and teasing from people I told, before I realised it was probably Steve at work (and I rather enjoyed the idea of at least one part of the American intelligence reading my idle witterings). But good luck to him as well.

New arrivals to blogging who are writing from my old uni, Leeds Met, include Kate Kilday and Paddy Doyle.

Other excitements have been a small appearance in PR Week by yours truly, as part of a sideline in an article on grads getting jobs. I thoroughly encourage anyone who is interested in this subject to take a look at this as it rather more sucessfully attempts to explain a few of the mysteries that I have attempted to over the last few months.

The very lovely Andrew Wake of Don't Panic, has continued to offer discounted tickets for young PRs for the Delivering New PR conference next Friday. Although I will be working I fully encourage anyone to snap up this excellent opportunity to go along. Email him here.

So now that this has broken the tip of the mountain of things to talk about I feel I can start again with a clean slate. And not even a mention of Wall-mart.

So please, no more 'bad blogger' emails, I'm sorry.

Back pain rocks!

I love this story:

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has created a Virtual rock band called Bäackpain to promote wider public awareness of back pain. The band has done well on MySpace and is getting mixed reactions from the press and media so far.

And as VNUnet.com says:

To add authenticity to the whole spoof, there are connections from the site to a Bäackpain entry on MySpace, and you can even buy Ben Yourney's spandex outfit on eBay.

What a fantastic burst of rare creativity from what I have always viewed as rather stuffy part of government. I know I'm usually cynical about all this kind of thing, and the more I think about it the more I think I should be. But credit where credit is due and the eBay touch is a lovely one.

It is perfectly pitched at the children of the eighties, those who are enjoying the Hoff's return (also through the medium of Internet and social media - interesting), and the slight revival of the fashions and 'rawk' attitudes and who are most likely to know and understand all the quirks of the social media (but not too much - lets not pretend that MySpace is massively cutting edge - just youthfully exclusive enough).

Anyway, this is an interesting, good example of how even unsexy, haggard back pain can be put through the harley street school of promotion by Internet, and emerge a pneumatic, and beautiful specimen. And the best example of one I can think of just now.

Now, I wonder if they will start touring?

So who reads?

Richard Bailey recently asked this, and yesterday the Observer asked 150 literary luminaries to vote for the best British, Irish or Commonwealth novel from 1980 to 2005 and tomorrow is the Booker Prize. It seems you can't turn today without some very credible source telling you you must be reading.

And, as credible sources often are, they are right. We should, I should and everybody should. But we don't.

While I was at school I was a bit of a bookworm (to be fair my house was always filled with literature), I read recreationally constantly throughout my degree. It does improve your writing, it gives you a wealth of different linguistic stylings, points of view and allows you relax for a while.

But these days I am stuck in a rut and reading has taken a back seat to other activities. So I have decided to run a little survey and see what people can recommend to me. What have you read in the last few months that I could learn further from. I'd rather not be lugging textbooks but in the same breath no Mills and Boon. Something I can learn from, be it through beautiful prose or a relevant storyline.

What do you think? What makes a good book?

Second Life

Months after first hearing about it and commenting that this was probably the future of the whole MySpace/blogging phenomenon, I have finally joined Second Life.

I am of course rather coy about the fact that I am coming to the party a bit late. But the reason I write is that as soon as I join Second Life the bloody thing crashes. Maintenance issues or something.

I'm trying not to take it personally.

The youth... wasted?

They say that the youth is wasted on the young. This implies that, should the more mature generations had their time again then they would spend it more wisely.

But what is wisely spent youth? And why are the older generations trying to hi-jack it and ruin it for all of us?

I use 'us' very flippantly as someone under 25, but I no longer really class myself as the 'yoof', and yet it still peeves me to see older people clinging on to the fragile rock face that is 'yoof culture'.

For example the BBC are running a story at the minute that the Arctic Monkeys have become a integral part of UK politics since the start of this conference season. Their reason? Because, embarrassingly, Ming Campbell misjudged the fact that his party has one of the highest student followings to mean he had to be 'down wit da kids' and know about this band.

And why not? the Monkeys (of the Arctic kind, not the ones he remembers) are symbolic, in a way, of the young voters he clearly wants and needs. They began on MySpace, they are almost offensively youthful and they are cool.

But the sad thing is that he is not the first and will no doubt ever be the last politician to latch on to the 'latest' musical or cool, hip offering of the day. But why do they do it? Is it for the 'kids'? Hell no, if the kids were that easily swayed then more of them would be voting.

No, it is for the parents, to show that Ming, and all the others that are planning on mentioning the Arctic Monkey and their ilk in their upcoming speeches, can really provide understanding for the offspring of the voters.

And who can really blame the politicians for trying? After all, they want to show an army of shifting voters that they care for the kids.

Well for a start I can. I don't really get worked up over much but when I see people commenting on things that are in no way relevant to their area of expertise. It irritates me.

It looks as false as it is.

So the youth may be wasted on the young, but for Pete's sake if you are going to comment on it, DON'T unless you know what you are talking about. The young famously never listen, and these days the young are vocal to a wider and more influential audience through social mediums.

After all if you are going to waste your time trying to relate to a group of people who don't want you relating to them, but want to see you doing your job properly. Then surely that means that not only youth is wasted, but political life is wasted on the politicians too?