Whether it is the #Iran Election or your local newspaper it is becoming clear that Social Networking is changing the way people interact. We are now more interconnected than ever but can this have a positive effect?

The internet has lead to an environment where information and stories are freely accessible and it is difficult for large inflexible corporations to control the information flow as they have been accustomed to in the past with conventional media.

Whether it is tips on how fix your car or how a Tokyo street looks like the information is now there at click of a button. Social media has created connections between people and events that never existed before. I hope that this will mean that people will come to understand each other a little better. For businesses it is a new opportunity to understand their market or create a communication structure. For individuals it is about discovering new information and talking to new people they would never had the opportunity to before.

Large Institutions are coming under closer scrutiny as a consequence, either direct or indirect, of social media and new technology. The policing of the G20 in London has widely been criticised as a consequence of footage from mobile phone cameras among other factors. Even the MPs expense fiasco shows that the Government is not immune from such scrutiny. Most recently the unfolding events in Iran have displayed the effectiveness of social media tools in exchanging information.

For charities and other social movements, it is now easier to communicate their message to large numbers of people on a more personal level. High profile campaigns such as Twestival have borne successful results.

There are some who will talk about the darker sides. It is true that there are extremist groups who will use these online tools as a way to recruit and organise themselves. Paedophiles and other deviants will use it to exchange illegal and obscene content.

There is a problem though as such groups generally rely on the fact that their members having a limited view and perception of the world which they control and is not subject to question. This is not the nature of the internet as everything is questioned and is constantly moving all the time.It may be much harder to sell lies to people especially when you are using the internet to do it.

Ultimately internet entities, be they individuals or businesses or even governments, should act authentically and with integrity if they want to succeed. If this is the case the positives effects will be massive and the negative ones neglible.

I hope that these new tools enable us to understand our humanity and get along a little better.

This post is by a guest poster and good friend of mine, Ben Khanna. It tells the story of his experiences in the West Bank Palestinian city of Hebron last year. Please read on..... NiteGlow


In late November last year I decided I needed a holiday... Palestine is perhaps not the first place for a winter break a lot of people would think of, but for me it was a great opportunity to see such a historically important and volatile area of the world first hand.

I was meeting Davina, a friend of mine currently based in Ramallah, and also Pauline, both of whom work for a French non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Palestine. I spent the next week travelling around different cities, meeting locals and other NGO workers, and hearing all they had to say.

One of the most memorable days was in the West Bank city of Hebron.
I was initially quite surprised by Hebron's appearance - wide streets and a bit of a Western feel. Hebron is the centre of finance for Palestine, my Lonely Planet guide informed me. Davina called her ex-colleague Omar, who came to meet us and then took us to a burger bar inside a proper US-style shopping mall. And there I was thinking no Palestinian dudes liked burgers.

We were then joined by Lubna (who had also worked with Davina and Omar at Relief International) for our stroll to and around the old town. Hebron started to look a lot more like the centre of Ramallah - bustling, busy. "Soon it will look like a ghost town" Lubna remarked. She wasn't wrong.

A minute later we approached an area that looked like it had been flattened to the ground. There were a number of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers loitering around including some on rooftops surrounded by barbed wire, with heavy duty guns slung around their necks. Pauline took a photo and was immediately rebuked by a soldier. The shop fronts nearby were almost completely deserted other than the very occasional Palestinian store that had somehow escaped expulsion.

Lubna pointed up a flight of steps in between two buildings to our right. This was where the Israeli settler territory now started, easily identified by the messy wall of twisted mesh fencing and the ubiquitous barbed wire. Lubna gave Pauline and me a bit of background/history... There are now around 600 Israeli settlers living in Hebron, with a whopping 2000 IDF soldiers based here to protect the "civilians". When the settlers moved to the old city, residents and shopkeepers were forcibly evicted and the IDF welded shut their homes and shops to stop them returning. Settlers then moved into upper floors of these buildings and any Palestinians seen below were habitually bombarded with the contents of settler waste bins. As an attempt to shelter themselves the Palestinians hung up myriads of sheets and blankets, creating an oddly enclosed and shadowy main street. Davina had told me about this scene before; to see it for myself was a stirring experience.

Fact interlude: it is illegal under international law to move a civilian population into occupied territory. Currently around 430,000 Israeli settlers live within in the West Bank.


Lubna then gave her version of another little story Davina had previously related to me.

When the settlers moved to the old city the main road was closed to Palestinians, but a few families were left on the other side, separated from the old city. Among these was a friend of Omar’s. On Davina’s last visit to Hebron Omar took Davina, Lubna and an American girl named Yasmine to see his friend. They asked the IDF permission, which was granted, but when walking up the main road a Jewish lady ran out of a building and started pushing Lubna because she was wearing a hijab. “You should not be here! You should not be here!” she shouted hysterically at Lubna, before summoning a raft of Jewish school children who surrounded the three unwelcome visitors and began spitting and pelting rocks and stones at them. Lubna was utterly petrified. "I just didn't know what to do" she kept saying to me. A staggering example set by, what transpired to be, a school teacher. Yasmine was 9 months pregnant at the time.

After walking a little way we came to the entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque - one of the holiest Muslim and Jewish sites outside Jerusalem. This was the site where American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire on a Muslim prayer session during Ramadan in 1994, killing 29 Palestinians. (In the rioting that followed a further 25 Palestinians were killed plus 5 Israelis. Israeli authorities then imposed a curfew on the 120,000 Palestinians in Hebron, while the settler population were free to roam around. A shrine to Goldstein was built in a Jewish community adjacent to Hebron and not removed until 1999.)

We tried to enter the mosque but were refused entry as it was prayer time. Looking down the street away from the mosque and into Jewish territory Pauline and I noticed a large group of joggers complete with stopwatches, heart rate monitors and Nike trainers. I found it a poignant scene.

Omar had a little more to show us and led us up a steep road behind the mosque and up to a Muslim cemetery. A little further down the road was an IDF roadblock and adjacent a large house that some soldiers appeared to be working on. This was where the violence had broken out less than two weeks earlier, which I’d been following on the BBC website. Omar wanted to take us past the house so we walked up to the roadblock where, as Omar had predicted, we were asked if we were journalists (journalists are usually forbidden from entering any Israeli conflict zone in case something undesirable finds its way to international media). The large ginger haired chief soldier asked for all our IDs; Omar produced his Relief International ID which the soldier didn't particularly like the look of and thus refused to let us pass.

We turned around and headed back the way we came. Or at least we thought it was the way we came, but there seemed to be a massive Israeli roadblock impeding our path down an alley. Omar tried to reason our way through again while Pauline and I surreptitiously took photos. The likelihood was of course that we had chosen a different alley to go down rather than the blockade had sprung up in a few minutes, so when Omar failed to get anywhere he called a taxi to come pick us up.

The evening was spent eating and drinking in Bethlehem, where we were joined by a few more of Davina’s friends. Unsurprisingly there was a lot more interesting conversation; hearing one of Davina’s friends recount how she’d been hounded by the Israeli secret service for ten years in a series of attempts to convince her to become a spy was one part that stood out. Heavy stuff. Anyway, despite the fact it was very quiet for a party night in Palestine (i.e. Thursday) I think we all had a good night.

I left Palestine with a well of pretty strong emotions, though I should imagine there are few that don't. There's so much history and beauty to be seen and it's an absolute tragedy that the conflict continues to remain. However, despite a certain feeling of helplessness, there are many who dedicate themselves to make a difference and do so. A permanent peace though seems a long and complex road away.

Unemployment can be a very stressful time especially during the recession which is why I decided to write this post for people who are currently in this situation. I am sure there are many. Hopefully these survival strategies will see you through the hard times…

1. Keep Your Head Up – Try not to blame yourself for being unemployed as it was something that was out of your control and not necessarily a failing on your part. It is important to keep a positive outlook even in gloomy times. Feeling down may be justified but it will prevent you from taking action to change the situation. Try not to worry what others may be thinking of you. They may not have any experience of be unemployed so have no idea what you are going through. If you take out the emotions the challenge you face is logical one that you can address.
   
   
2. Eat Well And Stay Healthy – This is a classic time when you may find yourself reaching for ‘comfort food’ such as chocolate or fast food. It is important to rein this in and minimise this behaviour. While it may comfort you in the short-term it will not make you feel good in the long term. If fact you will probably feel even worse afterwards. The same could be said of alcohol as getting hammered will not solve your problems and will deplete your bank account even further. This isn’t ideal if you are currently not getting any income! Keeping a balanced healthy diet will keep you focused on the task at hand which is get back into work.
   
   
3. Maintain Regular Exercise – If you can, try and keep fit. Go for runs, do physical sport and do regular exercise at home if you have limited finances. This will help dissipate the tension and stress you may be feeling. Also it keeps you sharp and this may give the edge in interviews.
   
   
4. Ask yourself, ‘what job would you like if circumstances were more favourable?’ – It is important to ask yourself this question and come up with a written plan if possible. You may come up with ideas you never thought of and become inspired. A written plan focuses you mind to the task at hand.
   
   
5. Ask yourself, ‘how should I approach companies I would want to work for?’ – Make list of companies where you be able to get your foot in the door and come up with a strategy of how to approach them. Maybe using email might be the best method or a phone call but don’t give up if you aren’t getting positive results straight away. If you choose to use recruitment agencies be careful as they have a tendency to rail-road into a job that may not be what you want. Remember they are a business and have to achieve tight financial targets every month. They may not have your best interest at heart however friendly they may sound on the phone. Ideally you should become your own recruitment consultant and then you won’t need them.
   
   
6. Get Online – With wide range of social media and online tools available for the job search the internet can be an indispensable resource for job research and chasing up employment opportunities. Get chatting on Facebook and Twitter and see what you can find out. Maybe the company you want to approach already has a Twitter or Facebook page where you can contact them. You’ll have a lot of time on hands anyway so may as well use it wisely.
   
   
7. Get Help With Your CV – It is important to get feedback from people in the industry about what they are looking for. How could your CV be tightened to make it more attractive employers? Input from friends and family may be helpful but ultimately they will not be the ones giving you the job.
   
   
8. Read A Biography Of Someone You Admire – Quite often such people have gone through very difficult situations similar or worse than the one you are going through. However, chose your book well as biographies by Robbie Williams and Katie Price may not be packed with ‘pearls of wisdom’ which will help you through your current issues.
   
   
9. Listen To Positive Music – Music can be a powerful reassuring force to you but you must make sure it is positive and not bringing you down into hole of self pity. As musical taste is personal only you can make this decision but something as melancholic as Coldplay may sink you down further into an emotional quagmire. Soul, funk, R&B and Jazz might be better options.
   
   
10. Sleep Well – It may be tempting just to sleep in every morning as you have no work to get up for. Try to resist this temptation by not sleeping to much (or too little). Ensure that you give your days a routine and structure. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time during the week like you would do if you if were in work. This will keep you fresh, alert and positive.

Hopefully these points were of some use and if you have any more that would help please feel free to leave a comment below. There is no quick fix for being unemployed but sustained effort over a period of time will get you positive results eventually. Who knows you may start to see things in a different way. Losing a job has been the propelling factor for many to start up their own businesses and make a success of themselves.

So it is official..... Four guys from Sweden are being jailed for a year along with having to pay damages of $4.5. All of this is for creating a website that indexes links to copyrighted material through Bit Torrent.

The official verdict was that they were found guilty of ‘working as a team to make copyrighted content available’.

Hang on moment! Google are a team too (a large one at that). The Google search is the top search engine in the world and it indexes Torrent sites. Could it not be argued that Google too are facilitating the availability of copyrighted content? While some have mentioned that Google does not run a public torrent tracker it links to hundreds of sites that do run them. Maybe Google should be the next one in the dock for Movie and Record Companies on their witch-hunt.

I find this unbelievable that even as we are entering into digital / online age companies like Warner Bros, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and Columbia Pictures still do not seem to get it. They seem intent on staying attached to out-dated business paradigms and models. They should be thinking of ways to move with the internet evolution instead of trying to hold it back. Bit Torrent is a way that many around the world chose to enjoy different sorts of media and the guilty verdict of the PirateBay guys will not change this. They will pursue other options if one is closed to them.

The evolution is already happening and the large corporations either embrace it or see a bigger loss in profits than they claim to be already seeing. ITunes looks to be a success so it proves that it is possible to create a business model that works.

I feel the story is far from over as the PirateBay guys will appeal the verdict. In the long run I do not think it is going to look good for these large corporations whatever happens.

During the last year I have been involved in a volunteer group for adults with Asperger's Syndrome in Bristol, UK. If you are not familiar with Asperger's Syndrome you can find out more here on the National Autistic Society Website. Essentially it is classed as an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and people with it have great problems in social interaction and communication with the rest of mainstream society. It is a trend identified by Hans Asperger (hence the name) during the 1940s. If it is picked up early in a child's development teaching strategies and support can be put in place. In a lot of cases, though, it is missed and the child may go through life continuing to have difficulties well into adult life.

Currently, they are many adults discovering they have Asperger's traits but have no where to turn. They knew that there was something different about them their whole life. They had very focused interest areas like an interest in astronomy or gardening but found it difficult or impossible to connect with other people who did not share these interests. At school they were looked on as different or 'geeky' and excluded or even bullied. They found social interaction and dynamics very confusing and often got themselves into trouble because of it through no fault of their own. People find it difficult to deal with their straight-up blunt approach to issues and often label them as arrogant or rude when this is not what they meant. Many Aspie traits can be difficult to spot or misunderstood as something else.

As adults 'Aspies' (as they are called) find it difficult to fit in. They have a need for routine and structure and without this they can lead a lot of day in a state of anxiety. To say late diagnoses are like gold dust would be an understatement. In the case of the UK there are probably thousands of adults who have had difficulties all their lives and have not realised that it is because they communicate differently to the rest of society. Support for adult Aspies is almost non-existant and they are left to just fend for themselves. Getting a diagnosis can be frustrating and it usually involves a long waiting list or travelling to another part of the country.

In the job world Aspies can find it very difficult to get jobs and progress in careers. This can be largely due to lack of knowledge on the employers part, however, there are many cases of employers discriminating against people with Asperger's /Autism. As with other discrimination some unscrupulous employers have become very good at covering their backs and it can be often difficult and lengthy process to prove that foul play took place (if this has happened to you fell free to leave a comment below explaining what happened).

The strange thing about Asperger's is it doesn't have to be something that hold someone back with right support. In fact it can be a positive ability rather than in disability with right skills and environment. People with Asperger's are very focused or their special interest areas and very attached to routines. If they were to be able to work in their special interest area (for instance. gardening or IT or setting up a small business) in which they had to follow routines everyday they would be exceptional employees. Currently this is not happening and all to often Aspies find themselves out-of-work. To me this is ludicrous as we are currently in recession and it people like these who will get us out of it. Aspies are some of the most determined, focused and passionate people I have ever seen. They are not given the chance to shine or being held back just for communicating differently to the rest of society. For a little support employers would find that they would get a massive return on investment.

Another interesting point is that in history there have been many famous people including scientists, politicians, journalists, etc who have demostrated Asperger's traits. Examples of them include Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and even William Shakespeare. In recent times many successful business people and entrepreneurs have Aspie traits (Bill Gates or Henry Ford). The wealth of evidence is overwhelming that these people have risen to the top of the field and had an impact on the world. It is these types of people who will lead the way in getting the world out of financial crisis.

If all of this is hitting home for you and it sounds like some one you know - give 'em a break will you? They find the world quite confusing anyway.

If you feel like this is you do not worry. Drop me a comment or click on the National Autistic Society website above for more info. It is a UK website but I am sure they will point people in the right direction if they are not from the UK. Also there are whole wealth of Asperger's adult networks and forums on the net. A google search will bring them up. Remember your special interest is your special ability and don't let anyone take it away from you.

There are some phrases that just really annoy the hell out of me! :) I can't be alone in this so I thought I would share them with everyone.

1. "Do you know what I mean?" - Isn't it annoying when people seem to end every sentence with this phrase? Do you know what I mean? ;-)
2. "It's not rocket science" - Would thinking of a better phrase be rocket science?
3. "Keep me in the loop" - This one is widely used by Jack Bauer in 24 but doesn't sound as cool if you don't work for CTU.
4. "No offence but....." - "I am going to offend you anyway!"
5. "Touching Base" - Sounds like a phrase that cool yuppie guys in the 80s used to use but people still seem to use it now. Get with the program!
6. "Get with the program!" - No explanation needed
7. "Don't take it personally!" - This is a pet hate of mine when I hear this! How else should I take it if it is a personal attack on my character? ;0
8. "There are plenty more fish in the sea" - Yeah but I want that fish!

I am sure these are only 'a drop in the ocean' or 'the tip of the iceberg' of the many of annoying phrases out there! :)

However, if you have a particular phrase that winds you up please share it below......

A couple of years back I decided to give up the cigarettes for a totally smoke-free lifestyle. As many ex-smokers will know this is not the easiest of tasks! I was plagued with withdrawal symptoms including dreams of being chased down a hill by large cigarette shouting, "You know you want me don't you!"

Having said this I have some great smoking memories. I think the height of my smoking career was at university. During exams revision in the university library, I would nip out at regular intervals for a ‘quick smoke’. I would usually be met by other fellow smokers outside the building where we would discuss about how we should get back in and do more revising.

Smoking culture can be quite a big deal at work too. In one of my previous jobs I remember how people would congregrate in the designated smoking area with a fag and acan of Redbull discussing the usual office politics. It was at this point that I began questioning whether I wanted to be a part of this or not.

However, giving up smoking is always fraught with difficulties. There is always at least one annoying smoker friend who tries to test your resolve by waving a packet of Marlboro Lights in your face. The new laws on smoking in the UK have certainly helped me though. It was too often the case that after a couple of drinks my anti-smoking resolve was weakened.

Another point is that in the UK it is becoming more and more expensive to smoke. In fact I think that the UK is probably the most expensive place in the world to have the habit. A packet of 20 cigarettes now costs a £5.67 compared £3.88 in 2000 and it just keeps rising. This current price is almost twice what the same packet would cost in Italy.

As a result of this many people opt for making their own cigarettes with rolling tobacco. I tried this for a while when I was smoking but have to admit I was not the best 'roller' around. Call me lazy but part of the smoking experience is to have your cigarettes ready made. When you are desperate for a smoke you don't necessarily want to be faffing around with rolling paper and filters.

Having given up now, I suppose can now reminisce with other ex-smokers about the glory days of waking up in the morning with a mouth like an ashtray. Ermm maybe not, but I will always be reminded everytime I manage to catch a whiff of cigarette smoke. I certainly understand how Chandler from Friends felt in this clip!

Anyway if you are trying to give up smoking or are an ex-smoker - I feel you brothers and sisters! Only those who have been there understand! :-)

With the rise of new social media channels and other online tools many people have been talking about the decline or even death of the conventional media. This could be one explanation though I feel it could be seen more as an evolution of media.

Unfortunately this evolution is happening very fast and leaving some people in its wake. As Matthew quite rightly put in his comment on my previous post this process is also being quickened by the recession. For instance in Bristol, regional newspapers such as the Western Daily Press, have made large redundancies to their staff. Bristol’s radio scene seems to have shrunk as well with the relocation and redundancies. I think there must be similar trends throughout the UK.

Across the pond in States papers like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (one of the oldest in Seattle) rolls out its last newspaper today and becomes a totally online entity. They follow in the footsteps of many other US publications to the online realm. Around the world people are utilising media in new ways.

However, I am not sure that journalists and conventional PR people should get too fearful of the new online world. What is needed is an understanding of how their skills could be best used within the online realm. Social media allows obtaining feedback and interaction with an audience which simply was not possible in previous media channels. While this may involve learning a totally new IT skill-set it is preferable than being left on the sidelines as more social media tools appear.

That being said, the instincts for clear communications and stories that conventional PR, Journalists and other people in the media have developed over years of experience are still greatly needed especially in a confusing online world. While web wizardry and social media can dress things up very nice you always need something with substance to begin with.

It seems like everyone is going social media mad! Whether it’s businesses or individuals, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or Myspace; everyone suddenly wants a piece of the action. I wonder if this will really help us though and where it will end up.

Recently Twitter seems to be the new social media ‘weapon of choice’. Since it's successful use in the Obama campaign it has gained popularity in recent months. Celebrities like Stephen Fry have become high profile ‘Twitterholics’ which have given us a snap-shot into their lives. If I get stuck in a lift I’ll know what to do!

I am hearing a lot of talk at the moment about how Twitter is going to revolutionise everything from businesses to social lives. I still remember when Facebook was flavour of the month. When I went to the pub and I would hear people discussing what they were doing on Facebook. Gradually, now I am hearing more people talking about Twitter.

My point is that Twitter is a very useful tool but it is just one of many tools. While it may facilitate people’s approaches to business and social lives, it is not the revolutionary ‘silver bullet’ that everyone seems to making it out to be. It is nice following people and following others but this assumes that they have something vaguely interesting to say instead of how ‘the train was late again this morning’. As many Twitter users will know, it is all too easy to get lost in a mass of irrelevant updates, photos, videos, etc.

I accept that Twitter has been successfully used to organise global events like Twestival but a closer look leads us to see that many other online tools were used in that campaign as well. Twitter can also be used by businesses to update customers with latest news and organise internal operations/events. However, the online social media landscape is more complicated than Twitter and we still at the tip of the iceberg as far as what the internet can do.

It is important to have some perspective on these tools and IT evolution as a whole. As I have discussed in my previous post about Google, the IT world moves very quickly and it will not be long before there is something newer and more shiny than Twitter for people to go crazy about. I feel like people seem to be jumping on the Twitter bandwagon without really understanding it and worse still because they think they may be ‘missing a trick’ if they don’t.

In fact there are many other social media tools that have sprung up like Friendfeed and BrightKite. Friendfeed works by collecting all your feeds from other networks and displaying them all on one feed. You can also subscribe to other people’s feeds and have them subscribe to yours. BrightKite is still currently in Beta development stage and is location-based social networking. Old favourites like Myspace are not as popular as they once were but are still very useful for bands and musicians. We are also seeing a resurgence in blogging with the use of free services like Blogger (which I use for this blog!), Wordpress and Tumblr.

To make things even more complicated all these different services offer integration with each other and mobile phones! For example this means that you can update your Twitter status on your phone via SMS or online with the use of Twitter mobile application. You could then add Twitter to your Facebook page with use of a Facebook application and get it to update you status there too. There are now services like Ping.fm that also allow you to update multiple networks at the same time.

While this might be a tech enthusiast and social media whore’s dream I fear it may ultimately lead to mass of irrelevant confused communication flying across different networks. People will pick up bits of the story but may find it more difficult to pick up the ‘whole’ story. The original message that was trying to be communicated will be diluted and dispersed over many channels and hence may lose its power.

This may be a long way away and we are still in the ‘honey-moon’ period of social media, however, it could be time we took a look how we are currently using these tools and how they will be used in the future. It is also important that people spend some time learning exactly how these tools work before throwing themselves in the deep-end.

After Delhi and Mumbai my next destination was Goa. I arrived in Goa on Christmas Eve in the midst of another security alert following the Mumbai attacks. As with other airports in India, security was stepped up to a high level. When I finally found my way out of the airport and into a cab I noticed the security presence on the roads was very high too. Apparently it had been reported that Goa was a 'soft target' for terrorists because of number of foreign tourists that were there over the festive season. I had heard many of the beach parties and other events had been limited or cancelled because of the threat.

It was a bit of a shame to have arrived in such circumstances but I was still taken away by the beautiful Goan landscape. I was spending Christmas with some friends of mine so I knew that I would cheer me up.

The next day was Christmas Day and the friends I was staying with organised a massive Christmas lunch. Christmas is quite a big deal in Goa as it used to be a Portuguese colony so still has a lot of Christian Catholic influence. As you can see from the photo the Christmas meal was a little different to what people are used to in the west! The main dish was a duck cooked with spices not turkey! It was served with an assortment of other spicy vegetables and rice. The meal was topped of with a beer on the garden patio in 30 degree heat which made for a rather unusual Crimbo for me as you can imagine!

Unfortunately, my plans had got changed somewhat because of the security alerts as I was supposed to meet some friends and family in Goa. They couldn't make it in the end so following Christmas the rest of my trip was spent at an appartment near Benaulim Beach in south Goa. I woke up every day and made my way to the beach where I would go to one of the many beach shacks for a cool cocktail and some authentic Goan fish! The service was a bit chilled out but that was the Goan style. I found the people there to be friendly and honest.

The beach turned out to be a very good place for meeting all sorts of people from different parts of the world. On the first day I met this crazy bunch who I ended up spending new years with! They know who they are!

After several days of lazing about on the beach, swimming in the sea and a scooter trip to north Goa it was New Year's Eve. This is was actuallly the first New Years I had celebrated out of the UK so it was a little weird! I wasn't sure exactly how things would turn out but I had heard their was a beach party happening on one of the many beaches in north Goa. We decided to chance it and jumped in a couple of cabs to get there. The journey was about two and a half hours long but well worth it. We arrived in the town just outside the beach and had to make the rest of the way on foot. The town was vibrant with life and people from all over the world. After an interesting walk in the dark through the palm trees we made it out on to the beach where we were met by a barrage of colour, movement and loud Goa trance music. It was a an experience I would never forget.

Each beach shack was dimmly lit and had its own DJ playing the craziest trance I had heard for a while. The good part was you could order food at them as well. I immediately ordered some chicken fried rice (good energy food) along with my standard Cubre Libre!

There rest of the night was an intoxicating blur which led up to me running around the beach at the stroke of midnight wishing everyone Happy New Year! They had lots of fireworks going off though they didn't seem to be very safe. A couple of them flew in our direction so we got well clear! Most of the rest of the night I don't remember much of at all. In the morning we got a cab back to Benaulim beach, I feel asleep and woke up just as it got to my appartment - thank god! I slept all of new year day as I am sure many people did!

I only spent a couple more days in Goa before flying to Bangalore then back to UK. My trip to India had been a very eventful and enlightening one though it hadn't gone entirely as planned. When I finally landed in the UK it was -6 degrees and freezing cold. It seemed like a world away from the heat of Goa.

Everyone else was doing it so I thought I would too! Here is a blog post featuring some 'snow photos' from around Bristol. Seems that this was probably the best use of my time as just about everything ceased to function in Bristol today. I have to say that I am surprised how white frozen water could have such an impact up and down the country. Life still goes on even when it is snowing! What must people from Scandanavia, Russia and other cold countries think of us Brits?! Anyway enjoy the photos... :-)




A winter urban scene taken at 3.00 in the morning!













Just outside Bristol after getting caught in a blizzard.













View of the Avon Gorge and the Bristol Suspension bridge












The obligatory 'large snow ball' photo!

.....This was the underlying message that Barack Hussein Obama seemed to be trying to communicate with his inauguration speech yesterday.

Even having watched it, I still can't believe we've seen the last of Bush and the US has a new black president who is seems to everything that Bush wasn't. His journey and others' journeys to get to this position have been long and difficult but the day is finally here. Civil rights protesters in 1960s America dreamed of this day. He ushers in a new age of politics and sets the standard for others to follow while Bush leaves one of the most unpopular Presidents ever.

That being said Obama inherits one of the toughest jobs at the toughest time. reccession, wars and bad politics of the past are issues he will have to deal with. On top of that expectations of him are very high and it will be difficult to live up to all of them.

Many have commented on the sombre tone of his speech but I feel it was in total context with situation he and the US are facing. He was very honest in saying that there were challenges ahead and mistakes would be made. It was rather a different speech to what many expected but Obama doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would shy away from difficult topics or issues.

His speech seemed to have a more positive tone towards the end, however, he had a tough line on those who challenged the 'American way of life'. I hope that this tough line will be tempered with diplomacy and the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.

Many will wish the best of luck to the new American Administration. Obama does look to be the positive charismatic leader that was needed at a difficult time though he will still need all the luck he can get.

Following a great three days in Dubai I continued my journey on to India. Some thought I was mad to go India within turmoil that had ensued since the Mumbai attacks not least as Mumbai was one of my destinations! However, I was still determined to go whatever the situation and I had heard that security had been stepped up to a very high level at all the airports.

My first destination was India's capital city, Delhi, in the north of India. A visit there had been on my to-do list for a long time so I was very happy to finally get the chance to go there.

As soon as I landed at the airport I felt the Indian heat and culture hit me like a wave. Delhi is so different to any city I have visited. There is so much going on the same time, so many people and crazy traffic. I had four days there before moving on to Mumbai so I decided to get as much touristy escapades in as possible. My first stop was India Gate which is a monument not unlike the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Like it's French counter-part it commemorates the soldiers who fought in the World Wars as well as Indian Independence from Britain.

While admiring the monument, I could not help noticing the strong security and police presence. There were check-points set up all around the monument and soldiers patrolling with large automatic weapons! They were obviously concerned that it could also become a target.

Next on my list was Qutb Minar which is one of the first examples of Islamic architecture in India. It is a finely decorated tower which apparently took almost 200 years to build. It was built by the first muslim rulers of India and was finished in the 1300s.

I found myself spending a lot of time exploring the grounds of Qutb Minar as there were many other buildings around with equally beautiful architecture.

As I was leaving I noticed something else about sightseeing in India. If you are tourist it is almost inevitable that you are going to get surrounded by street salesmen, rickshaw drivers, and other people trying to sell you all manner of things. I was partially prepared for this but at one point I was approached by what could only be described as a mob of them all shouting at the same time. I think they must have all competing for my custom! I tried to evade them but to no avail - there didn't seem to be any side streets I could duck down. I eventually out-ran them and jumped into my cab driver's car and we were off. Phew!!

Following that I was on to Red Fort and Mahatma Gandhi's Memorial. The Red Fort is a giant structure which is yest another example of early Islamic architecture in India (see photo below). Within it are gardens and other buildings with intricate and complex designs.

I was happy that I got a chance to see Gandhi's memorial as I very much admire his message and what he stood for. I feel the struggle he had to go through for India's Independence and what he believed about non-violent protest is especially poignant in the world we live in now. Maybe politicians around the world should take some time to review his teachings and see how they apply to their situations.

The monument is visited but people from all over the world and this was certainly my experience when I visited it. It was evident to me that Gandhi's message was still important to those outside India as it was to Indians themselves. I walked around the memorial several times before going in (see photo below). I felt honoured to have the priviledge to be there. After paying my respects I made my way back to my cab after a really hectic day!

I was quite exhausted when I got back to my friends' appartment but they convinced me to go out with them to sample some authentic Delhi cusine. It was the first time I was going to a restaurant in Delhi and by gosh did I enjoy it! I fell in love with the Butter Chicken and Naans and this soon became regular dish I ordered everywhere.

Unfortunately my body didn't feel the same way about the food and after a couple of days of the rich cuisine I was suffering a serious case of the renowned 'Delhi Belly'. It was really annoying as I only had one more day in Delhi and I still had to see India's most famous sight, the Taj Mahal in Agra.

I woke the next morning feeling very under the weather but decided to soldier on to Agra. I jumped in the cab and just hoped for the best as it was a three hour journey to get there. The drive itself out of Delhi was something of an experience I felt like I was getting in touch with sights, sounds, and general vibe of India. It was like another world to me and was quite overwhelming in places though well worth it.

I finally arrived at the Taj Mahal to meet by the usual barrage of street salesmen. I even had people coming up to me claiming to be official tour guides and wanting 200 ruppees up-front. I was like 'yeah whatever mate!' When I finally got in it was a real sight as you can see from the picture below. Like most people I had seen India's Wonder of the World many times in photos or on the TV but actually being there was feeling I couldn't describe. I feel glad looking back that I had made the effort to go there even though I wasn't feeling 100%.

The next day I was still not great but had a flight to catch to Mumbai. Having reached Delhi airport, it was obvious that the security had been stepped up signicantly as it felt more something you would go through for an international flight not a domestic one.

I have to say I was a little apprehensive about travelling to Mumbai considering what had happened the previous month. Then again Mumbai is massive city and I was going to be staying with family who knew it very well so I wasn't too worried. On arriving Mumbai I found city to be very welcoming! I was staying my cousins place so I made my way to her place in a taxi. I must say that felt more of a connection to Mumbai than I had to Delhi. I also kept hearing about a certain Danny Boyle film which was set in Mumbai. I think it was called Slumdog Millionaire or something!

I only spent one night in Mumbai though I wish I could have spent longer there. It truly is a city which is an explosion of colour, movement, people, culture, music and so much more. Most the time I spent there was spent seeing family and friends so I didn't have time really explore the city. I felt that I had barely scratched the surface and will definitely make a trip back there in the near future.

The next day I was travelling on to Goa for Xmas '08 and New Year's ('08-'09) so stay tuned for part 2 of this post. To be continued.....

Just before Christmas I had the opportunity to visit Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I had three days there before I flew to on to India and I found it to be one of the most interesting cities I have every visited.


Built in the sand Dubai seems to be a self-sufficient world unto itself with skyscrapers and people of all nationalities. The first thing I noticed when arriving in Dubai was of course the airport. It was emaculate with colourful plush designs and even had a waterfall! The floor was so clean I could have eaten my dinner off it!

The city itself is a booming a metropolis with a skyline that rivals places like New York. One of the most famous buildings is the Burj al Arab which is a luxury hotel (see image on the right) and stands on an artificial island out from Jumeirah Beach. Part of the hotel is actually under the ocean. However, this building is only tip of the iceberg as far as design goes. There seems to be no limit to what designs people seem to come up with and build in Dubai.

Possibly the most impressive is the Burj Dubai which actually looks like something out of a science fiction movie! It is a tower which is a whopping 688m tall and they still want make it even taller. Only in Dubai does something like this seem to be possible.

The other attractions include the malls which, like the airport, are emaculate, gigantic and spotless. They have every major brand under the sun, however, if you are looking for bargains you may be disappointed. Price-wise it does not seem to be that much different to the UK. This didn't stop me having a look round though! One of the malls, unbelieveably, has a ski slope build on top of it with real snow!

Nightlife is also good there though being an Islamic country the purchase of alcohol is limited to certain places like hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. We found ourselves in a place called the Rock Bottom Cafe in Burdubai. It was kind of restaurant, then it became a bar then it became a club. The night we were there they had possibly one of the best tribute bands I have a ever seen! This band could play anything and were quite happy to make a transition from Oasis's Wonderwall to Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise to some crazy Latin number. They were all sort of people of different nationalities there which made for a very interesting and slightly intoxicating night!

On the last day we left Dubai in a land cruiser to explore the desert. This is something I would recommend to anyone do if have the opportunity to visit this part of the world. The journey was to a camp in the middle of the desert. To get there we had to negotiate the sand dunes. It was quite an interesting ride as you can see from the video especially as our driver seemed to be driving one handed for most of it!

We travelled to a camp in the desert where we enjoyed some traditional Arabic food along with Shisha. We also rode some camels for the full experience. The trip was rounded off with a belly dancer. It was obvious to my friend and I that she was very good at what she did... ;-)

All in all it was a great trip and I loved Dubai. On the last day I found it quite therapeutic sitting in the middle of the desert miles away from anything. I left Dubai the next day to travel to India so stay tuned for a post on that part of my trip.

My old 60GB iPod packed in recently and I had to start looking around for a replacement. I was spoilt for choice with Apple's new range of iPhones, iTouchs, Nanos and other funky named gizmos. People have been going on and on about the iPhone about how brilliant and easy it is but I have to say I have not been convinced at its charm.

I ask myself is it really neccessary and practical to have everything in one device. Pretty soon our lives may be reduced to one little black box which will control everything!

The main argument that they throw at you is that it is good to have your iTunes library, videos and use of a mobile phone in one device. The first issue I would point out is that the iPhone's maximum capacity is 16 GB which is not ideal if you have a collection that is larger than this. It just means you have to spend ages swapping playlists when you get bored with your music. This is just a hassle especially as you have probably bought an iPhone to make things easier. As far as space goes, you can now get an iPod classic with a wapping 120GB for only £169.

The other point that my flatmate pointed out is if you want to connect it to your laptop and use as a modem - forget it! You can only use the iPhones built in browser to surf the internet. It will currently not allow the use of browsing on external hardware. Other standard 3G phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson will allow you to do this.

The last issue is cost. For the most part the iPhone is a over-priced flashy bit of equipment that doesn't do any more than other mobile phones currently do at the moment. The handset on its own costs over £300. Alternatively you might get it cheaper by signing up for one of the mobile phone tariffs. However, in most cases you will end up paying the same if not more in the long run. Other mobile phones can already take pictures, play music, access the internet, etc and they do this at a comparitively lower price. It is also important to point out that they are significantly less bulky than the iPhone and do not have a massive screen that could get broken or scratched easily (see picture at the top!).

A lot of the people I have met with iPhones seem to band them in a kind of 'look at me I'm so cool' fashion. On closer examination it is often apparent that they are unaware of many of the features that it offers. Worse still some of them seem to also carry an iPod around with them as well which further defeats the object of having an iPhone in the first place. They obviously enjoy wasting their money.

Thanks very much but I'll settle for a new iPod Classic and a separate mobile phone.

Many couldn't believe it could happen but it has. The USA will see an African-Amercian president for the first time in history. I had my fingers crossed yesterday but victory for Obama never really looked in that much doubt.

It was the most expensive campaign in American history fought over a period of 22 months with many twists and turns. Originally the key issue was Iraq but when the economic crisis happened in September it changed the course of the election.

As mentioned in a previous post both Obama and McCain used new media, internet, social networking very effectively to deliver their message. In doing so they have successfully gained a massive turnout at the polls from people who may not have normally voted. Obama has successfully engaged with different communities and his message has motivated young people. Even 'ghetto street kids' in Harlem know his name. His campaign has been helped tremendously by endorsements from people like Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, and other media and music icons.

The success of Obama signifies a shift in thinking in the US which will be felt around the rest of the world. Gordon Brown has indicated his support and says he will be looking forward to working with him. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has also congratulated Barack Obama on his victory and hopes it will lead to better ties with the US and India.

While there were many issues that came up, the issue of race is one that couldn't be ignored. His victory will be especially poignant for African Americans who lived through the civil rights unrest. In the South of the US it was a long time before African Americans could even vote. People like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others gave there whole life to the struggling for equality and justice for African Americans. The Obama win is built on their struggle and would not have been possible without them.

However, people should not forget other issues like Business and Foreign policy. Obama will have a tough time with state of the economy and will have to provide business with some hope. As far as foreign policy goes I was a little uneasy at his inflexible stance of 'just fighting and catching the bad guys'. Many people in other parts of the world hoped that he would have a more progressive stance to foreign policy. They may be disappointed with his position which is not much more moderate than the McCain alternative.

Whatever happens now Obama has a difficult road ahead and a lot to live up to. This should not take away from this victory has achieved. It is all certainly a step in the right direction...

Google recently celebrated its ten year anniversary recently and over the last couple of years we have seen its meteroric rise from a university research project to one of the world's most successful companies. However I have a slightly differing perspective (as always!) to the norm with respect to the search engine.

People are now so used to 'Googling' things that it has now become second nature. Google has become an almost indispensible lifestyle and business tool with people using it buy products and services as well as research and general surfing. Having said this the evolution of IT and Web Technology is very quick. History has taught us that the rules of the game change often.

Google's income mostly comes from its innovative non-intrusive advertising techniques. These have worked very well so far but I must say that I for one pay little or no attention to sponsored links whether they are on the top or on the side. I do not think I am alone. As people get more and more accustomed to Google and they will start to ignore all the irrelevant information. They will have to because there is so much rubbish out on the net it is unbelievable. Companies may find that there pay-per-click and other advertising may become less effective on Google.

However, this is not the only strategy employed to get positive exposure on Google. Research shows that statistically people most of the time only look at the first three search engine results. This has given rise to a whole specific industry who's sole purpose is to get your company to the top spot of Google. The process is called Search Engine Optimisation. These companies streamline your website with related keywords (search terms that be picked up by Google) and generally create more links to their site from other sites to increase your Google ranking. There are other strategies involved in SEO too and everyone seems to be obsessing about it at the moment. Competition is fierce for the top spots and there are lot of SEO companies cashing in on this at the moment.

My problem with this if everyone is doing this I feel it may undermine the integrity search engine process as whole. If you are search for stuff and all you get is rubbish and websites trying to sell you things you may soon get sick of the search engine and lose trust in it. This is something that Google should be paying attention to as at the moment they are one of the most trusted and liked brands out there but it could all change so quickly! It also seems to assume that Google is the ultimate internet authority. It is certainly one of them now but may not be for ever as IT world moves very quickly. The question is will these companies, who rely on SEO in Google, be able to adapt when the game changes (which it inevitably will). I think many of them would be left behind if other search engines were to become more popular. Different search engines use different techniques to crawl the net so what works for Google will not be as effective in other ones. Companies offering SEO will also have to adapt very significantly or enjoy their current success while it lasts.

There are new search engines appearing now and the older ones like Altavista and Yahoo may soon catch up with Google in time. Resently some ex-Google employees set up a search engine called Cuil which has a more magazine like interface. I have to say I really like Cuil too.

However, it does not end there. Google offer other services like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Earth, along with a whole manner of others which are fantastic and very versatile. They now also own YouTube and will pounce on the next big thing I am sure! Then again the popularity of Facebook shows that other companies are on the rise too.

Maybe Google have realised that their days may be numbered as the top search engine and have branched out into other areas. However, Google's search engine is still central to its reputation and other services will to a greater extent rely on its continued success.

Oh Gosh! I have just realised Google actually also own the company who host this blog! I love you Google honest I do! :-)

On Saturday I was absolutely fine but on Sunday I woke up with a feeling that spelled impending doom! No it wasn't alcohol related it was this year's round of the flu!

I am always surprised at this time of year in UK (when it starts to get wintery) how colds and flu seem to creep up on us unawares like grey mist getting thicker and thicker! Sometimes you get off light and you only have a runny nose and feel drained. Other times you get the full blown event with headaches, fever and a general gloomy feeling that you wouldn't mind if the earth swallowed you up now! If you can get the sleep that is good but quite often the illness renders you for the most part incapacitated but conscious as you struggle to make the next cup of lemsip.

Some people's approach is to take enough medicine that they walk around some strange trance state not unlike 'Dawn of the Dead'. Whether it's cough syrup, paracetemol or ibuprofen they get stocked up on all of it. I personally don't recommend this course of action as I believe the best way is to let you body deal with it in its own way. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

You are always left with an annoying waiting game with the virus in which all you can do is stick it out. It helps if you can convince someone else to look after everything while you are ill as cooking dinner and tidying up becomes a real chore. Sympathy always goes down a treat too. Then again being alone has its merits - you don't necessarilly want to deal with other people's issues when you are ill.

Anyway if you are also down with flu, cold or similar virus at the moment my heart goes out to you! Hang on in there!

Gosh - I've managed to write a whole post complaining about being ill! I must be feeling better...

I have been watching the US Presidential Race between Barack Obama and John McCain with much interest. To be honest I have a lot of disagreements with the way the USA generally handle themselves especially with their foreign policy. They don't do themselves any favours and whoever gets in will have a difficult road ahead especially with financial situation at the moment. Having said that it will be good to see Obama in though as he seems to have a plan and is certainly inspiring young american voters.

The final presidential debate yesterday made for some interesting viewing especially when they kept talking about Joe the Plumber! I initially thought like many people, 'who the hell is Joe the Plumber?'

Apparently Joe the Plumber is a small business owner who challenged Obama over his economic policy when he was campaigning in Ohio at the beginning of the week. His name has now become famous as unwitting symbol of the econonic situation in the US because of being mentioned so many times in the final presidential debate.

Barack and John went on to discuss the issue of negative advertising in both of their campaigns. Both of these guy have been have mudslinging at each other the last few months. I think it doesn't send out the right message generally to focus on the negative. The Americans need positive solutions from their presidential candidates not personal attacks on each other.

McCain choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate has also been the source of much debate. In my opinion I am pretty shocked that someone like her could rise to such a position of influence. She comes from Alaska and is known for her radical creationist views. I find it hard to take her seriously. Go American Soccer Mums! Yeah whatever...

One thing I will say about both Obama and McCain's campaign is their impressive use of new media and the internet to propel their campaigns. Both have used Facebook, YouTube and Blogs to very good effect to engage with especially younger voters. Our very own UK policians could learn a lot from this as they seem to be very slow in the uptake of new media. Number 10's YouTube channel is a start but doesn't seem to be getting many hits. It's a shame but I don't think British Politicians have the media savvy or 'Pzazz' of their American Counterparts.

Barack Obama is one of the most charismatic speakers I have ever seen. He seems to really engage his audience in their own language. If he got in it would of course be historic as he would be the first American president of African descent. He is even inspiring kids from the ghetto areas of the US which is amazing feat. Symbolically in the US and across the world (even here in the UK) his appointment would have massive affect and would mean a radical shift in thinking.

Also I know this may sound ageist but I would imagine the American presidential role to be very demanding if not one of the most demanding roles there is. It would probably be more suitable for someone in his forties.

Fingers crossed Obama gets in as we don't want another four years of a Bush-style Government throwing its weight around. A change we can believe in? We hope....as I'm sure Joe the Plumber will.

The third series of 'Ross Kemp On Gangs' has now come to a close on Sky 1. In this post I want to communicate my general admiration for the series and talk about some of the issues it throws up about the reality of the world we live in today.

If you are not familiar with 'Ross Kemp On Gangs' it follows Ross Kemp as he travels to different countries around the world to examine serious issues surrounding gang culture. Ross gets into some sticky situations as he tries to discover the truth about gangs are fighting about. Possibly the most dangerous parts are when goes and meets the gangs themselves and interviews the gang leaders. For instance he has members of the US gangs Bloods, Crips and the Latin Kings. Some of the other countries that have been featured in the series include Brazil, New Zealand, Jamaica, Poland and of course the 'good ole UK'!

With this show Ross has managed to totally revive his career. Many people know him as 'Grant' from Eastenders but after that Ross Kemp did not really hit home any of the shows he did. I guess he decided to chuck in the third rate ITV cop dramas for something with a bit more balls and the 'On Gangs' Series is definitely that! The show won a BAFTA in May 2007 for best factual show.

Having watched the series, it really has opened my eyes to the issues that people face around the world. In my mind it seems to be same issues that come up over and over again whatever country it is or whatever gang it is. Firstly it is that of economics, when there is a large gap between rich and poor the less well off understandably get angry when they have to struggle to make ends meet. Seeing as there are limited resources they have to band together for protection. The gang problem arises when you get lots of people banding together like this and competing for scarce resources. In many cases there are little or no job opportunities for these people and some may come from broken families. For them the gang is all they have and they will defend it at any cost. This may be difficult for the average person to understand until they have been in the situation themselves.

Secondly, they seem to be in an environment where there is deep seeded political or social instability. In the case of Kenya there has been history of political uncertainty leading to people of different tribes having difficulty asserting there collective identities. Again a gang provides this identity, philosophy, structure and pride for these people. Also Politicians and other people in authority, who seem squeaky clean in public, are manoeuvring situations to there own ends and perpertuating the problem.

Thirdly, Greed and Power are two powerful motivators. The gangs compete over who controls the territory, money, drugs, prostitution, rackets, etc. In all gangs some people are leaders and some people are followers. The leaders all want to be at the very top and followers all want to know they are following the right leader. This can be the case for men especially who are attracted to power, competition and high status.

It is very sad to see the number of disillusioned, angry and frustrated men in these gangs (though there are many women too) who would kill members of a rival gang in a blink of an eye. In my opinion they become this way because there is no positive outlet or role models for them and everyone wants to express themselves. I am not condoning the terrible acts of violence that they perpertrate. A lot of these are unspeakable with no regard for human life and quite often innocent people get caught in the crossfire.

I cannot help thinking though that in a different environment these 'gang leaders' might have been successful career and business people if they had chosen this path or given the opportunity.

The gang problem is something that has to be addressed by Politicians, Police, Community Leaders and public at large. People have to be provided with viable alternatives to joining gangs through appropriate education and interaction with positive role models.

Anyway well done to Ross Kemp and the other people behind the show for bringing these issues to our attention.

It has been over a year since I have entered the world of PR and I have certainly had a lot of crazy experiences. Along the way I had the privilege of working for a lot of different clients but working on the Weston Pier strategy is one of my most interesting roles yet.

My speciality was always the online world and my challenge was fusing that with conventional PR strategies. When the Weston Pier fire story broke it was massive news both in the conventional media and online. The BBC video of the fire was one the most viewed videos ever on the site. The story also made international news everywhere from the USA, to Canada, to South Africa, to Australia.

A month ago our company, Empica, was appointed to handle the PR for Weston Pier. We are overseeing all parts of the strategy from the disaster itself to rebuilding of the pier. It has been a rollercoaster ride since then and we have had to deal with Radio, TV and the Press all wanting the latest news. For my part I am in charge of Weston Pier's online strategy which includes monitoring stories online and social networking.

There has been an overwhelming reaction on facebook as well with many Weston Pier groups being set up. The biggest of these is in the region of 14,000 members.

The big news that broke yesterday was that of the new designs of the pier. Everyone in the media was literally scrambling over the pictures of the designs (the phones were red hot in the office!). I must say that I have never seen anything like this let alone be working on the project. You can see the top of this post for one of the designs and check out the rest on the BBC website.

I look forward to see how the story unfolds as the rebuilding of the pier commences.