The third election TV debate in Birmingham last night did not fail to disappoint. This is even inspite of much talk during the day being about Gordon Brown's lose 'bigot' comments.

It was another well fought debate this time with more focus on economic issues as well as immigration. Gordon Brown did look a bit visibly rattled given the day's events. There was a lot of political point scoring between him and David Cameron. Brown brought up a lot of economic arguments but most seemed to be avoiding impending financial doom.

David Cameron was having a bit of difficulty in answering questions on immigration and other economic issues. At one point he could not even answer a simple yes / no question on his immigration policy.

Nick Clegg was of course trying to be the 'voice of reason' between the political point scoring of the other two. However, his policy on immigration came under attack. The others said his policy of the effective legalising and integration of thousands of illegal immigrants was sending out the wrong message to others who would try to get into the UK illegally. Nick Clegg pointed out that it was an issue that was not going to disappear and had to be dealt with immediately.

What happens over the next week is anyones guess but what is certain that Google searches in the UK for 'hung parliament' have overtaken searches for 'Britney Spears'. I don't think that has happened before!

Last week Facebook unveiled it's new Open Graph API. What this means is that other websites will gain the ability to customise your web experience more easily using your data from Facebook.

For instance, if you have logged into Facebook and then went to another website which used the new Graph API you would find the website more customised and personalised to your tastes. This is the next stage in Facebook's plan is to 'socialise' the web. Facebook aims to be the first port of call when you open your browser and they also want the websites you visit afterwards to have customised content based your usage of Facebook.

Is this a good or bad thing for users?

The jury is still out on that one! Facebook has been transparent in their explanation of what is happening and their plan for a Social Graph. However, do people or even Facebook themselves or other companies involved really understand the consequences of such an action?

Facebook's rise to dominance has seen its user-base grow to over 400 million. It is now in a unique position to attempt such a bold feat as 'socialising' the web. Thanks to its continued popularity Facebook has a massive amount of user data which up till now has been used for social adverts and applications within Facebook.

I am sure other companies have been dying to harness the power of this. Not least of these is Microsoft now who want to offer their Office Software as social web apps. This means you might soon be logging into Facebook in order to use Word or Excel online!

However, there are privacy issues that go along with this. Lots of people have trusted Facebook with private and personal data and to be seen as exploiting this could be disasterous.

From a user's perspective Facebook will argue that this will enhance your experience of the web and make it more personalised. Of course we will have the chance to opt of this new development but how many people will understand the intricacies what the social graph could mean for them. We should ask ourselves is this something we really want and are we willing to be just swept along with the tide? Are we happy about other companies using our data for their research? Facebook can certainly see the benefits and will shout to the hills about it but can we?

Maybe you have all the information and customisation you need right now and do not need anything else....

As viewers of the 2nd UK election TV debate last night will know, it was well fought by all parties but Nick Clegg has continued to hold his own.

This is all amid accusation's of Nazi slurs from the Daily Mail and a predictable yet unsubstantial attack from the Sun. I woke yesterday to the sound of the #nickcleggsfault hashtag on Twitter which became trending across the world as UK tweeps responded in their own ironic way to these stories.

The TV Debate saw Nick Clegg quite literally take centre stage as they discussed hot topics like global affairs, immigration and the economy. David Cameron and Gordon Brown did seem more engaged and passionate. They are now obviously taking the Lib Dem threat seriously now

It is almost impossible to believe that just over 3 months ago Mr Clegg was relatively unknown but is now taking so much of the lime-light.

It was nice they came to good ole Brizzle for it too! I was thinking of dropping by the venue myself on the way home but there were police and baracades everywhere as you might expect.

Anyway I am looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds....

When we are not not looking to the skies for volcanic ash we are talking about a UK election which has taken a slightly different tack. Since the TV debate polls of a certain Mr Clegg of the Liberal Democrats have soured so high that even the mighty Eyjafjallajokull could not hold him back.

Nick's debate performance was certainly a force to be reckoned with as he successfully tapped into many people's growing mistrust of politics as a whole. However, there was not much expected of him when he entered the debate. He was the underdog and just had to wait for Brown and Cameron to have a predictable slanging match. It was then a matter of pointing out how annoying they were and how the Lib Dems would somehow be less annoying. That being said he did come across much more honest and transparent and this has paid dividends. Who would have thought it? Being straight-up with people is the way to win support! This is very refreshing for British politics and by no means rocket science.

Since my previous post the figures have changed slightly too. The number of Twitter followers are as follows (excuse the pun!):

Conservative - 27,397 (increase of 1458)
Liberal Democrats - 15,128 (increase of 2698)
Labour - 14,825 (increase of 777)

While the Tories are still in the lead here the Lib Dems have seen the biggest increase in their number of followers. They have also overtaken Labour since the debate.

The Google searches of each party leader's name also shed more light on what is going on.

Searches for "Nick Clegg" have skyrocketed on Google since the debate. The Tories and Labour have a very similar number of searches but both are dropping.

It is clear that Nick Clegg is the 'boy wonder' right now but for how long. The other parties are now looking to deconstruct Lib Dem policies to regain ground. This means Nick Clegg will now be in the limelight and under much more scrutiny. Whatever, happens though he has certainly made a statement and a hung parliament looks like a distinct possibility.

I think it is quite clear that social media is going to be a significant factor that shapes this UK election whether it is Labour, Conservative or the Liberal Democrats.

With the respective manifesto launch it will be a challenge to get the message out especially to first-time voters. For the major parties, social media has become essential tool to target new audiences who may have been previously disaffected or disinterested in politics.

This is the first time that social media will play a part in a UK Election and no-one knows exactly how this will play out. It is all uncharted territory. I imagine many of their strategies are based upon what happened in the US Election of 2008. The Obama campaign certainly was a solid case study but times have changed a lot since then. Both social media and people's experience of it have evolved so no-one can really predict what will happen. Businesses are now taking social media more seriously and it is an almost indispensible tool for the personal lives of many.

With that in mind here are some interesting election social media figures.....

At the time of writing the number of followers for each party on Twitter are:

Conservative - 25,939
Labour - 14,048
Liberal Democrats - 12,430

However if you look at number of YouTube views of main party videos the figures are as follows:

Labour - 'Labour Manifesto 2010: A future fair for all' posted (posted 11/04/10)- 41,226
Conservative - 'An Invitation to join the government of Britain' (posted 13/04/10)- 26,989
Liberal Democrats - David Laws: Election 2010 Manifesto Launch (posted 14/04/10) - 187

This provides interesting snap-shot of what is going on social media wise for each of the parties but by no means the big picture. What the future holds is anyone's guess. I anticipate lots of twists and turns in the coming weeks.

As I recall, the US election between Obama and McCain became a mudslinging match before the end. Remember that guy 'Joe the Plumber'? However, Obama was very successful in getting his messages out on social media and it is beyond doubt that it played big part in his election win. Also it was his positive messages like 'change' were the ones that seemed to resonate most with the voters. This is something that I am sure Mr Cameron has been somewhat influenced by in his campaign, 'vote for change'.

As with US election we are seeing a fair bit of mudslinging here in the UK regarding tax, National Insurance and other policies. It is a shame that election politics all to often is about rubbishing opposing parties policies rather than focusing on actual value they could add to the country.

UK politics has been thrown in the deep end with the social media world. It will be interesting to see what effect it has in the coming weeks as the election hits fever pitch...

Thanks to all who came down for Bristol Twestival at the Tunnels last thursday nite! It was packed out and went down a storm. The performances by the Reacharounds and Phantom Limb were something to remember. We raised £ 5,612 for Concern Worldwide! We look forward to the next one. If you couldn't make it down see the photo slideshow below and the video of Phantom Limb to get some vibes about what it was like....

Shout outs to the following for helping making the nite what it was:

@dan_martin, @reeb1981, @samdownie, @jaywilliamspr, @gdyer, @prbristolblog and @jamesainsworth

Also great to meet:
Anna Kirby @atkirby, Stephen Gardner @stephengatbjs, Ben Park @benparkbjs and Chris Taylor @glowgadgets(thanks for the entertaining rapping and comedy!)

Fundraising update: #bristwestival has raised £5,617!! Third most money raised by a UK city and 11th most in the world!

As many of you know by now I have been helping organising Bristol Twestival. Twestival is a charity event that will take place this Thursday 25th March in 200+ cities across the world in aid of Concern. Concern organises worldwide projects to reduce suffering and end extreme poverty. The event is organised over Twitter though you don't have to be on Twitter to go!

The Bristol event will take place at the Tunnels. It features music from soul and R&B band Phantom Limb and Bristol cover band the Reacharounds. There will also be a raffle with an extensive variety of prizes as well as goody bags.

I hear an England shirt signed by the David Beckham and a House of Commons bottle of whisky signed by the prime minister are up for grabs too!

More info is available on the Bristol Twestival Website, Twitter or Facebook Fan Page. We have already sold over 120 tickets and are chasing a £3000 target so your support is much appreciated. We would love to see you down there.

For those reading from outside Bristol, have a look out for a local event wherever you are!

It looks to be a great nite - I can't wait! :)

UPDATE!
NEW RAFFLE PRIZE: Room hire for 30 +free buffet at brizwalkabout 's new bar Rewind during England's 1st World Cup game! Worth £300!

It's official then! Facebook is bigger than Google now in the US. The lead is miniscule at the moment but the trend of Facebook's growth over the last couple of months seems to be an undeniable indicator of a further movement in this direction.

But what does this all mean for us? There is a now a battle on between Google and Facebook. Both sites want to be your starting point for the experience of the web. While Google provides a highly efficient way of searching the net more are turning to social recommendations on Facebook. Social media can also put you in more direct contact with experts online where you can gain the information you require

Early guises of the internet were of static sites that did not change but this evolved into more dynamic web-content. It is now going one step further towards a continuous social streams of information. Facebook is currently capitalising on this while Google seems to be still coming up with ideas. Google's first proper venture into Social Networking, Buzz, was met with lots of privacy concerns which they are still trying to iron out.

For us digital life will be case of surfing and manoeuring around the online social slipstream which no-one person can really control or regulate entirely. While this is good for sharing information it can lead to a state of information overload. People may walk around with a smartphone in one hand and iPad in the other in a permanently distracted state. One big problem about all this is that you cannot easily switch off or disconnect easily especially with mobile web. Another is the issue of a growing digital divide between people who can afford the internet and take it for granted and those who do not have access. There may be many that are left behind while others rush ahead.

On the positive side, however, the possiblity for creating new communities that span the globe is immense though this must be handled with responsibility and care. It has implications for all parts of society from politics, to media, to business, to interpersonal relationships. Authenticity, transparency and trust are becoming vital commodities that hold all of this together.

For my part I hope that the sharing and collaborative aspects of online communities will far outweigh any downsides and we are moving from the darkness to a brite new world.

Social communities and the slipstream will be what we make it so we should strive to make it as positive and inclusive as possible.

@Chrisbrogan's speech at Likeminds last friday was very insightful to have witnessed in person (please see previous blog post for more on my trip to Likeminds). However, I have just watched the video of it again on his blog only to gain yet more insight.

It is strange the aspects you may miss the first time round but the second time I really tried to understand what Chris was trying to communicate about running successful social media campaigns.

In my mind it was all about being a human being and making others feel special. If you do not have this all the marketing, IT, online, social media knowledge in the world will not be enough to compensate for it.

Being human is not something you learn or have to study to be but it is something you have. It is amazing the amount of people in business and society at large have lost touch with this. Often people buy into the social role they play and think that is all they are.

In fact maybe you do not have to be human. My friend has a dog and she is a little over-enthusiastic to say the least! What she does do very well however, is pick up on people's emotions around here very well. She is very responsive to these and because of this she makes the people around her feel special.

I had a really wacky thought! If it was possible to train a dog to do social media campaigns she would probably be quite good at them!

Anyway going back to Chris Brogan... It is great to have high-profile people like him to remind us of the basic fact of human connectedness. We definitely need more of it!

I am always fascinated with wide diverse sets of people I seem to be meeting from Twitter. Each has their own passions, interests and reasons for using it. You never quite know what you are going to get!

It is very weird meeting people you have been used to seeing as avatar bouncing down your screen. This was certainly the case recently in the Likeminds event I went to in Exeter on last Friday which featured some high profile social media speakers and bloggers.

Twitter was the main weapon of choice there and I found it to be a very good leveller between lots of different types of people. Often in the case of such events you almost feel a barrier between the audience and the speakers. Each attendee was even provided a sticker of their Twitter avatar instead of name badge.

I realised this event was very different as I met @chrisbrogan (a President of the US company New Marketing Labs and Influential Blogger) outside the venue. I had been reading his blog for a while as he is very much a social media thought-leader at the moment. It was really something to meet him in person and I soon realised how down-to-earth he was. In true British style I asked him how he was finding the cold weather and he told me it was much worse in Chicago where he had flown from!

The event itself featured a multitude of speakers from right across the spectrum of social media. Chris Brogan was the headline speaker for the event and the one everyone was eargerly anticipating. He did not disappoint though I wished he could have been on for longer. While others focused on specific strategies and tactics Chris focused on the underlying aspect of human connection and making people feel special.

One of my other favourite speakers was Olivier Blanchard @thebrandbuilder. He spoke and on how to intergrate social media into businesses and the challenges on the way. I was lucky enough to talk to him at the end of the event too. He seemed to have an answer for every question I had even the toughies!

I ended up staying the after party too even though I was supposed to come back to good old Bristol. I am very glad I did. I meet some very interesting people from PR people, to bloggers, to enthusiasts, to journalists, to business owners as well as having a beer with Olivier and Chris!

Gone are the days when social networking was just sitting at a computer sending messages. As we move into a real-time environment online communities are soon becoming real-world communities.

This has been quite clearly brought home to me when attending a regular social media event in Bristol called Brrism. What interested me about the event is that it is all organised through social media and is all about social media. I have met some very interesting people there and had some great discussions. What I realised is that coming from an Online PR/Social Media work environment I had a certain way that I viewed and used social media both for myself and my clients. I soon realised that that my methods for using social media were not the only ones. Customisability means everyone uses social media to meet their own specific needs and hence they have completely different perceptions of it.

However, one common theme that keeps coming up is the concept of sharing ideas and community. It is interesting to see how Brrism has developed since its inception last year. There is still a long way to go and I often feel that we are like kids again trying to establish ourselves in a group. New community formation takes time and I know there will be more challenges along the way.

Social media has also been powerful tool for charities. Since the Haiti earthquake charities have successfully utilised social media in getting messages out and forming supportive online communities.

I have mentioned Twestival on this blog before in reference to this as it is an excellent example. Following a successful event last year there is an event on 25 March 2010. The Twestival event will be is global affair where events are to take place in big cities around the world. This year it will be in aid of Concern which is looking to rebuild the education infrastructure in Haiti.

The entire event is organised using social media (namely Twitter) and online communities. It has created real-world impact though these channels.

It is obvious to me that charities are an area where the community and sharing ethos of social media can really come into its element.


If you are in the Bristol area definitely check out Bristwestival which is Bristol's offering. It features live music, a raffle, goodie bags and other wonderful things all in aid of charity. It takes place on 25 March at the Tunnels and tickets cost £5. See below for more details and book tickets here.

Whether you are single or not the most romantic day in the calendar may prove a challenging time to say the least.

Singletons quite often find this is a dark and gloomy time where they are constantly reminded how single they are and how single they may well be in he future. For gals the only retreat may be lazing around in their pyjamas watching Bridget Jones for the seventeenth time. For the guys it may be found in firing up that games console for yet another seven hour marathon of Call Of Duty 4 or Pro Evo.

Singletons are barely able to take a single step without constant reminders of the day of romance whether it is special offers in shops /restaurants or messages from the 'loved up' media. TV or Radio during this time is a definite no-no. The daunting day arrives and the only mail they have received is a couple of bank statements and the annual heart-shaped card from Mum (which is very much appreciated but does not really count). This all leads singletons to a near murderous frenzy in which they have been known to wander the streets dispensing with all happy couples in their way.

While singletons are made to feel bad about a situation they may not have control over, it is not a bed of roses for couples either. When with someone Valentine's Day always seems to bring with it a big expectation to do something very special. This is in no small part down to the endless 'rom-coms' and other Hollywood movie magic. Partners may now wish to be spoilt with fine wines, foods, cards and gifts before being ushered upstairs to a love suite where they will be covered in red petals before a ravishing night of Valentines passion.

Failure to live up to such expectations could potentially spell imminent doom for any relationship. A box of Quality Street and a half-price bouquet from the nearest petrol station simply may not cut the mustard these days.

However, there are some people for which Valentine's is always a lovely affair. They are the businesses be they restaurants, card manufacturers, florists and others which provide us with our obligatory love gifts. For card manufacturers Valentine's Day is the best day for card sales after Christmas. Florists have been know to double sometimes triple their prices over the romantic period. It all seems quite cheeky really.

Anyway I am sure Saint Valentine had the best of intentions when he created his day. Unfortunately reality does not always live up to ideals.

What comes to mind when you think of the Wild West? Gun totting outlaw gangs, cowboys, stern sheriffs, musky saloons, desperate land and gold rushes....

This all sounds like America of the 1800s which is the era in which TV shows like HBO's Deadwood are set.

Strange as it sounds, however, this world is not a million miles away from cyberspace. Online businesses are in a constant state of one-upmanship and bravado similar to rival cowboy outfits. The online world transcends international boundaries so legal issues can become very confused leading to an almost lawless environment where byte-tottin' gangs run wild looking for gold.

For instance, Steve Jobs' comments about Google and Adobe are the perfect example of an old style bar-room rant. I could imagine him in the Wild West with all his Apple cohorts heckling his Google and Adobe counterparts on the other side of the bar.

"You darn two-bit Google hoodlums!" or

"You lazy Adobe go-fo-nuthins!" he would probably say.

I guess he would also be jumping around with an iPad in one hand and a glass of the strongest whiskey possible in the other. Google's Brin, Page and Schmidt would be sitting in the corner of the bar grumbling to themselves in multi-coloured Stetson hats emblazoned with the words 'Don't be evil'.

Of course the weapons of the online era are not guns but hardware, web apps and online business models and there is much money (gold) to be made. Google is looking to bring some law and order with its evolving web apps and advertising models but recently stepped on rival turf with the announcement of the Nexus One phone.

This was treated as an act of disrespect by Apple and a challenge to Apple's successful iPhone. Apple wants to make it clear that it 'runs the town' as far hardware goes and when you split you will split Apple's way. However, there is now talk of a gPad to rival Apple's iPad and this will only cause more unrest in the town.

Apple have also been increasing unhappy with the Adobe outfit. In their eyes they seem to be just an unreliable bunch of layabouts that spend all day in the saloon drinking whisky.

Of course there is also the Microsoft outfit too and they have been there for a long time. They used to 'run the town' pretty much outright once. Unfortunately, the Google outfit appeared from over the hill just over ten years ago and since then they have been muscling in all the rackets in the town. From operating systems, email and office applications Microsoft found themselves losing ground and have precious gold taken away from them. They have not been happy but struck back at the very heart of the Google outfit with the Bing search engine.

Over the hill there is a new town being built and a new gold rush. Two big outfits have emerged namely Twitter and Facebook. They have started making a lot of noise in their saloons too but this is the subject for another online Wild West tale.

This all makes for some interesting outlaw rivalries and whatever happens the online gold rush is here to stay. Only time will tell who gets to be sheriff (if one appears) but in the meantime there will be plenty of interesting bar-room brawls to follow this year in the Wild West of cyberspace.

The New Year has brought the UK a flurry of snow which has yet again brought everything to a standstill! At the moment I am blogging to you from a snow bunker on the east of Bristol UK and the only communication with outside world is the internet - namely Twitter and this blog.

I have made sure I have enough food and beer to last me another 72 hours. After then I don't know what I will do! AHHH, Outside everything is cold and white!

Anyway I wanted to share with you some snow photos from around Bristol courtesy of my Twitter followers.

Queen Square, Bristol by @SallyanneHowell


A snow-woman by @lisariemers


Blizzard in BS5 by @Souterain

These have really brightened my day in the snow bunker. Keep the communications running. It is all we can do for now!

As the year draws to a close there has been time for much festive cheer but it is also a time for reflection. Think of this post as kind of like a flash-back episode on a TV show.

In the spirit of this I decided to put together a list of the top 10 posts from this blog as chosen by you, the readers. In order to do this I have used some background web stats on number of views as well average time people spent each blog post. So without further ado here it is! Enjoy!

1. The 7 Chakras of TweetZen - A fun piece on the emerging existence of Twitter Spirituality (in my humble opinion!). I have a fair few retweets on this one so I will take that as good karma!
   
2. Lost in Social Media Mayhem - The world of social media can be tricky and confusing but there is light at the end of the tunnel!
3. 10 Unemployment Survival Strategies - Over the last year there are many that have experienced unemployment and this is a very challenging time for the soul.
   
4. Google and Microsoft Take Potshots At Each Other - Online business world has been compare to the 'wild west' and this is certainly not and understatement
5. Bada Bing - Nothing to do with Microsoft search engine but something I wrote at the beginning of the year about my love of the TV show The Sopranos. It is a surprise entry in this list.
6. Postcard from Palestine - A fantastic post from Ben Khanna about his experiences in the holy land
7. Arabian Nights.... Dubai Style - Dubai is city I never forgot when I visited it. If you are going yourself give this a read for sure. It includes a video of our expedition through the desert.
8. Is It A Case Of To Little To Late For Mr Murdoch - The way consume news and share information is changing with Internet. Murdoch wants to charge for online news content. We will see in 2010 how successful this is.
9. Has Notting Hill Carnival Lost It? - This is written by guest blogger Nadia Auckburally on how she thinks London's Notting Hill Carnival may be losing the original Carnival spirit.
   
10. Asperger's Syndrome/Autism - Disability or Special Ability - A piece on differing perspectives on Asperger's and Autism. This is especially poignant with the Gary McKinnon case and his possible extradition to the US.

The festive season would not be the same without christmas trees brimming with decorations, paper party hats that keep falling off, cheeky mistletoe, presents with big bows on them, and a turkey so big you will be living off the leftovers for weeks afterwards! Add to this the wonder that is Christmas cracker humour and you will feel you have had the full festive experience.

It is amazing because even though they are so bad they always seem to put a smile on your face! For your Christmas cheer I have specially selected a couple of my favourite 'bad' Christmas cracker jokes... I warn you though I am not sure some of them have punchlines!

1. Father Christmas lost his umbrella but he didn't get wet! Why not?
   Because it wasn't raining!
2. How do Snowman travel around?
   By riding an icicle
3. What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck?
   A Christmas Quacker!
4. Why didn't the skeleton go to the Christmas party?
   Because he had no-body to go with
   
5. Knock Knock.
   Who's there?
   Mary.
   Mary who?
   Mary Christmas!
6. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?
   It's Christmas, Eve!
7. How do you make an idiot laugh on Boxing Day?
   Tell him a joke on Christmas Eve
8. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
   Frostbite
9. What do angry mice send each other at Christmas?
   Cross mouse cards
10. Who hides in a bakery at Christmas?
    A mince spy

Have a great Xmas! Keep shining! :)

From the outset this blog is about shining light on the issues of the moment and one of these is the subject of bullying.

A lot of people have faced this whether it was at school, work or now online. Often bullies are individuals who have some shortfall or insecurity about themselves and want to take this out on someone else. Social media sites have given bullies another way to do this.

This may take the form of a relentless campaign of intimidation by the bully. Some of the behaviour and may be direct whereas some of the behaviour may be undermining behaviour. It can be difficult to deal with a bully if you share a workplace or university course with them. The key thing to remember is they are trying to make you feel bad for their own insecurities and mishaps that have happened in the past. They are often cowards who probably need a hug from mummy!

It is not your fault that they have had a rough ride and you should not be made a scape-goat for the fact that they cannot take responsibility for what has happened in their own life.

If you have a special talent too you will encounter the 'haters'. These are people who feel they have missed out and are jealous of the fact you are doing well. They may mock your talent and try and make you feel ashamed of it but do not let them. It is not your fault they cannot do what you can do or are not smart enough. Build yourself up, invest in your talent and screw the playa haters.

The best way to be bully/hater proof is to first of be proud of who you are no matter what and create a network of likeminded people who you trust and value you for what you do. Wherever possible give the bully absolutely no attention (as this is what the bully ultimately desires). Make sure you get advice from others and do not bottle things up inside. Some people find it productive to write things down. You could even take up boxing or Martial art and give the bullies a run for their money like on MTV's Bully Beatdown! The internet is also a place where you can find information and meet others in the same situation as you.

Whatever happens.......Stay Strong And Keep Shining! You might think you are alone but you are not the only one. Take 'em down champ!! It's your time! ;)

It has been no secret that the internet culture of sharing information and news content has been an increasingly large thorn in the side of large news corporations. However, media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, feels he has the answer and can reverse slumping revenue by charging for news content.

Strangely enough the only reason I heard about this story was because I was following the Guardian on Twitter. I then did a Google News search to find more about the story. I cannot think of a better way of illustrating the problem that large old media corporations are facing at this moment in time.

In a video interview on YouTube, the media mogul Murdoch discusses how 'everyone has been asleep' and how the content should never have been free in the first place. He then went on to accuse the likes of Google and Microsoft of stealing his stories. To me it seems like the last frenzied scrap by a dying autocratic media business model. He seems to place little or no value on the fact that such companies are directing potential customers to his news websites. They simply act as indexers or portals that lead users to the content and are not responsible for the content itself. It is centralised media corporations which have been asleep not everyone else.

If they were awake they would have realised that there is a fundamental shift taking place in the media landscape. It is now evolving to a more distributed decentralised two-way model of sharing news and information. It is not a case that one corporation can take charge and own the stories. The story is no longer static content at a point in time but a dynamically evolving entity of which we are all part of and can all have our voices heard. The value of this human connectedness and sharing goes way beyond profit margins of large old autocratic media corporations. However, a new business model will soon evolve out the ashes of the old media world. I doubt it will be what we expect. The internet is funny like that.

What is more is that people have already had a taste of this new evolution and will not give it up. At the end of the day corporations like Murdoch's provide a service for customers and in order to do this effectively they need listen to what customers want and value instead of being 'asleep'. It is no longer the case that they will have exclusivity to impose a rigid view of the world on its audiences. I am not sure those audiences are not even theirs any more - they are more mine and yours. This audience exclusivity is and will continue to be challenged by the new distributed online information sharing model.

By next year it may be difficult to find Murdoch news content in Google or Bing as he attempts to charge users for content. I am keen to see how this works out and if it is viable business model as all this may achieve is to further reduce his influence, audience and ultimately revenue.

We have seen it throughout history that empires rise and fall mostly due to inflexibilty and being unadaptable to changing environmental conditions.

I guess what I am trying to say can be summed up in one sentence or status update. Click here...

The high-profile relationship and recent divorce of Peter Andre and Katie Price (aka Jordan) has been the subject of much attention over the last few years. However, when all is said and done who wins in the end?

Since their 'chance' meeting on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2004 we have had to endure the trials and tribulations from marriage to divorce.

I often wonder why people are so drawn to sensationalism like this as to me it seems like a mediocre plot from a soap opera. Whatever I think the Peter and Jordan story is big business for tabloids, gossip mags and other broadcast media (and of course PRs somewhere in the background). I always find it fascinating on how people get so obsessed about celebrity culture and want to know every gory detail. Everyone seems to have an opinion too as if they know all the facts inside-out and are some sort of Peter/Katie relationship expert.

It is sad that many that focus on this often neglect the real relationships around them. They also appear to have a very short memory. Peter Andre for instance was almost a complete nobody before that 2004 apart a couple of luck-lustre pop records where he took his shirt of quite a lot.

Then came a certain reality TV show and a relationship with Glamour model Jordan. He was suddenly thrust back into the limelight with relationship that then became a celebrity marriage in 2005. Jordan's love-life up until that point had been tumultuous to say the least. It included well-known footballers, and other celebrities. For the most part, however, Jordan has also been known for taking her top of quite a lot too.

The high profile relationship even lead to a TV show which featured the lifestyle of the glamourous couple with pseudo Posh and Becks style awe. Then was the divorce.... which of course lead to two separate TV shows in which both divorcees attempted to show to the world how much better they were doing than the other.

As most people know the recent divorce and pot-shot spats have become very messy. These are people who probably never heard the phrase 'Do not wash your dirty linen in public'. Add to this some children and it makes for a very volatile situation.

We have heard stories about relationship jealousy, and we have even been subject Jordan's past stories of rape. I wonder what their kids will think when they grow up and see what happened to them when they were young.

At the end of the day I ask who wins? It surely isn't the kids. Is it us who consume this information almost voyeuristically? Is it Peter Andre who is now trying to keep shirt on this time and launch a solo career as 'serious music artist'? Is it Katie Price who is desperately trying create a couple of other reasons to remember her by? Or is it the sensationalist media and other related businesses who fan the flames of an on-going drama for financial gain?

Chakra 1: The Truth changes - Stories and emotional states change quickly on Twitterspace like the wind and the tides. You may find it very beneficial to retain emotional detachment from the sensual barrage of tweets that appear in your awareness. We know from the wisdom of 'wiki' that ideas and truths may be altered by different entities from around spiritual cyberspace. What is true one minute may not be true the next. Whereas some truths may yet come to fruition when their hashtags or keywords become trending topics.

Chakra 2: Tweet the Karma - It is said that a journey of a 1000 followers starts with a single tweet. So begin as you mean to go along as for every cause there is an effect and for every action, a reaction. With each tweet try to follow along karmic lines of positive intention and benevolence. Pay attention to sending a tweet and its consequences as it is akin to firing an arrow from a bow. Once it has gone it may not be easily retrieved or undone (even with use of the delete tweet button).

Chakra 3: 'Flow like water, my friend' - These are the wise words of martial arts legend Bruce Lee who was around long before the world of Twitter. In spite of this his words are of great value and relevance even now. Twitterspace is a constantly evolving enitity so flow with it whilst keeping calmness and serenity in your heart.

Chakra 4: Meditate often - Meditation and contemplation on tweets by you and others may bring about new creativity and direction. It may help you connect with other tweeters who have a similar energy and can help you on your journey.

Chakra 5: Become detached from materialism - There are many who will try to blind you with the seductive tweets of materialism and ego. However, as it is written in the first Chakra; the truth changes so such tweets may only be temporary delights which soon vanish into Twitterspace.

Chakra 6: Follow your path - The path into Twitterspace is up to you and you alone. There may be distracting energies along the way but stay true to your essence and intention.

Chakra 7: Patience.... This last Chakra will be here soon. If this has been of use please retweet below and all will become clear....

As an enthusiast of all aspects spiritual it occured to me while sitting under a tree last week in Spain that Twitter could actually be used to understand Zen Philosophy.

I know this sounds a little crazy but anyone who has gone through their old status updates may understand. Isn't it weird to see what you were up to and thinking a week or month ago? Who were you talking to and what about? Normally we would forget a lot of this but if you are on Twitter you have a snapshot into your past reality.

It is also interesting to observe how much situations and emotions change. Much of Zen Philosophy is living in the present moment without attachments to opinions or judgements. On Twitter we see how circumstances evolve sometimes in unexpected directions. What is true at one moment is often not true a second later when some new information is available or our state changes.

All this happened anyway but with Twitter we can see this on a large scale with ourselves and other people. Is this useful? I think so as quite often we can get consumed in the emotion of the present moment. We may write a status update like .....'I am really pissed off!' On reading the same update the next day we may wonder why we were so pissed off and whether it was worth it...

It was just over a decade ago that I decided to, for the most part, throw in the towel with alternative rock, indie rock, etc for the life of blazing breakbeats and raw baselines of Drum'n'Bass.

From that moment on I have never looked back and observed an emerging music genre that now spans the globe while staying true to its initial sound. Drum'n'Bass is a style of music that you just cannot hold down no matter what. It is a genre which is able to incorporate many other styles of music into a sonic barage of fiery intensity. From old-school rave to reggae to hip hop to soul to rock nothing is out of bounds for Drum'n'Bass.

I remember at the end of the 90s in the UK many said Drum'n'Bass was dead and hailed in a new era of UK Garage. How wrong they were! The UK Garage scene has all but disappeared and Drum'n'Bass only continues to get stronger.

For me certainly it has been (and still is) the soundtrack to my life and I have evolved and grown with the scene over the last decade or so. The new producers along with house-hold names such as Grooverider, Fabio, Bukem, Blu Mar Ten and others never fail to surprise with wealth of new tunes that always push the boundaries. I still remember firm favourites like Goldie's 'Inner City Life' and Bukem's 'Music' but also embrace the continued quick evolution into the future. Artists like High Contrast, Sub Focus, Pendulum and Shy Fx have given the mainstream a taste of what Drum'n'Bass producers are capable of. DJs like Andy C continue to smash the clubs like they did ten years ago and how could I forget MCs like Skibadee, Stamina and DRS who always rock crowds with their lyrics.

People who wanted to label Drum'n'Bass as soley electronic music found it increasingly difficult with Roni Size and Reprazent's escapade into live Drum'n'Bass in 1997. It won them a Mercury music prize and inspired others to follow suit. Now we have live acts by Pendulum who again push things to the next level.

BBC's Radio 1 and 1Xtra host several Drum'n'Bass show including the Fabio and Grooverider show which has been an indispensible resource for latest tunes for over 10 years. With the growth of podcasting Drum'n'Bass has also turned its attention there. London Electricity's Hospital podcast has won awards and is consistent with its output of all styles of Drum'n'Bass. There also others such as the Lifted Music Podcast and the Drum'n'Bass Arena Podcast. There seems nothing that Drum'n'Bass people cannot do when they put their mind to it.

There are so many artists, DJs and MCs in scene right now that I rate I could even begin to list them here. They all share a passion for the scene and provide consistent good music whatever else is happening in other music scenes. I hope this will continue into the future. Also while Drum'n'Bass draws from many wordwide influences it is the only style of music that originates entirely from the UK (if you can think of any others let me know!). People in the UK should celebrate and value this more.

For my there seems to be a tune that suits every mood. I have stuck with Drum'n'Bass this far and look forward to another decade of smashing breakz, basslinez and rhythmz...

BIG UP D&B MASSIVE!

Brazil's DJ Marky feat. Stamina MC - LK

With the advancement of any new media many get swept up by it but there are always those who want to dampen the spirits and rain on people's parades.

I recently read a an article on USA Today about how Twitter haters see no point in Tweeting. It is nice that they are able to have their views discussed online and shared on social media. ;)

Apparently most of what is discussed on Twitter is pointless babble but hang on a minute.... most of what is discussed offline is pointless babble too! Sensationalist tabloid journalism and reality TV shows could also be seen as pointless gossip but people still like it. One of the arguments that keeps coming up over and over is that Twitter and social media are making people lose human contact.

I find it strange that many of the people who hold these views have never even bothered to go on Twitter and experience it for themselves. In spite of this they will quite happily give judgements on what society should or should not be doing based on little or no information. Maybe it is a case of sour grapes at not being invited to the party.

Far from limiting human contact social media actually gives people different ways of communicating with others across the world. Twitter has been a great way for people to organise meetings in person or Tweetups. Such meetings with diverse sets of people would not have been possible in the past.

Online tools are great for start up businesses on a budget who quickly want to make a name for themselves. They have also been successfully used to inform people of political issues from the Obama campaign to US Healthcare/NHS debate. I am not saying social media world is all rosey and there are issues to deal with, however, change is never easy. Social media should be looked as tool to facilitate and enhance human communication and not a limiting factor.

Whenever something new comes along there are always 'haters'. In Hiphop they are always talking 'dealing with playa haters' and this is no different. When something gets popular there always people who want to take shots and have rant about how bad life is. Just because these people do not understand something does not mean they should hate on it. If they want to actually do some research and come back some sound arguments then great. In the meantime they should not try and spoil it for everyone else who is benefiting from social media. It they don't like it they don't have to join but...

Don't Drink The Hatorade!

As many know on the net a US healthcare reform debate yesterday sparked shockwaves when they criticised our very own NHS. It was at yesterday afternoon I notice a flurry of NHS related tweets. Within a matter of hours the hashtag #welovetheNHS became a top trending topic on Twitter. The debate still continues on US blogs and now even Gordon Brown has joined the Twitter furore over the NHS.

While there are many who are debating the topic this post focuses on how the debate seems to have erupted at an incredible rate on the internet.

An issue like this really demonstrates how quickly opinions can be formed online and how it is shaping a healthcare debate on both sides of the pond. The massive response online has lead to the debate being covered in the conventional media TV, Radio and National newspapers. If anyone has any doubts about how powerful social media can be they should put them to bed now.

While the battle still rages on multiple media channels, I feel it can only be a positive that so many people are taking part and actively contributing to an important political issue.

It also shows that the way people get news and engage in debate is changing. It seems like if you turn your head for one second you might miss something. Then again I suppose you always do a search and catch up pretty quickly! In Online PR and Social Media Strategies we always look for an 'engagement factor' when implementing a campaign and with this particular online debate you could safely say that engagement was off the chart. The potential for an online debate like this to inform people and create better politics is incredible.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome my second guest poster, another good friend of mine Nadia Auckburally. Carnival time is almost upon us again in Notting Hill, London but Nadia questions whether it is still relevent and authentic to its roots? NiteGlow..

As Notting Hill Carnival quickly approaches us, I wonder to myself if this will be another year of disappointment for me? I say this as I feel the carnival is no longer authentic to its roots.

Carnival began in January 1959 in St Pancras Town Hall as a response to the depressing state of race relations at the time; the UK's first widespread racial attacks (the Notting Hill race riots) had occurred the previous year. The carnival was a huge success, despite being held indoors. It first moved outside and was rescheduled to August in 1965. By 1976, the event had become definitely Caribbean in flavour. (Wikipedia)

The carnivals I have experienced in Trinidad & Tobago, Caribana in Toronto, Brooklyn and Miami have a mainly Soca presence to them. In fact Soca music has always been the cornerstone to all Caribbean carnivals. However, Notting Hill Carnival seems to have forgotten this. Since when do carnivals play homage to garage, hip hop, house, etc?

Other carnivals around the world have hundreds of organised floats blaring out music with masqueraders wearing costumes that have an impressive display of colours and creativity. You can watch the video below for a carnival in Trinidad.

All too often you only see the drips and drabs of parades and floats wondering along the streets of Notting Hill. I always feel like there is a lack of effort. Anyone who has experienced a real carnival will know what I am getting at here. This year London prepares once again to take on an estimated 1.5 million people during the bank holiday weekend August the 30th and 31st. I cannot help thinking what it would be like to have a full carnival parade like the ones in Trinidad or other parts of the world.

One of the other factors that disappoints me about the carnival is the substantial amount of crime and disorder which is always covered by the press. Some would feel is an unfair, negative and one sided view of carnival. Having said that there have been some serious violent incidents in the past and it is such a shame that a minority wants to start trouble. Carnival spirit is supposed about people coming together and having a good time.

This year the organisers have decided the procession will start earlier at 9.00am so that the judging of floats can be completed by 18.30pm and there will be more rigorous noise monitoring. All this is so that the police are able to control the crime throughout the day and riots at the end of the night! With so many measures in place I wonder if people will truly be able to relax and enjoy themselves.

I hope that somehow that Notting Hill Carnival can turn itself around for the sake of generations of people with Caribbean roots and all other cultures who come to enjoy the carnival.

As I write this Twitter has been shut down and Facebook is experiencing problems as Twitter users log on there instead. Social media world has been brought to a temporary stand-still and it is interesting to see what effect this is having online. This got me thinking on the world we are now moving into.

While people may criticise social media for 'dehumanising' our interaction I would argue it opens many doors for people across the world to communicate with each other in ways that we never could have dreamed of before. However, this assumes that people know and understand how to use these online tools properly and also understand the consequences of their actions.

Recently in the UK, we have heard about the new phenomenon of 'sexting' where people send each other naked photos of each other with no regard for the fact this may quite literally 'bite them on the ass' later on. Sour grapes and jealousy from ex-partners can be a potent force and can quite easily lead to compromising photos being shared online or posted on websites. The key thing is to remember that what happens in online world has repercussions in the offline world.

So powerful is this force that countries like Iran and China have are trying to impose strict limits on internet activity. Businesses are desperately trying to control and charge for access to certain parts of the web. However, the internet and the open source philosophy is not about 'walled-gardens' whether it is in business or between nations. It is about sharing information and ideas which crosses international boundaries, cultures, age, and social backgrounds and creating something new we can all benefit from.

For my part, I love the fact I can talk to people from all over the world and learn about them. The old order does not like change but then it never has looking back through history.

Much of the predjudice in the world stems from ignorance so having more information readily available is most likely a more positive than negative thing.

I guess what I am trying to say is simple: wE aRe hErE, wE aRe gLoBaL!

While many of us in Online PR and Media make a big noise about strategies and content we often forget the people who made this possible in the first place

Many people know of the Mark Zuckerbergs or Brin and Pages of this world, however, there are many unknown software/online tool developers who offer their expertise online for free or little cost. These people are largely forgotten when people in the media make a big noise. It is only right that their efforts be noticed and valued.

With the rise of social media we have seen the all sorts of online applications pop up performing a giant multitude of tasks. Facebook, for example, has a variety of third party applications which have been by designed by developers around the world. Its continued success is certainly in part dependent on external application developers.

In Twitter's case such external applications seem to be even more important. From your Tweetdecks, to your Hootsuites, to your Twininfluences, to your Tweetlaters all offer a free service (at least initially) for businesses and individuals. This is all thanks to some clever software developers and coders.

Much of this is born of the 'open source' philosophy where developers create software for convenience before profit and can be modified by any other developer to meet their own needs. The open-source software licence does credit the original author, however, the software can distributed or copied with no restriction. People around the world from different countries and cultures come together and collaborate on fantastic projects which lead to browsers like Firefox and operating systems like Ubuntu.

Inspite of the contribution of these developers are still often looked upon with ridicule and contempt by many for being 'sad geeks'. I had a friend that worked at a Tech agency a while back (which will remain nameless) and he was very surprised at the snobbery they exhibited for technology and their own clients some of which were software developers! Their lack of knowledge of IT/Online processes was astounding. Unfortunately, it seems that this kind of attitude is still quite prevalent from certain people in the media industry even though their future business will be reliant on these very same IT/Online processes.

It is very unfortunate that the developers do not get the kudos they deserve especially as people are currently trying to make money from these tools. Content is, of course, important but it would not be accessible without the creativity and expertise of developers.

Google's search engine dominance is a subject that has been discussed before on this blog in October of last year where I questioned whether the Google search engine was on the way out.

It has only been a matter of weeks since Microsoft's launch of its new search engine Bing. The new service was aimed to win some of the search engine market share which Google has dominated for so long. Recent weeks have seen Bing claim up to 15% of the market and it continues to further challenge Google.

Microsoft's challenge has not been unanswered as Google announced today that it would be launching it's own operating system in a direct challenge to Microsoft's dominance of the operating system market. It is possible that Windows may become a thing of the past if Microsoft do not up it's game. Its continued success will hinge upon Windows 7 which is due to be released later this year. However, Microsoft has had great difficulty in previous years with a very lack-lustre reaction to Vista. Microsoft even agreed a deal with some PC companies to ship new PCs with the older OS Windows XP. Vista has been viewed for the most part been viewed as clunky, cumbersome with some significant security flaws.

With the wide variety of Google Applications and products such as Maps, Gmail, Street View and the upcoming Wave would people be happy using a Google OS to? For my part I like to have a bit of variety in my life and would not like all of my IT tasks to be reliant on one company. On the other hand, Microsoft’s offerings have not been anywhere close and even the enthusiasm of Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer could not win me round. It is a real pain for people to keep having to learn how to use new systems and people favour what they are familiar with. This is the reason for people's and business' reliance on Microsoft. However, just because something is familiar does not mean it is the best product out there. Many people also go for an open source linux based operating system such as Ubuntu. Its open source nature means it free to use, distribute and modify if necessary. However, Linux operating systems have a reputation of being a little too techie for the average 'Joe' off the street.

The Google OS will have to be very easy-to-use if it is going to realistically challenge Windows and it will have to demonstrate clearly benefits on security and privacy issues. Google is a strong, well-recognised, trusted brand and this will give it a strong foundation.

There is also another OS that I have not mentioned and that is MAC OSX which comes with Apple's computers. As people have become very used to using iTunes and MAC the Apple OS looks like it is also coming to more prominence. While much of the focus is a showdown between Google and Microsoft a new OS will also affect Apple.

Who knows? What happens if another Search Engine or OS player comes on the market? How will these companies feel about splitting the market further? The IT/Online world is constantly evolving and anything is possible right now. Whatever happens Google, Microsoft, Apple and whoever else will have to integrate with each other to survive the fast-paced online world.