Facebook has been changing in a profound way. The introduction of public usernames, friend limits have been raised, a change in privacy options, the drop in developer’s support and a calm down from user registrations. Just what is happening to Facebook? Is Facebook trying to change how users use their social networking services to gain more popularity? The ramble continues… in a dangerous unscripted podcast.
Edited: July 30th, 2009
A few of you have contacted me raising awareness of slow loading page issues and occasionally a complete failure for the website to load. I am pleased to announce that this issue has been fixed and many of you should notice increased performance levels coming from my little blog.
If you would be so generous to allow me to geek out:
Thank you to those of you who have highlighted the slow loading problems and I hope that this has satisfied you. It has certainly given me something to do on an otherwise formless and fruitless Monday afternoon.
xx
Edited: July 27th, 2009
“The time, is to be hoped, is gone by, when any defence would be necessary of the ‘liberty of the press’ as one of the securities against corrupt or tyrannical government.”
When John Stuart Mill wrote that in his essay On Liberty he was immediately contradicted by the introduction of the ‘Government Press Prosecutions 1858’. Mill stated at the time that he didn’t think he had been contradicted since prosecutions were rarely carried out and were not related to political disagreement but rather what is to be deemed immoral.
John Stuart Mill is certainly one of my favourite philosophers. An influence that always seems to be missed when counting opinion leaders from the 19th Century. A self-confessed agnostic that published atheistic papers after his death in order to avoid controversy and public disagreement. An individual who could read Greek fluently at three years of age thanks to an experiment by his father, James Mill. Mill was briefly an MP at Westminster and was highly aware of society; particularly conformities of middle class life which Mill feared would remove the importance of liberty. Mill was certainly a lucid thinker who did not fear transitioning from one opinion to another and saw the virtue of intellect as the highest good, the summum bonum. However, he remained faithful to his father and remained a utilitarian for all his life.
This may indeed be the reason why Mill is commonly viewed as only a writer of utilitarianism. If truth is to be told his essay On Liberty caused the most controversy during his life. The liberty of the press really deals with the liberty of thought and discussion. Should thought and discussion be suppressed? Quite clearly we now live in an age where a whole manner of content can be found upon the internet devoid of any control or suppression.
It could be argued that modern social networking technologies are causing the press a bit of a nightmare. Twitter(…)
Edited: July 26th, 2009
This article has been written for you from The Kingfisher, the narrow boat I am currently living on. Although knowing the difficulties of finding wireless internet connection on the River Wey this article has most likely come to you from a quick ‘copy’ and ‘paste’ from my home in Cheam. I can gladly boast that the power which is currently running my laptop has been gathered from an auxiliary battery generated by the diesel engine which has powered my narrow boat trip from Godalming to the Thames.
Narrow boat ventures are always a pleasurable way to past the time. Ultimately narrow boaters could be blamed for wasting their time as hire boats only usually travel one way up a river or canal and then proceed to just re-track their watery steps back to the home mooring spot. The narrow boat I am currently living on has been borrowed from a family friend, although, as a family, we use it so often that it could be claimed as a second home.
Until you step foot onto a narrow boat it is very easy to believe that outer London is as built up as anti-housing movements proclaim claim it to be. Past the urban outskirts of Surrey lies a secret garden of rural magnificents which is so easily lost by those who drive so hurriedly in their metal boxes above the river/canal ways of Surrey. For the past three days I have spotted Cows, Deer and a Kestrel. I believe the Kestrel is the only bird which can achieve a completely stationary flight but I may be wrong. The lack of internet access stops me from researching further into animal facts.
There is much farm land which has only been touched by the farmer or the fellow narrow boater; who ensures with etiquette that no rubbish has been left behind on an overnight stay. To sit one evening in the middle of rural Britain, on a very still river way, next to untouched farm land and sucker(…)
Edited: July 25th, 2009
I only have a few more hours until the second part of my ‘main’ holiday starts for this summer. It has been raining for most of the day which has begged the question if I really want to be standing on the back of our (I say our, we sort of share it with a family friend) narrow boat. I don’t claim to be good at many things, especially with practical tasks, but I can drive a narrow boat. Although do I really drive a narrow boat. Don’t I sail a narrow boat? Some people say that you motor a narrow boat. If I motor a narrow boat then why don’t we motor a car? Besides, isn’t motor a noun? Suppose it doesn’t matter, Shakespeare spent most of his time making nouns verbs.
Besides, I have bigger problems at hand, how I have foolishly decided to stop smoking. Being wise is another thing I don’t claim to be good at. If I was wise then I wouldn’t have started smoking in the first place but curiosity does kill the cat. Once you reach the legal age to buy a product everyone tells you should avoid, of course you will use your new found position in society to purchase that same product. When the government were discussing ‘under the counter sales’ for tobacco products I found it difficult thinking of anything more exciting all of that week. Most people like it when they lead a lifestyle which is different to others, smoking is certainly fast becoming one of those lifestyles.
Despite the physical cigarette being a commercial item it does entail a need for lifestyle change. In hindsight it is obvious beyond comprehension that this lifestyle is to be considered lesser than that of a non-smoker. However, smoking is still a choice, it is still legal, it is the highest taxed item within the UK’s market and so should be respected as a debt releasing medicine. If everybody smoked in the(…)
Edited: July 17th, 2009
Having digressed into an article within ‘Books Quarterly’ magazine into the Orwellian opinion of CCTV cameras I have just noticed that it was placed there by Public Relations means with a cheeky veiled liberty-human-rights.org.uk. The subject of CCTV, perhaps better named SS (Surveillance Systems) is seen as a sly activity, even underhand, with the way our movements are recorded without recollection. So how is this different to the way Public Relations operates?
I know Public Relations doesn’t store our DNA into a database, keep a record of our finger prints, watch our every move on a monitor or demand us to walk around with an ID card. You would even be hard pushed to call Public Relations parasitical with the way it operates, but it is viral. Make no mistake; a parasitical entity doesn’t come coupled with viral methods.
The main downfall with Public Relation is how to actually explain the industry without your sentence becoming superfluous or tedious. Even more frustrating when I am asked by people, “So… which degree have you chosen to study?” Gah! There is no way for it. I only can explain the industry through examples. There is no point quoting the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) or IPRA (International Public Relations Association) as their definitions change every few years. To be quite honest, without wanting to be so vulgar to force the sick from your mouth, Public Relations is about relationships.
I am afraid these relationships don’t love. Hardly agape in nature, I have yet to find a communication model where a company or organisation confers with publics on an unconditional level. Let’s face it, I probably won’t ever find a model. May sound cynical to say so but a company needs your money and so does a charity. Relationships between PR and the public is like marrying a girl for her cooking skills.
The only way I can illustrate my point is by reverting back to ePR. If we consider that Public Relations, in the real(…)
Edited: July 15th, 2009
Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the iTunes Festival in London, Camden at the Round House. As Stephen Fry pointed out as he came on stage, “It is indeed a house, and it is round, a round house”. The evening started off with a talk by Stephen Fry digressing into the history of print, history of recorded sound, revealed truths and copyright. In a digital age where it is almost easier, in some respects, to “illegally” download content such as film or music, the subject of copyright was going to be a big subject to embark upon. We must remember that the iTunes Festival is paid by the monopoly made possible by the creation of copyright, a legacy made feasible by the Berne Convention. So it was shocking to ostensibly hear Stephen Fry launch an attack upon the nature of copyright protection. For more information regarding the copyright aspects of his talk I recommend reading BBC Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones’s blog.
During the talk Stephen Fry also spoke about the nature of online communication. What many could call the ePR approach to promoting bands and artists. Internet communication was picked out as a broadcasting system but of an already present message. Although some would like to think that it is possible for a band to become known by a viral online marketing campaign, this still isn’t the case. Bands and Artists become known for the gigs they do at small venues. From this there might be an online campaign to follow suit but the internet campaign becomes second in the grand scheme.
Although this is a very small blog article I do think it holds a profound message. Does or should online promotion always come second in a campaign plan? How does the balance work between real world and online communication?
Edited: July 13th, 2009
Originally published April 2009 in The University of Gloucestershire outreach newsletter.
National and local press turned up in their droves as co-writer and star of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg, received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Gloucestershire.
There is a lot more to university than just burying your head in books, the experiences that come with studying at Higher Education can be priceless. Where else would you have the opportunity of hosting your own radio show? Writing articles for a newspaper? And meeting celebrity Honorary Fellows?
Thanks to an opportunity on my Public Relations course I was fortunate enough to attend and observe the frenzied and exciting experience of a press conference with Simon Pegg, following his acceptance of an Honorary Fellowship from the university. Best known for his comic appearances in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run, locally born Pegg, formally of Brockworth School, was recognised for his contribution to the arts as an actor, writer, comedian, producer and director.
Seeing a celebrity in person is quite different compared to reading about them in column inches or watching a film. Simon Pegg was just a normal person, brilliant at what he does, but normal. Where he entered the room full of journalists, photographers and public relations students, dressed in his graduation gown, he seemed to blend in with the crowd. This soon changed with the onslaught of questions, video interviews and photo calls; we observed firsthand the rush of the paparazzi as they clambered to get that killer shot. Later Simon was photographed with our public relations group, and being surrounded by university students he clearly began to relax again.
The press conference was exciting and particularly relevant to my degree. Degrees are important but most jobs also require candidates to have experience of the working world. Studying Public Relations certainly requires a balance between theoretical knowledge and hands on experience. The University of Gloucestershire has been excellent so far, providing(…)
Edited: July 11th, 2009
Series 1, Is Print Dead? [16:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Series 1, Is Print Dead? [16:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadLadies and gentlemen. As always thank you for downloading and listening to this podcast and indeed both past episodes as well. This episode comes with a bit of a twist. To honour the focus we are to make to content, free content, on the internet this podcast will be avaliable in the .ogg vorbis file format as well as the conventional .mp3 format. For those of you who are listening, rather than reading this podcast, a link has been provided on the blog to the .ogg vorbis website. A file format which is patent free but undoubtaly should be the future of audio.
For those of you who are regular visitors to the blog you may have noticed the design change. This will be coupled with new features such as the ability to track down all my social networking activity by selecting “Social Stream”. I have had very flattering feedback from a couple of people requesting that they receive email updates when new content has been uploaded to the website. Unfortunately I don’t really have enough time to do this personally (as much as I would love to). Over the next few weeks though an optional registration system will be put in place to give you this option. Of course, you can always subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.
An inky squirt
The topic of discussion we are to delve into today is really a cliché. It has been one of those questions which had always lurked around generation y like an inky dark cloud without any silver lining.
Is print dead?
Perhaps the profound question behind this concentration is simply asking a question about the future of content. Content which drives people to earn their money so that they in turn may use their money to purchase content. Print is really just a physical form of content which can be found on the internet. Of course it must be realised that the majority of the content which can be found on the internet doesn’t(…)
Edited: July 9th, 2009
Noun. The act of using Twitter to lessen/destroy a company’s reputation
It is perplexing to why Twitter has gained so much popularity during this year when the social networking organism formed during 2006. The majority, if not all, of the available PR blogs have at least one article on Twitter. This blog is an ode to this but it is also true that most blogs have far too many articles concerning Twitter and its functions – this is the tightrope this blog treads.
I cannot lie. I have done work and indeed still doing work for clients where Twitter has become an important part of the promotion mix. With ePR being such an up-to-date method of raising a company’s image Twitter could be seen as a God send for those of us who understand the effectiveness of the network. Anybody who signs up to Twitter could be regarded as lambs to the slaughter as PR Professionals use every tactic necessary to hunt down users who fulfil the interests of the clients they are working on behalf of. Even I, a student, have had suspiciously relevant Twitter accounts add me concerning club nights and student promotions.
Like with any system though, Twitter is not without its downfalls. The perfection of Twitter as a network works as a positive in both directions of the two-way communication model. Twitter works using the method of asymmetrical communication, a mutual communication balance does not exist like it does with alternative social networks. If I were to become friends with a person on Facebook then they have to accept me back. The same applies with Bebo and Myspace. It is possible to place individual privacy settings around individual users but the communication is still balanced. Friends exist within a symmetrical communication line. However, Twitter allows you to be ‘friends’, a follower but the person you are following does not need to follow back. The communication line is unbalanced. I believe it is this basic feature of Twitter which(…)
Edited: July 4th, 2009
