Letter from York
Something new for 2019. Let me know what you think.
I’m en route to York on LNER for lunch with my daughters today. We’re gathering from the corners of the north to set the world to rights. I’ll let you know how we get on.
January is typically a period of renewal but it’s hard to feel optimistic with the Brexit shenanigans that are ongoing in Westminster. My tip is to focus your energy on working for change in your own communities.
I’m going to try something new for 2019 with my blog community. Instead of spamming out my blog posts as they’re posted I’m going to include summaries in a weekly letter, alongside interesting stuff that I spot around the internet. Let me know what you think.
PR Careers: How to get a job in PR
Sarah Stimson has published her annual list of intern opportunities in the top UK PR 150 agencies with support from CoverageBook. You may have spotted Sarah hustling agencies on Twitter to contribute to the list. It’s firmly a labour of love. Please share the list with anyone who is looking for a break this year. Sarah’s book How to get a job in PR is also worth looking out.
Headlines from the Reuters Institute future of news report
If you work in or around the media you must read the Reuters future of news report, or at least read the summary on my blog. The report compiles the views of 200 journalists and publishers. A Facebook backlash, robot journalism, audio and slow news, are all among news trends spotlighted in the report. I’ll return to slow news in the future.
Using Twitter to monitor public health
The use of social media in healthcare has been fraught with regulatory issues however it’s starting to find applications in monitoring and insight. This blog post based on a recently published research paper contains several examples of disease monitoring, response to public health issues and the spread of disease. There are applications in every industry and market.
An internet visionary vindicated: John Perry Barlow
We said goodbye in 2018 to internet pioneer John Perry Barlow. He was part of a group of thinkers in the late 90s who set out a vision for how the internet would change the relationship between people, organisations and governments.
His most influential work, aside from Grateful Dead lyrics, remains the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. I discovered a recording of Barlow reading his work over the holiday. It will give you goosebumps.
New Year, new job, and a report on B2B lead generation
It's the end of the second week in my new role as UK managing director at Metia. We’ve published a report this week by my colleague Pete Morgan that explores new approaches to B2B marketing while also recognising the importance of fundamentals.
Machine learning, leaky funnels, value exchange, hypertargeting and customer advocacy are all cited as opportunities. Let me know if any of these issues strike a chord. We've a stack of case studies that illustrate these points and would love to talk them through with you.
Subscribe to the #FuturePRoof for monthly insight
The #FuturePRoof podcast is back for 2019 after a hiatus last year when work and wedding planning got in the way of recording. In this show Sarah Hall and I discuss the role of publicity in public relations, books we read over the holiday break, objectives and jobs for 2019 and robots. Please subscribe if you don’t already.
I, Daniel Blake fundraiser
There's clearly no danger of Sarah and I exhausting the goodwill of our networks. You're incredibly generous lot. Thanks to everyone who donated our I, Daniel Blake fundraiser especially so close to our Christmas campaign. We could all be Daniel Blake.
Insta vs Twitter husbands
This article in The Atlantic about Instagram husbands made me giggle. It’s a term used to describe people who follow their friends and partners 10 feet behind, snapping candid images. It’s not my gig. My weapon of choice for recording my future wife’s antics is very definitely Twitter.
