Archive

Do we need a 'big brother', or should we take responsibility for ourselves?

26-Sep-08 15:27

How easy it is to do the right thing with hindsight? Within a matter of hours following the horrific shootings in Finland, the video on YouTube showing the gunman pointing his gun at the camera and saying "you will die next," was taken down. Before the massacre, it was not considered to contravene the site's guidelines and, in fairness to YouTube, it was not as violent as many of the films the majority of us watch.

Censorship is a difficult path to tread; YouTube is intended to be about the free exchange of ideas and creativity, and perhaps seeking those 15 minutes of fame we all crave. Nevertheless it has become a global success as a video-sharing website with an estimated 13 hours of video uploaded every minute into the site.

Google, who own YouTube, rely on self-regulation to monitor the site. Users' flag up dodgy material and then Google staff check to see if it should be pulled down. Their guidelines are zero tolerance of predatory behaviour, stalking, threats and harassment. With any success it brings responsibility and maybe it is time for Google to spend a little more of all the money they earn from YouTube on protecting the very people it is intended to entertain.

The question is, ‘do you want Big Brother watching you?' Are we not controlled enough already with video cameras in every store, on every street, even checking what we put in our dustbins, and the Government are about to launch ID cards.

Censoring the video made by the Finnish gunman would not have saved all of those poor students. At the end of the day, we should be responsible for ourselves - all we need is the education to be able to evaluate a situation and maybe that is where we come full circle. Some might say we are basically getting the standards we deserve!

Hallane

Bobbing Apples Bandwagon

25-Sep-08 16:24

I've noticed for the last few weeks that every supermarket is jumping on the Halloween-bandwagon and the abundance of pumpkins, witches hats, bats and skeletons filling the grocery aisles, is on the increase. Like any topical/seasonal event, Halloween also provides a great opportunity for PR agencies to jump on the proverbial bandwagon where appropriate, with material linked to spooky stories and impending ghoulish parties. We are about the launch some fabulously freaky top tips for just such an occasion for our client http://www.organised-mum.co.uk

These little seasonal events always make me smile and they seem to bring out a number of articles, facts and anecdotes around this typically ‘American' event. Here is one of my recent favourites - if you are interested in the historical background to Halloween...

Did you know that the origins of Hallowe'en date back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This festival, which means the end of summer, celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of the Celtic New Year on November 1st.

By 43 CE the Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic regions. In the following 400 years two Roman festivals became incorporated with Samhain. The first was Feralia - a day in late October when the Romans commemorated the passing of the dead, and the second was a day to honour Pomona the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

An apple is the symbol of Pomona, so perhaps this is the origin of the tradition of bobbing for apples? Whoever bit into an apple first would be married first the next year.

Natalie

Does my bum look big in this?

18-Sep-08 16:35

I read with great interest the article on Times Online which exposed one of the biggest fashion myths to plague woman kind - vertical stripes do not in fact make you look slimmer! The research was conducted by Peter Thompson, at the University of York, and consisted of Thompson and his colleagues looking at over 200 images of women in various stripy get ups, concluding that in fact horizontal, not vertical, stripes were more slimming.

I have never really believed that the whole stripe rule was true and put it down as just a myth but it had me thinking can what you wear really make you appear slimmer? Trinny and Susannah have been discussing this for a while, believing that you should dress for your shape and black has had the green light for years to be THE colour for fashionistas wanting to disguise their lumps and bumps. I think you can definitely find clothes to flatter your shape but shouldn't feel the need to follow so called ‘fashion rules'. As in this case they can be proven to be scientifically wrong.

Having said that I now know what I will be wearing this weekend. If I could only find that black stripy dress........horizontal of course!

Danielle

Rain brings in the mushrooms

17-Sep-08 09:43

Interestingly the BBC has recently published a piece on the thriving abundance of mushrooms which have been found growing in woodland in Scotland. It turns out that the summer rain has helped the fungi to grow at an increased rate. Happy news for mushroom lovers everywhere - especially those who like walks in the Scottish countryside one would think? But it turns out that most of them are actually poisonous and in some cases, deadly. So, even though the rise in food shopping bills has affected most of us in recent months, you still wouldn't want to be taking any risks with random mushroom-picking would you!

For those of you who prefer the reassurance of the supermarket/green grocer variety - one of my favourite mushroom recipes is:

A large field mushroom drizzled with olive oil and topped with a slice of Taleggio cheese and a sprig of thyme, place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and serve on a slice of toasted ciabatta.

Natalie

Terrible weather we’re having isn’t it?

12-Sep-08 12:35

Us Brits love to complain about the weather (it also doesn't matter if it is freezing cold or the hottest day of the year - it is still our official right to complain), I think it is part of what makes us British. We had an interesting conversation with a new client the other day about the English weather - she was actually born in Russia and lived there for many years before finally settling in London - so she does have some experience of cold winters. We had arrived for our meeting without jackets, in short-sleeved shirts hoping for a sunny day - or at least some mildly warm weather. Had we have realised that now that we've hit September it is officially ‘winter' we might have selected an entirely different outfit. Instead, we made the usual complaints about the British summer time and how incredibly cold we were. Our client simply said - "If you don't like the weather in London, just wait".

I'm still waiting, and it is still cold.

Natalie

Recruitment agencies aren’t that bad – are they?

05-Sep-08 12:16

Recent debate would have us believe that this summer has seen a number of PR specialist recruitment agencies getting creative with their recruitment strategies. This may well be the case, but having briefed a number of recruitment agencies recently for the PR positions I currently have available, I am disappointed to say the least in the number of CV's I have received that are completely irrelevant. Not only are they irrelevant in terms of the candidate's area of experience, but also the level of that experience.

In fact, I even received one CV claiming the candidate had a natural flair for mathematical and accounting work and was looking for a career where he could put this to some use! It is as if my original brief has been completely disregarded. I know we are in the midst of a so-called credit crunch and that as a result many businesses are feeling the financial pinch - but seriously, is it that difficult to get this fundamental part right?

I read an article yesterday which suggested that the recruitment agency is one of the most hated professions, ahead of traffic wardens and estate agents, but I'm reserving judgement on this at the moment - surely there are a number of recruitment specialists out there that are an exception to the rule? I'm looking forward to talking to them.

Natalie

Give the Sat Nav a break

03-Sep-08 12:16

Sat Navs consistently get bad press with reports of people being led down private roads with dead ends, clogging up narrow country lanes and generally being a distraction to drivers. More recently they are being blamed for causing a decline or lack of interest in map reading skills. Last Friday reports were splashed all over the nationals including the Telegraph which suggested that due to the rising use of satellite navigation systems, people no longer notice landmarks or points of interest as they drive straight past them and are also less likely to be able to recognise symbols on an ordinance survey map.

Blaming Sat Navs for Britain's lack of map reading skills, I feel, is misguided. I agree that it is becoming a more popular form of road navigation than road atlases but in its defence - who wants the driving distraction of flicking through the pages of a road atlas every time they need to check their route? If these reports are to be believed and they actually are contributing to a lack of knowledge or understanding of what ordinance survey symbols mean, one has to question whether many people paid much attention to the symbols on a road map to start with. More likely, we were simply trying to get from A to B?

I believe that people use different forms of navigation in different situations; for instance people who are hiking enthusiasts will always use and understand traditional maps and, people visiting a town or city that they have never been to before, may use traditional paper maps to create a visual recognition of an area.

Personally, I couldn't live without my Sat Nav. It has helped me get to meetings on time and find new places I have never been to before. It is also a source of safety and comfort especially when I am driving alone at night. But make no mistake - I still have my AA route planner in my car with me at all times, in case my Sat Nav leads me down that proverbial dead end!

Louise

Online PR not lost on us

02-Sep-08 14:12

I noticed that Bigmouthmedia.com has just commissioned some research which claims to have shown up the UK's Public Relations industry for failing to capitalise on the burgeoning online opportunities staring them in the face. In fact, it states that 79 per cent of us don't have online services as part of our portfolio. Well, I can't speak for the rest of the PR industry but as an agency we are well aware, and have been for some time of the PR opportunities that the internet can provide for our clients. As a result, online PR is automatically built into all of our PR programmes and is actively promoted to our clients. If these statistics are a true reflection of UK PR agencies today, then there should be some cause for concern - namely concern that businesses are missing out on valuable exposure and agencies alike, on achieving some great coverage opportunities.

Rachel