A bit of writing elsewhere and a change in focus for the blog

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Gary

A slight change of direction will be coming up on this blog, I suspect, certainly regarding the social media posts. Anything social-related will probably go on the Ruder Finn Dot Comms blog. Anything else will probably be here (yes, the dregs. Sorry about that).

And here’s the first post: an analysis of when brands should and shouldn’t piggyback on an internet meme, with specific reference to the Harlem Shake.

And I’m still doing the football writing, when time allows. Here’s me at The Two Unfortunates imagining what if Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale had landed the Swansea City job.

Permanent link to this post (100 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Come, laugh at my embarrassing musical taste

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Gary

One night this week I, for some reason unknown, thought it’d be a good idea to make a playlist of one song off every album that I own.

That’s a lot of music, by the way.

So, a couple of hours later and this Spotify playlist is the result.

You’ll probably have noticed that I’ve got a slight preference for noodling electronica and female singer-songwriters, with an added dash of blokes with guitars thrown in for good measure. It’s nothing if not varied.

A few points to note though:

This is a preview of Come, laugh at my embarrassing musical taste. Read the full post (451 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Back

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Gary

And I have been for a bit, just busy. And about to enter what I’m terming The Epic Month of Business.

So, in case I disappear for days on end, here’s a couple of things you may have missed while I was away.

1. A small piece from me at Reputation Online about the general nature of my work and why it’s important to change things.

2. A truly bizarre story of two American girls who decided to hop across the Atlantic to watch Oldham Athletic. Away. At Millwall. I had a chat with them. Hopefully, they’ll be on the podcast next month, which should be entertaining!

This is a preview of Back. Read the full post (111 words, estimated 27 secs reading time)

I’ll be back

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Gary Andrews

There are many reasons for a man to disappear, or at least go very quiet. Reggie Perrin had his reasons, as did Lord Lucan. Brian Wilson went a bit mad, while everything gone downhill for Mike Ashley after he decided to do away with both the reclusive and the multi-millionaire bits of his description when he brought Newcastle United.

I’ve not purchased the Toon Army. Neither have I taken control of Exeter City. But it’s fair to say that football has played a reasonable part in the slight silence on here over the last couple of weeks.

This is a preview of I’ll be back. Read the full post (796 words, estimated 3:11 mins reading time)

On being dirty, southern and a twit

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Gary Andrews

The best kind of nights, I’ve always found, are the ones where you end up in a completely unexpected place. Last night, for me, that unexpected place was a fascinating in-depth discussion of Belgian politics and media, and contrasting it with the UK.

This isn’t normally what I spend my nights down the pub doing, but then it’s also a neat illustration of why I enjoy going to the assorted social media meetups. Or in this case, Tweetup.

This is a preview of On being dirty, southern and a twit. Read the full post (667 words, estimated 2:40 mins reading time)

Gary expanding elsewhere

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Not around my waist, although I have recently gone up a trouser size.

So, in addition to this week’s Soccerlens column, which is mainly on Burton Albion’s title wobbles and includes references to Wilde and an impotence joke, there’s exciting news on the assorted football stuff I do.

As from next Tuesday (hopefully), my good friend Chris Nee and I will be producing the Two Footed Tackle podcast. Which is essentially chat about football, but hopefully an entertaining chat about football.

This is a preview of Gary expanding elsewhere. Read the full post (263 words, estimated 1:03 mins reading time)

How to snare me into writing about Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Damn those French. Lolly clearly knows I can’t resist the opportunity to make a playlist, so tagged me in a Valentine’s Day playlist meme using the We7 site.

Now, let’s get one thing clear from the start here. I’m not a particularly big fan of Valentine’s Day. Usually I try and ignore it or, failing that, despise it. If I’m feeling particularly perky, I’ll head out and play singleton’s bingo.

This is a preview of How to snare me into writing about Valentine’s Day. Read the full post (918 words, estimated 3:40 mins reading time)

Journalists of the future

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Gary Andrews

“Mate,” said my colleague Ben, when I told him about being invited back to the old student paper I edited to do a talk on the future of journalism and how to get into in. “You know you’ve made it when your old university invites you back.”

“Chances are everybody else was busy,” said I. “And I’m cheap.”

It was an unexpectedly enjoyable surprise to find myself back at Cardiff University Students’ Union on a Saturday afternoon to speak to the section editors and writers of gair rhydd. It was also interesting from my own point of view, as I learned a few bits and pieces as well.

This is a preview of Journalists of the future. Read the full post (830 words, estimated 3:19 mins reading time)

Getting social with Nathan Barley

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Bobbie Johnson from the Guardian has had it with social media. It’s easy to sympathise.

“Listen. I have blog. I use Twitter. I idly flick through lists of people I’d forgotten I ever knew on Facebook. I’ve even got a MySpace page, although I don’t like to talk about it. They are great ways of connecting people, and they’re very exciting when you start using them, because they allow virtual contact in ways that are analogous to – if not the same as – real life. You know, communicate with people. That old thing.

…

This is a preview of Getting social with Nathan Barley. Read the full post (1215 words, estimated 4:52 mins reading time)