Here’s to a happy and productive 2017

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Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin …

2016 was a year many people will never forget, from the world changing democratic decisions to the loss of so many icons in music, television and film.  Yet in other ways – the olympics/paralympics for example, and for me on a professional level –  it was excellent. I took a quick look back while looking forward.

While last year involved much consolidation, I was able to embrace and combine more of the things I love.

Determined to stay completely freelance and concentrate on writing and social media, I was rewarded by being commissioned across a variety of projects, both personally and for the Rochester LitFest.

I began blogging for Yahoo, which is brilliant on two counts: I’m writing more regularly about my favourite things, and I have to watch a lot of television – no choice, it’s my job now 😉 – it’s also helpful with respect to my own scriptwriting that I dissect the shows, watching them more critically and figuring out why they worked so well and what made the characters engaging. That it coincided with an exceptional year on television made it a pleasure rather than work.

Although I’ve been working in social media for a long time, I decided to go to college and earn myself a Diploma in Social Media for Business. It’s extremely satisfying to be an official social media goddess and I’ll be putting what I’ve learnt to good use, running workshops as well as continuing to work with private clients. 

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Of all the sad losses in 2016, one that hit the Medway community particularly hard was the demise of the beautiful little WOW Magazine, our bible of what’s on where. Happily though, this means we can concentrate on the WOW Kent website, for which I’m the online editor. Together with founder and editor Emma Dewhurst, I’ll be working towards making it the go-to source for creative and cultural news and events across the Kent area.

In order to concentrate on funding for the LitFest, this year will look a little different in that there are currently no plans for a standalone festival in October. Instead, we’ll be running events across a month or so in May/June, covering the Dickens Festival and the Battle of Medway, as well as another Discworld inspired Turtle Moves day, honouring Sir Terry Pratchett.

We’ll also be in attendance at the Creative Care Expo in Maidstone on 26/1 and looking forward to working with more people on our Memory Box project this year. A smaller version, mixed with the Turtle Moves activities will take place at the Rochester Dementia Memory Cafe on April 28 – Sir Terry Pratchett’s birthday, appropriately.

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There are a lot of exciting things to look forward to this year; I’ll try to share all of them with you.

Have a great 2017 🙂

Why you should be using Google Plus

This post first appeared on BSK’s Kent Growth Newtork blog, which is now no longer available.

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How many brand names have become the verb or noun for what they represent? Hoover? Biro? Add Google to that list now, once you’ve finished googling other brand names and googled yourself into a frenzy.

That’s why you should be using Google Plus.

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8 Do’s and Don’ts To Rock Your Twitter Profile

It’s the difference between fellow Twitterers knowing you’re human or assuming you’re a spambot.

Truth! Terry Pratchett quote

I guess it’s no secret that Twitter is my preferred platform for social media. The intelligent middle sibling to Facebook’s older, weight-on-its-shoulders weariness and Snapchat’s excitable, just-entering-puberty teenager, Twitter’s combination of wit, quick-fire natter and the opportunity to quickly connect with people I share interests with, as well as take part in world wide conversations in real time, is a brilliant combo I’m unable to resist. Specially #games.

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18 tips to extend your Facebook reach

With Facebook throttling the organic reach of posts so that very few (approx. 15%) of those who’ve liked a page will actually see them, are paid ads the only way to go?

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There are certain benefits:

  • they practically guarantee many more visits and likes
  • they allow you to target your audience more thoroughly
  • the comparative cost of a Facebook ad is much lower than traditional methods

You do need to spend money to be widely discovered – but then you need to bear in mind that the more ‘likes’ your page has (50k plus) the more FB will throttle, bizarrely.

So promote to a specific and targeted audience, define your goals and approach, and remember, quality not quantity, always. (And don’t forget to end the campaign – Facebook will continue to collect payment!)

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Is your small business on-line yet? If not, why not?

SMEs, charities and community groups today require a digital mindset if not to be left behind by the competition.


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Everyone is on the internet nowadays, aren’t they? Open 24/7, 365 days a year, it’s hard to avoid.

But you’ve been putting off creating your own on-line presence. Why? Time? Money? You don’t see the point of social media – why would you want to know what other people had for breakfast? Trust me, it’s so much more than that!

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4 Top Twitter Takeaways from Get Social Kent

There were many great hints and tips shared at the recent Get Social Kent, with Zoe Cairns  ensuring everyone scrabbled for pens and paper when she recommended these terrific little Twitter tools:

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Followerwonk: Twitter analytics with bells on. Compare your influence with competitors or search for like minded people and influencers to connect with. Paid upgrade available.

Tweetreach: Check out which tweets are likely to travel further. I was surprised to see #silentsunday and #wordlesswednesday performing better than #peoplesstrictly – but unsurprisingly, #socialmedia totally outstripped them, reaching as many people and gaining more impressions than those three added together. Paid upgrade available.

Tweetwall: Display your event hasthag and get your audience involved from the start – they’ll all be vying to be top of the leaderboard. At only $29 for a day’s use, it beats the soul destroying begging for feedback forms to be completed.

Tweriod: Tweet when more of your followers will see it. Although only the latest 1000 followers are used on the free platform, it did confirm to me that the vast majority of my followers are in the European timezone. Nice to know I don’t need to stay up all night to engage them in real time!

I’ve had a little play but am yet to check them out fully – let me know how you get on.