blending the mix

Thanks to everyone who nominated me in the category of Computerweekly’s Blog Awards, I have been shortlisted (again) for the 2010 Best IT Blog.

For those that know, this is the award that tends to have Clayton’s name on it - but this year it is time for a change! (let’s face it though - he DOES deserve the credit!). With gabba being one year old now and having achieved so much in such a short space of time - it would be a fitting reward for the team!

So…do vote for me, it DOES mean a lot!

Voting can be cast here.

Thank you. Genuinely.

Not just because Microsoft are a client, not because Steve, Mark, Marc are really nice guys, but because, in 2006, Microsoft already had planned what Apple have just launched.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stuff you should have been readingJuly 14th toJanuary 12th:

• Are blogs the beating heart of a social media strategy? - Debbie Weil (if you don’t know who she is, I haven’t got enough time to tell you but go here and here to find out more!) posted the following question which has really resonated with me:Is Corporate Blogging the Hub of Social Media Marketing?Debbie’s
• SQUARE PEG - this chap waffles a lot
• Link building services. SEO company. Directory Submission - Get 7000+ Guaranteed One-Way Links. Top ranking - Link building services. SEO company. Directory Submission - Get 7000+ Guaranteed One-Way Links. Top ranking
• The definitive UK Facebook audience breakdown - Robinâ��s chart below had some interesting stats about a huge surge in Facebook traffic last month when Facebook launched the vanity URLâ��s. Traffic to the site was up 9.5% on the previous Sunday.
• brandhack - a lesson for brands everywhere - This is one of the most exciting events I have seen. I received this invitation to attend the Pepsi Brandhack. Main problem is Iâ��m in the UK, the brandhack is in the USâ�¦shame. The UK would benefit from something like this - and I donâ��t just

Cool stuff I was readingMay 29th toJune 30th:

• Where is Everyone? - Articles - Baekdal.com -
• Who wants to go to Travelling Geeks â�� FOR FREE? -      I was lucky enough to get a free ticket to this Sundayâ��s Travelling Geeks even on Sunday 5th July in London. My travel arrangements are
• The best use of Augmented Reality to date - A couple of weeks ago I posted about how good BMWâ��s new ads were with their inclusion of augmented reality to promote the new Z4. All well and good you might
• The Twitterverse visualised â�� pick your weapon - Iâ��ve been threatening to post something for a while now on the elements of a â��properâ�� Twitter strategy. Which, amongst the plethora of tools, should you
• My Pertuity entry - My entry to the Fuelmyblog Pertuity Direct Kindle competition

Cool stuff I was readingApril 9th toMay 6th:

• Will humility save The London Evening Standard? - A quick look at the London Evening Standard’s new “Sorry” ads
• » The JCPR Twitter Index sixtysecondview: Sixty second interviews from pr, media and politics - David’s brilliant analysis of the Celebrity Twittersphere
• QuickPlay Media - Home - Live TV on your Blackberry.
• dirty, nasty, digital: Why brands should consider the video conversation - A good overview of a real UGC success story
• The Arrogance of the â��Citizen Journalistsâ�� & Amazon Fail - Neville pointed me to a post by Clay Shirky looking at the justification (or not) for the extensive lambasting that Amazon received this week. For the
• Supplier-side Social Media Services â�� time to shape up? Part I - I was really pleased a luminary such as Jeremiah decided to add his voice the topic he did yesterday. Itâ��s long been on my agenda to write about, so I

Cool stuff I was readingFebruary 8th toApril 7th:

• Friendfeed just boxed itself into a corner - Yesterday, Friendfeed went from THIS: To this:     and in doing so, made a huge impact on its future, nay survival, if you follow
• HobbyThingâ��s Genius Use of Tagging -
• LGâ��s latest handset | The Official Blog of LG - Hmm. The latest new LG handset is in reach. If it’s anything like the Viewty, this could be a really good phone indeed!
• How to Create a Social Media Monitoring Strategy | media guerrilla -
• HOW TO Sell Social Media to Cynics, Skeptics & Luddites - Tips, Resources & Advice - The top guys talk about how to sell Soc Med into your business.

Cool stuff I was readingFebruary 4th toFebruary 6th:

• True Internet Marketing Icons / How Online Marketing Works : SEO Book.com - Fantastic piece about how the “new” web works
• Facebook starting to look at understanding sentiment - So, according to Robert, Facebook is now looking at understanding sentiment. Yay! To quote Robert: **Facebook is, he told me, studying â��sentimentâ��
• Ten Ways to Use Google Latitude - PC World - Ten Ways to Use Google Latitude
• Sony joins with Awareness for new social network effort - DMNews - Like the idea of what Sony are doing, not sure i like the idea of creating standard community templates.
• memelabs » Start a Online Video Contest with Memelabs Video Contest Application. Contest Ideas for your Online Marketing Campaigns. - An out of the box site to help you create competitions between friends…
• 140 Characters » How Twitter Was Born - How Twitter Was Born
• Exchanging Info Via High Tech, High-Fiving Toys | PSFK -

Cool stuff I was readingJanuary 13th toJanuary 22nd:

• Master of 500 Hats -
• 40 of the Best Twitter Brands and the People Behind Them - Some good names here. Wonder what they’d look like in Twitter Friends?
• BrewDog on BBC 2 with Oz Clarke and James May - Cool brand, cool product - Yes please!
• Social Notworking? | Web Developer 2.0 - Seems that using Twitter at work is not worth it, despite it bringing not only enquiries and meetings, but business too.
• 49 Amazing Social Media, Web 2.0 And Internet Stats - 49 Amazing Social Media, Web 2.0 And Internet Stats

Cool stuff I was readingJanuary 9th toJanuary 12th:

• Logic+Emotion: Please Help Us Help Daniela’s Family -
• ivan krstiÄ� · code culture » How Porsche hacked the financial system and made a killing - How Porsche hacked the financial system and made a killing
• Did Google Just Expose Semantic Data in Search Results? - ReadWriteWeb - Web 3.0 IS just around the corner it seems…
• What I â��Doâ�� For a Living | ::HorsePigCow:: marketing uncommon -
• Twitter Friends - Google Analytics for Twitter - A great tool for understanding your Twitter activity.