When Twitter first started becoming very popular I could not understand why anyone would want to use it. Despite my initial reservations the more that I sampled what Twitter had to offer, more I realised just how fun and useful it is to find and stay connected with people of similar interests to you. It is an easy and effective way to offer your websites and services to people that may genuinely be interested in them. Using Twitter properly can mean major traffic to your websites!
The correct way to use Twitter is to try and gain new followers which could turn into new readers for your website. Of course you could just use Twitter as a way of chatting to friends if you wish but there are far better ways to use it if you own a website and want new visitors. Your Tweets need to be part public text messaging and part sales. Twitter is relevant to people wishing to sell things, wishing to promote their blog, or simply wishing to make friends and let people know what they are doing in their life.
You should not tweet constantly asking people to visit your websites through a link. Current subscribers will have already visited your link in most cases and will get bored with constant requests for new users to either follow you are visit your site. It only takes one click of a button to remove you from their follow list so you need to keep current subscribers interested whilst trying to persuade new users to follow you. Your current followers will forgive the odd subtle or not so subtle tweet asking for visits to your website because it is likely they are doing the same thing in their tweets, but remember to do everything in moderation.
Take the time to create a professional looking background for your Twitter homepage in Photoshop that has some information about you like your web address, place of origin and interests. A photo of you works well on your background because it personalises your page within Twitter and makes users feel like they know you. If you make this page a welcoming place with nice and interesting Tweets people will choose to associate with you and follow you.
When you do want to direct people to your website use one of the URL snipping services like tinyurl.com to shorten your long html links. Remember your Tweet space is limited so you must get all the information into a short space so people click to your website. Put an informative statement before the link so people know what they are going to see or read when they visit your site. For example, "To see a lovely picture of my new puppy visit (you would post your link here)". This is a good tweet and people do click through if they are interested. Be honest, however, because saying "Here is a picture of my puppy" then going to a car sales website will result in people choosing to remove you from their follow lists.
Carefully choose the words in your Tweets and try and be cultured and interesting at all times. People on Twitter want to be entertained, provoked into thought and kept updated. You can use a variety of iPhone applications or simply text updates to Twitter via your mobile phone. You can keep the world up to date with what you are doing and some users get millions of followers when they get everything right in using Twitter correctly.
Imagine the power of presenting your latest website updates to a massive list of followers who like to hear from you and trust what you say. Twitter is a great place to make friends, build lists of like minded people and simply to catch up on what other people are doing if you are feeling a little nosey!
Follow @mal255 to receive my Twitter updates.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Monday, 14 December 2009
Cowell To Make Political X Factor
It would certainly be interesting to have a Simon Cowell backed MP hustings before the general election live on TV. If they could grab the X Factor audience then they would be pitching to a set of voters not normally interested in Politics. It could have a massive impact on the election result.
Gordon Brown would need to put on the performance of a lifetime to overcome the charismatic performances Cameron and Clegg would put on. He comes across as a little awkward on TV in interviews and would need to loosen up to have success relating to what would be a younger audience.
He could try coming onto the stage flanked by Cheryl Cole - it worked for Joe McElderry!
Gordon Brown would need to put on the performance of a lifetime to overcome the charismatic performances Cameron and Clegg would put on. He comes across as a little awkward on TV in interviews and would need to loosen up to have success relating to what would be a younger audience.
He could try coming onto the stage flanked by Cheryl Cole - it worked for Joe McElderry!
Sunday, 13 December 2009
The Unfortunate Side to Politics
I submitted the following article to ezinearticles.com where I enjoy expert author status (which means I post things that are readable and relevant to the title). It is written to remind people that just because you do not attend Labour meetings or work on the council or with an MP learning to be political is essential to succeeding when dealing with others.
"By definition Politics is the balancing of different opinions and values to serve a collective purpose of running the affairs of the state. Those who can play the Political game can be very effective in gaining support to obtain positions of authority, but there is an unfortunate side to Politics in the way people manoeuvre and how you must do likewise even if you prefer a more straight forward approach to dealing with people.
Whenever you have worked in a company where there is a hierarchy, no matter how small, you are in a Political situation. The ambition of your colleagues, sub-ordinates and superior managers all bounce together and this creates friction. Just doing your job is not enough you must be aware of the Politics of business and handle yourself in the midst of these interactions.
This type of awareness is becoming particularly important in the recession where finding a new career or job is particularly difficult with unemployment rising. Job security is about performance but also about Politics, you read about harassment and discrimination and unfortunately this is something you must actively avoid through purposeful tactics in dealing with your colleagues.
Any personal relationships in a business have an effect when decisions are made. You will encounter people who go out of their way to befriend a senior partner or manager in your business. Often this bears fruit when promotions are handed out, but it can backfire as well with many managers or directors cynical towards this type of behaviour. Walking the tight rope of interpersonal dealings with people and maintaining a professional distance is very difficult, but one that must be mastered.
Talking to colleagues you will hear many of them declare that they avoid politics in their life because they find it unpleasant. If you become isolated this will come back to haunt you when you need the support of others so you must engage with people and help manufacture their opinions of you through your own behaviour. But be careful what you say, most of the time the opportunity to score points to a director or manager will mean more than holding confidence pledged to you in private. A simple rule of thumb is if you do not ever want management finding out something; say nothing to your colleagues.
My decision to enter real life Politics was to learn to function in this type of environment not only to progress within the party I am a member of but to deal with people in a professional way. To succeed in Politics means networking, maintaining and growing new relationships and showing a keen willingness to learn. It also means negotiating when to stand for a position and being able to defeat, but not destroy opponents and still maintain a positive relationship with them. Private resentment may occur, but the best Politicians manage to win through. Too many times in the past I found myself in situations where dislike towards me meant that I had to conceded to myself that I was not playing the Political game well enough.
A fantastic example of this in the real world was the infamous deal made between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown after the death of leader John Smith brought about an impromptu leadership contest in the Labour Party in 1994. Blair managed to keep the support of Brown whilst getting his own way standing without the opposition of Brown who would have made his leadership challenge far more difficult. During his career Tony Blair was renowned as a skilled Politician who negotiated his way to the top with single minded ambition and brilliant handling of the people he needed to help him achieve his goals.
You must remain positive towards others, whilst keeping a professional distance. Colleagues should know you are fair, but ruthless in your pursuit of this fairness. Your private life should stay private and your demeanour personable, however if opponents and allies alike are not aware of your conviction to the cause whether that be towards the business or the next election then this is a mistake on your part. If they know you will make a tough decision, they will not be upset when you make the right choice even if it is a choice that negatively impacts them.
This does not mean that being warm to people is a tactic. My own dealings with people are genuinely friendly and warm at all times. But there is nothing wrong with having an awareness that political beings will seek mutually beneficial secret pacts and cliques. It is human nature to want to be friends and seek allies in situations where you are not secure, in business and political circles security is rare where maintaining authority depends on votes, support and confidence in your abilities. You can be part of these cliques by all means however be aware of where the benefit lies and for whom. The benefit may be yours, if so embrace it!
The difficulty for you in befriending your work colleagues is that most of the time you are interacting only in the business environment where other factors are at work aside from your apparent friendship. This is only found out at key moments where your misguided sense of loyalty from apparent friends may expose you in circumstances where awareness of your true position in terms of politics would give you time to prepare the right defence in the situation. Remember that when personal advancement is available, any consequences to others are generally forgotten or conveniently not considered. I have a high morale code and would not screw people but remember this does not mean that others behaviour towards you will be so honourable.
A healthy dose of friendly cynicism is recommended in all dealings with people. This does not mean you cannot be genuinely warm but remember that trust is earned over time and through actions, but a leopard can change its spots. It is unfortunate that people will seek to step on your own progress to facilitate their own, but you can make it far harder for them by not exposing yourself to such actions. Your own awareness and political manoeuvrings of your own will keep you in control of your own progression through the worlds political minefields.
95% of people you interact with are good honourable people. Make sure that to the rogue 5% of people you are not an easy target. This applies to all areas of life."
"By definition Politics is the balancing of different opinions and values to serve a collective purpose of running the affairs of the state. Those who can play the Political game can be very effective in gaining support to obtain positions of authority, but there is an unfortunate side to Politics in the way people manoeuvre and how you must do likewise even if you prefer a more straight forward approach to dealing with people.
Whenever you have worked in a company where there is a hierarchy, no matter how small, you are in a Political situation. The ambition of your colleagues, sub-ordinates and superior managers all bounce together and this creates friction. Just doing your job is not enough you must be aware of the Politics of business and handle yourself in the midst of these interactions.
This type of awareness is becoming particularly important in the recession where finding a new career or job is particularly difficult with unemployment rising. Job security is about performance but also about Politics, you read about harassment and discrimination and unfortunately this is something you must actively avoid through purposeful tactics in dealing with your colleagues.
Any personal relationships in a business have an effect when decisions are made. You will encounter people who go out of their way to befriend a senior partner or manager in your business. Often this bears fruit when promotions are handed out, but it can backfire as well with many managers or directors cynical towards this type of behaviour. Walking the tight rope of interpersonal dealings with people and maintaining a professional distance is very difficult, but one that must be mastered.
Talking to colleagues you will hear many of them declare that they avoid politics in their life because they find it unpleasant. If you become isolated this will come back to haunt you when you need the support of others so you must engage with people and help manufacture their opinions of you through your own behaviour. But be careful what you say, most of the time the opportunity to score points to a director or manager will mean more than holding confidence pledged to you in private. A simple rule of thumb is if you do not ever want management finding out something; say nothing to your colleagues.
My decision to enter real life Politics was to learn to function in this type of environment not only to progress within the party I am a member of but to deal with people in a professional way. To succeed in Politics means networking, maintaining and growing new relationships and showing a keen willingness to learn. It also means negotiating when to stand for a position and being able to defeat, but not destroy opponents and still maintain a positive relationship with them. Private resentment may occur, but the best Politicians manage to win through. Too many times in the past I found myself in situations where dislike towards me meant that I had to conceded to myself that I was not playing the Political game well enough.
A fantastic example of this in the real world was the infamous deal made between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown after the death of leader John Smith brought about an impromptu leadership contest in the Labour Party in 1994. Blair managed to keep the support of Brown whilst getting his own way standing without the opposition of Brown who would have made his leadership challenge far more difficult. During his career Tony Blair was renowned as a skilled Politician who negotiated his way to the top with single minded ambition and brilliant handling of the people he needed to help him achieve his goals.
You must remain positive towards others, whilst keeping a professional distance. Colleagues should know you are fair, but ruthless in your pursuit of this fairness. Your private life should stay private and your demeanour personable, however if opponents and allies alike are not aware of your conviction to the cause whether that be towards the business or the next election then this is a mistake on your part. If they know you will make a tough decision, they will not be upset when you make the right choice even if it is a choice that negatively impacts them.
This does not mean that being warm to people is a tactic. My own dealings with people are genuinely friendly and warm at all times. But there is nothing wrong with having an awareness that political beings will seek mutually beneficial secret pacts and cliques. It is human nature to want to be friends and seek allies in situations where you are not secure, in business and political circles security is rare where maintaining authority depends on votes, support and confidence in your abilities. You can be part of these cliques by all means however be aware of where the benefit lies and for whom. The benefit may be yours, if so embrace it!
The difficulty for you in befriending your work colleagues is that most of the time you are interacting only in the business environment where other factors are at work aside from your apparent friendship. This is only found out at key moments where your misguided sense of loyalty from apparent friends may expose you in circumstances where awareness of your true position in terms of politics would give you time to prepare the right defence in the situation. Remember that when personal advancement is available, any consequences to others are generally forgotten or conveniently not considered. I have a high morale code and would not screw people but remember this does not mean that others behaviour towards you will be so honourable.
A healthy dose of friendly cynicism is recommended in all dealings with people. This does not mean you cannot be genuinely warm but remember that trust is earned over time and through actions, but a leopard can change its spots. It is unfortunate that people will seek to step on your own progress to facilitate their own, but you can make it far harder for them by not exposing yourself to such actions. Your own awareness and political manoeuvrings of your own will keep you in control of your own progression through the worlds political minefields.
95% of people you interact with are good honourable people. Make sure that to the rogue 5% of people you are not an easy target. This applies to all areas of life."
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Osborne Criticisms Are Not Valid
Read the following quotation taken from George Osborne in relation to the Pre-Budget Report, unfortunately criticism for criticism sake reeks of desperation.
"Every family in the UK would be "paying the price" for Labour's mistakes, he said, claiming anyone earning more than £20,000 would pay more tax as a result."
Followed by...
"In contrast, he said the Tories would take action to reduce the deficit while protecting the poorest in society."
That is the same thing. Not quite the catastrophe he claims then.
He continues,
"We were promised a pre-Budget report and we got a pre-election one,"
Correct George. There is an election coming up and this pre-budget report was pre-election. By definition it outlines some of the policies Labour will implement and develop should they remain in government. What else would a Pre-Budget report contain?
The best of all...
"On bank bonuses, he said the proposed tax should not be considered a "triumph" as the government should have prevented the bonuses being paid in the first place."
Rarely do you hear a Conservative say that anything resulting in excessive wealth is something that should be avoided.
I do not agree the bonuses should be banned, but taxed as they will be. For those who get the bonuses, they will enjoy a nice tax break if their money is invested in property under raises in inheritance tax thresholds the Tories will implement.
"Every family in the UK would be "paying the price" for Labour's mistakes, he said, claiming anyone earning more than £20,000 would pay more tax as a result."
Followed by...
"In contrast, he said the Tories would take action to reduce the deficit while protecting the poorest in society."
That is the same thing. Not quite the catastrophe he claims then.
He continues,
"We were promised a pre-Budget report and we got a pre-election one,"
Correct George. There is an election coming up and this pre-budget report was pre-election. By definition it outlines some of the policies Labour will implement and develop should they remain in government. What else would a Pre-Budget report contain?
The best of all...
"On bank bonuses, he said the proposed tax should not be considered a "triumph" as the government should have prevented the bonuses being paid in the first place."
Rarely do you hear a Conservative say that anything resulting in excessive wealth is something that should be avoided.
I do not agree the bonuses should be banned, but taxed as they will be. For those who get the bonuses, they will enjoy a nice tax break if their money is invested in property under raises in inheritance tax thresholds the Tories will implement.
Friday, 11 December 2009
Look After Animals This Christmas
Something that literally breaks my heart to the point I cannot even watch the adverts are the ones asking for help giving charitably for animal shelters. Not because I do not want to give, but I feel so sorry for the animals not looked after properly. I can barely even write about it. Particularly during christmas during recession there will be lots of abandoned animals this christmas, unfortunately this happens every year. Admittedly I take an "ostrich" approach to this and bury my head in the sand somewhat, but it is out there and hopefully everyone can give a little to help. I do.
It is often the case when you want a Dog from a shelter in some places (the better ones admittedly) that you must apply for a particular Dog and fill in a form which is judged for suitability before an animal is re-homed. This should be the case for every household and animal purchase and I wish the country had the resources for suitability checks for animal safety. Obviously we have a social service for children and this needs getting right first and foremost but overall animal owners need punishing for neglect too.
I would love to see tougher penalties for mistreatment of animals as you have a choice whether or not to have one in the first place. They need looking after and if anyone fails to do that then you should never be allowed to have one again.
It is something I believe passionately in, we have a small Yorkshire Terrier who is 10 and has had the most awesome life. He will take a slice out of you if he is not happy and you mess him about but that is because he gets scared, he has a great character but they still need you to look after them.
I have the utmost respect for anyone who can work for organisations like the RSPCA and animal rescue places because it must be heart wrenching work. I also have the utmost disrespect for the many people who make organisations like these very necessary.
It is often the case when you want a Dog from a shelter in some places (the better ones admittedly) that you must apply for a particular Dog and fill in a form which is judged for suitability before an animal is re-homed. This should be the case for every household and animal purchase and I wish the country had the resources for suitability checks for animal safety. Obviously we have a social service for children and this needs getting right first and foremost but overall animal owners need punishing for neglect too.
I would love to see tougher penalties for mistreatment of animals as you have a choice whether or not to have one in the first place. They need looking after and if anyone fails to do that then you should never be allowed to have one again.
It is something I believe passionately in, we have a small Yorkshire Terrier who is 10 and has had the most awesome life. He will take a slice out of you if he is not happy and you mess him about but that is because he gets scared, he has a great character but they still need you to look after them.
I have the utmost respect for anyone who can work for organisations like the RSPCA and animal rescue places because it must be heart wrenching work. I also have the utmost disrespect for the many people who make organisations like these very necessary.
The Workings of Politics
Often in the past I have stated my intention to stand for County Councillor in the future which is one of my goals to actually being involved rather than just writing about it.
I used to get very frustrated with just listening to what others were doing, this is the reason the blog stopped being updated for so long this year. As my personal life calmed down and being able to contemplate what exactly I know about Politics (not nearly enough) I realised sitting in the background rather than bluffing my way through a post is, right now, the best thing for me to be doing.
Every time I meet the local members I learn so much from just talking to them. I am meeting someone on Saturday who I hope can also assist my learning and point me in the right direction.
I remember that it took me around 18 months to fully learn lettings and I was surrounded by that for 8 hours everyday engaging in conversation and debate constantly with the company owner. When I stand for something I want to be able to use the fact I fully understand it to help me win support. Just "wanting" to do it is what many offer; being able to do it is something else entirely.
I used to get very frustrated with just listening to what others were doing, this is the reason the blog stopped being updated for so long this year. As my personal life calmed down and being able to contemplate what exactly I know about Politics (not nearly enough) I realised sitting in the background rather than bluffing my way through a post is, right now, the best thing for me to be doing.
Every time I meet the local members I learn so much from just talking to them. I am meeting someone on Saturday who I hope can also assist my learning and point me in the right direction.
I remember that it took me around 18 months to fully learn lettings and I was surrounded by that for 8 hours everyday engaging in conversation and debate constantly with the company owner. When I stand for something I want to be able to use the fact I fully understand it to help me win support. Just "wanting" to do it is what many offer; being able to do it is something else entirely.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Twitter in Politics
I stumbled across a great article by fellow Labour blogger Kerry McCarthy MP on Why Politicians are Using Twitter in the Independent website which discusses MPs using the social networking site to "reveal the person behind the Politician" and "to engage and not simply to broadcast" as "@KerryMP" suggests in her article.
Kerry obviously knows plenty about Twitter and I myself am certainly no expert despite Tweeting a few times a day. She is apparently Labours "Twitter Tsar" and likens the environment to a pub where everyone has an opinion some silly, some serious.
I find Twitter a strange application and am surprised that Politicians view it with such seriousness. They should be encouraging "armchair politicians" to leave the wonderful security of solitary opinion and engage. Will these same armchair politicians who engage in political debate only because it is so easy via blogging or Twitter to get involved be any more likely to vote? I imagine a little but not to the extent where such a huge importance should be placed on it.
My scepticism continues in her statement in the article that “Take David Cameron's recent, poorly-researched attack at Prime Minister's Questions about funding for Islamic schools, or his health and safety speech: both torn apart on Twitter”. Does it really matter that it was torn apart on Twitter? Perhaps the relevance of it is overstated. If you follow more than twenty people then any arguments or conversation are lost in the murky randomness of the interface which is anything but user-friendly.
Also bizarre is the idea that during a House of Commons chamber debate various politicians are using Tweetmobil or Tweetdeck to tweet things. Sarah Brown has organised a “Downing Tweet Christmas Party” (OMG). Street rhymes with Tweet, well done. Perhaps I am a cynical beast who Tweeticises things too much. Now I’m doing it! Seriously, Twitter has a useful way in which to connect with people but do not overstate the relevance. It is nothing more than public text messaging.
I follow Kerry McCarthy and her Twitter postings are generally useful and informative, but she understands Twitter and social media whilst many politicians still do not. It will play more of a role in the future of Politics but it seems a bit of a buzzword and buzzapplication to me at present.
Kerry obviously knows plenty about Twitter and I myself am certainly no expert despite Tweeting a few times a day. She is apparently Labours "Twitter Tsar" and likens the environment to a pub where everyone has an opinion some silly, some serious.
I find Twitter a strange application and am surprised that Politicians view it with such seriousness. They should be encouraging "armchair politicians" to leave the wonderful security of solitary opinion and engage. Will these same armchair politicians who engage in political debate only because it is so easy via blogging or Twitter to get involved be any more likely to vote? I imagine a little but not to the extent where such a huge importance should be placed on it.
My scepticism continues in her statement in the article that “Take David Cameron's recent, poorly-researched attack at Prime Minister's Questions about funding for Islamic schools, or his health and safety speech: both torn apart on Twitter”. Does it really matter that it was torn apart on Twitter? Perhaps the relevance of it is overstated. If you follow more than twenty people then any arguments or conversation are lost in the murky randomness of the interface which is anything but user-friendly.
Also bizarre is the idea that during a House of Commons chamber debate various politicians are using Tweetmobil or Tweetdeck to tweet things. Sarah Brown has organised a “Downing Tweet Christmas Party” (OMG). Street rhymes with Tweet, well done. Perhaps I am a cynical beast who Tweeticises things too much. Now I’m doing it! Seriously, Twitter has a useful way in which to connect with people but do not overstate the relevance. It is nothing more than public text messaging.
I follow Kerry McCarthy and her Twitter postings are generally useful and informative, but she understands Twitter and social media whilst many politicians still do not. It will play more of a role in the future of Politics but it seems a bit of a buzzword and buzzapplication to me at present.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Pre-Buget Report Aftermath
The Pre-Budget report did not hold any great surprises. I do not believe in bank bonuses due to my belief the recession was made very bad in this country because of their negligence, so a tax on bonuses seems fair. They will still get plenty of money, when perhaps it is undeserved.
The National Insurance raise is unfortunate but a sign of the times I’m afraid. The “oohs and aahhs” heard when he announced it begs the question that some things must go higher and changes must be made. It is not as if the Tories or Liberals can pledge cutbacks and changes will not be made. The key is making the correct changes.
The boiler scrappage scheme is good and the boiler industry will be rubbing their hands in glee at the announcement. A good time to be in boilers!
Commentators will, as I said in a previous post, rip them to pieces for not announcing specifics, but remember this is a pre-budget report and not supposed to be entirely specific. It is exactly what any government would have done. In an ideal world and looking at it idealistically this is where common sense would override normal political activity but these sorts of things in the real sense do not happen and the political game will run its course.
I believe Labour is the best party to lead the recovery and the global recession is indeed global. Remember the problems of the last Tory government? The conditions are tougher now and although I have criticisms on the way things have been done in the past I would still prefer a majority Labour government to led us through the recovery. My own attempts to get involved are to assist the efficiency of such a delivery even in just a small way.
The National Insurance raise is unfortunate but a sign of the times I’m afraid. The “oohs and aahhs” heard when he announced it begs the question that some things must go higher and changes must be made. It is not as if the Tories or Liberals can pledge cutbacks and changes will not be made. The key is making the correct changes.
The boiler scrappage scheme is good and the boiler industry will be rubbing their hands in glee at the announcement. A good time to be in boilers!
Commentators will, as I said in a previous post, rip them to pieces for not announcing specifics, but remember this is a pre-budget report and not supposed to be entirely specific. It is exactly what any government would have done. In an ideal world and looking at it idealistically this is where common sense would override normal political activity but these sorts of things in the real sense do not happen and the political game will run its course.
I believe Labour is the best party to lead the recovery and the global recession is indeed global. Remember the problems of the last Tory government? The conditions are tougher now and although I have criticisms on the way things have been done in the past I would still prefer a majority Labour government to led us through the recovery. My own attempts to get involved are to assist the efficiency of such a delivery even in just a small way.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
My Random Opinions
1. Plaid Cymru AM Mohammad Asghar has crossed the floor to join the Conservatives
There have been calls for him to resign his seat and I agree with this. The public voted for a Plaid representative and whilst his own views and party have changed it is Plaid that the public voted for that he no longer represents.
2. Tom Harris has defended First Past The Post
Agree with most of what he says. There is definitely a need for the public to know who is governing them and it is undemocratic to have the behind-the-scenes deals that dictate who is in power happen as a consequence of the vote with the public not involved in it. The BNP would benefit hugely from this system, which worries me.
3. Alaistair Darling's Pre Budget Report
No doubt this will be destroyed no matter what he says. I hope to see a concrete plan for a halving of the deficit within four years. Windfall taxes on the banks large profits and some straight answers. Without it the public may believe others can help us recover quicker. I also think there is a reasonable chance VAT may stay at 15% for another six months and a carrott dangled that it may stay that way until the end of the year if Labour are re-elected. Unlikely, but possible.
4. Tiger Woods Situation
He has 10 woman now claiming affairs with him. Hopefully the billion dollars he has earned will soften the devastating PR blow. An appearance on Oprah is apparently in the offing so things must be bad! With all of these affairs you wonder how this has not come out sooner. It will be one heck of a divorce settlement if that comes to pass. I do feel sorry for his wife, perhaps Woods thought he was above reprisal due to the lifestyle and financial well-being she enjoys by being with him.
5. Click Clever, Click Safe Campaign Launching in 2010.
I am very pleased to see Internet Safety being added to the school curriculums. Children need to be taught early about risks in giving out personal information not just for personal safety but identity fraud and other crimes. In this day and age the green cross code and digital code are necessary for children to learn from an early age. In November 57% of a poll admitted they had been abused whilst using Windowns Messenger. Along with bullying, drug issues and sex issues the safety of children online should be addressed in schools and by all parents.
There have been calls for him to resign his seat and I agree with this. The public voted for a Plaid representative and whilst his own views and party have changed it is Plaid that the public voted for that he no longer represents.
2. Tom Harris has defended First Past The Post
Agree with most of what he says. There is definitely a need for the public to know who is governing them and it is undemocratic to have the behind-the-scenes deals that dictate who is in power happen as a consequence of the vote with the public not involved in it. The BNP would benefit hugely from this system, which worries me.
3. Alaistair Darling's Pre Budget Report
No doubt this will be destroyed no matter what he says. I hope to see a concrete plan for a halving of the deficit within four years. Windfall taxes on the banks large profits and some straight answers. Without it the public may believe others can help us recover quicker. I also think there is a reasonable chance VAT may stay at 15% for another six months and a carrott dangled that it may stay that way until the end of the year if Labour are re-elected. Unlikely, but possible.
4. Tiger Woods Situation
He has 10 woman now claiming affairs with him. Hopefully the billion dollars he has earned will soften the devastating PR blow. An appearance on Oprah is apparently in the offing so things must be bad! With all of these affairs you wonder how this has not come out sooner. It will be one heck of a divorce settlement if that comes to pass. I do feel sorry for his wife, perhaps Woods thought he was above reprisal due to the lifestyle and financial well-being she enjoys by being with him.
5. Click Clever, Click Safe Campaign Launching in 2010.
I am very pleased to see Internet Safety being added to the school curriculums. Children need to be taught early about risks in giving out personal information not just for personal safety but identity fraud and other crimes. In this day and age the green cross code and digital code are necessary for children to learn from an early age. In November 57% of a poll admitted they had been abused whilst using Windowns Messenger. Along with bullying, drug issues and sex issues the safety of children online should be addressed in schools and by all parents.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Picking a Good Letting Agent
When I worked in the property rental sector as a letting agent there was enough evidence on a daily basis to recommend to Landlords that they pay particular attention to getting a good agent in place to manage their properties. A good letting agent must complete many tasks but detecting when these tasks are not being completely efficiently is difficult for a landlord. Letting agents can hide inadequate services very easily, so you must do your homework before you sign with an agency.
Being a letting agent is an administrative challenge. There must be good filing systems, a good telephone system and knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately for the people wishing to work in the property rental sector getting paid anything over £15,000 per year is very difficult. The better property managers obviously gravitate to where their financial renumeration is best which is always at the bigger companies who manage more properties. Smaller agencies therefore find it difficult to compete against larger companies in the market.
Agencies with as many as one hundred managed houses have office costs, the directors wages, advertising, phone bills and the staff wages to pay. There is not a lot of money around. Bear in mind when considering using a new agency that they probably have only a handful of properties and inexperienced staff. The chances of them giving you the "personal service bigger agencies can only dream of" are smaller than using an established company.
Smaller agencies use the term "more personal attention" regularly and quite often this can be true, they are not as busy as other agents and can chat and call regularly to make a client feel important. This is generally down to having more time because there is less to do for that business rather than a conscious decision to always operate in this way. One agent I remember working with cut the lawn of houses that were vacant. Could they offer that service is 100 properties suddenly arrived on their books? Perhaps they do that but it is highly unlikely.
In the future the client may get a complaint from the council about an untidy lawn and get upset when the agent says they must pay for a grass cut from a gardener. "But you did it before!" they will explain, not wanting the expense. But Landlords need to remember that over time as a company grows the extent of the administration involved means these enticing extras do not continue. Remember the golden rule, read the management contract and only ever expect what is written in black and white from the service you pay for.
Many landlords expect certain things almost as an unwritten rule. When a property is vacant a landlord should NOT expect an agent to visit the property for things like gas meter readings, damage inspection or surveyor appointments without paying an appropriate charge for the agents time. When the property is vacant the agent is attending at their own expense. An agent only manages property when drawing a fee from rent obtained. How would you feel if an agent said "I have taken the management fee for this month, unfortunately I had to cut the grass of fifteen vacant houses so the rent is not being transferred until next week". Quite rightly this would infuriate you, so understand why an agent makes a charge for their staff to visit houses. They are a business after all.
When rent is not being paid by the tenant, the fees are still due because it is the tenant who fails to pay. Many landlords believe that this failure of payment reflects on the agent, but the landlord is contracting the agent to manage the tenancy. The management of the tenancy includes, as the situation arises, the need to follow their rental arrears recovery procedure. This is part of the service and not required as a result of a failure of service. For 8% - 15% of the rent collected an agency never holds 100% of the responsibility for the property outside of contracted things like Gas Certificates. If you want to see reference forms collected by the agent this is perfectly acceptable and I would highly recommend it.
Nobody likes paying agency fees and there are never any guarantees that tenants will pay the rent. You should only use an agent if you are unhappy to deal with tenants or prefer not to be bothered with the administration involved. Do not use an agent because you think that agents will make sure rent is paid every month. Nobody can ensure rent is paid each and every month and if they could every landlord in the world would use them! A tenant always decides whether rent is paid by letting the mandate go through or ringing up and paying. Agents can chase and chase for the money but if they decide no payment is coming no amount of letters or calls will help. Arrears are an unfortunately but real part of letting property, you should check that the agent has a planned process for rent collection. This does not involve house visits in most cases, due to the logistical and safety risks involved.
Letting out a property is like any other business in that it carries a risk. Your job as a landlord is to decide what your comfort level is in regards to risk. Letting agents only do what any landlord can do if they wish to learn it. Landlords should always at the very least use a credit referencing agent to vet the tenants, most letting agents do this as part of tenant find only and full management services. Many landlords are desperate for a tenancy and simply move tenants in. This is a huge risk. There are lots of terrible tenants in the market who proper reference checking procedures detect an anomaly very easily. For example, hearing a complex story about why the tenant cannot give you an employer reference is bad news. If they had income they could prove it. Similarly, those not wanting to give a credit check have something to hide. Following a strict "comply or goodbye" approach to referencing spots bad tenants and rejects them quickly. A tenant may complain of their circumstances and that previous problems were not their fault. As a private investor you are in no way responsible for providing housing for people, you should always make the right decision for your property rental business. Sometimes good tenants do not pay, but only after proper reference checks can you be as sure as you can be that it is acceptable to proceed.
With all of these obstacles to smooth tenancies visit your agent, view the set-up they use for management and check they are able to provide the service levels that they are selling to you. They should have multiple phone lines so calls are always answered. In general, all but the largest agents do not have a "dedicated tenant line". They may have a second phone line but it will go to the same staff unless they use a messaging call centre. This is not a bad thing, many agents do this successfully but as in many forms of business they may want to appear larger than they are so visiting the agency gives you a good idea on exactly how they work.
If you ring and ring without being answered then use another agency because your tenants will have the same problems getting in touch. Some reasons for not answering the phone is avoiding dissatisfied customers or not having enough staff to cope with call volume. Either way this is bad news for the landlord. If you do have to leave a message you should receive a call within four working hours, usually the same day. Be patient, however, as small agencies and large agencies alike are usually extremely busy on the telephone.
In your dealings with your agency remember to be courteous at all times. Sometimes an agent will have to call to say rent is not paid. This is your tenants fault but do not vent your fury at the agent. Calmly check that they are following their arrears procedure and ask what happens next. Your agent should keep you informed either over the telephone or in writing as per the arrears procedure they use.
The credit crunch got rid of many bad agents but some still remain. It is important for your investment that you do your homework and do not fall into the trap of picking the perfect investment property then tripping up when you select which individual or company to service that investment for you. There are plenty of excellent agents who work hard and are passionate about giving good service to their clients, make sure you use one of these quality companies.
Being a letting agent is an administrative challenge. There must be good filing systems, a good telephone system and knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately for the people wishing to work in the property rental sector getting paid anything over £15,000 per year is very difficult. The better property managers obviously gravitate to where their financial renumeration is best which is always at the bigger companies who manage more properties. Smaller agencies therefore find it difficult to compete against larger companies in the market.
Agencies with as many as one hundred managed houses have office costs, the directors wages, advertising, phone bills and the staff wages to pay. There is not a lot of money around. Bear in mind when considering using a new agency that they probably have only a handful of properties and inexperienced staff. The chances of them giving you the "personal service bigger agencies can only dream of" are smaller than using an established company.
Smaller agencies use the term "more personal attention" regularly and quite often this can be true, they are not as busy as other agents and can chat and call regularly to make a client feel important. This is generally down to having more time because there is less to do for that business rather than a conscious decision to always operate in this way. One agent I remember working with cut the lawn of houses that were vacant. Could they offer that service is 100 properties suddenly arrived on their books? Perhaps they do that but it is highly unlikely.
In the future the client may get a complaint from the council about an untidy lawn and get upset when the agent says they must pay for a grass cut from a gardener. "But you did it before!" they will explain, not wanting the expense. But Landlords need to remember that over time as a company grows the extent of the administration involved means these enticing extras do not continue. Remember the golden rule, read the management contract and only ever expect what is written in black and white from the service you pay for.
Many landlords expect certain things almost as an unwritten rule. When a property is vacant a landlord should NOT expect an agent to visit the property for things like gas meter readings, damage inspection or surveyor appointments without paying an appropriate charge for the agents time. When the property is vacant the agent is attending at their own expense. An agent only manages property when drawing a fee from rent obtained. How would you feel if an agent said "I have taken the management fee for this month, unfortunately I had to cut the grass of fifteen vacant houses so the rent is not being transferred until next week". Quite rightly this would infuriate you, so understand why an agent makes a charge for their staff to visit houses. They are a business after all.
When rent is not being paid by the tenant, the fees are still due because it is the tenant who fails to pay. Many landlords believe that this failure of payment reflects on the agent, but the landlord is contracting the agent to manage the tenancy. The management of the tenancy includes, as the situation arises, the need to follow their rental arrears recovery procedure. This is part of the service and not required as a result of a failure of service. For 8% - 15% of the rent collected an agency never holds 100% of the responsibility for the property outside of contracted things like Gas Certificates. If you want to see reference forms collected by the agent this is perfectly acceptable and I would highly recommend it.
Nobody likes paying agency fees and there are never any guarantees that tenants will pay the rent. You should only use an agent if you are unhappy to deal with tenants or prefer not to be bothered with the administration involved. Do not use an agent because you think that agents will make sure rent is paid every month. Nobody can ensure rent is paid each and every month and if they could every landlord in the world would use them! A tenant always decides whether rent is paid by letting the mandate go through or ringing up and paying. Agents can chase and chase for the money but if they decide no payment is coming no amount of letters or calls will help. Arrears are an unfortunately but real part of letting property, you should check that the agent has a planned process for rent collection. This does not involve house visits in most cases, due to the logistical and safety risks involved.
Letting out a property is like any other business in that it carries a risk. Your job as a landlord is to decide what your comfort level is in regards to risk. Letting agents only do what any landlord can do if they wish to learn it. Landlords should always at the very least use a credit referencing agent to vet the tenants, most letting agents do this as part of tenant find only and full management services. Many landlords are desperate for a tenancy and simply move tenants in. This is a huge risk. There are lots of terrible tenants in the market who proper reference checking procedures detect an anomaly very easily. For example, hearing a complex story about why the tenant cannot give you an employer reference is bad news. If they had income they could prove it. Similarly, those not wanting to give a credit check have something to hide. Following a strict "comply or goodbye" approach to referencing spots bad tenants and rejects them quickly. A tenant may complain of their circumstances and that previous problems were not their fault. As a private investor you are in no way responsible for providing housing for people, you should always make the right decision for your property rental business. Sometimes good tenants do not pay, but only after proper reference checks can you be as sure as you can be that it is acceptable to proceed.
With all of these obstacles to smooth tenancies visit your agent, view the set-up they use for management and check they are able to provide the service levels that they are selling to you. They should have multiple phone lines so calls are always answered. In general, all but the largest agents do not have a "dedicated tenant line". They may have a second phone line but it will go to the same staff unless they use a messaging call centre. This is not a bad thing, many agents do this successfully but as in many forms of business they may want to appear larger than they are so visiting the agency gives you a good idea on exactly how they work.
If you ring and ring without being answered then use another agency because your tenants will have the same problems getting in touch. Some reasons for not answering the phone is avoiding dissatisfied customers or not having enough staff to cope with call volume. Either way this is bad news for the landlord. If you do have to leave a message you should receive a call within four working hours, usually the same day. Be patient, however, as small agencies and large agencies alike are usually extremely busy on the telephone.
In your dealings with your agency remember to be courteous at all times. Sometimes an agent will have to call to say rent is not paid. This is your tenants fault but do not vent your fury at the agent. Calmly check that they are following their arrears procedure and ask what happens next. Your agent should keep you informed either over the telephone or in writing as per the arrears procedure they use.
The credit crunch got rid of many bad agents but some still remain. It is important for your investment that you do your homework and do not fall into the trap of picking the perfect investment property then tripping up when you select which individual or company to service that investment for you. There are plenty of excellent agents who work hard and are passionate about giving good service to their clients, make sure you use one of these quality companies.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Get a Grip You Bankers!
It has been an incredibly busy week for me, totally self-inflicted I might add but nevertheless time consuming which has meant fewer articles on here.
The biggest news story that grabbed me this week was the RBS directors threatening to resign over potential government blocking of bonus payments totally £1.5 billion. Quite right they were told to "Get into the Real world" by City Minister Lord Myners.
It is definitely not a good idea to have the money be paid to bankers when a significant reason why banks are able to pay the bonuses is because of the conditions manufactured by the government in their fiscal stimulus increasing demand for banking services. Left to their own devices under a Conservative government goodness knows what would have happened. Certainly no £1.5 billion bonus payout would have been due one can assume.
If the bankers had been in the real world back when we needed it the most we would all be much better off.
Lord Mandelson makes a good point in expressing the need for RBS to not be singled out. If we are going to stop bonuses this year for banks it must go across the board otherwise they are rightly going to feel very hard done by. Just as everyone else has felt the impact of the banks inadequate handling of the countries financial system they should also shoulder their share of the restrictions. All money potentially going to bonuses should be pumped back into the countries ailing financial system.
One can understand Vince Cables view that the resignations should be instantly accepted, however I believe simply moving that no bonuses be paid this year to use that money to stabilise things is a far better strategy. When the country recovers they can then earn bonuses for their role in the recovery and not before.
The biggest news story that grabbed me this week was the RBS directors threatening to resign over potential government blocking of bonus payments totally £1.5 billion. Quite right they were told to "Get into the Real world" by City Minister Lord Myners.
It is definitely not a good idea to have the money be paid to bankers when a significant reason why banks are able to pay the bonuses is because of the conditions manufactured by the government in their fiscal stimulus increasing demand for banking services. Left to their own devices under a Conservative government goodness knows what would have happened. Certainly no £1.5 billion bonus payout would have been due one can assume.
If the bankers had been in the real world back when we needed it the most we would all be much better off.
Lord Mandelson makes a good point in expressing the need for RBS to not be singled out. If we are going to stop bonuses this year for banks it must go across the board otherwise they are rightly going to feel very hard done by. Just as everyone else has felt the impact of the banks inadequate handling of the countries financial system they should also shoulder their share of the restrictions. All money potentially going to bonuses should be pumped back into the countries ailing financial system.
One can understand Vince Cables view that the resignations should be instantly accepted, however I believe simply moving that no bonuses be paid this year to use that money to stabilise things is a far better strategy. When the country recovers they can then earn bonuses for their role in the recovery and not before.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Corus Plant in Redcar to Cut 1700 Jobs
It is really sad that Corus is cutting 1700 jobs because they have not managed to get a replacement to the 10 year deal they recently lost. It is a great shame that many good people are going to lose their jobs.
Obviously the business must sell the output the three million tonnes of steel to someone in order to survive and that is why it is so scary for that region to fall into problems losing such a big contract. It does not look good, but fingers crossed someone will come forward with a big requirement and sign a deal with them.
Obviously the business must sell the output the three million tonnes of steel to someone in order to survive and that is why it is so scary for that region to fall into problems losing such a big contract. It does not look good, but fingers crossed someone will come forward with a big requirement and sign a deal with them.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
MPs Can Appeal Against Expenses Rulings
Good news MPs can now appeal if they feel they are being asked to repay what is justifiable within the rules.
Hopefully they will have the guts to use this opportunity to ensure fairness is maintained.
Let's hope that Christopher Kelly did the report correctly because no-one is checking what he is doing.
Hopefully they will have the guts to use this opportunity to ensure fairness is maintained.
Let's hope that Christopher Kelly did the report correctly because no-one is checking what he is doing.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
The Press Writes First, Thinks Later
In a BBC article today is says, "Former Commons Speaker Lord Martin has said MPs were "bullied" into referring their expense claims for investigation."
He is absolutely right. Unfortunately as the title suggests the Press put their pen into action like a shark smelling blood and they think of nothing but the story. Whether their accusations are unfounded is of no concern to them. Many celebrities like Peter Andre and many others have accepted substantial damages because of bad reporting. One paper called him a bad father and duly paid for it in damages.
The press have a cynical attitude towards Politicians and have accused rather than queried right through the expenses row with no thought to the fact that MP's immediately held their hands up and co-operated fully with the findings made by Christopher Kelly and set up the new Independent body to deal with things from now on. In my opinion they were bullied and in a panic and acted too hastily.
Of course there were cases where you could not justify the claims that were made and numerous claims were made improperly. These people may have to answer criminal charges in the future, but it is not right for the Press to be judge and jury in relation to MPs expenses. They have already had a few swipes at speaker John Bercow, constantly attempting to whip the public into an anti-political frenzy. It is often easy to do so.
I respect anyone who can stand up and give an assessment of things that may be unpopular. David Cameron never does this. Lord Martin is right in saying that the press can persuade someone to self-refer to the Parliamentary Commissioner after a press induced complaint. They constantly throw mud against the wall and hope some sticks. This is not moral journalism and their goal is for political scalps. I am all in favour of improper conduct being punished, but not every Politician acted improperly yet all were tarred with sweeping press statements about politicians in general creaming their expenses.
The way the MPs have dealt with the expenses situation is full of panic and desperation to be seen to be doing something in the name of public acceptance. They will be hounded by the Press no matter what so I would have preferred to see the matter debated properly to ensure the outcome reached is the right one. Obviously the Press would have had a field day on anyone arguing the expenses issue, but it would certainly have separated the conviction politicians from the sheep.
He is absolutely right. Unfortunately as the title suggests the Press put their pen into action like a shark smelling blood and they think of nothing but the story. Whether their accusations are unfounded is of no concern to them. Many celebrities like Peter Andre and many others have accepted substantial damages because of bad reporting. One paper called him a bad father and duly paid for it in damages.
The press have a cynical attitude towards Politicians and have accused rather than queried right through the expenses row with no thought to the fact that MP's immediately held their hands up and co-operated fully with the findings made by Christopher Kelly and set up the new Independent body to deal with things from now on. In my opinion they were bullied and in a panic and acted too hastily.
Of course there were cases where you could not justify the claims that were made and numerous claims were made improperly. These people may have to answer criminal charges in the future, but it is not right for the Press to be judge and jury in relation to MPs expenses. They have already had a few swipes at speaker John Bercow, constantly attempting to whip the public into an anti-political frenzy. It is often easy to do so.
I respect anyone who can stand up and give an assessment of things that may be unpopular. David Cameron never does this. Lord Martin is right in saying that the press can persuade someone to self-refer to the Parliamentary Commissioner after a press induced complaint. They constantly throw mud against the wall and hope some sticks. This is not moral journalism and their goal is for political scalps. I am all in favour of improper conduct being punished, but not every Politician acted improperly yet all were tarred with sweeping press statements about politicians in general creaming their expenses.
The way the MPs have dealt with the expenses situation is full of panic and desperation to be seen to be doing something in the name of public acceptance. They will be hounded by the Press no matter what so I would have preferred to see the matter debated properly to ensure the outcome reached is the right one. Obviously the Press would have had a field day on anyone arguing the expenses issue, but it would certainly have separated the conviction politicians from the sheep.
Monday, 30 November 2009
SNP Acting Too Fast
Although anyone can see why they chose St Andrews Day to publish their White Paper on Scottish Independence I do think that it would be far more sensible to wait until the recession officially ends before taking this action. If the recession continues, then spending £9 - £12 million (or whatever it will obviously be a large amount of money) on it is a bad use of resources.
They seem to have been caught up in the snowball effect of this issue getting a bit of support from London. They are not doing their own administration in following this issue and this should be their primary concern.
They seem to have been caught up in the snowball effect of this issue getting a bit of support from London. They are not doing their own administration in following this issue and this should be their primary concern.
Simple Language Needed
There has been a criticism made today over the over elaborate forms used for benefit applications and other official letters and documents.
They can be so bad that you can create an argument to suggest that this complex approach is deliberately trying to be confusing . This is entirely wrong because everyone should get the benefits that are in place for them, especially vulnerable people and if people are confused over these forms then they are in need of urgent amendments.
The language used in some of these forms is incredibly difficult to understand. I do not, however, agree that the complexity of the forms results in numerous self-employed people underpaying their income tax by £300 million per year, as is suggested in a quote from the National Audit Office in this bbc article.
If indeed the tax is being underpaid and they know about it why are they not reclaiming it? Self employed people go to great lengths to offset everything they can to pay less tax, that is a fact of life. I am sure that if a complex form meant you paid less tax the message from self-employed people (rightly or wrongly) would be, "Please re-write the forms and make them more complex!"
I agree there is a problem however. If people are not getting what they are entitled to then the system is failing. This is not "dumbing down" the forms but giving them clarity as they are only the means to connect to the recipient. There is no reason to make them complex beyond what is absolutely necessary. Although it would take time to implement it would help society a lot if all forms used for social purposes were reviewed, amended and thus simplified.
There is a culture of using carefully selected words to be evasive, as the article suggests. When dealing with forms language should be simple and clear to deliver the policies and benefits we work hard to implement.
I believe this problem is largely due to egotistical departments wanting to sound good and informed on their subject matter, which leads to verbose and confusing documents. I am aware that as a blogger I can certainly be guilty of exactly this at times, however my writings are not determining peoples right to benefit or help they badly need.
They can be so bad that you can create an argument to suggest that this complex approach is deliberately trying to be confusing . This is entirely wrong because everyone should get the benefits that are in place for them, especially vulnerable people and if people are confused over these forms then they are in need of urgent amendments.
The language used in some of these forms is incredibly difficult to understand. I do not, however, agree that the complexity of the forms results in numerous self-employed people underpaying their income tax by £300 million per year, as is suggested in a quote from the National Audit Office in this bbc article.
If indeed the tax is being underpaid and they know about it why are they not reclaiming it? Self employed people go to great lengths to offset everything they can to pay less tax, that is a fact of life. I am sure that if a complex form meant you paid less tax the message from self-employed people (rightly or wrongly) would be, "Please re-write the forms and make them more complex!"
I agree there is a problem however. If people are not getting what they are entitled to then the system is failing. This is not "dumbing down" the forms but giving them clarity as they are only the means to connect to the recipient. There is no reason to make them complex beyond what is absolutely necessary. Although it would take time to implement it would help society a lot if all forms used for social purposes were reviewed, amended and thus simplified.
There is a culture of using carefully selected words to be evasive, as the article suggests. When dealing with forms language should be simple and clear to deliver the policies and benefits we work hard to implement.
I believe this problem is largely due to egotistical departments wanting to sound good and informed on their subject matter, which leads to verbose and confusing documents. I am aware that as a blogger I can certainly be guilty of exactly this at times, however my writings are not determining peoples right to benefit or help they badly need.
New Link Sections
I have got round to changing the links sections finally. There is now a Labour, Conservative, Liberal and Independent section. If you feel your blog is worthy of a place there then comment and I will add it. That is my cast-iron guarantee.
This reminds me of a quote by Walter "Puggy" Pearson who was a big gambler back in the 1950's - 1990's. He would tour the USA on his gambling bus and on the side was written a phrase to which he was well-known for...
"I will play any man from any land in any game that he can name for any amount that he can count.*"
Underneath, written in very small letters next to the asterix was written...
"* Provided I like it".
He often did not like it.
This reminds me of a quote by Walter "Puggy" Pearson who was a big gambler back in the 1950's - 1990's. He would tour the USA on his gambling bus and on the side was written a phrase to which he was well-known for...
"I will play any man from any land in any game that he can name for any amount that he can count.*"
Underneath, written in very small letters next to the asterix was written...
"* Provided I like it".
He often did not like it.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Can Bin Laden Be Found?
If he is still alive and evidence suggests that he is, Gordon Brown is being brave bumping the issue of the western world's failure to find him.
It is over 8 years since 9/11 and despite assurances this man would be found by Christmas 2001 I think most people have generally accepted that he is hidden for good.
Voters will not have to think so hard that the Afghanistan war may not need to be fought in the way it is now had we found Bin Laden and he had been held to account.
There may still be units out there with the specific remit of finding the Al Quaeda leader, but that is a long time to be searching without any result. I would say it would be wrong to start a new search now until we are finished with Afghanistan.
It is over 8 years since 9/11 and despite assurances this man would be found by Christmas 2001 I think most people have generally accepted that he is hidden for good.
Voters will not have to think so hard that the Afghanistan war may not need to be fought in the way it is now had we found Bin Laden and he had been held to account.
There may still be units out there with the specific remit of finding the Al Quaeda leader, but that is a long time to be searching without any result. I would say it would be wrong to start a new search now until we are finished with Afghanistan.
Montague Burton Blog Closed
My view that MPs and older Politicians are not completely at ease with the new Internet and social media outlets available to connect with voters and members gained more credit this week as it was announced by the SNP that Mark MacLachlan who wrote under the pseudonym Montague Burton has closed his blog titled "The Universality of Cheese" and resigned from the party and his role as constituency aide after he posted inappropriate content on the blog relating to rivals of his employer, Mike Russell.
Perhaps he thought that the pseudonym Montague Burton was enough to hide his real identity which is not the case when blogging. As a 46 year old man he is right to be ashamed of his actions which have proved very costly for him. Writing allegations about rivals private lives was just plain stupid. It also surprises me that he did it at all, but he probably thought he was helping. There is often a fine line between inappropriate personal attacks and political points scoring.
I am happy to write under my own name and never discuss individuals other than in the context of the news item I am blogging about. Whatever people get up to in their private lives is their business and I have no interest in blogging about it. Nor should anyone else.
Fellow bloggers will know that it takes a short time to write a post and often the decision on what to write about is taken as it is typed out. All posts should be proof-read not just for spelling errors but for suitability. I have often wrote posts only to delete them when they were either interesting only to me or out of context with the blog. In some cases, just too emotive.
Whilst I think that Labour's view that the blog was "outrageous and reprehensible" I do feel that it is fine for people to write controversial things on blogs providing they are in a position where they cannot be criticised for it. Controversy is not personal mud-slinging however, and these actions were particularly misguided.
Forthright opinion is something that must be diluted with tact at all times.
Perhaps he thought that the pseudonym Montague Burton was enough to hide his real identity which is not the case when blogging. As a 46 year old man he is right to be ashamed of his actions which have proved very costly for him. Writing allegations about rivals private lives was just plain stupid. It also surprises me that he did it at all, but he probably thought he was helping. There is often a fine line between inappropriate personal attacks and political points scoring.
I am happy to write under my own name and never discuss individuals other than in the context of the news item I am blogging about. Whatever people get up to in their private lives is their business and I have no interest in blogging about it. Nor should anyone else.
Fellow bloggers will know that it takes a short time to write a post and often the decision on what to write about is taken as it is typed out. All posts should be proof-read not just for spelling errors but for suitability. I have often wrote posts only to delete them when they were either interesting only to me or out of context with the blog. In some cases, just too emotive.
Whilst I think that Labour's view that the blog was "outrageous and reprehensible" I do feel that it is fine for people to write controversial things on blogs providing they are in a position where they cannot be criticised for it. Controversy is not personal mud-slinging however, and these actions were particularly misguided.
Forthright opinion is something that must be diluted with tact at all times.
Facebook for Over 16's Only
Every weekend in the larger newspapers there seems to be another story of Facebook bullying. This is the new, more damaging form that bullying takes. Bullying and targeting of people in any setting is bad but can be particularly damaging in children, whose formative thoughts on self-worth and ambitions are greatly affected by such behaviour.
I went to University in 1999 and that was the first time I had ever been online. There is a clear distinction in my life that my childhood and majority of my non-adult teenage years were spent offline and the Internet played, and plays, a large part of my life after I was 18. The idea of using Facebook at school was not available. This meant that any hassle or bullying one was subject to only happened during school hours and in the school setting.
Now we see video being recorded on mobile phones and digital cameras making it very easy to get photos online for world viewing and video. We see websites being set up by tech-savvy bullies to target unpopular class members and Facebook groups set up to show hate towards others. We all know that on the Internet we can speak candidly and sometimes nastily and probably not face physical or legal reprisal. Children are notoriously vicious, particularly girls, towards each other and this has horrible impact on victims of bullying.
The intensity and savagery of bullying is turned up a notch online. Anyone who has used photoshop knows that very nasty things could be done to a photograph, much worse than drawing a beard or glasses on someone. Giving them a facebook profile to broadcast these photos is fuelling the flames in my opinion.
Due to the difficulty of tracing such behaviour online, nasty things can be done under a cloak of invisibility. I know that I would have been particularly upset on such groups or sites being set up about me when I was younger, much more so than name calling or people teasing, which I believe to some extent everyone gets from time to time.
This "Web 2.0 bullying" should be quashed to keep children safe online just as it is monitored to keep them safe from predators. I think that Facebook and other social mediums should be for over 16's only. In my view it only takes one suicide from a 14 year old or less (and there have been many) to show that children are not able to be aware of the consequences or impact on others to use these websites responsibly. Once they get to adulthood hopefully the education system has taught them tolerance to others and people different to them which tones down the targeting.
Children under this age have mobile phones, landlines or even (god forbid) person to person contact to maintain communications so saying "it is to keep them in contact with friends" is an invalid argument.
I went to University in 1999 and that was the first time I had ever been online. There is a clear distinction in my life that my childhood and majority of my non-adult teenage years were spent offline and the Internet played, and plays, a large part of my life after I was 18. The idea of using Facebook at school was not available. This meant that any hassle or bullying one was subject to only happened during school hours and in the school setting.
Now we see video being recorded on mobile phones and digital cameras making it very easy to get photos online for world viewing and video. We see websites being set up by tech-savvy bullies to target unpopular class members and Facebook groups set up to show hate towards others. We all know that on the Internet we can speak candidly and sometimes nastily and probably not face physical or legal reprisal. Children are notoriously vicious, particularly girls, towards each other and this has horrible impact on victims of bullying.
The intensity and savagery of bullying is turned up a notch online. Anyone who has used photoshop knows that very nasty things could be done to a photograph, much worse than drawing a beard or glasses on someone. Giving them a facebook profile to broadcast these photos is fuelling the flames in my opinion.
Due to the difficulty of tracing such behaviour online, nasty things can be done under a cloak of invisibility. I know that I would have been particularly upset on such groups or sites being set up about me when I was younger, much more so than name calling or people teasing, which I believe to some extent everyone gets from time to time.
This "Web 2.0 bullying" should be quashed to keep children safe online just as it is monitored to keep them safe from predators. I think that Facebook and other social mediums should be for over 16's only. In my view it only takes one suicide from a 14 year old or less (and there have been many) to show that children are not able to be aware of the consequences or impact on others to use these websites responsibly. Once they get to adulthood hopefully the education system has taught them tolerance to others and people different to them which tones down the targeting.
Children under this age have mobile phones, landlines or even (god forbid) person to person contact to maintain communications so saying "it is to keep them in contact with friends" is an invalid argument.
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