David Edmundson-Bird is a well-known figure in the NW digital world, and probably far, far beyond.
David is the programme director for Manchester Metropolitan University’s Msc in Digital Marketing Communications.
I caught up with David at SAScon to lean more – click here to hear the interview.
Wednesday was the inaugural get together of SAScon – a social media and SEO conference.
I should say the online search conference for highlighting the strength and ability and energy of the northern digital scene.
When conceived there must have been a few worries – even if not admitted now – about how much support it would receive. The organisers needn’t have worried.
As you can see from the above image it was a packed house: some 160 attendees with speakers from across the UK and Europe came to the Bridgewater Hall in the centre of Manchester.
There were essentially two streams of seminars / panel talks: the more technical SEO and social media. I stuck with my prime interest in social media.
I will discuss in future posts the points of some of the talks I attended. But for now I want to make a couple of points about why I attended:
First, besides continuing my social media education, there was ample opportunity to network.
However, more impotantly in many respects – and I suspect for many attendees – it was a chance to make a statement about the strength and potential of the online community in the North West to deliver: you don’t have to go to London to have access to top digital suppliers.
By attending, digital and non-digital, be it PR or marketing, those that lent their support by simply taking out a day from busy schedules to come along made that exact statement.
Oasis Academy, a specialist media school, is holding a career fair for companies and agencies interested in talking to its Year 11 (fifth year in my day, I think) and sixth form.
I am sure there are opportunities for creative media and marketing organisations to take on students for placements as well.
Oasis Academy has strong links with the new Media City and the students are schooled in IT as well as media skills, so they are better equipped to enter a creative media opportunity than my generation.
The fair is on Wednesday 3rd February 6.30pm-8.30pm at the school (formerly Hope High School), Prestwood Road, Salford, M6 8GG
If you are interested in attending or learning more please contact Paul Andrews: paul.andrews@oasismediacityuk.org
Please also contact Paul if you are interested in the free digital photography courses starting on the 28th January; other courses include yoga and Spanish (some are free others carry a small fee).
Apparently this is a disputed first with Birmingham City University, but it is still a notable landmark. It must surely show, if interest and take-up is high, the gap between current levels of knowledge and that desired. Add into the mix job insecurity, a recession, the pressure to up-skill and the 20 places could be taken quicker than an Abba reunion.
The value? I tend to think education, at this level, is not about remembering facts, finding new sites before anyone else or having a “cool” sounding qualification for a CV but about a way of thinking and an approach to applying knowledge, which lasts for years.
I think we are going to see some discussion about this….
I had the pleasure of receiving a training day from The 101 on Monday.
The 101 is a group of journalists that give training to PRs.
My instructors for the day were Sally Whittle, Linda Jones and Neil Aitchison, all experienced national newspaper and broadcast practitioners.
The courses are informative and give the journalists’ take on how to get it right. To have so much time to ask journalists in an informal and helpful environment about their outlook doesn’t come everyday, as Sally rightly pointed out.
But there was so much to take in. This is where going over my notes and the slides and then some practice comes in.
Before I sign off 10 tips about what not to do with the nationals. I am sure you will know some already, if not all, but they must still aggravate enough for the points to be reiterated:
No time wasting calls: pitch the story, not “did you get the release or when do you publish?”
Bad timing – If you are pitching a Christmas story it hardly worth doing it in mid-Dec, when stories are being written from September.
Do not over promise
Techno and jargon – leave it out
Making journalists look stupid – If you do not deliver on a tight deadline you will make the journalist look stupid in front of their editor and that could put their job in danger. Sally and Linda’s insight on the work culture of nationals was shocking.
No attachments or pictures – just the pitch in the body of an e-mail please
Not listening to free advice – Recognise journalist feedback and take note.
Taking to long to get back to us – If things are taking longer than usual keep the journalist updated
