Loving Social Media go to Westminster!

by Lucy Posted on February 8, 2012

Wow what a day it was for us in Loving Social Media land!

A few weeks ago I was alerted by Kim from the Advertiser informing me via twitter that our brilliant local MP Nick De Bois had just mentioned our flash mob in the Houses Of Parliament!

I quickly switched over to the Parliament channel to see what Nick was saying. It was brilliant, you can see it in full on our earlier blog ‘Mary Portas Review‘. The Commons were talking about the High Streets and what will become of them.

Nick mentioned the EBRA, We Love Enfield campaign and how positive things are happening here in Enfield. I decided to tweet him to say thank you and mentioned to my partner that if he were to happen to look at his phone now it would be my tweet. Guess what, Nick did. So I have now told everyone that I have an interactive telly!

Nick replied.

On the back of this I thought how great it would be to interview Nick about Social Media and the good that it can do. We all know Twitter was blamed for the spread of information surrounding the riots; which is exactly the reason that we wanted to put it to good use with our flash mob.

Nick uses Twitter brilliantly to keep his constituents up to date with what is happening in the borough. So a date was set for us to travel up to Westminster to interview Nick in his office.

Having never been inside Parliament before I was ill prepared for all the security measures that are taken. We were searched thoroughly, photos taken and told off when Michael tried to enter the building before we had been told we could.

I tweeted Nick to say we had arrived and we were met by his lovely new intern Lindsey who had just arrived from Kentucky no less. We were her first meet and greet.

The interview went very well as we took turns asking Nick our questions. I wanted to know what Nick’s thoughts were on Mari Smith’s comments last week about Social Media being able to kick start the economy again and get us out of the recession. I also wondered what his favourite political film was and most intriguing of all, what sort of music he likes. This got a very interesting response I can tell you! We asked about the hot topics of the High Street and of course parking!

Nick didn’t hold back on his views! It was a really interesting interview and will be available online for your entertainment very soon.

 

 

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Robert Redford by Michael Feeney Callan

by Lucy Posted on February 7, 2012

Robert RedfordI got this book for Christmas, and was really looking forward to reading it, I took the excuse of the snow last weekend to actually do pretty much nothing but read!

We start off with a bit of a history lesson that put me in mind of ‘The Nearest Faraway Place’ By Timothy White, who delved into the heritage of Brian Wilson, I like this style as it shows us the stock as it were that made these people so great!

Redford has Irish heritage that he was very proud of, he also became very interested in the American Indians, and had like Jim Morrison a profound moment or two as a result.

I did enjoy the book, I felt very impressed by Redford for the good that he has done, and I don’t just mean in his films, of which of course I love, especially ‘Barefoot in the Park’, and ‘All the Presidents Men’, and Mum’s fav ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’.

Someone like Redford holds a special place in our lives; a constant, in fact years ago when I lived in Paris and the folks came to visit me, we went to the pictures on the Champs de Elysee and it was a Redford film we went to see, ‘Sneakers’ and I remember Mum commented that the last time she had been to the pictures was in act 1969 to see the aforementioned ‘Butch and Sundance’ :-)

It is therefore sad for me to report that the book did not live up to my expectations, I realise it is a biography not an autobiography of which I love, but it would appear the author Michael Feeney Callan was given full access, i just felt when I had finished that I had sat and read a 400 odd page C.V! there wasn’t much depth, I still didn’t know who Robert Redford is, except for the film and political choices he has made.

For someone who is merely interested in the films this will be great, but for someone like me who would like to know more of the person it was a disappointment…. still a good read, just not the book i had envisaged.

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The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web by Mari Smith

by Lucy Posted on January 22, 2012

The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web

Last May a local entrepreneur approached me with the notion of setting up our own Social Media company. Garry had seen the results of his use of Social Media so clearly with his Opticians that he wanted to share his knowledge with his friends and fellow businesses in the area. He had the foresight to know that he needed to surround himself with people who could implement the knowledge he had garnered, so me being a web designer and Michael who later joined us, being a marketing guy we set up Loving Social Media.com.

Me taking it all in!

Forward wind to Christmas and Garry gave us both this book… Now for the past 7 months I have immersed myself in the world of Social Media and read lots and lots and lived my life through it. So it was with some knowledge that I delved into the Mari Smith Book. The first thing is of course is that Mari knows her stuff! She is one of the leading people in this new and thriving business. She shares so many brilliant tips and links to sites that she has found useful. I found myself sat with my notepad on my lap and my ipad by my side to look at and make notes on all she was saying. The other great thing is the book is hugely readable. Mari brings it to life by telling us how it has all played out in her life, so its not tip after tip, its how her journey evolved and those she met along the way who helped.

Whilst reading I tweeted one of my friends and Mari as she mentioned ‘Toastmasters’ which my friend also belongs to. Wouldn’t you know it but Mari replied the very same day.

I have now finished the book and have so many notes and sites to check out that I best bring this review to a close :-)

I just want to thank Mari, for the help and wonderful advice and time she has invested in sharing her knowledge with us. Not just in this book but all the books and webinars (a facebook one is coming up on the 31st) and of course her blog and so on.

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Which Side Are You On? Ani DiFranco – Review

by Lucy Posted on January 18, 2012


This is the 17th album by Ani! An amazing feat in this day and age where people seem to take an age toWhat grabbed me about the album is it is so of the moment!  She even remarks on a campaign very close to my heart, high street shops! And the use it or lose it notion which those who have read my blog will know I have been heavily involved with here in Enfield.

To keep the protest theme she even has the best protest singer on the block join her on one of the tracks, none other than Pete Seeger! Who is now in his 90th year. It’s an angry up to date commentary on America as it is in 2012.

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society my review

by Lucy Posted on January 1, 2012

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

It’s a funny thing how I came to read this book… A few years ago when I guess it was first out I saw it whilst shopping with Mum. I very nearly bought it but for some reason didn’t…. Then I got given it for Christmas but instead of reading it myself I gave it to Aunty Pat, then… a few months ago my cousin Rebecca randomly sent me a copy! She has never done this before.. so I knew that some one upstairs REALLY wanted me to read this book, so what better time to do so than over Christmas.

I must mention that the reason I was drawn to it in the first place was because in the early 90s I had in fact lived in Guernsey and worked at the Peninsula Hotel.

The book is set just after the second world war. Letters fly back and forth from London where the author Juliet Ashton lives to the residents of Guernsey who are the members of the ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’. They get to know each other through their correspondence and it forms the notion of a new book by Juliet, who goes out there to meet with them all and learns more.

The book reminds me very much of ’84 Charing Cross Road’ which I loved! (I had to break it to my Aunt that that location is now a pizza hut!! and they say things have improved!)

The book is actually a true delight, it mixes sorrow with laugh out loud humour, sums up life, the twists and turns it takes, there is excitement, tragedy everything really in such a small book!

The thing I took away from it was that I had lived on that island and had a ball quite frankly and in the recklessness of youth had not ever really thought about what had occurred there during the war. I knew it had been occupied as the evidence was still there, the awful shelters are still to be found and of course there was the museum but we were too busy living our day to day lives to think of it, which I deeply regret. Maybe this is why someone was so keen for me to read it…..

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