Earlier this year I spoke at a Mumpreneurs Masterclass – the brainchild of uber-talented working mum, Penny Webb. My topic was ‘Brand’ and my challenge was to share with a bunch of motivated self-employed mums how big companies do it – well, at least the ones I’ve worked for.“Be consistent,” I declared.“Be polished,” I preached.“Don’t be afraid to get professional help,” I implored.Then I came … [Read more...]
Bloggers are not bottom feeders
A tweet got me thinking. It was from a restaurateur complaining that bloggers, who ask to be ‘fed for free’ when they do reviews, have ‘pure bad manners’. Now, I totally get the ‘ethical parameters’ required for writing food reviews, and when I read the tweet I felt the tackiness of what must have been an awkward exchange between a blogger and the restaurateur. But when I read the supportive cries … [Read more...]
Big brands, take note…
Last week I witnessed a case study that illustrates perfectly why big brands must reconsider their traditional marketing and communications ‘rules of engagement’ if they are to successfully embrace the blogging phenomenon.By ‘rules of engagement’ I mean the controls brands put in place to ‘manage a message’ when they work with a third party. It’s the usual stuff – carefully crafted key messages … [Read more...]
Tweeting business with pleasure
I often ponder the perils of tweeting business with pleasure. I’ve written about the dilemmas of self-censorship before.But, while many warn it’s best to keep things as ‘professional’ as possible, I do find it hard sometimes to resist having a bit of fun – maybe even crack a joke that involves a fart. (Did I just write fart? Yes I did! F-A-R-T. Did anyone die? No, they didn’t.)You see, some tweeps … [Read more...]
Going nuts about self-censorship
A few nights ago, something kept me up (apart from our impending trip to Ireland, which is now only three sleeps away).Before I hit the sack, I tweeted about comedian Jason Byrne, who I had just watched perform at the Enmore Theatre. I alluded to one of his jokes involving, well, nuts (if you were there, you’re probably laughing hysterically now).Lying in bed, I started to feel uneasy. I did a … [Read more...]
The uber-bloggers and me
It’s been three months since I started this blog. I’ve shared tales about: projectile vomits; a ‘hole’ that got me into a spot of bother with my son; corporate bitches (namely me); and women who hide their motherhood at work. I’m proud of my little repertoire that has no common theme, apart from its randomness.In the past three months I’ve also immersed myself in other blogs. The funny, the sad, … [Read more...]