The Rosemont Loving

1. Mashable - 7 Ways to Create Your Own Digg Clone
Use one of these tools to create your own Digg clone

2. Read/Write Web - Mobile Web Trends & Products, March ‘08 Update
The latest data on the mobile internet

3. Read/Write Web - Facebook vs Asia’s Top Social Networks
Facebook isn’t as popular as others in Asia

4. The Times - The new dotcom boom
An analysis piece of the British start up industry

5. Digital Inspiration  - The Best Online Tools To Help You Know Everything About Web Sites
Some tools of analysis for websites

6. Pro Blogger - Should I Change My Website Into a Blog?
A look at whether to design a blog or website

7. Daily Telegraph - The 101 most useful websites
A list of useful websites, from the Telegraph

1. Mashable - YouTube Insights Gives Users Metrics for Their Videos
YouTube invests in a statistic package for users

2. Guardian - ‘It’s a way of making the web better by making it more social’
Don’t understand OpenSocial? Have a listen to this interview

3. 24/7 Wall Street - The Twenty-Five Most Valuable Blogs
Another list of influential blogs

4. Comment is Free - Blogging city hall
The blogosphere is having an effect on the London Mayoral debate

1. Techcrunch UK - Facebook’s not dead. It was just resting
Facebook remains popular, despite media reporting otherwise

2. Techcrunch - Microsoft Embracing Data Portability? Partnerships WIth Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, LinkedIn and Tagged
Your data is being increasingly shared across networks, whether you like it or not

3. Silicon - Google, Yahoo! and MySpace announce OpenSocial Foundation
OpenSocial, the open web initiative, starts making waves

4. Media Bullseye - Friendfeed 101
Friendfeed is the latest social networking tool worth taking note of, have a go

The ongoing credit crunch debate is something which is likely to linger on for a while, so the Conservatives have done well to focus on the rising cost of living under Gordon Brown. The perceived management of the economy has always been the Prime Minister’s greatest achievement, and now with it being somewhat unstable we are starting to see cracks within it and his track record. It is obvious that people are finding it increasingly hard to live and day-to-day expenses are going up quite substantially, and this will get worse, so the tories are absolutely right to focus on such an issue. This is a key vote winner for the Conservatives and it is also further proof that the current government is losing touch and control. Unstable times are ahead.

1. Swotti - A Semantic Opinions Aggregator
A new neat little tool that aggregates reviews of products

2. Read/Write Web - The Conversation Has Left the Blogosphere
A blog post that states that the online conversation is in more places than just the blogosphere

3. Techcrunch - At Launch, Mytopia Shows Social Networks How To Play Nicely Together
A sign of things to come, an application that sites across multiple social networks

4. Media Bullseye - Linked In Now Features Company Profiles

5. Daily Mail - ‘Silver surfers’ spending two hours a day on the internet

6. Guardian - Warning to parents over children ‘being raised online’
Children are now influenced more by their online experiences than anywhere else

My first blog post for a while, I’m sorry for that. Apparently the conversation has left the blogosphere, so I guess I’m as big a culprit as any. The fact is that our digital lives are becoming more complex with more and more places to go to, so my blog is now only part of my new media mix, although it is still an important one. You can still catch me on Facebook, Twitter etc too.  

Easter is a time to spring clean one’s life, so after two burglaries and a mugging all within a year, I’ve decided to move out of the ghetto I live in. So if anyone hears of any suitable living situations let me know. Also, when looking at one’s life you obviously have to analyse your job situation - I can safely say I’m happy, making huge amounts of progress and our team is also hiring so I do question views that I read from time to time about the fact that my role will become redundant. I agree that all communicators should have a grasp of social media especially when money and times are tight and increasingly tighter, but the simple fact is that not many people do, both client side and within agency, so the role of a specialist is currently integral to companies and agencies (such as my current employment) that want to win out. There are similar views too regarding Facebook and its apparent demise, yet it is about to overtake MySpace as the number social network globally, so I simply don’t buy into such visions…well not yet, anyhow.  

My other conclusion is that roles and situations change, especially in the ever-changing media world. A few years ago I was doing media relations, now I’m on Twitter and FriendFeed, and in a few years time I’ll be doing something different, perhaps working for a less-costly Conservative Government. Ultimately we simply don’t know what the future holds, we just need to be aware of what might happen and put ourselves in a good enough position to adapt. So for now, Internet and social-media communications is a great and cost-effective way of getting your messages across so if you have any questions or needs please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

1. Techcrunch - Video Coming To Flickr Soon. Really
Flickr, the photo sharing site, is due to host videos too

2. Guardian - All American
The best British start ups look for success Stateside

3. Guardian - Do you trust online news more than newspapers?
Online news sources are now more trusted than newspapers

4. BBC News - Microsoft’s moves ‘threaten net’
Google, unsurprisingly, think Microsoft’s move for Yahoo! is a threat

5. Read/Write Web - Yahoo Buzz is a Game Changer for Social Media; And Spells Trouble for Digg!
Yahoo! Buzz, the new social news service from the company, is building up a bit of traction

1. Techcrunch - Yahoo To Join OpenSocial in April
Another big player joins the open internet initiative

2. Times - Google could be superseded, says web inventor
Tim Berners-Lee talks about the threat to Google, new web technologies

3. BBC News - AOL acquires Bebo social network
Bebo, third biggest social network globally, gets purchased

4. EMarketer - Why the AOL-Bebo Deal Matters
An analysis of the above deal

5. Mashable - Stats: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Social Networking
The latest social networking stats

1. Forrester - The future of social networks: Social networks will be like air
Your online identity will be shared across different networks

2. Read/Write Web - MySpace and MTV UK Team Up to Make a TV Show
A media company teams up with a social network

3. Guardian - ITV signs Bebo video deal
Another media company teams up with a different social network

4. E-Consultancy - Social networks ‘could become content platforms’
A news article that highlights the trend above

5. Read/Write Web - Health 2.0 - Apps & Trends to Watch
Web 2.0 hits healthcare too

6. Netimperative - European social networking report
The latest social networking report from Forrester. 40% of online Europeans access such content

7. Compete - February Top Social Networks - Make way for the new guys
MySpace and Facebook still lead the way in terms of traffic

8. Guardian - The world’s 50 most powerful blogs
Apparently the most important blogs out there

9. Forrester - Corporate social technology strategy, Purists, and Corporatists — why companies CAN participate
A fascinating article about how companies can interact with the social media space

10. BusinessWeek - Building a Brand with Widgets
Business Week does a special report on widgets

11. Times - Girls and young woman are now the most prolific web users
Women use the web now more than any other demographic