Blogging, babies and Dambusters

Hello lovely bloggers, yes Kate Bentham again, curating week 21 blogs. You’ve been busy this week with some great blogs; I’ve enjoyed reading every one of them. You really are a talented bunch. Give yourselves a pat on and back, and have a slice of cake.

There were 11 blogs submitted this week, which again is lower numbers than we have been used to seeing, but we are prepared for a dip in blogs as the nice weather finally appears and people are out and about more, but if you spot something interesting whilst you are out and about, why not write a blog about it? #justsaying

The fabulous Janet Davis has written a great blog for anyone thinking about blogging, but who might not know how to go about it. In Blogging for beginners part 1 Janet shares her skills, knowledge and experience to help others get started. I know that if it wasn’t for Janet setting up the mighty fine Weekly Blog Club, I wouldn’t have started blogging – I wonder how many of you that’s the same for?

Ross Wigham has also been supporting others to blog, offering 2 guest posts this week on his bog. The first is Costume drama by Liz Ritson. Liz blogs about an exhibition of well known and loved costumes which have appeared in film and television and for which the costume designer received either a BAFTA, Oscar or a nomination. It is hoped that through the exhibition the skills of the costume designers will be recognised and appreciated.

The second post on Ross’s blog is by Maria Loupa and called Local market lovin’ looking at the national Love Your Local Market campaign. This campaign is to encourage new market traders and celebrate markets being at the heart of local communities.

We’re delighted for Elaine Hunter who has been asked to deliver the prestigious Dr Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture at the Occupational Therapy conference this year. Elaine is going to focus her blog on leadership and in A place to talk leadership #OTalk  Elaine explains how she has been preparing for her lecture. Good luck Elaine, I am sure you will be wonderful, and I look forward to the blog on how it went.

Our other health related blog this week is The Weight of History by Jeff Ace. In his blog Jeff looks at what the legacy of current health changes will be to future generations, something which needs to be taken into consideration with service redesign. Jeff and colleagues certainly feel the weight of expectation and responsibility on their shoulders as they ensure high quality integrated health and social care is at the heart of services to patients.

Louise Atkinson is continuing with her research as part of her practice led PhD and this week debates what the definition of a work of art might be, as a universal classification. Louise looks at ritual objects, semiotics and branding in Why art is not branding. I also know Janet would have done more justice to summarising this blog than me, so sorry about that Louise.

When Karen Hart started contributing posts to weekly blog club, I immediately enjoyed them. Karen is a great story teller, and this week I was excited to read that Karen is going to be turning her hand to more fiction writing. Karen even shares one of her short stories with us this week in Giving it all away 

Another great post this week is called One ounce of emotion beats a ton of scientific evidence. It’s all about “the babies….” by Chris Bolton. This post by Chris looks at the use of evidence in getting polices developed and practices delivered. Chris also considers the counter argument – the one often laced with emotion rather than scientific fact, the one that asks ‘what about the babies..?’ the question to which is often no answer to.

We have another glimpse into our past again this week in Bradford Grammar School Staff by Richard Overy. This wonderful photo from 1939 shows the teaching staff, with some wonderful faces to look at. I can’t help but notice that the teaching staff were all male.

The Only Way is Onwards, There is No Turning Back! by Karl Green looks at a television programme called Knightmare which Karl used to watch as a child. The programme saw contestants having to work as a team and defeat the dungeon. Karl admits this was the first geeky type thing he became a fan of.

There are some amazing images in Nearly missed the Dambusters! by Mark Wood, not only are there photos of military planes, but mayors, and boxers. Mark really is a stilled photographer and again proving that a blog can be a photo or two with some words written around it.

So if you have been inspired to give blogging a go and want to contribute your first post to weekly blog club have a look at our About page for details. If you are stuck for something to write about this week the [entirely optional] there is Heroes and Heroines, inspired by the Bowie programme which is on the telly box distracting me as I try to write this.

Remember, weekly blog club isn’t all about the blogging, it’s about the reading, commenting and sharing of posts, so if you have enjoyed any of the posts listed here be sure to let the writer know.

If you would like to have a go at curating weekly blog club, you can find out more about that here. I note with interest that in a week’s time it is National Volunteer Week, so why not pick a week which suits you and volunteer to be guest curator.

Until next time, stay cool.

Kate

Kate Bentham

Summary of Week 21 posts

1. Blogging for beginners part 1 by Janet Davis
2. Local market lovin’ by Maria Loupa
3. Giving it all away by Karen Hart
4. One ounce of emotion beats a ton of scientific evidence. It’s all about “the babies….” by Chris Bolton
5. A place to talk leadership #OTalk by Elaine Hunter
6. Bradford Grammar School Staff by Richard Overy
7. The Only Way is Onwards, There is No Turning Back! by Karl Green 
8. Nearly missed the Dambusters! by Mark Wood
9. Costume drama by Liz Ritson
10. Why art is not branding by Louise Atkinson
11. The Weight of History by Jeff Ace on the Dumfries and Galloway Health Blog

The Only Way is Onwards, There is No Turning Back!

This week Karl Green is reminiscing about one of his all time favourite television programmes called Knighmare. In the show contestants had to work as a team to defeat the dungeon and the people who lived there. Karl blogs with fondness about the show and how it was one of the first proper geek things he became a fan of.

The Only Way is Onwards, There is No Turning Back! by Karl Green 

Demons, downloads and daffodils

Hello, it’s me Kate Bentham again this week, starting with a shuffle of the feet and staring at the floor apology for the delay in getting this summary to you. My standards are slipping. I’ll try harder. Am I forgiven?

So, let’s cut to the chase and get on to those blogs, you’ve waited long enough for them after all. There were 12 perfectly formed blogs this week, which turns out to be one of the quietest weeks we’ve had for a while. If ever you are struggling for inspiration then just get in touch on the #weeklyblogclub tag, and someone will tweet you some ideas. If time is your issue, we can’t help there, but if you found a solution then do share.

A couple of blogs posed questions to us this week, one of which was an important one was around mental health. Susan Munro asks Are You Aware?, do we know enough about mental health issues and the impact on a person’s life. Susan questions if enough is done to raise awareness of mental health to the general public and also questions whose role it is to do this. It’s also important to consider what success might look like, how would we know that people are aware. A very interesting blog to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week.

Rough Cat aka Llana Rockette  blogs this week about being Scottish and the all of the fabulous things associated with being Scottish. In Scots Abroad – Surely Not That Obvious? Rough Cat looks at Scottish stereotypes, such as accents, weather, communities, sun bathing, and lager. 

Mark Wood is often asked Why hang around on mountains then? In his blog this week he not only explains why but also shows us why. As a talented photographer Mark patiently stands for hours on the snowy Welsh hills to capture stunning images of military jets.

Richard Overy regularly shares wonderful photos with us, which may have been lost but are now found again. This week Richard shares a group photo entitled Wilson & Mrs W. Hoskin  which possibly shows generations of neighbouring families. There are lots of interesting faces to look at in this glimpse of the past.

Samuel-James Wilson also looks at the past this week, with a focus on our cultural and architectural heritage. In St.Andrews Church – Starbeck Church – Update Samuel-James updates us on his campaign to protect the integrity and heritage of this local church, sharing some of the recent correspondence he has received from the local council and company carrying out the work, which does not actually address the professional and informed questions he asks. We wish Samuel-James well with this important campaign.

We regularly get health related blogs and this week is no different. We have a real personal blog by Ros Gray called Daffodils in full bloom , which was posted on the Ayrshire Health Blog. In this blog, Ros looks beyond the technical care of patients and focuses on compassionate, person centred care, and ensuring patient safety. Lots of important questions are asked in this blog, but have your tissues at the ready; it might bring a tear to your eye.

Anyone who likes the sporting section of the weekly blog club summary will be pleased to read there are two sports related blogs this week (sort of). First up we haveThe Sporting Wag who argues that it’s Not All Bad For UAE Rugby But Much More Needs To Be Done, after a recent defeat against Japan. The sporting wag, aka Hannah Chia, suggests that the amateur status of the players of the UAE team will continue to struggle against professional players, unless some investment into a league is taken forward.

The other sporting (sort of) related blog is from Kenny McDonald who in Living life the Wigan way  looks at the leadership and management style of Wigan Football club manager Roberto Martinez. Kenny greatly admires the professionalism of Roberto and how he worked to strive to implement his strategy to avoid relegation. We can all learn something about leadership style from this manager, I even learnt a bit about football.

We have a very helpful blog from  Louise Brown called A quick look at targeting your Facebook page posts this is an particularly useful blog for anyone who manages a corporate Facebook page. Louise has produced a step by step guide for anyone who wants to know more about targeting posts.  Graham Budd shares an interesting blog this week called Getting your name “in the paper”. The blog looks at why someone might object to their name appearing digitally but are very comfortable with other elements of their public profile – I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on this? Why might digitally differ? if you have any ideas include them on Graham’s blog.

Fragmentation of TV Audiences and Illegal Downloads by Karl Green this week looks at how TV audiences are becoming more and more fragmented as a result of technological developments. Karl also looks at how pay to view channels are causing some audiences to illegally download programmes. A great read.

Finally My personal demons by Karen Hart looks at procrastination and perfectionism, two characteristics she is cursed with. Karen blogs on how they cripple her into inactivity and a feeling that  nothing is never any good. I can certainly see myself in this blog, I often faff about until the deadline, and then sometimes that comes and goes and still I’m not finished. Thank goodness for the invention of Squidgy Deadlines. I’ve certainly needed one this week for this summary. Thankfully I’m not cursed by perfectionism – but you already knew that, you might have read this far to find that out.

If you have enjoyed the blogs this week, be sure to let the blogger know, a simple like, comment or share is really encouraging and motivating. If you have been motivated to write a blog for next week you can find out more about how to on our About page, it really is simple. Or if you have felt motivated to have a go at being a guest curator you can find out how to here, that’s really simple too – and very enjoyable.

I’m back again for the week 21 summary. So until then, take care, eat some cake and keep blogging.

Kate 

Summary of Week 20 posts

1. Living life the Wigan way by Kenny McDonald
2. My personal demons by Karen Hart
3. St.Andrews Church – Starbeck Church – Update by Samual-James Wilson
4. Wilson & Mrs W. Hoskin by Richard Overy
5. Scots Abroad – Surely Not That Obvious? by Rough Cat aka Llana Rockette 
6. Daffodils in full bloom by Ros Gray
7. Why hang around on mountains then? by Mark Wood
8. Are You Aware? by Susan Munro
9. Fragmentation of TV Audiences and Illegal Downloads by Karl Green
10. Not All Bad For UAE Rugby But Much More Needs To Be Done. by The Sporting Wag
11. Getting your name “in the paper” by Graham Budd
12. A quick look at targeting your Facebook page posts By Louise Brown

Getting your name “in the paper”

An interesting blog from Graham Budd this week who tries to understand why someone would object to their name appearing digitally, but are very comfortable with the other elements of their local gov public profile.

Getting your name “in the paper” by Graham Budd

Fragmentation of TV Audiences and Illegal Downloads

An interesting blog from Karl Green this week looking at how TV audiences are becoming more and more fragmented as a result of technological developments. Karl also looks at how pay to view channels are causing some audiences to illegally download programmes. A great read.

Fragmentation of TV Audiences and Illegal Downloads by Karl Green

Blogging, walking, leading and bins

Hello, yes it’s me Kate Bentham back for another week as guest curator of Weekly Blog Club. We’re into week 15 of year two and had some wonderful blogs submitted this week, the quality and content of which have been amazing. The 17 blogs submitted this week have the usual eclectic mix of subject matter but what has been interesting is the medium through which some bloggers have presented. We’ve had videos, photos, audio and text, proof that a blog really can be presented in any format. If you’re used to presenting in text, why not have a go at something a bit different next week?

Anyway, let’s have a look at the blogs for this week.

We have a couple of blogs about blogging. First is Parent bloggers and The Lullaby Trust by Louise Brown who talks about online communities, and how it is possible to engage with them by tapping into something which the community may have experienced or have strong opinions about. The Lullaby Trust tapped into one online community to raise awareness of changes within the organisations, with some very positive results. Next up is Ross Wigham who has been celebrating one year since he started his blog. In Happy blog day Ross remind us of some of the excellent blogs he’s written over the last 12 months, and some surprises in the post viewed blogs – ones which were more personal than work related, which I find really interesting in the whole personal and professional discussion – should we try to separate the two, if actually readers like to see a bit of the personal there too?

There were two bloggers who took up the entirely optional theme this week, based on Janet Davis’s Urban Walk posts.  Kate Bentham took us on A Rural Walk April 2013 across fields and lanes and even through a church yard, sharing photos of some of the interesting things she saw on the way. Look out for the unusual Gravestone and the old carving in the wall.  Chris Bolton also took us on a walk from the changing rooms of a Rugby Club to the actual pitch, complete with make shift dug out. In Vardre RFC, Venice of the Swansea Valley? Re-visiting old rugby grounds we get to see some of the canals and bridges Chris had to cross to be able to watch his son play #properrugby.

And on the subject of Rugby  The Sporting Wag AKA Hannah Chia has chosen the team is will be supporting in the Super XV based mainly on looks rather than quality of play. Hannah relieves which team gets her backing this season in And My Super XV Team is…

We have two posts this week looking specifically at leaders and leadership. Derek Barron suggests leaders need to involve a team in the Why, How and What, to ensure that teams are clear of the vision and will follow. In Leaders – where ‘why’ meets understanding Derek also looks at the importance of giving feedback to candidates after interviews and Covey’s work on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Janet Davis touches on another leader this week in Leaving for the future suggesting that the legacy of Thatcher might only truly be understood by future historians, just as architectural heritage and excavation is often best left, with the advancements in technology, for future generations.  

News, media, comms, and PR are often subjects of blog posts, and this week is no different. Andrew Eccleston on the Dumfries and Galloway Blog looks at the subject of media from a different angle. In Front Page News Andrew shares his experience of being in a job for a few weeks, when he was called upon to do an interview about staff shortages at the Paediatric department. Completely out of his comfort zone Andrew shares how he prepared for the interview which was vital considering the issue and possible angle the paper could take. For anyone wanting to find out more about the media post-Leveson and the use of social media in news reporting Ross Wigham invites you to join him at the CIPR conference in June called Power to the people, which looks like a good event with some very interesting speakers.

We had a few employment related posts this week, the first is by Chris Bolton who looks at Clump Recruitment, whereby we can engage or enlist Generation Y people by targeting where they hang out, all for the benefit of the business. In Clump Recruiting, Old Wine in New Bottles? What about the Pals Battalions and Richard Arkwright? Chris explains that this technique of clumping isn’t new, and looks a little bit like ‘Old wine in new bottles’. Another great blog from Chris.

Pride, Passion, Professionalism by Hazel Borland on the Dumfries and Galloway Blog looks back and celebrate 30 years in a nursing role, reflecting on some influential colleagues she worked with and who shaped her nursing practice. Graham Budd has also been helping colleagues understand and use social media and the web as a way of communicating and engaging with customers. In Vexing myself into redundancy  Graham looks at how with the support he has given, colleagues are confidently and competently making the best use of online tools.

Participation Cymru have used video in their blog which includes an interview with a member of their Advisory Panel, to understand more about the work Participation Cymru undertakes and how the panel are key to steering that work. The interview in Wayne Jepson reflects on our work and being a member of our Advisory Panel is used as part of a wider evaluation framework.

Although Carolyne Mitchell may have been on holiday to France, she shows that as with many a Local Gov’er she is never of duty. Having recently implemented changes to the way her council communicate information on bin collections, she watched with interest how the process was managed in France, from data collection to measuring content Who’s up for a binman’s holiday? is an interesting read.

Karen Hart used video, audio and photos in her blog Five Senses at Stepney City Farm, and we’re mightily glad she did. The blog shares some of the exciting developments taking place at Stepney Farm (Café/cake) and also introduces some of the newest residents – baby animals! Videos of baby animals! Photos of baby animals! Audio of baby animals!

The Songs of Me Challenge was taken up by Graham Budd this week, who shares some top tunes which evoke memories for Graham. Why not have a listen to the songs, and watch the videos Graham has also included in his blog. If you haven’t taken up the challenge yourself yet, why not have a go this week?

Our last blog is by Darren Caveney who is a regular blogger for comms2point0, a site he cofounded to share creative comms resources. It is fair to say I was keen to get a Weekly Blog Club post from Darren as I greatly admire the work he does and the way he writes. In Work, babbies, campervans and life. Part 1  Darren looks at balancing work and family and shares his hopes and wishes for the ‘spare’ time he has. A useful reminder on what’s important in life.

So, that’s your lot, and your lot from me for a few weeks. I hand you over to the lovely Louise Brown who will be looking after Weekly Blog Club for week 16. The entirely optional theme this week is Hobbies and Interests – how do you spend your ‘spare’ time?  

If you have enjoyed the blogs this week, be sure to let the blogger know, a simple like, comment or share is really encouraging and motivating. If you have been motivated to write a blog for next week you can find out more about how to on our About page, it really is simple. Or if you have felt motivated to have a go at being a guest curator you can find out how to here, that’s really simple too – and very enjoyable.

Until next time…

Kate

Kate Bentham 

Power to the people

Ross Wigham shares news of the CIPR Northern Conference called Power to the People, which is being held in June 2013. The Conference will look at a post-Leveson world where traditional media is in the spotlight and social media is everywhere and all seeing. The blog includes a link for anyone interested in attending what looks like a great event.

Power to the people by Ross Wigham

Five Senses at Stepney City Farm

Karen Hart’s blog post about the latest going on at Stepney City Farm touches on all of our senses – be prepared to make a squeeeee sound as there are videos of baby ducks and baby lambs. Baby lambs I tell you – quick, go look…

Five Senses at Stepney City Farm by Karen Hart

Happy blog day

I was really surprised to read that Ross Wigham’s blog is only a year old. He’s produced some top blogs in the last 12 months. In this post Ross looks back at some of the most viewed blogs, which if you missed first time round you can now catch up on again. Lots of good comms, PR and social media learning, but my favorite still remains ‘Shame about your face Dad’.

Happy blog day by Ross Wigham

E-participation and storytelling

This week Participation Cymru looks at E-participation and Storytelling, sharing some of the work they have done and the work of people they have met and respect in this particular field. They also share a very interesting video blog which clarifies a little bit more about what is digital storytelling.

E-participation and storytelling by Participation Cymru