#ligging

[superofferte-blog]

Tips van een tuinman: wat is de ideale ligging van een tuin?

https://www.superofferte.nl/ideale-ligging-van-een-tuin/

[h-azie]

Het effect van de omgeving op menselijk gedrag.

Hallo, ik maak met twee andere scholieren een profielwerkstuk over het effect van de ligging van je woonplaats op je gedrag. Graag invullen, want we willen zoveel mogelijk gebieden in Nederland ondervraagd hebben. Alvast bedankt!

[fuck-liveyourlifeforever-blog]

[jeroenapers]

Parador de Ronda, een uniek gelegen hotel in het Spaanse stadje Ronda, op de rand van een 120 meter diepe klif. Beneden stroomt het riviertje de Guadalevín, die stad bijna letterlijk in tweeën splitst.

(via Condé Nast Traveler)

[darraghdoyle]

Blogging, blagging, ligging, PR whoring - my disclosure

*Sigh*

Even as I begin to type this, I know it will cause some sort of "controversy" because (a) it's me, (b) it's not something I've blogged about before, (c) people have a variety of different views and (d) people like a good bitchfest discussion. 

So, to negate all that slightly, I'm putting in the following disclaimer: I'm writing about me and how I do things here. Not recommending it for anyone else, not saying everyone should do it, not putting it as a "rule", just saying "this is what I do". I'm also slightly on the defensive because this is quite personal - part of me wants to say "and none of anyone's business really" but in the interest of transparency, here it is.

Firstly, if you haven't, please do read this post on "Online PR working with bloggers" on the Mulley Communications blog. It's a masterclass in it and it's something I strongly believe in, especially:

Disclosures: To ensure fair game, strongly encourage bloggers to disclose in any review that they got a device from you, you gave them a review copy of a book etc. In terms of payola, hopefully bloggers in Ireland will not ask you for money to blog or tweet about them. If they charge to write what they and you class as an advertorial then that should be disclosed too. Not doing so will end up with being found out eventually and damaging your rep.

This is also, slightly, a rehash of a post I wrote last October on Culch.ie - In my opinion: Soon, Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure.

The old "Journalists have been getting this for years, so it's the blogger's turn" line

I don't know if that's true? Is it?

Adam Maguire recently posted a list of what he's gotten as a journalist. It's great that he did that. Conversations on twitter abound about what people get, how and whatever, and I'm more than happy to answer any questions about how I get to do the things I do.  I generally try to do this either when asked, on twitter or in the blog post when I write it, but I'm aware not everyone reads all those places.

I'm not a journalist. I don't pitch myself as a "blogger" (more on this later). I don't say "I have x amount of followers on Twitter" to anyone as a "selling" point. I generally don't go chasing opportunities - they come to me. However, I am a big believer in "You don't ask, you don't get", so I will ask sometimes if I can help. Generally I get a positive reaction. 

I do have a certain profile - as "going-to-the-opening-of-a-paper-bag" as it may be. Why that profile? Well, I go to a lot of events. I talk about them. I talk to a lot of people. I tell incredibly bad jokes that I copy from websites onto twitter and they make people smile. I speak to companies professionally and personally. I ask if I can help. I blogged. I make myself known.

Is that a bad thing? Should I not do this? If not, why not?

What I do and don't/won't do

I've seen blagging, ligging and all that sort of thing being talked about and really - honestly - I'm not sure where I fit into that any more.

Yes, I go to a lot of events

Yes, I work with a lot of PR companies

Yes, I take opportunities or invitations to try things I haven't before

Yes, I go to the theatre and other places on invitation from press/marketing people

Yes, I tweet about things I go to and sometimes blog* about them

Yes, I mention them on Facebook and twitter and other places

Yes, I'm a PR "whore" (in the nice sense of the word, in that I talk to a number of PR people and companies)

I'd like to think though that whatever I do, I add value to something and I give a return on the investment. I'd also like people to know when I get something for free, I mention it and am very grateful for it. 

I'm actually genuinely interested in marketing, branding, PR and events - this has been part of my working life for the last eleven years. Basically in a variety of roles I've always been interested in Customer Service and how companies speak to their customers in whatever format. So I benefit from my experience and the work I put in.

To cover what I don't do - and I may not be using the correct words or terminology here and leaving holes so wide you can drive a truck through them, but here goes

I don't accept money for blog posts (or get offered it, by the way)

I don't get free "gifts" because I'm a blogger or for "endorsements"

I don't sell or provide lists of bloggers to PR companies. I don't have any list - I just know a lot of people

I don't sell, claim or offer any expertise in blogging, reach or getting awareness to companies

I don't sell any access to Boards.ie beyond providing an introduction and facilitating a commercial agreement with our sales team

To break those down a bit - especially regarding blogger lists and gifts - I have been asked to help arrange blogger evenings and I have advised both Meteor and Your Country, Your Call on both, but I haven't "provided a list". I did recommend (as I would for anyone who'd ask)

to put an open call out on Twitter (or wherever) to invite anyone interested

not to invite bloggers for the sake of just having "bloggers". There are people I know who WOULD be interested in things and I do say - give x a shout, but I only do it with their permission and only if they were okay with it

to remember who is in the audience - don't speak down to people or treat them as if they don't know what they're talking about. (I've seen this happen, it's not pretty)

to have loads of business cards and any press releases, presentations, PDFs, photographs etc on a USB stick to give to people if they want one

but most importantly

to explain why they've invited the people there - as bloggers - and what they hope to do going forward with them

It's what I'd want to know and that's why I recommend it.

I haven't blogged in ages

I *'d blog up there - because I haven't been blogging like I used to for ages. My last post on Culch.ie was 22 December 2009. In the last 6 months I published 9 posts on my old blog. Hardly super blogging there.

I do write for the Boards.ie blog when I can and I post to Tumblr also here (more a bookmarking service) but I certainly don't blog as much as I used to. 

However, when I get invited to an event, I'll cover it in some way - I may take the Flip and record an interview, a video or something else and I'll tweet about it and put that video, when done and if okay, properly tagged as much as I can, up onto my YouTube channel.

That's all I do and promise to do and most people seem happy with that.

Why are they? I honestly couldn't give you just one answer. I do know the benefit of having something positive about your brand/client/project in Google and I do know that personal experiences are always better to read about than PR spin (no offence, PR people) - but I never offer that.

I like to think I write fairly well, give a good overview of everything that goes on and share my feelings on the event well - as do so many others - and that's why I get these things. Also helps that I'm approachable (after my morning coffee).

But I always emphasise that this shouldn't - from the brand/PR companies perspective be because I'm a "blogger" - it should be because I'm interested in what is going on. I have turned down invitations to restaurant openings, wine tastings, shop openings and all sorts from PR companies who should know better because I have no interest, expertise and I'm the wrong person - it should be a food blogger, a tech blogger, a culture blogger - but not darraghdoylefromtheinternet cos, you know, he's got an audience. It's rubbish!

That's why I tend to pitch sites like Boards.ie, Thumped, Movies.ie where there's a relevant audience, and well, you get where I'm going...

Free gifts/tickets/opportunities etc that I've gotten:

I'm trying to think what I need to talk about here, but also trying to sort out in my head what constitutes this.

Are free tickets to a play that I've been asked to review a "gift"? What about tickets to a play that I haven't been asked to review? Also, I get "free" stuff because I work with Boards.ie too, I think. So everything then?

In no particular order, here's what I can think of:

I got a free Sony Bloggie from UPC at their recent rebranding launch. UPC are a client on Boards.ie.  This helps with my Boards.ie interviews. I also got a free UPC iPhone case and business card holder

I have been invited to the opening of the Special Olympics in Limerick on June 9

I have been invited to the Carlsberg Cat Laughs Festival in Kilkenny next weekend - shows and accommodation paid for

I was invited to the Innocent AGM in London last weekend - Innocent paid for the flights and night's accommodation. We also got a goodie bag that had drinks and the Innocent Book in it

I was invited to South Africa - Smirnoff paid all the expenses

I am regularly invited to the Abbey Theatre, Peacock Theatre, Gate Theatre and some others for plays. Normally I'll have run a competition with them as well to help spread awareness.

I was Digital Media at the Arthur's Day celebrations in the Guinness Storehouse last year

I got tickets to RTE Performing Groups concerts in the National Concert Hall. I work with them on awareness of events.

I got tickets to films from Element Pictures - I work with them on awareness of new releases

I get tickets from LeCool Dublin to write a review for their newsletter

At a recent Meteor PR evening where they announced new data plans and an advertising campaign, I got a free HTC Legend Smartphone, as did all attendees. I was invited in my capacity of my Boards.ie role though - Meteor are a client and I'm working with them, as I did with Eircom, on their online customer service. Previously I had gotten a HTC Hero from their PR team too, as a thank you for advice I'd given.

I've gotten gifts of alcohol from DIAGEO to coincide with announcements they make

I got free tickets from the 2010 Cork Choral Festival to cover their events

I got free tickets and accommodation from the Guinness Jazz Festival in Cork last year

I get invited to press launches - like UPC, or the baby tigers in the zoo or Festival launches

I get review CDs from Linda in Good Seed PR - i interviewed a number of her acts

I got a free skydive from CareLocal in a charity initiative last year

I got a free Emergency CD for helping the lads run a competition on Boards.ie

I got a review copy of Shane Hegarty's book before publication

I got a free copy of Dustin's DVD when I interviewed him for Boards.ie

I got a sandwich in a metal pail last week as part of a DennysHomeIs/BespokeWithDirection PR campaign

There have been free t-shirts in goodie bags as well

 If there's more I find/can think of/pointed out, I'll add them, but generally that's it.

Is that a lot? Hell yes.

Should, though, I not take it? That's a bigger discussion. I don't take things because I'm a blogger; I take them - especially opportunities - because they're offered and they allow me to do interviews, to give better coverage, to get video footage and to talk better to people about these events. 

It is a lot of stuff. But I work hard. I give advice. I get coverage. I lend my personality and my experience to it. I don't charge for what I do in financial terms anyway.

And yes, for the trips and stuff, it's great - and humbling - but I'm not the only one taking or being offered the trips as far as I know. And for everything on the list there - maybe except the free phones - I can point out tweets, videos, blog posts or other coverage where I stated where I'd gotten them, how and thanked the people who gave them. I also have emails thanking me for what I've done.

Am I a whore? Yeah - I'd say you could call me that. I'm open to having the accusation that I'm "selling my credibility" (whatever that means) for the sake of seeing a play or interviewing someone or getting footage at a concert or having an experience. But. do you know what? I enjoy it and have a great time.

I'm not robbing anyone. I'm not harming anyone. I'm not bitching or moaning or being controversial for the sake of it. If I enjoy something, I'll write well about it. If I don't, I won't.

Am I a blagger? Yes, I am. If you don't ask you don't get. But I repay the blagging with content.

Am I a ligger though? Well, if we take the Urban Dictionary definition:

An individual who attends parties, openings, social gatherings and events with the sole intention of obtaining free food and drink - an arch blagger. Popularised by the NME in the early nineties and possibly with it's entomological roots in the fishing term for "baited line".

Then no, no I'm not. I work for what I get. I rarely eat food at these things anyway - I'm too busy tweeting or interviewing or taping and, well, the food is only sometimes good. Again, I try provide value. Do I actually do so? You'd need to ask the companies in question that, but they invite me back, so, I guess so.

Invitations and opportunities

I get a lot of opportunities, sure, but I'm open to them, and people know this. The value of the word YES is vastly underestimated in this country, I find. If something is of interest to me and I want to cover it and I get invited, then I'll say yes. Is this not something I should do?

I posted recently about the events I work on, but I don't often talk about the meetings I have with companies, charities and events on how to do social media, how to set up a Facebook page or twitter account, how to communicate with people online, where and who to talk to and so on and I do not charge money for this.

I'll have a cup of coffee if it's going but I feel uncomfortable with anything more. Is that payment? Well, yes, in a way it is. Should I disclose it? Well, would you be interested if I did?

It's not all fun and games

You go to so much, you can't be interested in everything, you're just going cos you were invited, you love the attention, you've lost your credibiluty, you're a whore, you're... etc etc

If I had any skill with graphics I'd put all that in a twitter box, because I get all that levelled at me time and time again. However, while genuine curiousity and asking is fine with me, and, like this post, I'm as honest as I can be, I do want to tell you something here. Actually, let me show you a photo of me.

That's me at U2 in Croker last year - I paid for those tickets - and that's generally me at events. Camera in one hand recording, phone in the other, answering questions, relaying events, recording. Being there but not being there. As I wrote in that Culch post:

... I'm often out of pocket as well after events. I travel to meet people. I spend time I could be doing something else at events. I sacrifice watching something for recording it, for being able to tell you about it better. Yes, completely my choice, but also something I’m proud that I can do, to whatever ability.

I come back from an event and I face into having to blog about it, upload video and photos, convert and edit them, tag them properly etc etc. It's not a simple matter of just going. It's really not. It's hard work and it's not always fun. Enjoyable, but not always fun.

I've never seen the Wire, West Wing, Gossip Girls, the last seasons of LOST, of 24, of Boston Legal. I've seen three episodes of GLEE and two of Desperate Housewives - ever! I don't "sit in" in front of the TV. That's not what I do - this stuff is. Steph sees my phone as much as she sees me. Niamh the same. I work hard at what I do - or try to.

How can you get some free stuff for you?

There's no secret to this - no list of people who can, nobody to be "in with". All I can advise you to do is do what I do:

Ask

Connect with companies and people

Ask if you can help if you're interested in helping

Show them what you can do

Write well

Tell people about things

Be interested and willing and available

Be willing to put up with the criticism, the knocking and the righteous, indignant accusations masking good old fashioned jealousy

Be open to the opportunity

Enjoy it

It's a lot of work, but it can be fun.

Over to you

What do you think I should disclose in future? Am I doing it properly? Not properly? Do you even care, really? Am I doing something wrong? If so, how?

Genuinely interested in constructive feedback and opinions. The comment box is yours.

Thanks for reading!