From Unemployed to Ambassador – How the Prince’s Trust helped me.

The Prince’s Trust does not save lives. It doesn’t change them either.

It gives young people the power to change their own lives and gives them skills they will use for years to come.

This, among many reasons, is why I feel so passionate about the Trust.

When I joined the Team Programme in June 2013, my confidence and prospects were at an all time low. Without going into already covered territory, I was in a pretty bad place and needed a kick up the backside.

I agreed, after an annoying (yet necessary as it turned out) amount of pressure from my JobCentre adviser, to attend the open event and see what the fuss was about. The idea of spending twelve weeks in a room with people I didn't know was an image of hell for my introverted self.

My life changed after the first day.

I immediately opened myself up to possibilities and opportunities with the intention of experiencing everything I possibly could from those 3 months. I found myself doing things I never would have considered – like getting in a canoe despite having a gripping fear of drowning.

I didn't finish the programme and immediately go into work, as some young people assume will happen. I gave everything to that course but the opportunity for work just wasn't there. However, I knew full well that the skill set the course gave me would lead, however long it took, to better and more fulfilling job prospects. This, it has done – I am now a proud social media apprentice for West Midlands Fire Service, a fantastic job and the start of what will hopefully be a successful career.

Just over a year on, I am privileged to say that I am a Young Ambassador for the Trust, and am due to attend my first event in early October. What has been given to me in terms of confidence, skills and positivity is a debt that can’t be repaid with any number of promotional events that I speak at.

The summer of intake of Young Ambassadors for the Midlands

What I hope is that I can encourage young people to get involved with what is, in fact, a fantastic and essential charity in this country. If every young person was able to get participate in the huge range of courses offered, the future of this country would look very bright indeed.

Young people are the future of this country. Their well being, their prospects, and their attitude are essential to how we progress as a nation. Whatever our age or background, we all have a responsibility to give something to the people who will determine how we live our lives in the future. This is something The Prince’s Trust have set about doing with fantastic schemes and programmes that will, and I repeat with certainty, WILL give young people the skills to change their lives.

Let me tell you a story.

On Wednesday night, I was on my way home from poker at the pub after a good night. I’d had a couple of beers and had that pleasant fuzzy feeling one gets before destroying it with “just one more.”

I passed a guy in the city centre who was clearly homeless. He didn’t ask me for money. In fact, he barely lifted his head to acknowledge he had even noticed me. I carried on walking for a few yards. Then turned back.

Handing him the food and drink I had just bought from McDonalds, which he accepted gratefully, I sat down next to him. I sat there for probably about half an hour, listening to him talk about his problems and his life.

Before leaving, I gave him £5. This was both all I could really afford, and it was a minimal amount so that he may make the most of it and appreciate it more. I told him to spend it wisely, to which he promised he would and then went on my way.

After work the next day, I saw him again. This time, he was sat on a wall with a woman, clutching a can of cheap lager. He noticed me, and called his thanks, raising his can and smiling. My heart sank and I reprimanded myself for my own folly in giving him money.

But, being an overly analytical person, I began to look at it from a different angle.

First; he was smiling. Regardless of whether was drinking beer or not, he was smiling. This was a stark contrast to the miserable man I had seen huddled in his coat on the high street the previous night.

Second, I considered the person he was with. He had told me that he had split up with his partner and she had kicked him out, leading to his current situation. Was this the same woman? I can’t make assumptions, but I believed it to be her and it made me glad to see that they were at least on talking terms – hopefully something that will lead to an improvement to his circumstances.

Third, his thanks. He recognised me and made the effort to thank me for what I had done. Of course, there’s always the potential that he was mocking me as he had lifted the can in the traditional “cheers” movement, but I have more faith in humanity than that!

Reflecting on this story, I can look at it one of two ways. Either I made a huge mistake and gave a homeless alcoholic money after he told me his sob story, or I genuinely helped a guy and brought even the smallest amount of light to his night/day.

More valuable than the money or the food that I gave to him, was the time I spent with him. Having been in a similar situation myself, I can understand the sheer loneliness of being on the streets, so having someone just to listen to you and to talk to would be a huge thing that a price can’t define.

It might be that I made a mistake by doing it, but there was no getting away from the fact that he was smiling and grateful when I saw him the next day. This post isn’t to say “oh, look what I did.” It’s more to ask people to think about things from a different angle now and then. Things are usually more than they appear on the surface.

From my perspective, I tried to help the guy and I gave him the option to help himself by feeding himself for even just a couple of days. He chose to spend the money that way, so I have no regrets.

Did I make a mistake? Should I be disappointed that he had spent that money on a couple of beers, even if that’s what made him happy? Let me know your thoughts below.

Should you be on Google+?

There’s been a lot of talk this year about the rise of Google+ as a social network. It is now the second largest, behind only Facebook. Experts predict that by May 2016, it will overtake Facebook in the social sharing kingdom – a staggering consideration when you think it currently accounts for a measly 2% of the global sharing (onlinemediadirect.co.uk).

What’s so great about Google+ then? It seems that almost nobody I know personally uses it as a social network.

Well, having done lots of research on the platform for work, it appears to me to be one of the most underrated options out there for marketers and brands.

It pins together a lot of the features of its competitors (and tweaking them, it is worth adding) and adds its own unique features to create a user experience that is actually pretty fantastic.

Of course, there’s also the additional feature of Hangouts, a video platform in which, from a marketing perspective, a company can hold live Q&As or open forums to gather opinions.

The simple fact, ladies and gentlemen, is that Google+ simply just isn’t big in this country. Across the pond, its fantastic potential is being realised and we need to follow suit and get on there before it becomes the “thing” that every business automatically does.

Remember, also, that with Google+, you can link all Google products under one account, a rather neat move by the online giant. There just seems to be something really smooth about the way you don’t have to log in to each account and can share your thoughts from Youtube automatically on G+.

“Circles” is also a slick way of grouping your contacts and allows you to ensure that your content is seen by a specific group, rather than a generic audience. This allows you to filter which content goes where, maximising the relevance of your content to its audience.

Facebook, of course, is still the biggest platform. The focus of my research for work has been kind of “Facebook vs Google+.” My perspective? Why not Facebook AND Google+?

There’s certainly the attitude that “Facebook is dying” or that it is past its peak. Be that as it may, it is still by far the largest platform and has a rather frightening dominance in the social media realm. This simply can’t be ignored, whether the company be big or small, private or public sector.

So, which should you be on, if you HAD to choose just one? Both platforms have their benefits and their drawbacks and it all really does depend on what you want out of social media. Perhaps this a rather sketchy analogy, but allow me to refer you to my main man José Mourinho, following criticism from his Man City counterpart that Chelsea were overspending. He said that Man City were building a team for now, to succeed whereas Chelsea were building a team for long term success in the future, even if it meant failure in the immediate term.

My opinion? Man City is Facebook, where the audience are now. But if you want to get ahead of the game and build a social media platform that is yet to establish itself, you need to get on Google+ (and also start supporting Chelsea. Just saying).

Poppy Ingham: My Apprenticeship, My Company & My New Found Career in Social Media and Marketing

With the prospects of my final A-Level exams on the horizon, the daunting task of filling out UCAS and the uncertainty of what I even wanted to do with my life - I couldn’t help but feel slightly put off with the traditional methods of education. I felt isolated and forced into the educational “norm” of school, college and then universities. These pressures were not only laid onto me from friends and family - but by my college tutors too. “You’ll have a brilliant time at universities!” they’d all exclaim - and that’s exactly why I’d go, for the fun and the experience. Do I really want to commit for three or four years studying something I might not even want to do in the end? No thank you.

Instead, at 17 years old, I made the unnerving choice to drop out of college, move 50 miles away to a town I’ve never even heard of and take a different and totally unspoken approach of building a career. This was a terrifying experience, though I’m sure my sheer impulsiveness and “bravery” warmed my friends and family to support me - my college tutors? Not so much, but who cares about that anymore?

I’ve always loved media. I gained an A grade in my AS Levels and it was one of the only subjects I really loved and could see myself working in. I was only made aware of mostly traditional media in my studies; the structure of newspapers and radio production. At this point, I didn’t even know social media could be classed as a real job. It seemed too good to be true, right?!

I fell into an interview at my company, SocialSignIn, rather abruptly and last minute. I was fortunate enough to be given the place a mere 7 minutes after I left my interview.

SocialSignIn is a fairly new company - we celebrated our first, proper birthday in April this year. Quite simply, SocialSignIn is a software dashboard that allows organisations to manage their social channels from one place. From this one place, you can post out, schedule, plug in RSS feeds, monitor key words and phrases and even grab all your analytics. We found our wide niche audience by speaking to UK based companies - we’re awake when you are! Our clients include the likes of Staffordshire Police, Kirklees Council, Luminar Group and BAE Systems. We even work with The Square Kilo Array - soon to be the worlds largest radio telescope, how cool is that?

My role at the company is anything from customer service (providing training webinars for new clients, being the chatty person on our live messaging service on our website) to content creating, weekly marketing emails and giving demonstrations to potential clients. I like to get involved with a little bit of everything!

Since working for SocialSignIn, I’ve noticed just how many companies are getting on board with various social media channels. It’s not just the strictly technical companies, it’s universities, housing societies, pet foods (yes, we have the lovely Burn’s Pets Foods as a client) and many more.

There is no longer the excuse of “I don’t have time for social media”, as software such as our dashboard allows you to manage your accounts quickly and in house - be it scheduling a few posts for the upcoming week or bulk uploading 12 months worth of Tweets, even plugging in an RSS feed to our dashboard to give you some pre-created content in an area related to you.

I’ve realised the true value of social media in business now. I feel rather disheartened or even “put off” when I’m interested in a company but they aren’t on Twitter or Facebook. “I’d really like to visit this cafe but - oh - no, wait, they aren’t online. How should I know what they’re actually like?”

Moreover, if I have a question, I tend to turn to social media.

On Twitter, I tend to post out “Where should I go for dinner tonight in Birmingham?”

Our dashboard provides a social listening tool. Bars and restaurants could use our software to search for the words ‘dinner’ ‘tonight’ in a proximity of 3 miles from Birmingham. Furthermore, our councils can use us if disgruntled locals Tweet something such as “I hate my council.” They weren’t been mentioned directly, but if someone Tweets that in the Aberdeen area and Aberdeen Council use our listening tool, they can presume it is about them and reply as they see fit.

I feel companies who aren’t efficiently managing their social accounts or don’t feel it’s worth being online may be missing out on a huge potential audience. I’m the era of millennials, generation Y - social media is my directory, my enquiry form and my main purpose of networking.

Come on - step away from those traditional business strategies and get onboard with the online craze. If SocialSignIn could help you, or if you’d just like a friendly chat about your social media, feel free to chat to me on Twitter or find me on LinkedIn - happy to connect! 

Social Media: A means to an ends for Joe Stapleton.

Following Chris Moneymaker’s fairy tale World Series of Poker Main Event win in 2003, where he beat 839 opponents to win $2.5m having qualified online, poker saw a new era. Thousands of new players took to the felt, believing that they could follow Moneymaker, a former accountant, into wealth, fame and the history books.

Since that momentous day, Main Event fields have swelled to thousands, peaking at 8773 in 2006, when Jamie Gold took the mind blowing top prize of $12,000,000.

This rapid growth can be likened to the social media explosion. Now, in 2014, social media has become almost unrecognisable compared to its infant self a decade ago. Far from being just a way of updating your friends and family on your eating and toilet habits, it is now a way of marketing yourself, your brand, and most importantly: networking.

The rise of televised poker, and following that online live streams, has been incorporated into social media, leading to viewers being offered the chance to put their views across, while having fun watching their favourite game. #EPTLive, which is quickly increasing in popularity.

Joe Stapleton, co-host of the live stream and regular poker commentator on Channel 4, said: “I love the EPTLive viewers. The interaction with them is a major part of the show, and I’d dread a live stream without it because the action can sometimes be slow. I love social media for that purpose.”

It’s not all sweet smelling roses when it comes to social media for Joe, though. Wary of the number of trolls online, he asserts that almost every positive of social media can also have a negative impact. He offers an example:

“You can rapidly spread information and ideas, but the negative is that it can also spread false information and hateful ideas.”

Hardly a point that can be argued with, when one considers the number of times it’s been falsely reported someone famous or influential has died for the sake of retweets and the minority of people who seem set on causing misery with constant and unwarranted abuse.

The concession has to be made though, that social media is a huge part of professional networking, and is the best way to build influence and a contact list that could prove to be useful. Building relationships with people online has become a key part of becoming successful, particularly in the digital industry, or in a job where being exposed to the media is a regular thing.

“Even though I need [social media] for my job and mostly enjoy it, I would avoid it entirely if I didn’t,” Joe explains. “I post on social media to be better known in my field, but more importantly; beyond my field.”

This is a poignant point that we can examine with interest – social media, which used to be purely about socialising with those you love or care about, has become a tool more than anything. It is a necessary part of improving one’s chances of chances in an industry.

This is actually reflective of a recent session at The Juice Academy our group had with Sian Ediss, Head of Social at Online Ventures Group, which I will discuss in an upcoming post. She stressed the importance of using social media in the best way possible, even outside of our jobs.

Although he appreciates the benefits and necessity of social media, Joe remains unconvinced:

“I’m not sure its positive impacts outweigh its negatives. I follow my friends because I’m interested in how they’re doing. But apart from that, it’s not really my idea of fun.”

Do you agree with Joe, and use social media as a means to an end? Or do you use it because you love it? Let me know in the comments section.

Pictures courtesy of Neil Stoddart.

Living the social media dream.

I've been here at West Midlands Fire Service for 4 months already! Time has absolutely flown by and it's been quite a journey.

It's crazy to think that 4 months (and 1 day) ago, I was still unemployed and looking desperately for any job that I could get my hands on. Social media didn't even occur to me as a career, but now? I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

It's been a bit of a drastic transformation – from being jobless and hopelessly having my fingers crossed for a supermarket job, to being on the bottom rung of an exciting and opportunity-filled career ladder.

So, I say opportunity filled, but what opportunities have I had? I've conducted interviews, most notably with the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser to the UK Government, Peter Holland CBE. Great experience for me as someone who loves to talk to people and develop my confidence in doing so. He's also a fan of my beloved Chelsea. Happy days.

Possibly one of the most rewarding and heart warming of the opportunities I've had so far was to meet Destiny Africa, a Ugandan choir made up of orphans. I found their happiness inspiring, and felt privileged to spend a morning with them. They’re also extremely talented, giving us a sneak peek into what they can do.

The work itself has also been fantastic. I still look forward to getting up every morning for work (even though I still struggle with the 5:30 am start), which is something not everyone can say. I get to do a huge variety of stuff, with the constant flexibility to try my hand at something new and creative. It's great to be a part of a team that works well together and gets on, making for a productive workplace, but just as importantly, the ability to have a laugh at work.

I can't forget, of course, the training given to me at The Juice Academy - something I always look forward to. It's always good to go there and catch up with the other apprentices, and also to learn a whole load of new stuff that I can apply to my work at WMFS. The journey to Manchester? A little arduous perhaps, but well worth what awaits me at journey's end.

My passion for the industry just keeps growing and growing. This may sound geeky, but I find myself at home looking through what’s new in social media, keeping up on SocialMediaExaminer.com, doing research into anything I might be able to develop into the fold at work, and just trying to increase my knowledge of social and the ways in which it can be used. I've always had a burning desire to improve, and this has been consolidated in the last few months – I don't want to just do my job, or to be an employee of the industry; I have an unquenchable thirst to do more and to be more.

I can definitely see an improvement in myself since I have been here – my communication has certainly got better, and I feel like I can put my own ideas across more assertively – something I have struggled with previously. Not only that though, I feel like I've developed as a person. I'm happier, and feel like I live a more fulfilled life, which is brilliant.

So, to sum up: life is good. I love this job, I love the prospects it's giving me, I love the opportunities I've had, I love that it's developing me as a person and most of all? I love that it's breeding a passion for (hopefully) a long and successful career.

The Juicy Revolution: How Tangerine PR hit a sweet spot.

I began this blog with a post that championed the apprenticeship scheme, and praising in particular the fantastic course at The Juice Academy, the brainchild of Tangerine PR.

As if that point needed to be justified, The Juice Academy (TJA) have now done so by announcing that a THIRD apprentice from their first cohort has secured permanent employment after their apprenticeship has finished.

The latest in the string of successes, Rob Watts of PH Creative, said “I'm ecstatic. 12 months ago I had no idea what I wanted to do, but now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

This is a sentiment I can repeat myself, much like an elongated echo in the Grand Canyon. I didn't imagine I would ever be employed in a role where I’m using social media on a day to day basis, and it’s thanks to TJA that I’m now completely head over heels in love with a career that ten years ago, didn’t even exist.

For Rob though, a career in marketing has appealed to him for a long time. Having successfully completed his A levels, he shunned the idea of university and instead began applying for apprenticeships. He explained:

“From day one I knew I wanted to go straight into work. I feel that I've learned more at TJA than I would at university.”

The immediate impact that the Academy has had on the social media industry, as well as the apprenticeship scheme in general, is astounding. It offers a unique and well built programme of study in an industry where there is a chasm in the skills required (trying to restrain myself from using The Grand Canyon again. But you get the idea).

Life is exciting for these apprentices (including myself). We get opportunities that we simply wouldn’t get in any other job. Some of mine are detailed in our #SMAvlog. Rob had an incredible opportunity himself:

“I was given the chance to help out at the Hillsborough variety awards evening. It built up my confidence and I got to meet some of the legends from Liverpool FC.”

Rob with Liverpool FC's second keeper, Brad Jones

So, where has the success come from? The need for skills is an obvious reason. But social media apprenticeships are popping up left, right and centre at the minute, so what has Tangerine PR done to set themselves apart?

Well, they are in the industry. They are the experts, and they are training young people to become experts. This is a unique situation, and they've grasped it firmly with both hands. It’s incomparable to anything else that has been done – they have found a niche and fulfilled one of the great needs this country, and indeed the world, has.

I have nothing but praise for The Juice Academy. The sessions they organise are not just informative and useful, but they also are taught by people who are passionate about what they do, which for me, is the most essential thing.

For anyone reading this who isn't already a part of TJA, but wants to get into the industry – I highly recommend it. Regardless of the general benefits of an apprenticeship, this particular scheme is fantastic – both for businesses and potential apprentices.

For the brand new apprentices in Cohort 4, Rob has some advice that I whole heartedly agree with: “Work hard, don't be afraid to speak, and grab every opportunity you can.”

Wise words indeed. 

For me, there is no comparison between this job and any other apprenticeship programme. Hats off to Tangerine PR for what is a brilliant and innovative course that will provide long term benefits not just to the apprentices they hire, but also to the entire industry. Viva la juicy revolution. 

What are your thoughts on apprenticeships? Do you have any advice for new apprentices? Let me know in the comments section below.

A Shakespearean Sonnet for Social

For a long time, poetry was probably the biggest part of my life, much to the distaste and entertainment of a lot of people in my school year. It didn't bother me in the slightest that I was often labeled and categorised for this, as it was something that I enjoyed doing and I had the ability to use words poetically in a pretty effective way.

However, in the last couple of years, I've been focusing almost exclusively on writing songs, which, although similar, is a different ball game for several reasons.

That said, inspired by Tangerine PR MD Sandy Lindsay's fantastic "Ode to the Twitter" and in honour of Shakespeare's recent birthday, I decided the time was ripe to try my hand once more at some good old fashioned poetry, namely a sonnet in the style of the Bard himself. Enjoy!

As Fickle as a Facebook Friend

Ah! Social media, thou art fickle.
With deceptive powers to break and mend.
If thou art known not, 'twill cause a pickle,
For thou art enemy as quick as friend.
In thy brief but explosive existence,
Thou hast proven thy menacing powers.
It takes patience, guile; willful persistence -
All to be taught at Tangerine Towers.
Stay your wrath! For we look not to subdue,
But to unleash your hidden potential.
Alliances be forged 'twixt us and you:
In our future, it becomes essential.
So let us embrace, our volatile friend!
For our paths be entwined now, 'til the end.

I have to admit, I had a huge amount of fun writing this, and it makes me want to get back into it. Safe to say I've been re-bitten by the poetry bug!

My Top Ten Social Media cock ups.

For any brand, it’s a time of crisis and of extreme pressure when things go wrong on social media. A mistimed tweet, or a rogue employee with the wrong passwords can be extremely damaging to the image of a company. However, to the outsider, they can be considered fairly entertaining. In fact, some of the ones I have researched left me feeling embarrassed for the company, so I feel sorry for the manager of these accounts.

Anyway, some of my favourite “face palm” moments on social are below

10) To start us off, good old McDonalds. Back at the start of 2012, McDonalds wanted their customers to share their “real” #mcdstories. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a Big Mac? Well, quite a few people it turns out. The hashtag was inundated with tweets about bad quality food, and just overall horrific experiences. Now, as we all know, people can be quick to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, and despite pulling the promoted hashtag within two hours, it continued to trend across the world. But at least their social media manager identified that it “didn’t go as planned.”

9) It seems that Hurricane Sandy was the perfect opportunity for clothing retailers to push forward their marketing on Twitter. Wait, what? Yep, you heard. Both American Apparel and The Gap decided to plug their companies on Twitter in response to a powerful natural disaster. American Apparel decided very kindly to offer 20% off to anyone in the states affected by the storm. The logic behind that astounds me. Makes me suggest their social media staff attend the meetings of another organisation called AA. Meanwhile, The Gap suggested people make the most of their downtime during the storm to shop on their website. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

8) Remember the horsemeat scandal? The social media team at Tesco probably do. Not only was their Twitter probably plastered with tweets from angry customers, they also neglected to unschedule  a tweet using the phrase “hit the hay.” I can imagine it probably didn’t put off the neigh-sayers.

7) This one isn’t from a brand, but it still made me chuckle. In fact, it happened this week! A 14 year old Dutch girl decided, for some absurd reason, decided to tweet to American Airlines that she was a member of Al-Qaeda, and was planning “something really big.” Far from enjoying the joke, American Airlines responded by telling the tweeter that they were giving her IP address to the FBI. She has since been arrested by Dutch police, despite several tweets protesting her innocence and that it was “her friend.” Ahh, to be young and make terrorist threats again. Those were the days.

 6) Sticking with the airways theme, US Airways “landed” (excuse the pun) themselves in hot water with a rather…interesting reaction to a customer complaint. They initially sent a standard response to the customer. But when the customer continued to express her dissatisfaction with her experience, they, or someone who had access to their account, tweeted a rather unpleasant picture of a woman with a plane that appeared to be a little lost.

5) This is a real facepalmer, and one that the company is still recovering from. On 20^th July 2012, at a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie, a shooter opened fire on the audience at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado. As one could expect, #Aurora became a trending topic on Twitter. However, the social media genius’ at CelebBoutique didn’t think to check why it was trending before posting a promotional tweet, saying that it must be caused by their latest dress. I don’t even need to make a witty comment about it.

4) JP Morgan, everyone’s favourite bankers, decided to open themselves up to their loyal and loving customer base with a Twitter Q&A session with its Vice Chairman. In some crazy world they must have thought bankers were the most loved people in the world. But he was soon brought back to Earth was a rather severe bump as he received countless abusive and probing questions about his salary and bonus, before the session even went live. It was hastily cancelled after they realised, 49 years after The Beatles, that money can’t buy you love.

3) Weeeeeee…had better not make light of a plane crash. London Luton airport become the latest in a line of airways social media bloopers that appears to be growing longer than the queues at an airport terminal. In March 2013, they decided it would be a brilliant idea to post a picture of a minor plane crash when a plane skidded off the runway, causing the death of a 6 year old boy. Still, at least they didn’t make a joke out of it. Oh, oops…

2) The runner up is Epicurious, who decided that a human tragedy is the perfect opportunity to sell their breakfast foods. Claiming that their suggestion of whole grain cranberry scones were “in honour” of the victims was naturally met with outrage from the public. After all, who wants whole grain?

1) Mutiny on the ship! Ahh, my favourite social media mess comes from my beloved HMV. Like a modern re-enactment from a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean, swashbuckling employees who were set to lose their jobs decided not to bow out from their roles with grace and dignity, but to hijack the company’s Twitter profile and air the grievances. No sooner could a tweet be deleted, than another would appear, causing a rather big sweat.

So that’s it. Ten of my favourite monumental cock ups from the brief history of social media. Ten gloriously cringeworthy tales of dignity disappeared, brands broken, and inappropriate images.

I want to hear about any other social media cock ups you have seen. Let me know in the comments section below!

Perspective, Attitude, Resilience.. Go above PAR

As I have mentioned in a previous post (found here), the last year or two has been absolutely hectic and pretty tough for me in terms of dealing with a culmination of issues. People often look at me a bit gone out, though, when I say that I have no regrets or bitterness.

For one, being bitter and wallowing in self pity is going to get me nowhere anyway. But the main reason, is that the more I think about it, the more I’ve learned from the trials and tribulations I have been through.

If you are a football player, or a doctor, or an accountant, you can almost never do what you want to be able to do when you first begin your journey. It takes years of learning, experience and mistakes to develop the necessary skill set. In my opinion, life can be treated exactly the same. In some ways I think those who go through more have a better chance at being successful in life because they have the capability of dealing with tougher situations.

This isn’t to say that having a hard life will guarantee a good life in the long run. What will make you have a good life is how you choose to react to the situation you find yourself in. You can choose to feel sorry for yourself, or you can choose to get out and solve your issues, or at least attempt to. Trust me when I say you will change as a person once you have this attitude.

The last year has also put things in perspective for me. Before, I was very much a naïve, narrow minded individual with a pretty selfish view of the world, if I’m completely honest. I was greedy for success and personal glory. Don’t get me wrong, I still have that same drive to be the best, but it is no longer the primary focus of my life, although it is still obviously a major part.

What matters is people. Relationships, friendships and family. The people who are in your life are the ones who can make it or break it, or sometimes a little bit of both. We’re all guilty of taking people around us for granted (and after all, why wouldn’t we?), and it’s something I have tried working on. Certainly, I appreciate people, past and present, for who they are rather than what they can offer.

I guess this post is kind of telling you that it is necessary, in a way, to embrace hardships as part of life. If you can see them as a challenge more than an obstacle, I believe you can get further. Don’t automatically take the easy route to avoid trouble, because this can backfire, as amazing as it might be in the short term. Sometimes the things you truly want in life, or what you need to do in life, may seem like the hardest, most impossible thing in the world. I assure you, anything is possible if you have the right attitude.

Rest assured, I’m not an eternally shining beacon of positivity. I have my moments, sometimes long periods where I wish more than anything that things could be different. But I genuinely believe that things will work out for themselves in the long run because I fight for what I want, even if it seems hopeless. I don’t quit. I feel like it, just as much as anyone, but I plod along relentlessly. I’m a competitive person, and I won’t let anything get in my way. You should be the same because, trust me, it makes all the difference.

5 reasons Ricky Gervais is a social media genius.

Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais on Twitter), is known for being irritating, funny, and extremely intelligent, when he isn't playing pranks on bald Mancunians with spherical shaped heads.

On Twitter, he is at his opinionated and egotistical best. But it is genius, and he knows exactly what he is doing. Brands can learn a lot from the way he uses social media because he just gets it.

Allow me to explain.

1)     He is human. Some influential brands and figures on social media use it primarily as a marketing tool and to plug and promote their latest product. Sure, Gervais does this too. But fundamentally, he uses Twitter in the same way as the everyday person would. People can relate to  him because he shows he is human, not just another celebrity trying to flog their autobiography or whatever it is they delude themselves into thinking we want to buy.

2)     He has personality. This kind of links in to the above point, but is slightly different. An important part of a social media strategy is to get the tone of voice right. Obviously, on this occasion the tone of voice is his natural use of the platform, but he shows a unique side to his personality. An example for you: one minute, he is boasting that he’s just going to “pop to L.A,” and posts a selfie of himself clutching a glass of expensive champagne on his private jet. The next Tweet, he’ll be promoting animal welfare charities. Between all that, he'll post one of his infamous “bath pics.” More on those later. My point is, individually, he probably wouldn't get away with doing any single one of these and would chase away all but the most committed of his fans because they’d get sick of it. But he can get away with it because he’s honest, he’s refreshingly blunt, and he simply doesn't care about offending people in a way that causes no harm. People love that.

3)     He knows his audience. This is probably the biggest point. He knows what kind of people follow him. He knows what they want to see, what he can get away with. He also knows what will provoke the most reaction. Have you seen his incessant comments about religion? He knows exactly what he’s doing. He probably does feel that strongly about religion, but his primary reason for it is for a) his own entertainment when he gets abuse and b) because he knows it will induce engagement, which is exactly what he wants.

4)     He engages with his audience. This is something so many influential Twitter users get wrong. If you click on his profile, you will see so many replies to his fans, even if they are simple smiley faces or him saying “cheers” for a compliment about one of his tv shows. People appreciate that. He understands that people will follow if they think they can engage with him. It shows he “listens,” so to speak, and people will flock to someone who pays attention to them.

5)     His content is unique. He posts a lot of stuff on Twitter that a lot of celebrities wouldn't dare or dream of doing. The most obvious instance of this is the bath pic that he posts on a scarily regular basis. For those who haven’t seen these, I’m not going to try and explain. I just suggest you check out his photos on Twitter…or use the hashtag #bathpic…but I’m not responsible for any eye burning, or mental scars that may be incurred by doing so.

As well as this, his awareness of what people want from him is outstanding. He might plug his latest movie or tv show, but he also entertains on Twitter in a unique fashion. For example, he brought David Brent back for a series of Youtube videos where the famous figure from “The Office” teaches the audience the guitar (although there’s not really any teaching involved). People were all over this, and it has led to David Brent performing around the country. He used those videos, I believe, as market research to see if it could work. It’s a genius stroke, and he must be feeling very good about himself.

It is fair to say that Ricky Gervais gets Twitter. He understands it, and uses it to the best effect he can. This is why he won a “lifetime achievement” at the Shorty Awards. Even he found it amusing that he was awarded this within a few months of being on Twitter. I’m a fan of Gervais, I loathe him, but most of all, I admire his genius use of his online space.

Progress, progress and more progress.

What I am about to say will not shock you. 

I love it here at West Midlands Fire Service.

I have reiterated this point over the course of this blog, and I want to do it again right now.

A lot of these posts have been about social media in general, my views of things going on and stuff like that. So, I thought it was about time I caught up with you all about what is actually going on.

If you haven’t read my good friend and colleague Jess’ blog yet, I suggest you check it out here. It’s a great read and provides a fresh perspective of what happens here at HQ!

It seems insane that we have been more than a month already. It feels like only yesterday that I was getting lost on the short (and, in fairness, extremely simple) walk between Duddeston Station and the fire service’s headquarters here on Vauxhall Road.

I was confident at that point that this was the right decision for both my personal life and my career, and I am happy to say my confidence was founded upon sound logic. I have loved every minute and still look forward to getting in every morning! A lot of people have that feeling for the first couple of weeks and then lose it as they settle in, but I still get excited every morning (even though my energy is usually lacking! I’m not a morning person).

I wanted this post to be a balanced point of view, and be able to say “well, this could be better.” The simple fact is though, this job is perfect for what I want.

I have always wanted a job with variety, the chance to get away from my desk every now and then, and most importantly, a great team who make the day enjoyable. This is exactly what I have been given with this role.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity (not least because of the sheer volume of applicants for The Juice Academy’s course). Already I can feel myself being more clued up about how to make the most of social media for my business.

So, what have we been doing?

Well, as I have already said, we don’t spend the whole day at our desk. There are a number of days where we have been out covering events for both Twitter and our #smavlog. We have also been around the building in different departments, finding out more about what the fire service do, which has been a valuable experience.

 Jess even had the fantastic chance to spend a day with White Watch at Aston fire station to see what they do on a day to day basis, in the first of many #SMAdays. 

 The most important thing for me is that I have been given the chance to develop into someone who doesn’t just “do a job,” but into someone who can be a valuable asset to any company.

Our line managers are not content with us using our strengths to complete tasks to the best of our ability. They are keen for us to use each other to learn and develop the skills we are less adept at in order to make us well rounded and more capable individuals.

This is why I am more than content with my current position in life. I look forward to work, I look forward to home and most of all? I look forward to, and I am very excited about, my future career.

The standard response.

“We’re sorry to hear this. Please call this number and they will try to help.”

I think we’ve all received one of them on social media at some point, haven’t we? When we’re not happy about a service we have received, it seems like a natural reaction (these days, anyway), to take to Twitter and rant about it.

Or maybe that’s just me.

I don’t know about anyone else, but when I make a complaint, I want the person listening to my irritating whinging to care, or at least to PRETEND to care. So when I get the reply “we’re sorry to hear this,” it actually makes me feel even more contemptuous toward that company.

Here’s my problem:

-        I KNOW that this is sent to EVERYONE who makes a complaint. That makes me feel like my complaint has not been digested by the company as a problem. It feels like I am a number, not a valued user of their product or service.

-        They make no effort to try and solve the problem. Sure, they probably have a separate customer services department. But social media officers have, in effect, a customer service role. In that sense, they should at least try to appease me until the issue is processed by the relevant department, right?

It looks like some companies who use social media well still even send it. For example, Aldi tend to do very well with what they do on Twitter. They run regular competitions, use current trends and hashtags to maximise their reach, and when they engage with their followers, they do it well. But, then you see this:

Sigh.

It just grates on me. The great thing about social media is that it is ideal for building relationships with your customers. Is that really what is going to work? Do they really think that people are going to appreciate being sent a copied and pasted response?

How about this then?

THIS is more like it. Even if the sympathy shown is false, at least an effort is made. The person who responded to the complaint is trying to sort it out rather than palm it off on someone else, which is always good to see.

I just think companies have a responsibility to respond to complaints in the right way. At the moment it seems like little effort is made and that the managers of social media simply don’t care. The tweet above is what, personally, I would like to see more of.

Do you have any negative experiences of customer service on social media? Let me know in the comments section below!

Moving Out, Moving On...

It’s been a pretty hectic weekend. I have finally moved out of the Coventry Foyer, which is the supported housing I have been staying in for the last nine months.

It was a fantastic day for me, not only because it’s the beginning of a new chapter in my life, but also because I have now already fulfilled two of my goals for 2014!

I am extremely goal orientated. Whenever I set myself an objective, I expect myself, and put pressure on myself, to achieve it. So to already have successfully completed two them (the first being to find a job) in the first quarter of the year, makes me very excited at the prospect of what is achievable in this 12 months.

I’m actually in trouble with the Foyer for posting a tweet a few weeks ago. I expressed my opinion about the Midland Heart takeover and they weren't impressed. The tweet (seen here) was nothing defamatory, abusive or unprofessional, yet I've been called in to apparently explain myself.

I'm tempted to go into a rant here. But I will restrain myself, for your benefit. Suffice it to say that moving out of there is a very positive move for me.

In any case, since this post is about moving on, it’s probably about time I do so!

Today marks a month since I started here at West Midlands Fire Service. I'm extremely happy with the way it’s going; it has surpassed even my expectations.

The best thing about working here is the working environment. In my previous work experience at a housing association, which I have mentioned briefly in previous posts, the atmosphere in the office was negative and tense, meaning every day felt like a month (helped by having nothing to do every day of course).

But here – we have a laugh at every opportunity, and we talk as well as work. This offers the chance to be ourselves, rather than just employees. I only recently discovered this more confident and outgoing version of me, and I welcome being able to flex that whenever I can. It’s fun to be at work, which, in my opinion, is as important as the job satisfaction itself.

Yesterday marked a new and exciting chapter in my life. As mentioned in the previous post, I have been through some trials and tribulations over the past year, and to be able to officially say I am back on my feet fills me with a fierce pride usually reserved for Oscar-winners and Olympic gold medallists. Slight exaggeration but you get the idea.

I am lucky enough to get to start again. This apprenticeship with West Midlands Fire Service is a springboard for me and I intend to jump onto it as hard as I possibly can – and who knows? Maybe pull off a couple of fancy looking twists and flips on the way into the pool that is my career.

Why you should never give up...

From 11^th March 2013, my life came crashing behind my ears.

Before then, I had everything I had ever dreamed of. I was living happily with my girlfriend of the time, we had a beautiful cat, my job prospects were looking good, my confidence was higher than it had ever been. On top of this, I was doing what I love (singing and playing poker) on a regular basis and enjoying some success.

On 10^th March, I was playing a poker tournament in Birmingham. It was the regional final of a league that I had qualified for. I came third of about 200, and I was over the moon. I couldn’t wait to get back and treat my girlfriend, as I had wanted to do for a while but had a lack of money.

The next day, she ended the relationship and kicked me out of our flat. This was swiftly followed by multiple job rejections, being unable to live at my mum’s place, or my sister’s.

I ended up at the Chace Centre in Coventry, which, if you didn’t know, is worse than prison. I was sinking deeper and deeper into depression. I was then viciously attacked and was hospitalised with fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

A few weeks later, I was diagnosed with a tumour in my stomach. I admit, I was close to giving up at this point. I sat in my small, dingy room feeling sorry for myself, torturing myself with thoughts about what I wanted life to be like.

I started an intense course of treatment for the tumour, which made me feel constantly fatigued and ill, and also had a severe impact on my already fragile mental health. I was referred to the Coventry Foyer, another supported housing establishment, where I was offered fantastic support.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because almost a year ago, I was drained of my positivity. There was no light at the end of the tunnel for me, and I didn’t believe that anything would get better.

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme was the turning point for me. For those who don’t know, Team is a 12 week course aimed at developing the employment and personal skills of young people. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me, and it had a real impact on my life. It offered motivation that I had been lacking for months, and gave me hope that I could get back to happiness.

On 6^th September 2013, I was given the news that my tumour had cleared. This was incredible news – it was remarkably quick, I had been expecting a much longer struggle than the one I faced. This was a catalyst for me, and I became determined to live life to the maximum. However, issues with my long-gone ex girlfriend still held me back, and I let her keep me down, much to the frustration of my new friends.

If I fast forward to where I am today – I’ve started a fantastic and exciting Apprenticeship with the Juice Academy, I’m due to move into my new place, I’m finally happy to be single, and I’ve rediscovered the happy, lively me that was brought out during the Team Programme.

The reason for this is my stubborn refusal to give in on life. I was tempted, many times to do so. But it is ingrained upon my mind to keep on going. What else could I do? I knew I had abilities, strengths that not everyone necessarily had. I was wasting them, and I knew it. I have fought, and struggled throughout all this adversity, without really knowing why I was bothering.

Now I know why I kept going. I simply had to. I was placed on this earth, to have a story and share it. I have been through more in the last year than a lot of people will go through in 10 years. I came through it, and now I’m in a better position than ever.

I have learned so many lessons from it. I won’t go for the cliché “every cloud has a silver lining.” But I will tell you that throughout any hard time you may go through, you can come through it. If problems are clouds, then remember that clouds dissipate.

My plea to you is never to give up. Whether this be on your dreams, or even on the crossword in the paper – keep going and you’ll get there. My sheer determination got me through an uncountable amount of pain and suffering. Be determined. If you want to get through it, you will.

Forget what anyone tells you, even if they’re trying to be positive and tell you “everything will be ok.” Focus on yourself, on breeding your own positive attitude and on facing your problems face on. Most importantly of all: know that you are amazing. You were built to survive, and you can survive if you believe it.

I overcame a messy break up, homelessness, being attacked, life threatening illness, unemployment and depression. Now I'm smiling a broader smile than I ever have. I'm a stronger person, and for that reason, I feel no bitterness and everything I've been subjected to.

What inspires you to keep going during your hardest times? Let me know in the comments section below.

The Social Media Explosion

Social media has seen a meteoric rise in the last few years. It seems a long, long time ago that Facebook, MySpace and Bebo uttered mere whispers in the murky corners of the internet.

Today, social media is everywhere. Literally, you can’t go anywhere without seeing evidence of it. Even if you stop scowling at the people glued to their phones and their Twitter timeline as they walk blindly down the street, when you move your eyes elsewhere you will see hashtags, pleas for “Follows” and “Likes.”  Social media has taken over the world.

Of course, the problem for businesses is that it has evolved so quickly and become such an important tool for marketing and building relationships with customers/clients, that they haven’t had a chance to react to it. This is why there is a huge skill gap in the digital industry.

This is where people like myself come in. I have grown up around social media, and therefore without studying for a single second, I know more about it than some of the older generation.

You can still see it evolving, every month. It used to be a mainly text based sharing model. Now, you can share photos, videos, music, webpages, anything you like. With sites such as Snapchat, you even have the option of creating what is called “disappearing media.”

The simple fact is that we have become a society built around it. For better or worse, whenever something happens, we instantly think about social media. Can we post this on Facebook or Twitter? How can we make it so we can get more “likes” or “retweets?”  In essence, we have all become marketing agencies for ourselves. We all want the world to love what we share, and more as many people to see it as possible.  Does it not seem crazy then, that 30% businesses don’t have social media in their marketing strategy?

I wish I knew the logic behind not having it in your strategy. It is more cost effective, can reach a global audience and allows you to build relationships with both your customer and your competitior. (For an example of competitor relationships, check out the @ThreeUK and @tescomobile Twitter interaction).

What, then, is the reason for neglecting it? My opinion is that it is a lack of understanding of the huge benefits and, in fact, the sheer importance of the new marketing trends. It is such a new concept that there just isn't a widespread ability to be able to comprehend the potential.

I'll give you an example. On the train home from a session at The Juice Academy yesterday (19th February), I was speaking to a guy who was looking to set up a new business. We had exchanged pleasantries etc about what we do for a job, the usual for us polite Brits, and he wanted to know how he could incorporate social media into his advertising and marketing.

He saw sites such as Facebook and Twitter purely as sites to communicate with family and friends.

This, I think, is the ingrained view among entrepreneurs, or at least the 30% who don't intend to use it. This is something, that as a Social Media Apprentice, I will in the future need to try and change. I offered him some advice as to the channels he should probably look into using, but impressed upon him the importance of having a purpose. 

There can be no comparison of social media now, to even just five years ago. Where will it be in another five years? What will be the latest craze then? Wherever it is headed on the congested motorway that is the internet, it is clear that social media will be around for a long, long time.

What are your views on the future of social media? I would love to hear what others think is going to happen in the near and distant future. Leave your comments below.

No Rain, No Gain: The Highs and Snows of Commuting to Work

Well, hasn’t this weather just made everything delightful. Being a very strong minded person when it comes to punctuality, I usually find the morning and evening commutes to and from work stressful as it is, as one of my biggest hates is to miss a train I promised myself I would catch.

Couple that with the worst rainfall this country has seen in years, and it makes for a very grouchy young Social Media Apprentice indeed. Imagine my panic when we had that rather intense snow flurry.

The job is going fantastically well so far, and I am enjoying every second. I am busy all the time, my employers are allowing me to flex my mind and come up with my own solutions to problems, and I get on with everyone extremely well.

The thought of commuting to work was something I was actually looking forward to – it makes me feel very adult-like and mature, something my sense of humour lacks the ability to do, so getting on the train in my shirt and trousers everyday made me feel like part of a well-knit (or well-suited) community.

I say community – but the morning commute is very much a free-for-all every man for himself situation. There’s me, using my manners as I always do, allowing the professional looking guy in the seat opposite to disembark before myself, and all I get in return is a non-committal grunt of acknowledgement. This was then swiftly followed by a blow to the back of the head (accidental I hope) as someone else decided to barge past, in a rush to get to the already packed escalator that would halt their morning sprint anyway.

I find it quite sad that the pressure of getting to work on time, and the emotional trauma of being on the way to work before dawn, has led to a startling decrease in the impeccable manners us Brits stereotypically have. I am a pretty old fashioned person when it comes to manners and etiquette, so I generally tend to feel a pang of frustration when people forget the simple “excuse me please, I’m in a rush to catch another train,” that I so optimistically expect.

That said, this is something worth tolerating, purely because everyday, I look forward to getting to work. In my previous work placement, I wasn’t challenged in the slightest, and in fact, I barely did anything the whole month I was there. So to be tasked with a few things everyday is something I’m making the most of, much like one savours the taste of Ben and Jerry’s as it slides nonchalantly down your throat.

I honestly expected a slow start to this job. I thought we would be observing more than anything. I was proved wrong immediately. After the initial induction, we were straight away asked to start brainstorming ideas for various upcoming projects, and by Day 3, we had been given events that we would be sent to cover, representing West Midlands Fire Service.

It feels like the Corporate Communications department we are in WANTS us here. In fact, the Strategic Communications Manager has been asking us questions, and been wanting to learn about social media from us, which is a very uplifting feeling, as quite clearly they view us as having something rather valuable to offer their organisation.

This is what makes me proud to be here. I am here for a reason, not to fill up numbers. I’m here because I, and my fellow apprentice Jess, have skills that this company both needs and desires. We can be the future of their social media drive, and this makes being concussed on a regular basis something I can look forward to if the reward is the enriching experience we are already having.

Apprenticeships Over Uni: Why I Chose This Path.

Growing up, I was obsessed with the idea of going to university and getting a degree. I wanted to be the first in my family to go, I wanted the pride of saying I have a degree, but more than anything, I wanted success.

I have always been hungry for it – I have always desired to be the best at whatever I do. This fierce determination has always been what drives me and it is something that I use to my advantage every day.

In August 2011, I received the news: I had been accepted into my first choice of university! Naturally, I was over the moon. It felt like all my hard work had paid dividends. At this point, I must confess that I was guilty of naivety and complacency. In my mind, I had made it – university was my goal and I was going.

However, by the turn of the year, I knew that I would not complete my degree. It didn’t feel right. Something just didn't connect and I knew, although I was reluctant to accept it, that I had to leave.

This was a tough period for me. University was what I had dreamed about for years and for it not to be the path I was supposed to follow demoralised me. I didn't even consider an apprenticeship at this point – I had a very narrow minded and ignorant view of them and believed them to be for school drop-outs and people who left with school with few qualifications.

I could not be happier to be wrong. Their exponential growth in the last 5 years or so, particularly since the rise in tuition fees, speaks for itself. One cannot help but sit up and take notice of what is going on. Increasingly often, young people with university-standard A Level grades are choosing to instead undertake an apprenticeship.

Why is this? Because it is on the job training, and you’re earning money while getting a qualification? Of course, but these savvy young minds are realising that academic qualifications just aren’t as valuable as they used to be. The key to success in today’s climate is to find an edge over the other candidates. Life and work experience is that edge, meaning the apprenticeship is an ideal way to find a route into a career.

3pm on Wednesday 15^th January 2014 – three hours before the deadline for university applications. My finger is on the mouse, the cursor hovered over the “submit” button on my application. I've chosen to apply for a Creative and Professional Writing with English Language degree, with a view to starting a career in social media and marketing. The longing for progression in my career had once again overcome me.

Before I clicked the button, I remembered that social media apprenticeships had been mentioned to me, so I checked online for vacancies and more information about apprenticeships in general to see if it could be the right choice for me.

I came across a vacancy with The Juice Academy at West Midlands Fire Service. Immediately a smile came across my face. I was excited from the first line of reading the advertisement. I applied, and happily I was accepted after being selected from a group of candidates at a “boot camp.”

I have just started my training at The Juice Academy, based in Manchester, and I could not be happier that I made the last minute decision not to apply to university. It is a fantastically well run organisation with genuine intentions to get young people like myself into an industry where there is a frighteningly large skill gap.

As someone who hopes to be an employer myself in the future, I would encourage young people to consider an apprenticeship. The simple fact is, times are changing, and employers are looking for something more from potential employees. They want to build for the future now, which is why they are employing younger people and training them from the very basics. This is why I personally champion the apprenticeship as possibly the best way for young people to get into their chosen career.