Personal Archives - Page 19 of 22

Twitter Turns 5 & Twestival Manchester

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AN4_N5N52U[/youtube]

Today, Twitter turned five years old. Probably the one service I use more than any other service on the Internet, and I hate to say if something changed my life, but Twitter did change my life. New job, friends and even a relationship that all arose from the social media site. So to Twitter: happy birthday, thank you and I’ll be celebrating your birthday.

To everybody else, I’ll be celebrating Twitter’s birthday, and it’d be great if you could come!

You see, this Thursday, along with Mancseo, it’s the Manchester Twestival! Last year’s Twestival was an incredible night, where I met my new co-workers, won a flight to Jersey, and generally had an amazing night. Each Twestival’s different, so who knows what’s going to happen on Thursday, but we do know that all proceeds from the event will go to the Wood Street Mission.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6YRvcBkqAg[/youtube]

The Wood Street Mission is a charity that helps Manchester’s needy in a varity of ways. Beginning in the middle of the 19th Century, The Wood Street Mission donates clothing, bedding and toys to help alleviate the effects of poverty on children in families in Manchester and Salford. You can read more about their work done here.

Manchester Twestival will be held on Thursday 24th March from 6:30pm onwards at Noho, Tickets are available from: http://www.amiando.com/MancTwester

Honoured and Humbled

Last weekend at Think Visibility, as well as the merriment at the bar and the great sessions put on by the speakers, there was also an air of sadness. Between this conference and the last, one of the speakers and somebody who I got to know pretty well – Jaamit Durani, was tragically lost in an accident.

Jaamit was such a huge influence on my career when I was starting out on SEO (I wrote about it on my old blog), and to say his loss saddened me and the SEO community as a whole would be a gross understatement.

As part of the celebration of his life, the Jaamit Award was created by The Hodge and his team, and the award was decided by the first (or best, I’m not sure) solution to the questions located in the Think Visibility Robot.txt file.

I was surprised and honoured to be named as the winner.

As Dom said in his speech, it will hopefully grow into an industry recognised award (in an industry that badly needs one), and although I don’t profess to know everything that is known about SEO, I do try and “Share it like Jaamit”, with what I do know with my peers (cheap plug – my Thinkvisibility notes will be on Winwar when I’ve finished typing them up). After all, I’d like to think I’m approachable at the very least.

What was incredibly humbling was reading back the twitter stream of the #thinkvis tag with all the messages of congratulations. Likewise all those who spoke to me in the bar with all the messages of support. As somebody who suffers quite badly from Imposter Syndrome (see Peter Cooper’s notes on his talk), it was very humbling. I wish my dodgy neck didn’t mean that I had to leave the party early, as there was so many people I didn’t get the chance to speak to.

So to all those who congratulated me in person and on Twitter – thank you. To Dom for the Think Visibility September ticket & hotel, A4UExpo for the A4U ticket, Dixon Jones for the Majestic SEO year pass and Gadget Glamour for the iPad skin – thank you!

But most of all, thank you for Jaamit. He had such an effect on my career and on the SEO community as a whole. Just wish that he was still here to see it all.

Get Less For Murder

What have I, Kenny Dalglish, Vivaldi & Lolo Ferrari from Eurotrash got in common?

photo credit: Shandi-lee

They all celebrate their birthday today! (Well bar the last two, as they are sadly no longer with us).

Yes I reach the ripe old age of 27. 3 years away from 30, and had a conversation with Mel last night when I realised that dying alone isn’t that bad.

Anyway, bar my own morbid fascinations, I’m looking forward to it! I’m off to Thinkvis this weekend (threatening to live blog it on Winwar!). I thought I’d do something fun as well:-

If you’re going to Thinkvis, I’ll buy a pint to the person who gets the most impressive celebrity to wish me a Happy Birthday. It’ll be judged by me at 7pm.

Yes self indulgent, but I don’t care. Get spamming Twitter your twitter followers!

Go!

Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus! Cwtch a Welshie Sore Today

photo credit: Watt_Dabney

Happy Saint David’s Day! Dydd Dewi Sant Hapus i ti! Yes, today is the day that Welshies around the world celebrate like they do any other day & have a few drinks, wear their rugby shirts and genuinely singing hmyns & arias all day. Maybe that’s just me.

Welshies are ace and if you are blessed enough to have a Welshie in your life, show you’re appreciation for them by a way that Welshie’s are most receptive.

Give them a cwtch to end all cwtches.

You see, a cwtch is a hug, and although nobody can give a cwtch quite like a Welshie, they are notoriously receptive to other nationalities to attempt a cwtch.

So give a cwtch to a Welshie today!

Have a special Welshie in your life? One that’s yours and yours only? Give them a great big sws (kiss) as well!

Anybody doing anything special today?

How To Make The Most of February’s Mancseo

Last night I headed to The Lass O’Gowrie for their monthly computer club. I was also scouting for the Mancseo meetup this coming Thursday. In my wobbly legged scouting mission, here’s what I’ve learnt:-

They have a quiz on. It could be fun!
The ales at the moment include Northumberland Brewery “Bucking Fastard” (please don’t giggle too much) and another one, as well as Cheshire Brewery’s Spitting Feathers‘ latest ale. I’d recommend the Spitting Feather’s ale. It’s nice.
They are showing the Liverpool match from 6pm, and the Citeh match later.
I didn’t manage to secure the room. Yeah, I know, I’m crap.
The arcade machines there include Paperboy, Track & Field and a Pac-Man machine. Somebody buy me the pac-man machine, it’s gorgeous.

In either rate, I enjoy the Mancseo events. Who’s going? Are you going to be there tomorrow night? I’d love to see you guys there.