Tag Archives: social media

Kindness

By December 28 2012, 8:58 am Leave a comment

This post on kindness was going to be my Christmas message until the massacre in Newtown forced me, and many others, to rage against the inhumanity of the US gun laws.

Mind you, even at Sandy Hook, there was evidence of extraordinary human behaviour: ‘What we forget, too often, is the kindness and resilience of this nation.’ And, way beyond kindness, who will forget the heroic bravery of Victoria Soto and her colleagues?

On 18 November, the TV producer John Lloyd was on Desert Island Discs. He is behind such programmes as Spitting Image, Not The Nine o’Clock News, QI and, yippee, Blackadder. In a surprisingly introspective interview, this cultured and educated man said:

‘Intelligence is something you’re given. Kindness? That takes effort.’ Read more on Kindness…

Could Twitter be deliberately exploited to promote evil?

By November 28 2012, 9:03 am Leave a comment

“Was last week a watershed week in terms of unsubstantiated online gossip?” Andrew Neil asked Richard Bacon on the BBC current affairs programme ‘This Week’ last week.

On Twitter, as @richardpbacon, Bacon describes himself as a ‘minor celebrity’ (and we all know how much I admire celebrity) but, following his brave battle against internet trolls, Bacon needs to be taken seriously on this issue.

“Yes” said Bacon. “From people with only a small number of followers, (Lord McAlpine) is asking for an apology and a token £5 (to Children in Need) and … it has turned it into a watershed moment. People’s attitudes about tweeting and, more crucially, re-tweeting libellous comments will change as a result of this.” Read more on Could Twitter be deliberately exploited to promote evil?…

Twitter Wars

By May 23 2011, 8:08 am Leave a comment

Last week, my 26 April post on ‘Super-injunctions’ attracted a surge of interest on a spectacular scale, partly through the national news agenda but also on Twitter from the likes of @JennaAlicia (#ff Jenna-Alicia from @TheSalmonAgency!)

I guess one follows the other but, these days, I am confused as to which is which.

Does Twitter set the news agenda or does the news agenda follow Twitter? Read more on Twitter Wars…

Halfords Bicycle Chase

By May 16 2011, 8:16 am Leave a comment

It had been agreed that the wife needed a new bicycle. As the old one had expired, ceased to be and gone to meet its maker this was indeed a ‘need’ and not a ‘want’.

I had just sat down in my comfy armchair with a lovely Saturday morning cuppa and was about to read the newspaper, a pleasure that some people of my generation still enjoy, and in she walked:

“I’m off to Halfords to buy a new bicycle”.

“What, just like that?” I said. Read more on Halfords Bicycle Chase…

‘YES to AV’ Fiasco

By May 10 2011, 8:03 am Leave a comment

The purpose of A Different Hat is to connect all our skills in marketing and communications (in all its forms) to a wider world than commercial products and services.

So I was going to spend the week-end writing a hugely insightful discourse into the brilliance of the ‘Yes to AV’ campaign. Read more on ‘YES to AV’ Fiasco…

Super-injunctions

By April 26 2011, 8:07 am Leave a comment

It is a weird feeling when someone you know becomes the talk of the moment. This happened to me last week (no sorry, I don’t know Prince William or Kate Middleton).

Mr Justice Eady issued a Contra Mundum super-injunction to prevent publication of ‘intimate photographs’ of a married public figure, who we are to call OPQ, after a woman tried to sell them for a ‘large sum of money’.

A Contra Mundum super-injunction is enforceable worldwide and in perpetuity.

‘Amoral judges, shameless celebrities and a Britain that’s coming close to a police state’ railed The Mail.

‘Blame the gagging judges, not the Human Rights Act’ pronounced The Telegraph.

‘At the rate the judge is going, I’m surprised he didn’t make the order to cover the whole solar system’ said helpful Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming.

Now I know Sir David Eady. Read more on Super-injunctions…

There’s someone in my head but it’s not me

By April 11 2011, 8:14 am Leave a comment

Last week, I revealed what I felt to be a rather a generalised view by an eminent
psychologist of how creative people behave in an office environment.

This week, my attention was drawn to an article by neuroscientist David Eagleman -
http://bit.ly/fCEGQd.

Read more on There’s someone in my head but it’s not me…

Gaddafi, Imran Khan and Behavioural Insights

By March 21 2011, 9:15 am 1 Comment

Behavioural Insights apply to evil dictators as much as consumers or the electorate.

Why shouldn’t they? We are all human.

So what has been the role of the Government’s new Behavioural Insight Team (BIT)
in the Libya/Gaddafi debacle?

David Cameron is lauded for being the earliest ‘statesman’ to propose a no-fly zone.

This was when the brave anti-Gaddafi protesters had come together to call for his
downfall on the streets of Tripoli (let alone Benghazi).

As I have Tweeted repeatedly, then was the time to do a deal with Gaddafi:

****************************************************************

From: @TheSalmonAgency
Sent: Feb 27, 2011 11:28p

Is now a good time to block #Gaddafi UK financial assets? Won’t it force
him to entrench position against protesters?

sent via Twitter for BlackBerry®
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheSalmonAgency/status/42003184050241536

***************************************************************** Read more on Gaddafi, Imran Khan and Behavioural Insights…

Labour opportunity after AV vote?

By March 14 2011, 9:14 am Leave a comment

Only a year ago I was out there electioneering as an Independent Candidate in the
last General Election. The reasons I did this were explained here at the time.

In short, alongside many other Independents, I thought the MPs expenses scandal
was an issue that called into account their personal – and collective – integrity.

Surely they could not have each, individually, worked out that they were able to evade
Capital Gains Tax by ‘flipping’ their houses? Did not one of them think of raising a
hand to say there was something wrong in this behaviour? Unbelievable. Criminal. Read more on Labour opportunity after AV vote?…

Digital media, rugby and gutless management

By March 4 2011, 9:13 am Leave a comment

If you don’t know anything about rugby, it is a team game with 15 players a side. Two are ‘centres’ (unless you are in New Zealand, which we are not).

In the 1980s, aeons before today’s digital media age, my brother played centre for  England against Scotland. The other centre was Simon Halliday. I was there.

Neither of them was passed the ball all game, so neither had the chance to drop it.

Neither of them missed a tackle or made any other mistake. England were thrashed. Read more on Digital media, rugby and gutless management…

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