Joanne the Coach

Now Open for Twits

I have just registered with Twitter.  Like Botox, I am baffled by its popularity.  Unlike Botox, I am willing to give it a try.  If you're on there too, come and say hi.

Internet Radio - Like Garlic Bread, It's The Future

So whilst I've been on the radio and I've been on the internet (obviously), internet radio is still an unknown country to me.

 

Not for much longer though. Tomorrow night, listeners to Radio Coaching (the internet radio station for coaches) can enjoy an hour of blether from meself. 

 

I'm appearing on The Coaching Panel from 9pm BST (adjust to your own time zone as required).  So if you want to know all about media coaching, my theories about life, the universe and everything, the price of fish* etc, tune in.  And next Tuesday, same time same place, I'll be taking part in a panel discusssion with a bunch of international coaches.

 

 

~

*No idea about that one, actually. Haven't bought fish since the 1980's, when it all came coated in day-glo crumbs.

MediaGuardian Website in 3 Eyed Reader Shocker

And on the subject of website revamps, have you seen what they've done to the MediaGuardian site? Jinkies, what's all that about? 

Actually I think it's rather a cunning stunt.  In days of yore, when all we had was ye olde traditional newspaperes to read, everybody in media land would buy The Guardian on a Monday.  How we loved its media section and, more importantly, the jobs bit at the back.  (Media job ads are a law unto themselves.  In an effort to cut down the droves of unsuitables who might apply, many ads will tag on a random element at the end - 'Banjo playing an advantage.'....'Must be in possession of all of Duran Duran's back catalogue' etc etc)

So I always bought The Guardian on a Monday, for years and years.  And then, like many people, I got in the habit of reading the website instead.  Until recently, when it suddenly became so busy it's practically unreadable.

Now, I learnt to read when I was 4, so I like to think that it's a well-embedded life skill.  Not so when you visit MG central.  First you start on the left - reading, reading, here are some words, oh look some bugger's left the BBC, how interesting.  But lo!  What is happening now?  Eyeball 2 is distracted by a big bunch of words and pics in the middle of the page, and sets off on an independent reading expedition.  Eyeball 3 does not exist, so there's nobody left to deal with the other column on the right hand side of the screen.  Eyeball 1 decides to have a shufty instead.  At this point I start to go boing-eyed and have to have a lie down.

Honestly, I have tried to read the new MediaGuardian site on several occasions, and have come away with a headache every time.  So today, for the first time in weeks, I went out and bought the paper instead.  And that's when I realised the wisdom of the redesign -  Make your website so it can only comfortably be read by creatures with 3 eyes, and everybody else will have to shell out for the paper.  Revenues rise and the newspaper industry is reinvigorated. Genius!

Facebook revisited

Actually I have changed my mind about Facebook.  Any community which can find room for a Lidl Appreciation Group and multiple imaginary pets ain't all bad.  Just need to watch the time spent on there and make sure it doesn't mount up to too many lifetimes.

Do Freelancers Need Websites?

Recently we looked at the essential ingredients of ye olde paper-based CV.  Whilst it's important to know how to construct a CV for a media employer, increasingly freelancers are finding that the best CV is no CV at all.

It's no secret that the media world runs on personal contacts - this isn't always a bad thing if you take a positive attitude to it. Instead of whingeing about the fact that you're not in with the right people, ask yourself honestly: What can I do to make the contacts I need?

One way to make yourself more visible to the people who need to know about you is to create a website advertising your services. Think of it as an alternative to the traditional CV, with the advantage that you can include a lot more information and samples of work.

Sometimes freelancers can be unsure about starting a website. Is it too much of an ego thing? (Here's a site all about meeeeeeeee!) Will it be worth the time and expense?

In an age when even your pet hamster can have its own site, what's stopping you? A good site is a statement to the world that you are a professional with a body of work to be proud of (though you wouldn't say no to a bit more).

One small but crucial difference between a traditional and a web-based CV is that, whilst you almost certainly don't need a photo for a regular CV, for a website you almost certainly do.  Websites can be fairly sterile, and your photo is a useful way to humanise it.  Also if you are a freelance journalist it's not beyond the realms of possibilty that you might be asked to appear on TV, and TV people will want to see a photo.  It's not so much that you need to look a certain way, it just helps to reassure tham that you don't have four heads and a parrot nailed to your nose.

From talking to many freelance journalists, broadcasters and other media workers, not one has said that they regretted the energy put into creating a website. All said that they found it enhanced their credibility and attracted work.

So when planning your site, consider these points:

• What function do you want your site to serve? What do you want it to do for you and your career?
• What attracts you/puts you off about other sites from people in your profession?
• How will you promote your site?
• How will you update it?

And of course, when will it be ready and open for business?