Rhod Gilbert and Becky Betts

Whilst I don’t know the full story or what they are proposing but I have read headlines in the media about proposed changes to BBC Local Radio. Now I do hope it doesn’t affect Local Radio too much. I’ve only just re-discovered Local Radio thanks to the internet.

Used to listen to my local station a lot as a child, but became less interested in their Middle of the Road music. There was other stations with output more directed at late teenagers. And I of course I was restricted to just one station. BBC Radio Solent in my case. I of course always listen to their football coverage, especially when travelling home by car from an AFC Bournemouth home game.

Nowadays things have changed due to the internet and digital TV. Via the web you can listen to any BBC radio station, anywhere in the country. This opens up many more programmes. However you’ll need to do a bit of research to find out when the best programmes are. Unless you buy copies of the Radio Times from every area around the country,

I have two favourites at the moment.

Saturday 11am BBC Radio Wales - The Rhod Gilbert show.
I love Rhod Gilbert and love his off-beat programme. Very funny.

Sunday 9am BBC Radio Norfolk – Treasure Quest
Do you remember the Treasure Hunt with Anneke Rice, well this is BBC Radio Norfolk’s version. A huge following from ranging from ‘The People of Norfolk’ as often the over excitable Norfolk ‘Anneka’ (Becky Betts) calls everyone, to people as far away as Tenerife and Canada. Being from Hampshire I think I’m one of the more ‘local’ non-locals is that makes sense. They have a facebook group which we all discuss the clues and the programmes (social media in use there – great stuff). I’ve learnt more about Norfolk. A place I have family and as a result visit a lot. So overall it’s a jolly fun way to spend a Sunday morning.

What to write about (#weeklyblogpost week 3)

Those who have followed my blog over many years might be surprised by me suddenly starting to blog again and with strange subject matter to… please let me explain.

There was a conversation amongst my twitter friends about blogging and how it was difficult to maintain the enthusiasm to blog and was anyone reading them anyway. It was my old mate Dan Slee that suggested that we form a weekly blog club. We would all blog once a week and submit it to the blog club for all to read. The idea quickly spread and there are many of us who are now members.

So now I have three sets of readers of my blog. Well I think I may have more than three people reading this but sometimes I do wonder. ;)

First group are all my regular readers who have know me for years. Second group are mostly the people who I have know on twitter for a while, who know me but not as well as the first group. Then of course there are people who have only just met me through the blog club.

I like the idea of the blog club but don’t want to alienate my regulars. Do my new friends want to read about how I eat too much carbs on Monday and made myself ill. I think it was that, I must have forgotten that I’m a diabetic. Of course there are just getting a first impression of me.

Similarly do regular readers want to hear my rants on social media stuff…. Maybe but I’m sure they want to hear about how I am etc.

Or maybe I’m trying to please all the people all the time. I should just stick to blogging what I like and hope that all of you find something of interest at some point… maybe.

Twitter bringing the world together?

When I first started using Twitter, I soon got very bored of it. This was in the very early days of it before it became a bit more mainstream. I wasn’t following many people and I wasn’t being followed back. I gave up.

Then went to a conference and met up with some guys from Stratford-upon-Avon council who were raving about Twitter. I gave it another go. I followed them. They followed me back. I saw they had followers from other councils and so my network increased. I now have two accounts, (one normal and one for my beer friends) and I'm loving it..

But I do feel that I may not be making the most of it. The people I follow and follow me all have something in common with me. Either we both work for Councils, or we both love technology, or both have a love of aircraft, trains, buses or beer. And all on them are UK based.

When I was younger I had a pen-friend in the Netherlands, we used to chat about things in our respective countries. OK we were both aircraft buffs as well, but I hope you get my point. I was learning about other cultures etc. Twitter is used all over the world. There are many people from many different backgrounds and cultures but yet I still have only followers who are like me in some way. I'd be interested in know the break down of your twitter followers. Do you play "safe" like me or take the plunge and try and make friends with people from lands far, far away

Open letter to the National Trust

This is my first blog for the #weeklyblogclub on twitter. More of which later.

I thought I’d start with an open letter to the National Trust. I love the National Trust and think they have some of the bestest places in the whole country. However I do have a problem with the membership fees. Let me explain

I used to be a member of the NT. I join under their get 12 months for the price of 9 offer, which they still have for direct debit membership. So an initial £62.63 (current price) was paid). However the next year the price went up to the full amount (currently £83.50). Now I do not begrudge paying this amount for myself and my fiancée to become members of the NT. However it is a lot of money to fork out in the one month the membership is due. Especially as my membership was due in December. With Christmas as all that it was a tight month money wise anyway. So unfortunately I did have to eventually cancel my membership.

Since then I have spoken to a couple of people in the National Trust about doing some sort of quarterly direct debit. I already pay for a few magazine subscriptions this way and the National Trust already have a direct debit system in place but this is only paying annually rather than quarterly. However I appreciate that there are issues with a quarterly direct debit scheme. Extra admin and the possibility that people will only pay for the two quarters covering the summer months and cancel their membership for the winter months. So I have though of a solution.

People joining the National Trust pay for their first years membership up front. For me and my fiancée that’s £62.63. Then in 12 months time, people can opt to go on to either half-yearly or quarterly direct debit payments. Thus ensuring people don’t just join for six months at a time as they pay for the first year up front. Also in the case of half-yearly payments it could be done that the first of these payments comes out in the autumn. Thus ensuring that in order for people to make the most of this money they have to join for the next 6-months as well. National Trust get extra members like myself with not much admin overheads. Everyone’s a winner?