About Me

My CV
I don’t keep a CV anymore - most of my clients come to me because of my reputation or through word-of-mouth - but I do keep a LinkedIn profile. There you will find my employment history over the last decade, which should give you some idea of how I got from where I was to where I am now.

Consulting
I am a freelance social software consultant, working with companies in the UK and US on social media and Web 2.0 projects. I help people understand blogs, wikis, RSS, social bookmarking and other social tools, and how they can use them in business, internally or externally. From project planning to implementation and adoption, I understand how social software works in SMEs and enterprise: what pitfalls to avoid, what tactics will be successful, and what the benefits will be.

I have been working as a social software consultant since early 2004, when blogs started to show their potential as a valuable business tool. My clients have included MSN, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, and Jackie Cooper PR.

Blogging
I write regularly on Strange Attractor, a Corante blog, about business blogging, blog events, PR, journalism and related subjects. I started Strange Attractor in July 2004 and have now been joined by my partner, Kevin Anderson, who brings with him ten years of experience in online, radio and broadcast journalism. Strange Attractor is one of the UK’s top 50 blogs.
I have a personal blog, Chocolate and Vodka, on which I write about anything that takes my fancy, from TV to film making to writing to amusing things I’ve found on the web. Chocolate and Vodka has been running since June 2002 on various different blog hosting companies, and is now one of the UK’s more well known blogs.

Speaking
I have spoken at a number of conferences and seminars and am regularly adding dates to my diary. I have spoken on how bloggers can increase traffic to their blog at the Northern Voice conference, the effect of blogging on journalism at the London School of Economics, copyright and Creative Commons at Copyfighters’ meetings at Speaker’s Corner, Supernova2005 tech conference on business blogging, and at the New Media Knowledge seminar Blogging: A Real Conversation, about blogging and marketing, and too many more since to list..

Journalism
I wrote a monthly column about digital rights for Linux User for much of 2006, and contribute regularly to the .Net column, The Big Question. I have also written for the Guardian about digital rights, and for Design In-Flight about how designers use blogs, the effect of content on navigation, and copyright and Creative Commons. I have also written for BBC Wales Online, Melody Maker and other music industry magazines. (See sidebar for articles.)

Activism
I was the Founder and first Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, and am now on the Board. ORG is a grassroots funded organisation which aims to raise awareness of digital rights issues such as privacy, access to knowledge, identity and surveillance. We act as a media clearing house, putting journalists in touch with experts and activists; an advocacy group organising grassroots campaigns; and a lobbying group preparing reports for governmental inquiries and reviews.