The work / blog balance
January 24, 2008
Nice Pen. The Pig’s Lipstick and Faces in Places work stuff out
OK slightly weird one this… I’ve just checked all my fellow ‘Channel 4 employees who blog’ websites, and none of them have yet written about the session we had this morning about how channel 4 staff handle their blogs. Maybe I’ve too much free time tonight?
Anyway, first a bit of history. Channel 4 has come a little late to the staff-who-blog policy thing. When I was at the BBC two years ago Nick Reynolds ran, in my estimation, a perfect example of how to come up with a staff blogging policy. He started a wiki, threw up some thoughts with a nod to HR and stuff, and asked us, the bloggers, to edit and tweak the guidelines. After a short debate consensus was reached and the whole lot put on a public facing page for the world to see. Nick was it that easy?
So this morning I attended a session about staff blogging for channel 4. There was a previous session which addressed the idea of an official channel 4 blogger attended by Press and Publicity, Marketing, Legal and Compliance and other interested parties. Of Channel 4’s traditional approach to media communications I will say this, and it’s an observation not a critism. Our set up, our DNA, is programmed to deal with the likes of the Liverpool Echo, not Cory Doctrow. There was talk about the channel 4 ‘line’, but the day a company of 900+ souls speak as one voice on a subject is the day we become bees. If my time at channel 4 has taught me anything, it’s that the staff actually care and have a huge range of opinions on our output, it’s just that in the past you had to go to the Barley Mow or the Greencoat Boy to (over)hear those views and that those views were drowned out by ‘the line’. This isn’t the case anymore and there are parts of the organisation that have no frame of reference for this; It could be described as the introduction of rats to a previously perfectly balanced eco-system of flightless tropical birds. Just how does the channel respond to people who blog about our content, and staff who blog about… well as it turns out, all sorts of things.
Some topics that came up from the session, and maybe my fellow workers can fill in the blanks.
Public vs Anonymity: anonymous blogging is ok, it’s often how many of us start. But hiding behind anonymity for the sake of being controversial is not very good. Many of us, myself included, hid behind a nickname or moniker. Which makes us all sound like American truckers “Cowbite this is eyedropper you got your ears on good buddy 10-4?” Let’s face it, we’re not whistleblowers, using annonymity just to be bitchy is.. well it’s a faux pas.
Say it loud: I think there’s loads of brilliant people at channel 4, with knowledge and skills and tips and experience. Everyone should feel they can talk about what they do, not matter what their dept or job title.
Staff safety: Channel 4 has a duty of care to its employees. Jon Gisby talked in he opening gambit that the ‘do right by the company and the company will do right by you’ culture is a good thing. Some of our staff are at the front line of user interaction or work in some very sensitive or controversial areas. They must be careful how they conduct themselves in the digital world because of the implications.
Other things: Channel 4, indeed broadcasting itself, has gone through a crisis in the past year. Our users - not viewers - are having the debate on our output and services. To remain silent is dumb, literally. We should engage with the debate, not in an attempt to win over anybody or fight fires, but to put our point across. People might not agree with what we say, but at least we’ve said it.
Here are some of the points we came up with.
- Rule 1. Help us write the other rules.
- It’s the internet, try not to make a tit of yourself.
- Don’t smoke cigs in your school uniform.
- Don’t ask managers, ask peers.
It was a really enjoyable session.
BBC Three
January 22, 2008
Now some of my best friends work on BBC Three, and let me say that I thought Last Man Standing was one of it’s best successes last year. However this made me laugh today from Cohen’s launch speech.
“At BBC Three we should be known for pioneering risk, and be obsessed with all things new – new talent, new programmes, and a new relationship between television and the internet.”
On the current BBC Three homepage right now? Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. A show that first went out in 2003 when BBC Three was called BBC Choice and has just started its 7th series. A show who’s own writers explained that the absense of Ralf Little ‘Johnny’ character was due to the fact that he was at a Shark Jumping Event in America!
Can it!
The Crystal Palace college of very high education*
January 16, 2008
If I’m in of a Monday evening, I am rather partial to playing along with University challenge. So much so that I’ve been keeping score.
The rules are:
You have to say the answer out loud before any on screen contestant.
If you shout out a wrong answer to a starter question you have to loose five points, just like they do.
| University | Score | University | Score | CP College (me) |
| Christchurch - Oxford | 245 | Homerton - Cambridge | 65 | 55 |
| Birmingham | 200 | Magdalen - Oxford | 210 | 60 |
| Birmingham | 145 | St Andrews | 200 | 110 |
| Worcester - Oxford | no record | Pembroke - Cambridge | No record | 115 |
| Edinburgh | 130 | Bangor | 105 | 85 |
| Uni central Lanc | 90 | Sheffield | 265 | 135 |
| Durham | 120 | St Edmonds Hall - Oxford | 255 | 155 |
| Exeter | 215 | Jesus College | 140 | 110 |
| Manchester | 260 | Newcastle | 105 | 85 |
| Nottingham | 180 | Christchurch | 305 | 135 |
As you can see I’ve come second twice, and not done too shabby on other occasions, and there’s one of me and four of them. What’s more my Alma Mater was St Martins college of Art where I did sculpture! Pah, kids today. I wonder if you could make a red button or online version of Uni challenge? At the moment there isn’t even a holding page for it on the BBC.
*As in it’s the highest point in London.. not high as in a 60skind of a way - man. Though this blurb say thatWesterham heights is the highest point, but look at the map, that’s not really in London is it, that’s Kent!
iPlayer goes to 11… and why BBC Four beats More4
January 6, 2008
Since they made it web based I’ve been watching more and more of the iPlayer on my Mac powerbook so much so that the ‘other flat screen monitor‘ in my house has barely been on. The other day I noted that who ever designed the interface made the volume control go to 11 in a Spinal Tap homage stylee, well it made me laugh. And I read somewhere that you don’t need a licence fee to use the iPlayer, so anyone want to buy a telly?
Talking of music I’ve been particularly enjoying the recent repeats of the BBC Four sessions, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne etc. If they could dig up Jeff Buckley and get Tom Waits in, I’d be truly happy. Back in late 2005 when I was at the BBC I remember speaking to the BBC Four editorial team when More4 launched, and there was a feeling that More4 was what BBC Four could and should have been, after all it had all the intellectual aces and big guns - West Wing etc.
Three years later and I have to say the tables have turned. BBC Four has soooo got it’s shit together and worked out who it is. It has in effect quietly slipped into the space left by bits of BBC Two as it went after BBC One, a media version of Maynard Smith’s ‘sneaky fucker theory‘. The *.Britannia series’ have been fantastic, furthermore it’s exactly the sort of long shelf life content that lends itself to VOD. More4 on the other hand seems to have ran out of commissioning and financial steam, having said that it’s still put up ‘Iraq - the Bloody Circus‘, ‘Death of a President‘, ‘Ghosts’ and the China Rising season. However it’s still had to resort to showing the like of Jamie at home, Father Ted and Grand Designs. Come on mo’ fo’… sort it out! I want the UK’s intellectual channels to have a queensbury rules style scrap… for the good of the viewers obviously.
Fairy tale of New York
December 18, 2007
Shane.The true meaning of Christmas.
Auntie’s upset a lot of folk with it’s censorship of The Pogues classic ‘Fairytale of New York‘ the numpties. Vent spleen here or here. I think it’s nuts for all the reasons most people have stated. However, someone ‘could’ submit an Freedom of Information request* to the BBC (by click here) enquiring how many complaints it has actually received on this subject? They have to respond by law within a certain time. Also, I though Radio 1 had a policy of not playing anything over 10 years old, hence their banning of the Quo, or have they stopped that now?
I think it’s a great song. It’s the only Christmas song that contains a row to my knowledge. As as we all know Christmas can also be a time for the odd crossed word right? It’s a real Christmas song, about hopes and dreams, love and fighting, but the belief that next year will be better. Also there’s no mention of Santa, Jesus or Reindeers…yay!
Also nice to see Radio 2 not giving a hoot and playing it anyway.
*FOI is fancinating, here’s a list of all the canteen complaints for this year. Why someone wanted to know this I don’t know.
Flash web based iPlayer launched.
December 13, 2007
Ashley Highfield seems to be a man of his word having told me back in July that iPlayer on a mac via streaming would happen ‘by the end of the year’. And here it is. Seems a little buggy though, I’ve had two streams drop out on me. Still, much easier to use and ‘get’ than the app.
The new bbc.co.uk BBC homepage
December 10, 2007
Lots of this about the internet up your ego , keith , and martin B. But now it’s officially visible and I’ve had a play with it, here’s my thoughts, God it’s weird to experience this from the outside.
• I like the bigger promos, the mixture of picture promo (are they still called that?) and traditional.
• In many ways it reminds me of a fancy version of Gateway - the BBC’s Intranet - which also had fold up/down sections.
• I’m not sure about the all page colour change - but at least it gets away from that f**king cyan/blue
• I like the ‘display options’ thingy, High viz, comfort, increase text size, fully customisable - content and layout are separate.
• I’m glad the hideous logo’s gone, after 4 years! That was some of the worst designing I’ve ever seen (I’m looking at you Fitch!) and I hated it from the moment I saw it. At the time anyone who objected to it was taken outside by Marketing stormtroopers and shot through the head.
• The Sin Bin has gone, the daft double search has gone, the contains-no-tools toolbar has gone. Hell it’s all gone, Finally. I love it because it’s a clean break, it’s all new. It seems to be based on functionality and users needs rather than empire building, marketing and which petal head has the biggest genital organ. Maybe this is because dept heads aren’t there anymore, are they? Isn’t it all ‘Vision’ now?
And now to my only real criticism, and it’s this. The BBC could, and should, have done this two years ago. I also wonder what this project was like to work on? Was it fun? Were their tears? Did the opinions of tech, editorial or design fall on deaf ears or were they headed? Was it run like the iPlayer project by external powerdroids or was it a small agile team of talented people and Sven style light touch management? I want answers Beeb people!
Powered by ScribeFire.
Paxo over ruled! The BBC needs a coup not a strike.
October 11, 2007
Paxman and Humpreys warned on public debate of BBC cut If Lyons ever has the plums to go on Newsnight he’s going to have to face an ‘up to 11 Paxman charged up like scarface. They should sell tickets to that.
Could the BBC do and AFC Wimbledon? Political parties can have votes of no confidence in their leaders, wouldn’t it be interesting if corporations could do the same?
AOP awards and RTS Futures talks
October 9, 2007
I’ve not posted for a while as my personal life’s in a bit of a tailspin…
…consequently I’ve been seeking solace at various champagne fuelled receptions, talks and awards do’s. First up 4oD was nominated for a Association of Online Publishers awards last Wednesday evening, for best Launch campaign (The big talent-filled vending machine one) After a comedy of errors mix up with the tickets that saw no one wanting to go, then everyone wanting to go once the rumour came round that we’d won, our table was eventually sorted, and I, as feeder of images into the beast duly rented the cheapest tux the Moss Brothers had to offer.
I’ve been to the AOP awards before, it’s a right boozy affair, that normally sees News International lot boo the Guardian, and everyone boo the BBC perhaps rather unfairly. My ex-colleagues at BBC food were robbed by the current bun for best use of video. Anyway, Paul and I went up to collect the trophy which have to be the cheapest in awardland, consisting of a sheet of paper in a plastic clip frame. There’s also a sit down dinner, and the food was just as bad as last year. The starter was salmon and avocado, it was that sort of bright matt pink cold smoked salmon that makes you do the gag reflex, dressing was ok though. Next up the mains, a slow-cooked fall apart when touched with a folk piece of beef in sauce which was actually rather nice, run-of-the-mill dauphinoise and the obligatory squeaky green beans. Dessert was a pongy eggy apple soufflé. I then proceeded to get smashed, talk shit and tumble into a cab home.
A couple of weeks before this I went to the RTS Futures panel talk at Madam Tussauds. The panel was chaired by Hardeep Singh Kohli and consisted of the Ash Attila, Charlie Brooker, Victoria Coren, and Alex Zane. Much telly was discussed, and the points raised ranged from ‘hard work will get you there’ from Ash, to ‘Be nice to people’ from Victoria and Charlie. Alex Zane made a good point about the return to live TV. How with shows like The Word you never quite knew what you were gonna get, they had an edginess to them. There was some rather dull Q&A, with most young people saying things like ‘I’m being made to ask people trick questions so they’ll look stupid in the edit’ ‘my producer’s a bully and I’m doing this because if I don’t someone else will’ and ‘I’m not getting any training on anything’.
The panel very kindly stuck around for a drink and I cornered Alex Zane by the Hitler and Churchill figures. He talked about how shows like Friday Night Project and Charlotte Church should be live, how hosts now are too beholden to agents, PR people and marketeers, about how it’s ok to piss talent off once in a while (as his spat with the Enemy testifies). We talked about The Big Breakfast, Shaun Rider on TFI Friday, and about The Word some more. Alex Zane is probably too young to remember this, but there was a US glam rock band called Warrant in the early 90s who went on The Word to sing their hit ‘Cherry Pie’ as the credits rolled. Little did they know that the audience were planning to pelt them with real cherry pies. The singer stopped mid way through due to taking one right in the face and the whole thing ended in a farce. Live, naughty, edgy, it was obviously the talk of the 6th form common room the next day. It’s this that Alex, coming from radio, is on about. Not juswhat! And give up show business!t a tit flash or swearing, but the potential for things to go wrong, for celebs and guests to actually have to know what they’re talking about and be put on the spot rather than have their handlers shout ‘cut’.
But on the way home I started to think about why any 20 year old nowadays would want to work in TV, especially at the moment. Most of the established names in TV got their in a different age. Working with most exec producers these days is like being in a band and thinking it’s ok to let your dad decided the musical direction. There’s talk in TV about ‘getting to the top’, about standing on the corpses of all the other media graduates to make it.. Well perhaps that was fine when broadcasting was based on a scarcity of spectrum and prohibitive costs, nowadays bandwidth, distribution, cameras and mates are cheap. To sum up, if you’re in your 20s nowadays and want to make programmes, get a camera and follow your mate’s band, or interview your family, go on nights out and film that, make the films and programmes no one else is making because they can’t. Sure you might fail, but you’ll have done something genuine and it’s sure better than fetching coffee for Loraine Kelly guests. There’s the old joke about the guy who cleans up the elephant shit at the circus, and when someone asks him why he doesn’t get a different job, he says ‘what! And give up show business!’
Victoria Coren made a good point. ‘Anyone who’s done anything ground breaking or revolutionary in TV has done it because they’ve managed to get it done under the radar with out anybody knowing or finding out’, or they’ve just found away to do it and got on with it I reckon. It’s not so much standing on the dead of your generation as fighting the saloon driving, villa owning generation in front of you. You’ve got to have a blinder of an idea mind. Coren went on to talk about Oz Clark and James May’s Big Wine Adventure - the premise of which is the expert with the sceptic - and how she fielded a phone call from someone at the BBC that went ‘Is there anything you really know a lot about and would like to share with someone, or conversely, is there a subject you don’t know much about but would like to know more?’ And you can bet it was some poor nervous untrained AP who they got to do it.
The Blue Peter cat
September 20, 2007
The admission of the new examples of fakery was made by BBC director general Mark Thompson this week as he provided an update to the BBC Trust. He outlined two breaches involving online voting. The first was a vote used to determine the name of a new Blue Peter kitten. The name Cookie was selected by online voters but was overruled by part of the production team in favour of Socks which was deemed to be a “more suitable” name for the kitten.An apology is to be broadcast to Blue Peter viewers in the first edition of the new series on 25 September and the show is to introduce a new kitten next week, who will be given the name Cookie as voted for by viewers. Socks will also remain on the show. From Broadcast
More suitable! What’s wrong with Cookie? Memo to Blue Peter production team, Hitler is an unsuitable name for a cat, Cookie is a fine name. Perhaps they whipped themselves into a frenzy fearing the Daily Mail headlines ‘Cookie linked to Childhood obesity’. That’s the only reason I can think that they’d ‘overrule’ it. Imagine the BP team in a stuffy room at TVC arguing to and fro like the cast of 12 Angry Men, over the name of a cat.
