Alun Parry Singer Songwriter: July 2007

The Alun Parry Band

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The joy of text

I've just been reading online that there is a seven week course being taught to pensioners in Scotland about how to use mobile phones for texting. What a fab idea!

As well as the basic mobile phone functions, it even goes into the lingo of mobile phone speak and how to translate it. No doubt it'll soon be commonplace for Scottish grannies to be texting each other things like "wud u want2 meet l8r 2 av cup of t", or even row about who pays ("put ur purse away!")

Happily my own Mum and Dad are now champion texters. This allows Mum to check on my wellbeing while sat on the bus ("ello son ow r u") or for Dad to vent his anxieties about the football in text form.

Mum has even graduated to being an internet and email whizz - which is some feat given her shaky start to texting.

Obviously impressed by my ability to put kisses at the end of my texts to her, and wanting to do the same in return, she once asked me where the kiss button was.

"It's the letter x mum" was my amused response.

5:09 AM | Permalink |

Monday, July 23, 2007

The Culture Company: Your Thoughts?

I'm interested to hear what the experience of local artists and performers is of the Culture Company to see if they are similar to mine. The only way to do it is to ask.

Personally whenever I approach them I hit a brick wall. But is this typical? Tell me.

I was happy to apply to become an ambassador for Liverpool 08 so filled in one of their forms. Am I an ambassador? I've no idea. I'm on their mailing list. I've asked them three times does this mean I am an ambassador for Liverpool 08 but I still don't know.

I've been in touch to the switchboard several times and rarely do I get put in touch with the correct person given the enquiry I make.

The web site I find cumbersome and difficult to use.

And to top it all, what do you make of this?

I'll be featured in a full page spread in the Daily Post very soon. I contacted the Culture Company as I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to help them out in the process.

I knew I was going to be photographed, so why not splash the Liverpool 08 and Liverpool 800 logos all over the place so all of that gets publicity too.

I was told that the only thing they would give me is a button badge - hardly something that would stand out on a photograph!!

When I pointed this out I was told that they simply weren't geared up for this kind of thing. This is from the marketing department!

"But isn't that a bit mad?" I asked.

They explained that they could only do this kind of thing for sponsors, so as I'm not a sponsor they couldn't offer me more than the button badge. The shop did have stuff that may look good on a photo but that was for retail only they said.

And the marketing department itself did have stuff that would look good on a photo but that was for sponsors only and not for the likes of me.

"I'm afraid we can't help you" they opined.

Well actually, you weren't helping me. I was trying to help you. But you weren't interested.

I can't imagine many other marketing departments refusing to get a full page worth of free publicity like this. It's really very concerning.

I'd love to hear your own experiences. Hopefully, others have some positive experiences to reassure me.

But when a marketing department steadfastly refuses to market in the face of a free page of positive coverage, one can't help wonder what on earth is going on.

3:58 PM | Permalink |

The joy of text

The Culture Company: Your Thoughts?

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