Show me the money! ('cos I'm having to look all over the bloomin' place for it)

What becomes clear as you become another year older on this planet is that Welsh people are very intelligent, clever and innovative...but frankly hopeless at co-ordinating things.

For a nation that is renowned for having people that talk a lot, we are seemingly not very good at talking to (or working with) each other.

I cite my latest example -there are some wonderful people creating (or wanting to create) brilliant stuff on mobiles or which will help us all have better lives, and there are bodies and companies willing to provide seed funding for that or some money to get it off the ground.

But finding these people, my friend, is like trying to find a Cup winning medal in the Bridgend Town FC trophy cabinet. In other words, it's there..but it's getting too hard to find it.

In the past week, I have heard about two pots of funding (one worth half a million pounds, the other a more modest amount from Bridgend Council to develop hyperlocal mobile initiatives) by luck. One was a passiing comment on Facebook, the other retweeted by a friend on Twitter.

Why is it such a lottery to get a stab at this money? That is not the way it should be advertised. It seems the organisations handing out this money are not doing their best to promote that this support is available. Surely if the end game is to create something wonderful with this money, you would want as many talented Welsh digital types knowing about it, wouldn't you?

Now, in the olden days it was easy. You'd publicise it in the Western Mail and Bob's your uncle - everyone knew. Problem is, the geeks of Wales don't read the paper copy of the Western Mail these days. They are more likely to read blogs from various groups like Hacio'r Iaith in Welsh or find out through various meet ups like TEDXCDF or local User Groups.

So, if the people with the money want to get a product which will win them praise and help their tax payers, they need to spread the funding information further - to where the geeks are.

I am happy to be the conduit and create a list of funding opps if needs be. But someone needs to do it. There needs to be a central list of money available, otherwise it will be the ususal suspects picking up the cash and growth in innovation will vanish.

Before I finish, two disclaimers. 1) To start off by totally contradicting what I said above, I'm actually not a great believer in projects being reliant on funding like this.

I think any business needs to stand on its own two feet eventually and I would hate to see more funding like this because I think it could create a laissez-faire attitude to actually making money. However, I do understand the value of this money as a good way to kick start a potentially good business.

2)I'm not planning to bid for any of this money...but if you are and you need some help with the bid, you know where I am ;)

Why Leanne Wood should pop into Peacocks

A week in, and we are starting to get a sense of the things Leanne Wood wants to achieve as the leader of Plaid Cymru.

Two things that I have picked on is her desire to build a long term, sustainable economic future for Wales and her desire to build a new Wales from the bottom up, led by communities.

She is now looking for people to help that dream come true. So may I suggest she pops into Peacocks soon? Not because I think she has a questionable fashion sense, but because I think she may find a kindred spirit there.

Phillip Day, the man who has saved Peacocks from liquidation is Scottish, but he clearly believes in Wales and, more importantly, talks a lot about local identity being crucial for the future of the business and developing the business for the long term.

You can read more about his thoughts in an interview with the BBC's Nick Servini by clicking here.

To me, he seems like just the sort of person who would be an asset to Prince Adam's economic council. He's an inward investor who believes in Welsh communities and business growth for the long term - sign him up!

The five brands that missed out on cashing in from the Six Nations

So, following a three-day hangover west of Offa's Dyke (and in some parts east of it too), some business bosses are deaf from the ringing cash tills and can't move for money following a non-stop buying spree to celebrate the Grand Slam.
Brands like Brains are now past masters at making hay from Welsh victories and were straight off the blocks with some viral ads calling for a Bank Holiday and telling the English to be quiet because we have a hangover.
But hang your heads in shame the following companies, who could of ching-ching cashed-in on the glorious achievement:-

Alka Seltzer. An audience of tens of thousands were milling around Cardiff on Sunday and Monday mornings with the mother of all hangovers. So why wasn’t the ‘premier’ hangover cure being handed out on the streets of the city -or at least being offered at a special price in shops up and down the land?

Warburton's. It's an obvious one for the Bolton-based bakery, isn't it? Use your loaf - partner with Sam. You could even bring out a special product called...wait for it...BREAD OF HEAVEN!

Norton antivirus (or any similar antivirus software). Dear Norton, sign up Dan Lydiate for your next TV ad as the world's top tackler is the sort of robust role model you want to be associated with. You can see it now "Hello, I'm Dan Lydiate and nothing gets past me...just like Norton antivirus!"

Red32 - the casino company. Red wins - every time! They should have offered free play on the roulettes by choosing Red only.

And finally..
Visit England. Two of the greatest rugby players in the world right now are English. What better way to extol the virtues of the nation of the Rose than a campaign highlighting this fact. Oh, hold on a minute. Those world beating players were born in England, but they play for....Wales! Oh dear.

Bear in mind though, they are English-based companies, so they probably don't understand about rugby.

Now the money men are integrated, will TV companies FINALLY realise the power of TAMi?

For some time now I have been an advocate of traditional media adopting a multimedia audience measurement policy. I have bored-to-death many a TV and newspaper executive with my insistence that they need to shout about the number of people they are speaking to in-the-round, as opposed to reel out the same one-sided measurement systems such as BARB and newspaper sales or circulations.

I always knew that the powers that be would only truly start to take notice when the people that pay their bills -i.e. ad men and women - also started using a more unified measurement system.

Well, I am delighted to report (via the New York Times) that Group M, the largest media buying group in the World, is now doing exactly that. They have teamed up with Neilsen Ratings to develop a measurement which tracks the effectiveness of TV advertising in the online world.

The “cross-platform campaign ratings” will apply the same metrics that ad buyers and sellers are used to through tele media buying to the crazy world of websites and mobile video. Full details on this link to NYT blog.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/new-nielsen-ratings-to-measure-tv-and-online-ads-together/

It's what NBC has been doing with programmes for a while with its TAMi (Total Audience Measurement index) and the likes of the Financial Times are starting to do with their products.

And we all know, what the ad man wants...the ad man gets.

The truth is, an overall index like this ENHANCES the value of all the output. It doesn't make the TV output look worse, it makes it look stronger. Also, for minority or niche broadcasters, reporting the total sum of people that engage with you (whether that be on TV, radio, the web or social networks) does justice to your company. It shows how strong you really are.

This is what I have been saying for a while, Glad to see the overpaid ad men have finally joined my party...just hope they have brought enough champers for me!

Cymdeithas yr Iaith and Jeremy Hunt - potential bedfellows?

Cymdeithas yr Iaith a Jeremy Hunt - Briodas o'r nefoedd?

(English translation below)

Rhybydd: Dyma'r brawddeg mor anghrediniol dwi wedi ysgrifennu erioed. Ond mae'n wir!

Mae'n anodd i gredu, ond mae Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg a Jeremy Hunt yn rhannu yr un breuddwyd. Hefyd, mae'r waith DCMS yn wneud ar hyn o bryd yn agor y drws tuag dyfodol disglair Cymdeithas yr Iaith.

Gadewch i mi egluro. Mae'r cyfan yn digwydd yn y byd cyfryngau lleol. Mae gan Mr Hunt breuddwyd, fel Martin Luther King. Breuddwyd Mr Hunt yw gweld sianeli teledu lleol yn lawnsio ac i rhoi llais newydd i gymunedau; llais mae llawer wedi colli ar ol doriadau mewn cynnwys rhanbarthol gan ITV a'r BBC.

Mae'n gwybod fod rhaid consortiwm o cwmniau lleol ddod at ei gilydd neu fod rhaid i amrywiaeth o leisiau lleol yn ymddangos ar yr sianel er fod yn llwydianus. Roedd Mr Hunt hefyd yn gwbl glir fod 'na siawns i bobl creu rhaglenni Saesneg a Cymraeg. Mae e'n gweld hyn fel cyfle i rywun yn creu cystadleuaeth yn erbyn S4C.

Felly, dwedwch croeso wrth Cymdeithas yr Iaith. Hefyd yn anhapus efo'r 'hen' S4C ac yn galw am S4C newydd, mae nhw wedi sefydlu wasanaeth teledu ar-lein eu hunain. Mae 'na ymateb da ymhlith y 'twittersphere'.

Mae'n teledu difr ac yn perthnasol - y cerddoriaeth yn arbennig. Dim lot yn bod efo'r darllediad o gwbl a 'dyn nhw ddim yn wario filoedd o bunnau ar y peth. Mae'n dod o gymunedau Cymru ar gyfer pobl Cymru. Wrth gwrs, mae Cymdeithas yn defnyddio'r amser i rhoi eu barn ar bethau, ond 'dyn nhw ddimn yn wneud lot of 'tubthumping'. Ewch i www.sianel62.com i weld y sianel.

Felly, dyma grŵp o bobl leol yn ceisio creu teledu lleol a gweinidog y Llywodraeth sydd yn hapus dros ben i gefnogi grwpiau o'r fath. Mae'n ymddangos yn naturiol felly bod y cam nesaf ar gyfer 62 Sianel yw gwneud yn ymddangos mewn rhyw ffurf neu'i gilydd ar y trwyddedau teledu lleol ar gyfer Abertawe a Chaerdydd.

Trwy ysgrifennu hyn, dwi'n awgrymu fod Bedfellows yw Cymdeithas a Jeremy Hunt. Rhywbeth a dylai rhoi gwallt llwyd ar ben Bethan Williams, Jeremy Hunt a llawer o bobl eraill, siwr a fod!

Ond, dwi ddim yn gallu gweld unrhyw problem efo synaid i rhoi amser ar yr awyr i Gymdeithas. Bydda'n creu amrywiaeth yn y cyfryngau Cymraeg ac mae'n rhoi llais i gymunedau lleol. Sibrwd, gallai hyn fod yn briodas a wnaed yn y nefoedd!

==
It is the most unlikely partnership I’ve ever written about. It’s hard to believe, but the Welsh Language Society and the Tory culture secretary share a common vision – and it seems he is helping open the door for them to have a louder voice in Welsh society.

Before you faint in disbelief, or tell me I am talking out of my backside, let me explain. It all takes place in the heady world of local media. Mr Hunt, like Martin Luther King, has a dream. His dream is to see the launch of local TV channels; allowing communities to have a voice which many have seen as being eroded by the cutting back of regional programming on ITV and BBC.

He knows that to get his vision, a consortium of local groups must come together or that a variety of local voices must appear on the output for it to be considered credible.

Mr Hunt has also made it very clear in the meetings he has attended on this in Wales, that the airwaves should be open to English language AND Welsh Language content and he sees this as an opportunity for someone to give S4C a run for its money.

Now, step forward Cymdeithas yr Iaith. Also disenfranchised with the S4C of old, it has decided to set up its own online TV service. It has been well received amongst the twittersphere and the only complaint has been the lack of streaming capacity to deal with demand. It is watchable TV and it nshould be cheered as a bold move, coming from the communities of Wales for the people of Wales. For those worried about it being too ‘tubthumping’ for the Cymdeithas cause, I never really got that perception when I watched it…but you can make your own mind up by going to www.sianel62.com

So, here we have a group of locals trying to create television and a Government minister who wants to encourage such groups. It seems natural then that the next step for Sianel 62 is to make an appearance in some shape or form on the forthcoming local TV licences for Swansea and Cardiff when they are awarded.

By writing this, I am probably aiding the premature ageing of Mr Hunt, Bethan Williams and many others by suggesting they are potential bedfellows. But, as long as Cymdeithas abided by OFCOM rules on impartiality, I can’t see anything wrong with this idea. It creates diversity in Welsh language media and it gives a voice to local communities. Whisper it, this could be a marriage made in heaven!

Right problem, wrong solution - why David Davis is (partly) wrong about our awful broadband

I was enthralled by the David Davis piece in The Times today, highlighting the crime that is the UK broadband system and his suggestion for resolving it.

The highlights were that the lack of decent connectivity in this country is not something that should worry just geeks and politicians, but it should worry everyone as it has a direct effect on many aspects of our lives.

A man after my own heart. I always knew he was a genius.

But his solution is just a little too renegade for me and misses the easiest way to solve this issue. He suggests getting the long-term unemployed to get digging the trenches and laying the pipes that will allow us all to have superfast broadband. Not so much ‘on your bike’ but ‘on your digger’.

Now, I am sure there are many people who are ready to wave the ‘typical Tory’ baton at Mr Davis for suggesting people should be forced down the trenches in some Dickensian –inspired workhouse scheme. But they should all stand back and listen more closely to what he is saying and take heed. Because, to be honest, he is one of the few UK politicians willing to come up with a solution for this problem.

His suggestion that long-term unemployed should help build the digital network we need benefits everyone. People that have been on the dole for a while get a job and start to regain some self-confidence back. They will be contributing to our society in a way that quite a lot of jobs don’t (I would have more respect for them than, say, a car salesman or a double glazing salesman) and we would all get the broadband we need.

Now, the big problem with Mr Davis’ theory can be summed up in two letters –B and T. He is expecting British Telecom to care about the digital needs of every British person. Problem is, they don’t.

You can pay to employ as many BT engineers as you like, you can give BT free labour for years and they will still have no intention of providing proper broadband coverage for 100 % of the population. Because, Mr Davis, it is not in BT’s commercial interest to wire the whole of Britain. They can’t make big profits out of a village with three croft farms on the Isle of Lewis or even a village like Howden where, if you forget its biggest employer (the Press Association), there is not the volume of customers and usage BT needs to make a profit.

If there was, they would have done it by now. They would have taken the investment cost hit knowing they would reap the rewards later.
The truth is, BT is a global company with far bigger interests than improving broadband connections in the rural parts of the UK and the quicker politicians realise this, the better.

We need to forget about BT and look at alternatives. Politicans in Cardiff Bay, London and Edinburgh should be falling over themselves to engage with companies that deliver broadband by satellite.

There are loads of them out there and the one thing you can guarantee is if you can't get a pipe to a place it will have a satellite spinning over it.

Why haven't we forced Arquiva to surrender more spectrum from traditional TV and radio masts for terrestrial broadband? OFCOM seem to be constantly handing out licences for radio stations no one listens to - why aren't we handing that spectrum to potential wi-fi companies?

In short, there is no need to buy spades for the long-term unemployed just yet - let's just give up our heroin-like addiction of BT and move on to new partners who can deliver what we need now.

Here endeth the lesson!

Why radio stations will always be better at social networking than TV stations.

Trawling through the myriad of media Facebook and Twitter presences I could find, it is becoming clear to me that radio stations have a far better grasp of the power of social media than newspapers or TV stations or programmes.
And there's an obvious reason why they get it - community is in their DNA.
Social Networking ticks when the company trying to start it knows they have to have a conversation with the other people on the page.
Radio has always been a conversational medium. It's never been a broadcaster in the true sense of the word, because it has engaged people as a core part of its output, where television and newspapers restrict where the viewers'/Readers' voices can be heard and have only recently become interactive media.
The other reason why radio stations do social networking better than other media is because they have always been embedded in a community. They know what it is like to live in the area where they broadcast, so they know what to say to people to spark a social conversation.
With radio stations, it's all about a two-way conversation, and that is why it always looks like social networks works for them.
Now, whether that means radio will become worse over time as more local stations merge into national brands, only time will tell.
There is a danger of that. However, community doesn't just refer to a geographical space bit also a common interest. That is why stations like Jazzfm are able to use social networks effectively, despite being a national (arguably global) station. They have a community of jazz enthusiasts they can connect with.
Now, don't get me wrong. There are some abysmal attempts at social networking by radio stations. But the level of them compared to the amount if dross you find from TV companies is far less.