Navaz Batliwalla

Blogger Spotlight: Navaz Batliwalla, Disneyrollergirl

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Navaz Batliwalla is the Top 10 Fashion Blogger behind Disneyrollergirl. Launched in 2007 while Navaz was working as fashion director at CosmoGirl!, Disneyrollergirl is the go-to platform for insights on the fashion world, through the eyes of an industry insider. We spoke to Navaz about London Fashion Week, fashion trends, collaborations with brands and all the wonderful blogs she reads.

How would you describe your blog?
Disneyrollergirl hasn’t changed that much since I started it ten years ago. It’s still a place to share my informed opinion on goings-on in the fashion, beauty, media and retail industries. I also publish original fashion editorials, films and shopping pages, sometimes in collaboration with selected brands. What’s changed is the community.

I have a great community of likeminded enthusiasts across several platforms so rather than considering just the blog, Disneyrollergirl extends cross-platform to offline including, recently, a style book. I try to keep my focus on the brands that speak to me on a personal level but I’m very interested in emerging movements and product categories. Currently that includes the rise of affordable fine jewellery, non-gendered beauty, positive fashion,  re-commerce and niche fragrance.

Why did you start your blog?
I was working full time as fashion director of CosmoGIRL! in 2007 and simply fell in love with this new, immediate and opinionated way of speaking to likeminded fashion enthusiasts. I had a background working with online communities since contributing to Handbag.com as far back as 1999. In this case I liked the rawness of uploading content in real time and having a direct dialogue with readers.

What are the latest fashion trends we should be aware of?
There is a big growth in women buying luxury jewellery and watches for themselves. It’s no longer just the husbands buying for their wives. So the designers doing well are those creating simple, beautifully-made pieces that are adaptable, that can work from day through to night and can be worn as a signature piece, even if it’s understated.

How does London Fashion Week fit in with your blog?
I attend LFW mainly as part of my freelance work as a fashion writer and editorial consultant. And then I’m happy to support my favourite designers on my platforms as well as keeping my readers up to date on trends. LFW content can be industry news, it can be catwalk highlights (from my personal point of view), consumer-based news (see now, buy now or buying a beauty look straight from the show), or tech innovation such as shoppable social media. I will go to events to support PRs and meet clients but I don’t cover parties or celebs on the site.

What’s going to be the ‘next big thing’ in fashion?
Currently I feel like there’s a real sense of product and content fatigue. I think we’ve all over-consumed so people want a breather. So there’s an interest in slow, considerate fashion, buying things to keep long term, an appreciation of handmade craft or ‘circular fashion’  – i.e. having frequent clearouts via eBay, Depop, Grailed or Vestiaire Collective. Arket will be an interesting business to watch as it’s based around building a wardrobe, not chasing trends.

Content-wise, the ubiquity of social media has caused the downfall of many legacy print magazines. They adopted the same mediocre tone of voice and forfeited their point of view in the process unfortunately. Niche magazines have stepped into that ‘meaningful’ space and are disrupting the traditional magazine market. I imagine a similar thing could happen with blogs and influencers.

Consumers are getting bored of glorified salespeople who don’t seem to have any other interests and the algorithmic changes of popular social platforms has caused disillusion among users.

What makes your blog successful?
I measure success by creative fulfilment and I get that by doing work that interests me. I work to build relationships with brands and PRs that have the right fit to gain access that my readers wouldn’t get otherwise. If you focus on producing editorial that has meaning to you and your readers, rather than successive sponsored posts, then you win the long term game. It hasn’t been smooth by any means but I’m still enjoying it and I’m still here!

How do you like to work with PRs?
I’m a fan of the targeted approach. I like to get to know PRs and their brands over the long term so that there is a mutual understanding. I’m happy to give pure editorial if I’m genuinely passionate about a story. I’m also happy for PRs to send me general info/press releases etc. if it’s a brand/product/category I’ve expressed interest in. I hate being added to generic mailing lists and I instantly unsubscribe! I’m not a fan of being sent unsolicited product – that’s unnecessary and wasteful. The dream is to be asked to collaborate on a multi-platform project that’s well researched with ample  time to deliver quality content. However, I’m equally very used to last minute briefs!

What collaborations are you proud of?
I love the series of Petit Dejeuner shoots and films I have made with filmmaker and photographer Emma Miranda Moore. They celebrate new beginnings and reinvention or interesting morning routines and can be stills shoots or short films. I’m also very proud of my book, The New Garconne: How to be a Modern Gentlewoman, published last year by Laurence King Publishing. I worked with the PRs of my favourite heritage and luxury brands to profile the modern considerate consumer and her approach to style, work and lifestyle.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m very much a behind the scenes kind of person and I like the get to the root of a story. So I’m happiest sharing the story of an amazing designer, collection or start-up through words and images, rather than taking outfit pictures of myself.

What other blogs do you read?
Glossy.co and The Fashion Law for business insights; Keep It Chic, The Women’s Room Blog and That’s Not My Age for grown up style; Coco’s Tea Party, The Very Simon G and Fashion Foie Gras to keep up with my mates; The Anna Edit and The Lifestyle Edit (not strictly a blog) for life stuff; British Beauty Blogger and Into The Gloss for beauty intel and Style Bubble, What Olivia Did and Peony Lim for eye candy.

Navaz Batliwalla features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

From Bedrooms to Boardrooms, the evolution of blogging

Influencer outreach: From Bedrooms to Boardrooms – WEBINAR

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

The biggest annual survey into the habits and behaviours of UK bloggers has been published, revealing the industry is professionalising, not all bloggers believe in disclosure and relationships with PRs vary wildly depending on the industry.

A whopping 87% of parenting bloggers have good PR relations, but with politics, that falls to just 17%. How are these PRs getting it so wrong? Or are some sectors just better at influencer outreach?

Who better to talk about working with PRs and all the Bloggers Survey results than Jo Middleton – author of the award-winning Slummy Single Mummy and parenting blogger extraordinaire.

As more and more influencers see blogging as a valid career path, PRs have no choice but to have a clear strategy for handling influencer relations. Jo will reveal how she manages her own excellent relationships with brands and agencies and discuss the future direction of this burgeoning industry.

The webinar: UK Blogger Survey 2017 – the Results, takes place on Tuesday 26 September at 11am. Jo will be joining us live to take you questions throughout the webinar and share some of the secrets of her success.

Click here to register for the webinar. Even if you can’t make the live broadcast, we’ll send you a recording after it airs.

Ofcom finds Channel 4 News in breach of code

/0 Comments/in , /by

Ofcom has found Channel 4 News in ‘serious breach’ of the broadcasting code. The episode in question, broadcast on 22 March, wrongly identified Abu Izzadeen as the Westminster terror attacker.

As reported in the Guardian, Channel 4 News has also been criticised for a string of other major mistakes in recent years, including:

  • A 2014 news report covering the publication of the Ellison review in to possible corruption and the role of undercover policing in the Metropolitan police in the Stephen Lawrence case. Short interview clips with five supposedly random members of the public asking whether they trusted the police turned out to all be from the same organisation, with which the reporter had links.
  • A 2014 report on Russia’s assertive military and foreign policy that included an audio clip supposedly of an RAF pilot intercepting and warning a Russian military plane in British airspace. It turned out to be an intercept of a Latvian cargo plane.
  • A 2015 report into the aftermath of the Shoreham air show crash reported the names of two members of the public that had died before their deaths had been officially confirmed.

This latest error has led the media regulator to rule that Channel 4 must broadcast Ofcom’s investigation result – a rare move against a national broadcaster.

A spokesperson for Ofcom told journalists: ‘This is the fourth time in three years we have found Channel 4 in breach of its requirement to report news with due accuracy. We are particularly concerned that another serious breach has happened, given Channel 4’s previous assurances to Ofcom that improvements to its compliance processes were being made.

‘Considering the seriousness of this breach, we are requiring Channel 4 News to air a summary of our breach decision.’

The wrongful accusation was corrected on air but this was not enough to avoid the more dramatic ruling.

Channel 4 said: ‘We note that Ofcom acknowledges Channel 4 News made appropriate corrections while on air; removed the programme from other platforms and carried a full correction and apology the following day.’

Channel 4 news has accepted the ruling, a statement said: ‘Channel 4 News takes its obligations under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code extremely seriously and is committed to providing audiences with high-quality, accurate and impartial news programming. We have participated fully in Ofcom’s investigation and note the regulator’s ruling which takes into account the immediate steps taken to correct and clarify the error during the course of the programme.’

Why aren’t all bloggers disclosing collaborations?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Vuelio’s latest Bloggers Survey suggests 13% don’t believe disclosure is important for every collaboration. The number, unchanged from 2016, is a worrying trend that could be flouting the Advertising Standards Authority’s rules.

The Survey showed only 87% believe sponsorship disclosure is important for every collaboration. Therefore, the number that don’t hold this belief translates to over a thousand individual bloggers across the UK industry.

The ASA’s rules apply to influencers, blogs and traditional media outlets equally. In terms of disclosure they include:

2.1 Marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such.

2.3 Marketing communications must not falsely claim or imply that the marketer is acting as a consumer or for purposes outside its trade, business, craft or profession; marketing communications must make clear their commercial intent, if that is not obvious from the context.

2.4 Marketers and publishers must make clear that advertorials are marketing communications; for example, by heading them “advertisement feature”.

The ASA has ruled that both the business and the affiliate marketer are responsible in spite of the fact that the ads may have been created solely by the affiliate rather than by the business themselves.

And, as the Press Gazette points out, those who pay bloggers for coverage that is not declared may also fall foul of the Bribery Act 2010, which states it is against the law to pay someone to perform their functions improperly.

How to stay within the law for influencer marketing is an upcoming topic of a PRWeek Breakfast Briefing, which will be hosted by Joanna Arnold – CEO of Vuelio, with guests Guy Parker – CEO of the ASA and Jon Riley – project director of the Competition and Marketing Authority.

Joanna said: ‘It is important that PRs truly understand the landscape before they engage. There are plenty of pitfalls alongside the potential, particularly in this phase of development, when the rules of the game are still being written and the transactional nature of some relationships threatens to become the story itself.’

For the first time, ‘Ethical concerns around promoting brand content to my audience’ became one of the most important issues facing the surveyed bloggers. Vuelio’s blogger spotlights reveal that some PRs do put pressure on bloggers to not disclose, but equally the survey shows that some bloggers (albeit it a small minority) are clearly happy to flout the rules to achieve their goals.

This is clearly an industry-wide issue – encompassing agencies, brands and influencers – and without a standardised approach or blogging authority, it is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Debby Wong

News Corp pays the Tab

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Tab Media, the publisher behind the Tab and babe, has raised $6 million dollars in a financing round, with the majority coming from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

The Tab was started by three students at Cambridge University in 2009 and has since become a popular media source for students across campuses in the UK and US. Known for its young staff, the Tab is aiming to grow beyond the student readership and capture the 18-25 demographic.

The Independent reports that 70% of Tab Media’s revenue – $600,000 in August – comes from sponsored stories commissioned by the likes of Spotify and Unilever, which are written to resemble news articles. The rest is from display advertising.

The new funding will support original reporting and training for young journalists. In return, the Press Gazette reports that News Corp has taken a minority stage in the group and Times deputy editor Emma Tucker has joined its board of directors.

Jack Rivlin, one of the founders of Tab Media, reportedly met Murdoch right after Glastonbury, covered in glitter while wearing borrowed shoes. He had printed out 100 of the Tab’s stories which was enough to impress the media mogul and his top team to invest on the spot.

Tab Media’s sites enjoy over 9.5 million unique users a month and they claim the Tab is now the second biggest 18-24 publisher in the UK, after Buzzfeed.

Joshi Herrmann, editor-in-chief at Tab Media (at a frankly ancient 28), said: ‘In five years, what we’re going to be doing might be a bit broader. We’ll keep passing this on, kind of recklessly throwing the keys to very young editorial people and see what they come up with.’

This model may keep the site fresh for the youth demographic where other sites struggle to retain their ‘edgy’ voice, as the audience broadens and ages. The parallels with the social media giant that started at an elite college campus, then grew among students before widening out to the general public will surely be on the minds of those behind Tab media and consciously shaping its future.

Blogger Spotlight: Charlie Watson, The Runner Beans

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Charlie Watson is the author of The Runner Beans, which was recently ranked number one in the Top 10 UK Fitness and Exercise Blogs. Charlie is a marathon runner, fitness fan and self-professed foodie. We spoke to her about keeping it real, her favourite kit and working with PRs. 

How would you describe your blog?
An honest, attainable approach to fitness and running. I share the trials and tribulations of marathon training, fear of the weights section at the gym and my uneasiness with shedding for a wedding.

My goal is to champion the journey to a healthy, more active life where honest fitness and food makes wellbeing more accessible to all – without losing sight of the real lives we lead.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog when I signed up for the London marathon in 2012 – originally it was to coerce friends and family into sponsoring me, then it helped keep me accountable to my fitness goals and has developed into a training journal as well as a source (I hope) for information and inspiration for runners, newbie gym goers and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Charlie Watson - The Runner Beans 2What makes your blog different from other fitness blogs?
I don’t have abs, I’m not a fast runner, I’m just an average enthusiast sharing the ups and downs of real life and training… with a side of chocolate and gin! For me, it’s all about balance. I like to train to complete challenges, like marathons, ultra swims, and an Ironman 70.3 in the future rather than strength or aesthetics.

What’s the next big fitness trend going to be?
I think Swim/Run races are going to get bigger, and I think Ultra races will increase in popularity (as they already are). I am tempted to sign up for one – I’ve heard the aid stations are way more fun than marathon aid stations!

What piece of equipment or tech is your go-to workout companion?
I love my Adidas Ultra Boost trainers and my Garmin watch to track my runs.

What’s your favourite workout class or routine?
Favourite workout class is Barre and BodyPump (aside from running, obviously!).

What was your favourite blog post to create and why?
I love sharing the marathon race recaps as I work really hard to train for them and create content during the races, but I also love the more open/honest posts such as my feelings on losing weight for the wedding.

How do you see your blog developing in the future?
I’d like to develop my YouTube channel further as well as creating more active travel content, and sharing my knowledge as I continue my Dietetics degree.

What makes your blog successful?
I think it’s my honesty, my realness and my persistence to train for my goals. I’ve been blogging for five years and am growing, developing and changing online as well as in real life. I’m average, and proof that others can achieve their goals if they work hard and believe in themselves.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I love partnering to make creative, interesting content that’s helpful and fun for my readers (and me!). I like to brainstorm ideas that match with brand campaigns on longer term partnerships to create value for both the company and my audience.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I love to travel and I am studying to become a dietitian. I love working with brands that want to work together to create awesome content!

What are your favourite blogs to read?
I love a lot of American fitness blogs such as Pumps and Iron, Run to the Finish and the Real Life RD, plus I get inspiration from beauty/fashion blogs such as Inthefrow, Lydia Millen and Hello Fashion. I also really enjoy watching YouTube videos from lifestyle, fitness, fashion and beauty bloggers.

 

Charlie Watson features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

GBBO

Bake Off ratings hit Channel 4 high

/0 Comments/in , /by

The consolidated viewing figures for the first episode of Great British Bake Off make it one of Channel 4’s most watched programmes of all time.

Taking into account time-shifted viewing over a seven-day period, the episode drew an average of 9.5 million viewers, which was a 35.4% share of the audience. This makes it Channel 4’s seventh highest rated show ever, and the best since Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, which had 9.7 million viewers in February 2011.

The show also attracted 2.7 million 16-34 year-old viewers, making it the best performing programme among this demographic in 2017.

Channel 4’s highest rated show ever was A Woman of Substance, which drew 13.9 million viewers in 1985 – surprisingly comparable to the 13.4 million that watched Nadiya Hussain win Bake Off on BBC One in 2015.

The total figures for the first episode of Bake Off, including repeats on Channel 4, E4 and 4Seven, and views on Channel 4’s online service All 4, make the total well over 12 million.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s chief creative officer, said: ‘Bake Off has well and truly landed on Channel 4. I’m thrilled viewers have warmed to Paul, Prue, Noel and Sandi and are enjoying the exceptional standard of baking.’

The strong start has been bolstered by the second episode, which enjoyed overnight viewing figures of 6 million. Though this is down on week one, the 16-34 year old demographic grew and it’s still double the number Channel 4 needs in order to ‘break even’ on its £75 million purchase of the show.

Fashion Foie Gras

Blogger Spotlight: Emily Johnston, Fashion Foie Gras

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Emily Johnston is the author behind Fashion Foie Gras (FFG), which was recently ranked third in the Top 10 UK Fashion Blogs. Covering her own personal style and fashion news, Emily also writes about her adventures abroad. Here we spoke to Emily about being yourself, her changing attitude towards Fashion Week and PRs as bridesmaids…

How would you describe your blog?
FFG has truly become a blog that has evolved from being just about fashion to covering every aspect of life, from travel to food, style to beauty.

Why did you start your blog?
I started FFG to be a part of the conversation that was starting to erupt online around fashion and lifestyle. I had no idea it could become a career. I was doing it for fun!

What are the latest fashion trends we should be aware of?
For autumn/winter I would say embrace the art of layering, playing with different fabrics and print clashing to really showcase your own unique style. Leave the trends behind. Wear what makes you happy and feels good!

How does London Fashion Week fit in with your blog?
It used to play a huge role, but these days I use the catwalk for inspiration for later features, when readers don’t have to feel frustrated by waiting to purchase. People want to see it now and have it in hand tomorrow, which has really changed my own views on covering LFW.

What’s going to be the ‘next big thing’ in fashion?
I don’t think there is a next big thing. Things aren’t ‘big’ like they used to be. Trends are a flash in a pan and they change daily. Tough for anyone to keep up, that’s why I say be true to yourself!

What makes your blog successful?
Luck. Haha. Kidding. I think the blog is successful because I have integrity and am pretty much a slave to it. I don’t cut corners, it’s hard work and there’s no cheating that. But I love every minute of it so it’s worth it. And my readers are just insanely loyal and fabulous and, at this point, we’ve more or less grown up together over the past decade.

How do you like to work with PRs?
First of all, I have to say that when I finally get married I can guarantee you that the women that make up my bridesmaids will be mostly PRs that I have met through this crazy blog life. They are amazing men and women. But, I do really appreciate when people are straight forward. If there’s a job, let’s talk about. If you want support for a new brand, let’s discuss.

What collaborations are you proud of?
There are so many and too many to spotlight just a few. My designer collaborations, however, have been the favourites. I’d love to do a dress collaboration in the future!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m easy and I’m an adult (and I worked as a PR for ten years before starting the blog… so I get it).

What other blogs do you read?
Again, too many to list. London is full of so much talent!

Emily Johnston features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

photojournalism

Reuters launches photojournalism grants

/0 Comments/in , /by

Reuters has launched a new grant programme to encourage the next generation of photojournalists to share original visual stories from around the world.

Reuters is offering up to eight grants, worth $5,000 each, to photojournalists or students for work on photo assignments and projects that will enhance their visual storytelling abilities and tell ‘original human stories’.

Pictures taken by the grant recipients will be distributed globally on Reuters platforms.

While the photojournalists do not need to be professional, the candidates must be passionate about the medium and be able to pitch a concept that they can successfully complete in order to secure the grant.

The grant winners will be advised on their assignments and projects by Yannis Behrakis, Reuters photojournalist and senior editor of special projects. Yannis will provide advice and planning assistance throughout the process.

The application period opens 10 September. Entrants need to submit a CV and a 25-50 picture portfolio of both single images and multi-image stories. They must also detail their project or idea, which is recommended to be, ‘focused on a subject in a community or location within close proximity that can be completed in a few weeks or months’.

The deadline for entries is 10 December, and the grants must be used in 2018.

More information about the competition including entry details is available on the Reuters website.

UK Bloggers Survey 2017

How big is your influencer budget?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

More bloggers are turning professional according to the latest UK Bloggers Survey from Vuelio.

The annual report, published by Vuelio, in conjunction with Canterbury Christ Church University, surveys hundreds of bloggers about their habits, intentions and perceptions of the blogosphere. You can download the survey for free, by clicking here.

While a majority (62%) of bloggers are still hobbyists, there’s been a 4% rise in the number for whom it is now their main source of income and a 6% rise in those who see it as their future main source of income. This points to a legitimisation of blogging as an industry, as more people now see it is a valid career path.

The professionals are also blogging in a different way to the hobbyists, unsurprisingly posting more frequently with 33% of professionals publishing five or more times a week, compared to just 7% of hobbyists managing the same frequency.

Though the blogging industry is legitimising itself, the number of largest blogs (with a monthly audience of over 10,000) is nearly unchanged from 2016, suggesting that the established influencers are here to stay and there’s not much room for many more.

Bloggers may be a force to be reckoned with, but they still feel they lack the credibility that journalists – their traditional media counterparts – have. It is improving, but slowly; this year saw a 5% rise in those disagreeing with the question, ‘PRs regard traditional journalists as more important than bloggers’.

Is trust and respect from PR professionals and brands the best way to gain that integrity? Collaborations are typically a blogger’s largest source of income and good relations with PR is the best way for the industry to grow further. Most bloggers (75%) do have these good relationships, though it varies wildly depending on if they are blogging about parenting (87% good relationships) or politics (just 17%).

Relationships work both ways and PR needs to be giving something back to the industry, as 71% of bloggers believe PR professionals expect support for their brand for little in return. As 58% of bloggers expect to be paid for all the coverage they give brands, there’s clearly still some ground to be made up between the two fields.

2017 awards for bloggers

Shortlist revealed for the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The shortlist for the Vuelio Blog Awards has been announced, with more finalists than ever before. Taking place on 24 November at the Bloomsbury Big Top, the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 is a highlight of the blogging calendar.

With 84 of the very best blogs on this year’s shortlist, the judges will have their work cut out to determine the overall winners when they meet on 18 September.

This year’s judging panel includes journalists, PR professionals and an award-winning blogger: click here for more information.

The finalists all specialise in one of our 14 categories, and every shortlisted blog will also be eligible for the grand prize – Best UK Blog of 2017.

Without further ado, the shortlist of the best bloggers in the UK and Ireland for 2017 is as follows:

Best Newcomer

  • Best Before End Date
  • That Butterfly Effect
  • Man vs Globe
  • Modish Male
  • A Mundane Life
  • Pip and the City

Arts and Entertainment

  • Creative Bloq
  • FlickeringMYTH.com
  • Nialler9
  • Photography Blog
  • Pop Justice
  • That Grape Juice

Beauty

  • A Model Recommends
  • British Beauty Blogger
  • Caroline Hirons
  • Estee Lalonde
  • London Beauty Queen
  • Pixiwoo.com

DIY & Interior Design

  • Abigail Ahern Blog
  • Dear Designer’s Blog
  • Design Sheppard
  • Fresh Design Blog
  • Love Chic Living
  • Swoon Worthy

Fashion

  • Ape to Gentleman
  • Fashion Foie Gras
  • Fashion Me Now
  • In the frow
  • Menswear Style
  • Raindrops of Sapphire

Fitness & Healthy Living

  • Carly Rowena
  • Fitness on Toast
  • Lunges and Lycra
  • The Fat Girls’ Guide to Running
  • The Runner Beans
  • Zanna Van Dijk

Food & Drink

  • Amuse Your Bouche
  • Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen
  • Deliciously Ella
  • Hungry Healthy Happy
  • Lavender and Lovage
  • My Fussy Eater

Men’s Lifestyle

  • Ape to Gentleman
  • Average Joes
  • Buckets and Spades
  • The Everday Man
  • Menswear Style
  • The Dapper Chapper

Parenting

  • Boo Roo and Tigger Too
  • DadBlogUK.com
  • The Dadventurer
  • The Mad House
  • Slummy Single Mummy
  • Toby & Roo

Political

  • Bella Caledonia
  • ConservativeHome
  • Guido Fawkes’ Blog
  • LabourList
  • Political Scrapbook
  • Wings Over Scotland

PR, Media & Communications

  • MK
  • Natasha Courtenay-Smith
  • NevilleHobson.com
  • PRcareers
  • PRexamples
  • Stephen Waddington

Travel & Leisure

  • A Luxury Travel Blog
  • Bruised Passports
  • Global Grasshopper
  • Hand Lugguage Only
  • Two Monkeys Travel
  • Wish Wish Wish

Wedding

  • Boho Weddings
  • Brides Up North
  • Love My Dress
  • Rock My Wedding
  • Rock N Roll Bride
  • Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

Women’s Lifestyle

  • Coco’s Tea Party
  • Liberty London Girl
  • Lily Pebbles
  • The Londoner
  • Poppy Deyes
  • Poppy Loves

 

Every finalist is listed in the Vuelio Influencer Database.

Guardian charity

The Guardian Launches US Non-Profit

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Guardian has launched a US-based non-profit organisation in an attempt to support quality independent journalism.

Its website, theguardian.org states that its mission is to advance and inform public discourse and citizen participation around the most pressing issues of our time through the support of independent journalism and journalistic projects at the Guardian.

The new organisation will raise funds from individuals and foundations and direct them towards projects that advance public discourse and citizen participation around issues such as climate change, human rights, global development and inequality.

The Guardian Media Group states that the non-profit has already raised more than $1 million in grants, including:

  • Skoll Foundation funding for a solutions-oriented series on climate change in America
  • Support from Humanity United to allow the Guardian to continue its in-depth look at modern day slavery
  • A grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support compelling journalism on the subject of early childhood development.

The Guardian has a long history of partnering with ‘like-minded philanthropic organizations’ and already counts the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation as longstanding philanthropic partners.

The project is headed up by Rachel White who is also the Guardian’s global EVP of philanthropic and strategic partnerships.

Commenting on the launch of the new organisation, White said: ‘The connection between powerful story-telling and social cause has never been more vital. Across the past six years, philanthropy has played an increasingly significant role in supporting Guardian journalism on issues that critically inform the public–climate change, inequality, women’s rights, and more. The creation of theguardian.org makes it possible for us to forge key strategic partnerships, and engage a wider range of individuals and philanthropic organizations in supporting our global ground-breaking storytelling and reporting.’

As news companies continue to look into new ways to fund investigative journalism, we can expect to see a number of publishers adopting philanthropic models and this is certainly a smart move by the Guardian, helping them fund expensive journalistic projects.

2017 awards for bloggers

Presenting the Judges for the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

We are delighted to announce that this year’s judges, who will together decide the winners of every category at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017, represent a genuine variety of skills, experience and perspectives.

Ahead of the announcement of shortlisted bloggers next week, the judges have been chosen and are preparing themselves for the biggest blogging decisions of the year

The judging panel includes the best blogger of 2016, journalists and PR experts, and they will be choosing one winner from six finalists in each of the 15 categories.

This year’s judging panel is:

Katie Constable Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie Constable
Katie currently handles the social media at PZ Cussons Beauty for iconic beauty brands St.Tropez and Fudge Professional. Having worked in the industry for five years across fashion, beauty and lifestyle, she is always on the pursuit for new exciting content to further engage and evolve brands. In launching St.Tropez’s first ever series of Facebook Lives called ‘Studio Glow’, Katie has been working closely with global influencers across a variety of categories.

 

Anna Doble Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Doble
Anna is Digital Editor at Radio 1 Newsbeat, leading the team’s web, video and social presence. Before that Anna was Head of Online at Channel 4 News and a newsreader at Independent Radio News. She is about to join the BBC World Service as Digital Editor, looking after English language services.

 

Holly Hodges Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly Hodges
Holly Hodges is a senior media researcher at Vuelio. Specialising in bloggers and traditional media, Holly manages the influencer database and has been directly involved with the shortlisting process for this year’s Vuelio Blog Awards. Also responsible for Vuelio’s Top 10 rankings, Holly’s knowledge of the UK blogosphere is second to none.

 

Charlie Lindlar Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Lindlar
Charlie is the Blogs Editor at HuffPost UK. He manages the site’s community of 18,000 bloggers, mostly working across current affairs and politics. You can follow him on Twitter @charlielindlar.

 

Frank Marr Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Marr
Regarded as one of the industry’s brightest stars (he was named in PR Week’s ‘top 30 under 30’), Frank has been behind numerous world-class campaigns and helped shape an agency built on a culture of hard work and innovation. He’s the PRCA Travel & Tourism Chairman and an occasional PR lecturer at Regent’s University.

 

Kate Watson Smyth-Judge Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Watson-Smyth
Kate is an award-winning journalist and blogger, who in 2016 scooped the prestigious Best UK Blog prize for Mad about the house, at the Vuelio Blog Awards. Specialising in interiors and design, Kate has also published her first book ‘Shades of Grey: Decorating with the most elegant of neutrals’, with her second out in March. She also runs the ‘personal shopping for the home’ service, Mad about your house.

For more information about this year’s Vuelio Blog Awards, please contact Jake O’Neill.

SocialBookshelves.com

Blogger Spotlight: Dane Cobain, SocialBookshelves.com

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Dane Cobain is the author behind SocialBookshelves.com a Top 10 UK Literature Blog. With a catalogue-style review site, Dane also constricts his review word counts to the number of pages the book has. Here we spoke to Dane about his favourite novel, the rise of audiobooks and his preferred way to work with PRs.  

How would you describe your blog?
SocialBookshelves.com is a book blog with a difference. I don’t specialise in particular genres, I just keep a running list of reviews for every book that I read – over 1,000 so far. My reviews also have a particular quirk – their word count is the same as the number of pages in the book, so a 350 page book has a 350 word review.

Why did you start your blog?
I’ve always liked writing reviews. I remember in secondary school we were asked to write reviews for every book that we read. For the other kids, it put them off reading because they didn’t want to write the reports. For me, it meant I was writing 3-5 reports per week. The teacher eventually told me I could stop doing them.

I started blogging because when I left university, I got a full-time job in social media marketing. I thought that starting a blog would give me a great excuse to get some hands-on experience with a blog of my own. Once I started, it was hard to stop!

What’s your favourite book, and why?
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman because it’s a masterpiece. He’s got a new book coming out that’s a companion novel and it’s great to see a new generation of readers picking up his books because of all of the publicity.

What makes a good book?
It’s a combination of a whole heap of things, from pacing and plot to aesthetics and the cover. For a book to get a 5* rating on my blog, it has to leave me feeling like a slightly different person after reading it and it has to be pleasurable (as opposed to a chore) from start to finish.

Digital books disrupted an age-old industry, what do you think will be the next big disruptor?
They have, although I personally don’t read them. That’s because I like to collect my books, so I only ever read paperbacks and then I keep them in my rapidly expanding library. I keep needing to move to slightly bigger houses to accommodate them all.

As for the next big disruptor, that’s hard to say. I think audio books will continue to pick up steam and it’ll be more commonplace for people to listen to them, and I think the standard of them will continue to pick up. Over the next ten years or so, there will also be a lot of indie writers breaking through to the mainstream thanks to word of mouth – the market will decide whether their work is good or not , not a literary agent or a junior editor at a publishing house. On top of that, I think we’ll see more and more books coming out from YouTubers, Instagrammers and other social media celebrities who see it as a way to monetise their audience.

How many books do you own (roughly)?
Well I’ve reviewed every book I own and I have 1,129 reviews, so somewhere around that. The true number is probably closer to 1,250 counting the books I haven’t read yet – 1,300 if you count the copies I have of the books I’ve released myself.

What makes your blog successful?
I think consistency and longevity have played a big part. I update it regularly and work with plenty of authors and PRs to add other content such as interviews, and I also run competitions and use social networking sites. I think a big part of it has been the fact that I’m an author myself and so it’s pretty linked to my daily life. It’s just part of who I am.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I like them to email me with a little bit of information about the books and then I get back to them if I’m interested. I don’t get time to respond to every enquiry unfortunately because there are so many of them.

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
I only accept physical copies.

What other blogs do you like to read?
I’m going to be honest here – I don’t actually get much chance to read blogs because I’m so busy with other stuff. I do, however, watch a bunch of different ‘BookTubers’ – i.e. YouTubers who talk about books. They mostly talk about YA and middle grade, but I find their passion for books inspiring. Some of my favourites are Jean from Bookish Thoughts, Katytastic and Brock from Let’s Read. It’s great to see how creative people are.

That said, I do follow friends’ blogs as they post – but they’re mostly authors rather than other book bloggers.

Dane Cobain features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Gay pride

Manchester Evening News Wins Praise for Defending Pride

/0 Comments/in , /by

The comments sections of many newspaper websites are hardly the bastion of tolerance and fair argument. Seemingly left unmoderated, user-generated comment is, by and large, a free-for-all for trolls and haters of all shapes and sizes to rant about their views of the world behind the anonymity of an avatar.

While many online editors may be following Rule 1 of online debate – don’t feed the trolls – many others will tolerate ‘unacceptable’ comments because they fuel greater engagement and keep their websites sticky.

If you really want to know how unbalanced huge swaths of the population are, don’t bother reading the stories, just head straight for the comments section.

However, one newspaper has recently won praise for tackling intolerance in the comments section of its website and actively fighting back against trolls, haters and the intolerant.

The Manchester Evening News has jumped to the defence of the city’s Pride event and posted the following comment regarding negative posts regarding the LGBT festival:

‘Quite remarkable how many negative comments we have to remove or hide on stories like this.

‘To those asking when is ‘straight pride day’ or questioning why we still have Pride we’d ask this: did you know that homosexuality is punishable by death in 12 countries? Celebrating Pride in those places can literally get you killed.

‘Did you know there’s been a recent rise in homophobic hate crimes? Did you know that in Britain homophobic attacks rose by 147% in three months from June last year. Did you know nearly half of all trans children in this country have attempted suicide? Or that 80 per cent have self-harmed?

‘Did you know it’s only been 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK? This is why we still have Pride marches. And Manchester’s is the best in the world.’

In writing this comment, the Manchester Evening News are doing so much more than defending a sizable section of the community they serve but they are also taking ownership of their own editorial platform.

It should be remembered: a publisher is responsible for the comments left on their website and if they provide a home to intolerance (whether they believe in it or not) – they must take responsibility for any repercussions generated by such content.

Well done to the Manchester Evening News for not only defending the LGBT community in Manchester and beyond but also for taking pride in its own online editorial platform and the content they carry.

Michael 84

Blogger Spotlight: Michael Adams, Michael 84

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Michael Adams is the author behind Michael 84, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Men’s Lifestyle Blogs. Michael is a Newcastle-based t-shirt and fashion designer who writes about the latest style trends, music, films, tech and travel. Here, Michael told us about his favourite collaborations, bloggers moving to Instagram and the modern man.

How would you describe your blog?
Michael 84 is a men’s fashion and lifestyle blog with a focus on menswear and style tips, and covers everything from the usual guy’s life; from tech, travel and products reviews to entertainment including film, TV and music.

Why did you start you blog?
I love technology and the web, and have always had an interest in building and creating things online. It started off with simple websites, then I created forums, e-commerce stores and then I moved into blogging seven or eight years ago, writing about my interests.

What are the latest trends in men’s lifestyle we should be aware of?
It’s hard to say the latest trends in men’s lifestyle, as that could cover a large number of things. Minimalist style, for things such as watches, is big now and has been growing for a couple of years, with more and more brands offering a simplistic style of watches.

How does the modern man compare to men of the past?
I think it depends on how far you go back for comparison; I think that guys are taking better care of themselves more than ever now. Working out or going to the gym has become part of daily life, rather than a temporary or part time activity.

What’s going to be the next big trend in men’s lifestyle?
I think there could be an increase in using smart technology, it’s getting more popular with more brands offering various products from Amazon, Apple and Google, as well as smart home products.

What one thing could you not live without?
I think it has to be my iPhone. As we know, phones these days aren’t just phones, they do so much, so it’s the one thing I’d want to have.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I prefer it when they have a campaign or a clear idea in mind, and let me have some freedom to go with it. It’s always important to be on the same page so we have an understanding of what’s expected and going to happen, as sometimes but rarely there can be some miscommunication.

What’s one of your favourite collaborations?
There has been a few, I was part of a TOPMAN campaign called ‘Great Britain, Great Suits’ which showcased my city (Newcastle) and one of their great suits, and working with LG for London Fashion Week was also a highlight.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I am always open to work with great brands on different projects, so if they’re looking for exposure or have a campaign which they think may fit, they should get in touch.

What other blogs do you read?
I actually don’t really read too many blogs these days. A lot of other bloggers have been putting a lot more focus on Instagram, so they aren’t updating their blogs as frequently as they used to.

Michael Adams features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Carly Rowena

Blogger Spotlight: Carly Rowena, CarlyRowena

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Carly Rowena is the Top 10 Fitness and Exercise blogger behind her eponymous blog. Covering the simple steps you can take to transform your body and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Carly Rowena uses her expertise as a personal trainer to advise her readers about all things health and fitness. We spoke to Carly about her love of Crossfit, the importance of honesty and working with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
My blog is a little hub of fitness and lifestyle motivation, it’s a place for all shapes, sizes and abilities. I hope to inspire people to move more, enjoy food and feel incredible each day!

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog after realising that I wanted to go into detail about certain topics that I didn’t feel suited my YouTube channel. I find writing very therapeutic and loved the idea of being able to bring up different subjects, topics and chat to a different audience.

What makes your blog different from other fitness blogs?
It’s so hard to stand out nowadays as there are so many incredible blogs out there, however I feel my ‘girl next door’ vibe and honesty when it comes to anything from exercise, love life or body parts has always gone down well. There is no topic that I’m scared of talking about and it’s my aim to help as many people as possible.

What’s the next big fitness trend going to be?
I have to admit that I tend to ignore the trends, there is no ‘one way’ for all of us; we’re all individual and as time goes on I think everyone will start to realise that. I would say cutting dairy seems to be the big one this year and it’s one I certainly agree with for ethical reasons but other than that, I feel it’s just nice to see the world relaxing a little – the whole clean eating vibe went a little too far!

What piece of equipment or tech is your go-to workout companion?
I am all about being functional and although my main passion is CrossFit, I have to say my body is my best workout pal, you can literally create anything without the need for anything but yourself, some space and something to strap your lady humps down!

What was your favourite blog post to create and why?
I love creating a post that talks about something most people are scared to discuss. My most recent ‘Orgasm’ post was one of my favourites, I loved the reaction!

How do you see your blog developing in the future?
I’d like my photography to improve, it’s so hard to take epic blog images without the help of a photographer and I’m not a big fan of selfies. I love writing but finding the imagery is certainly the hard part for me!

What makes your blog successful?
Such a hard question, I’d like to think it’s the honesty!

How do you like to work with PRs?
I love working with PRs! In general I prefer to chat on the phone than over email, I hate wastage so I always prefer a brand emails me with any products they think I might like and then I get to say yes or no, and then let my followers know my thoughts!

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m very low maintenance and sweaty, I will never be a full face of contour type of girl, however, I will always squeal when a product arrives in the post. I hate packaging and will never lie to my followers, expect me to test out a product for at least a month before ever sharing, I’m very loyal to my followers and their pennies!

What are your favourite blogs to read?
Oh there are so many and all of different topics: I adore Steffy White, InTheFrow and Lottie Murphy.

What’s your favourite workout class or routine?
I adore Crossfit, I have never felt stronger, more functional or more proud of myself than I do right now, I feel unstoppable and it’s the best feeling!

Carly Rowena features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Playing by the Book

Blogger Spotlight: Zoe Toft, Playing by the Book

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Zoe Toft is the mother-of-two blogger behind Playing by the Book. Focusing on Zoe’s favourite family activity, Playing by the Book recently ranked in the Top 10 Literature Blogs. Here Zoe told us about good books, owning a lot(!) of books and working with PRs.

How would you describe your blog?
Honest review of books for children and young people accompanied by the play and exploring they inspire in my family.

Why did you start your blog?
If truth be told, it’s because I have a terrible memory and I wanted to have a way to document, and thereby remember, the good times.

What’s your favourite book, and why?
It’s very hard to pick just one book – it depends on my mood.

What makes a good book?
A good book is any one that hooks a reader. Different people need different hooks to engage them and so I don’t think there’s a single recipe for a good book. For some people, for example, it will be great pace, for others it will be stunningly beautiful writing. Fortunately, like delicious food, there are all sorts of recipes for brilliant books.

Digital books disrupted an age-old industry, what do you think will be the next big disruptor?
I don’t know that I’ve got anything very insightful to respond with. That said I do worry that fear of taking risks and instead becoming over reliant on brands will diminish the industry in the long run.

How many books do you own (roughly)?
About 4,000. Very many of them in piles all around the house!

What makes your blog successful?
My passion. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve, and I think that comes through on my blog. Marry my enthusiasm with our family’s sense of playfulness, and the wealth of book knowledge I’ve developed over the past eight years of blogging and I’m pretty happy with the ingredients I have for my blog. I could always do with more time to write more blog posts though!

How do you like to work with PRs?
In a spirit of generosity on both sides!

What’s the one thing PRs should know about you?
Even if I don’t end up reviewing a book sent for review on my blog, it forms part of my bank of knowledge and so that book often ends up being given as a personal recommendation that PRs may not get to see. We all know the power of personal recommendation and so the silent or invisible recommendations I make often have as much impact as the ones that can be more easily measured via blog posts.

What other blogs do you like to read?
All sorts! But three I’ve read today and visit regularly include: tygertale, Rhino Reads and A Fuse #8 Production.

Zoe Toft features on the Vuelio Media Database along with thousands of other bloggers, influencers and journalists.

Snog Marry Avoid presenter

Blog marry avoid?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

We are delighted to announce the host of the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017 is the fantastic Ellie Taylor. A confident and hilarious performer, Ellie will be entertaining our audience of world class bloggers and communicators on 24 November at the Bloomsbury Big Top.

Get your tickets here

Perhaps best known for presenting BBC 3’s cult hit Snog Marry Avoid?, Ellie has recently appeared on Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week, as well as getting magical on Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief.

Ellie’s extensive credits also include The Now Show, The John Bishop Show, As Yet Untitled, 8 out of 10 Cats and Drunk History as well as playing lead roles in the new Disney series The Lodge and Comedy Central’s Brotherhood.

Ellie will present fifteen awards to the top bloggers from the UK and Ireland across a range of different categories including Best UK Blog and Best Newcomer.

Taking place in the Bloomsbury Big Top, the awards ceremony will be part of an amazing night of food, drink and celebration as the most influential bloggers rub shoulders with top PR and communication professionals to celebrate all that’s good about the world of blogging.

Tickets are now on sale – please visit our dedicated ticket website to buy yours today. 

Charlotte's BAG

Charlotte’s BAG and the power of vlogging

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Charlotte Eades was a prolific vlogger and charity campaigner who died in February 2016 from glioblastoma. Charlotte’s BAG is a UK registered charity that was set up in October 2016 in Charlotte’s memory.

We’ve spoken to Charlotte’s Mum Alex Eades (AE), brother Miles Eades (ME) and the chair and trustee of Charlotte’s BAG Cressy Brooks (CB) about the charity, the power of Charlotte’s vlogging and her legacy.

What is Charlotte’s BAG?
CB: Our Charlotte, daughter of Alex and sister of Miles, died aged 19 years and 6 days in February 2016 after a devastating two and a half years coping with anaplastic astrocytoma which then developed into full blown glioblastoma. She was first diagnosed aged 16, on the afternoon of her school prom.

Alex, Miles and I set up the charity because we were all determined that Charlotte would not become just another cancer statistic, and because brain cancer (of which there are over 100 types) is significantly under-funded, receiving just one per cent of national cancer research funding. With the current rate of investment, it is estimated that it will be 100 years until any sort of cure is found – compare that with the leaps made in treatment of breast cancer following a major cash input. The last significant development in brain cancer treatment was the introduction of temozolomide in 1999, when Charlotte was already two years old.

Why Charlotte’s BAG? BAG stands for Battle Against Glioblastoma, and also celebrates Charlotte’s enduring love of hand bags, the higher end the better!

Can you tell us about glioblastoma and why more people should be aware of it?
CB: Glioblastoma is one of over a hundred types of brain cancer. None of them, even the so-called benign ones, are good to have, but medics call glioblastoma ‘The Terminator’ and a diagnosis of a grade IV glioblastoma is currently an effective death sentence.

It is a particularly cruel disease, because it progressively removes every physical capability (speech, movement, continence etc) while the conscious mind knows and understands every single progression of the disease.

Around 5,000 people in the UK die every year from glioblastoma, making it the single biggest cancer killer of the under 40s.

Why did Charlotte Eades choose vlogging to share her story?
CB: Charlotte found that her world was closing in just as she, like anyone aged 16, would have expected it to open up for her. She suddenly entered a world of hospitals, treatments, hair loss, sudden weight gain, along with the fact that she couldn’t go to college, she couldn’t learn to drive, she couldn’t travel to the USA as she would have liked to. She was also registered disabled, and had to start wearing hearing aids.

AE: Charlotte announced one day that she would start vlogging, and we really didn’t take much notice – we just said ‘OK darling how lovely’. And then she just went on and on, partly inspired by the fact that she couldn’t find anything about teenagers with cancer on the internet – loads about cancer, but not about teenagers who were in that position. So she just learnt how to do it all for herself, she talked about anything and everything that came into her head – sometimes about her illness, but especially in the earlier days, it would often be about make-up, shopping, her cat or her favourite music. She just talked out loud really, and it gave her a voice and a window onto a world which was becoming increasingly inaccessible to her as she became more ill.

Charlotte's BAG

Why was it important for Charlotte to share her story?
AE: Prior to her diagnosis Charlotte had been bullied at school and suffered from extreme anxiety. Then, four months before her diagnosis, she started having really bad headaches and she read a newspaper article which convinced her she had a brain tumour. We went back and forth to the doctors, no one believed her until we eventually went to A&E and the process was set in motion.

Although no one would ever want to have cancer, it gave Charlotte a voice. She somehow gained the strength to start vlogging, she would speak to audiences of up to 300 people, she started our local Race for Life, and she appeared on national TV talking about her experience. She won awards from Clic-Sargent and Cancer Research UK for her work.

For Charlotte, it was about sharing her experience, to provide support for other teenagers with cancer, and, I suppose, to make a difference

How did Charlotte’s vlog grow in the digital community?
ME: Charlotte’s vlog grew really quite organically, as a result of the diversity of her content, her honesty and frankness, and I also have to say because of her beauty, not just physically but in terms of her nature. Charlotte wanted not just to raise awareness of her particular cancer, she also wanted to show that you can, actually, have a life, enjoy yourself, find pleasure in things while undergoing treatment for cancer.

She was really keen to demonstrate that issues such as hair loss, or weight gain due to medication, should never prevent anyone from living a fulfilling and enjoyable life. She did that right up to quite close to the end, and she struck a chord with people.

IMG_2488Charlotte touched a lot of people’s lives, what was the reaction online to her passing?
CB: When Charlotte died it was, of course, an extremely private event. But when the news got out, it became global, with coverage as far afield as Russia, Australia, the USA and of course the UK.

The family received so many kind messages, which was quite overwhelming at the time, but every single one was truly appreciated. Alex and Miles and the rest of the family needed some time for a few months, but it was clear to all of us that Charlotte had left a huge footprint and we needed to make something good come out of this experience.

Fairly recently we added a tributes section to our website, which includes some really beautiful and heartfelt comments about the difference that Charlotte made.

You’ve taken up the mantle of Charlotte’s vlogging, what’s it like following in the footsteps of Charlotte?
AE: It is really really hard! Vlogging didn’t come naturally to me or Miles, and I am sure we come across as complete amateurs… but we strongly believe that we need to keep Charlotte’s voice going. Her followers continue to follow us, and they make very kind comments, which is lovely. We are trying to explore all the areas we can – we talk about grief, bereavement, how much we miss Charlotte, what are the right – or wrong – things to say to someone who has lost a child or a sibling, and we talk about what the charity is trying to do.

We are so lucky really, we continually find unseen and unedited footage that Charlotte made, and that allows us to keep going in her name.

How does vlogging fit in with the other areas of promotion and fundraising?
AE: Vlogging is something we feel we have to do for Charlotte and her followers. We do it because it keeps her voice alive, and because we know people like it. Charlotte’s vlogs were unique – for example, a major pharmaceutical company is using them for staff training because they are such a significant record of the physical decline that glioblastoma causes, which is not available elsewhere.

CB: Charlotte’s vlogs and those created subsequently by Alex and Miles represent a very powerful marketing tool. In charity terms, we are still pretty tiny, just ten months old, and we are in a world where the big charities have every resource at their fingertips and the money to pay for them. We are taking a very different approach; we have no salaries, no advertising, no overheads and every single penny we raise goes into research at King’s College Hospital, London in a new unit called Charlotte’s Project within the Mowatt Laboratories.

We’re actually really proud of what we’ve achieved so far – almost doubled our first year’s target within ten months; raised enough money to fund a research assistant for three years; and we’ve created a PR vehicle which is strongly centred around Charlotte’s achievements during her very short life, and is – I guess because we are family – totally respectful of Charlotte’s memory.

We use social media as much as we possibly can – we are very present on Facebook and Twitter, and we’re trying to get better on Instagram. Our website was created for free by a wonderful friend. We have also established really strong links with key mainstream media who are really supportive of what we are doing – this is currently on a fairly local level, but we will be ramping up a gear for our first birthday at the end of October when we have some very significant news to announce.

What goals does the charity have?
AE: It’s about Charlotte. We want to keep her memory alive and ensure her voice is still being heard. That’s very important for us.

CB: Glioblastoma can be beaten, given enough money. We are fortunate to be working so closely with one of the world’s leading paediatric oncologists, who specialises in the disease, and with a top neurosurgeon, and we know that we will win, hopefully sooner than everyone expects.

In practical terms, that means fundraising for research and ensuring that the results are shared with the medical community worldwide, and also by educating people in the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with glioblastoma.

 

For more information about Charlotte’s BAG, visit the website, the YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.