Glam and Glitter

Blogger Spotlight: Tamara Kalinic, Glam and Glitter

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

Glam and Glitter is the Top 20 Fashion Blog from Tamara Kalinic. Glam and Glitter has grown into an online diary of Tamara’s lifestyle treasure trove, including the latest fashion finds, top travel destinations and the best beauty products! We spoke to Tamara about the insider’s perspective at Fashion Week, new designers and working with brands.

How would you describe your blog?
It’s a mixture of Fashion, Beauty and Travel. A diary of all of my purchases, best finds, styling tips and favourite lipsticks, from all around the world.

What makes your blog successful?
I think the fact that I started it out of pure love. There were never monetary calculations involved in the first years of my blogging. I really love what I do and would still do it even if it was unpaid.

Glam and GlitterHow do you use other platforms, and how does that tie back in with your blog?
I have a very clear vision of what each platform is for. Since I come from a different background and I did my masters degree on a topic of branding and strategy thinking, I try to apply the acquired knowledge to my current job. I use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and YouTube for different things, and that is also something I often show to brands. It is very important not to get too comfortable and use these platforms for what you want to use them. You have to give your audience what they want to see.

How do you work with fashion weeks?
For more than four years now I have been attending New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks biannually. This means that I spend 8 weeks out of 52 just looking at new collections, talking to designers, meeting the fashion house CEOs and even learning about brands’ histories. Its truly an incredible way of learning the core about fashion. Imagine throwing yourself as a young pharmacist into this whole world of real fashionistas, could there be a better way to learn? From my experience, I don’t think so.

Why are fashion weeks important for the industry?
Fashion Weeks are what makes it all roll. New collections, new trends, buyers, press – everything in one place. Young designers are making their first big sales, and big fashion houses are preparing a real show for their loyal fan base in the industry. It’s an extremely important financial part of the industry, as well as for visibility and PR.

What should we expect to see for AW18?
I am thinking cowboy boots, tailored suits but oversized, more shearling and the colour teal. That is just me judging from the Men’s collections that I have seen so far.

What brands are you particular excited to see this season?
I always love seeing new designers. That is something that inspires me the most. On the other hand, Milan Fashion Week is where I see most of my favourite designers, so after Milan my brain feels a little bit overwhelmed!

Want to work with bloggers? Try the Vuelio Influencer Database and get access to 11,000 UK bloggers and vloggers in fashion, beauty, lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

How can brands/PRs best work with you around fashion week?
This depends on so many factors, but it always helps knowing what their KPI is, that helps me come up with a way I could bring the desired results. I like my jobs to be natural, we are very picky when it comes to brands we work with, and money is not our priority.

What campaigns have you enjoyed working on previously?
My team and I are proud to only accept campaigns with brands we truly love, and with brands we previously worked for free because it was a natural fit. Some of the projects I enjoyed the most are ones with Cartier, Dior, Dolce&Gabbana, Fendi, Louis Vuitton. There is so much I love about my job that it would be hard to name just a few.

What do you call yourself (blogger/creator/Influencer)?
I always go for blogger, because when I starter over seven years ago, that was the only term in circulation.

What other blogs do you read?
I read international blogs and really love supporting my friends from around the globe. Besides the non-fashion ones, such as Career Girl Daily, I love going through feeds of Queen of Jet Lags, Lovely Pepa, Park and Cube, VivaLuxury and The Fashion Fraction. I love their creative input.

Tamara Kalinic and Glam and Glitter are just two blogs listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 31 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

With the Prime Minister in China, Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington took her place, and Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, took Jeremy Corbyn’s slot. Lidington faced questions from MPs on Carillion, female representation in Parliament, lowering the voting age to 16 and the leaked Brexit document. Here’s the word cloud for Lidington’s answers:

David Lidington

MPs were left in a flutter throughout the session as they discovered a robin was on the loose in the House. SNP leader Ian Blackford used this as an opportunity to poke fun at David Lidington, asking if he is sending out a round robin letter, hinting that he is eyeing up a leadership challenge.

Carillion
Labour MP Ian Mearns asked if the government will act to stop directors siphoning off money from pension funds, Lidington assured that efforts are being made to ensure Carillion apprentices can stay in work. He said that it will be wrong for him to pre-empt the inquiry from the official receiver and said the government will publish proposals to protect pension funds later this year.

Democratic Representation
With next week marking the centenary of women securing the right to vote, Thornberry asked what can be done to increase female representation in parliament. Lidington agreed that there is more to do to increase female MPs in parliament and reminded the house that the Conservatives have had two female Prime Ministers, while Labour have had none.

Thornberry then asked if the voting age will be lowered to 16, arguing that over 2,000 16 and 17-year-olds having caring responsibilities. Lidington said that 18 is the normal age of majority, and said the age of majority should be set matching rights and responsibilities. He said that while it’s important for young people to be interested in current affairs, the voting age should remain 18. Thornberry retorted that as the Conservative Party and DUP are the only parties that don’t support lowering the voting age to 16, they are not the ‘coalition of chaos’ but the ‘coalition of cavemen’.

Brexit Forecast
SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford asked if the minister believes the single market is essential for jobs and prosperity, in light of the leak from Buzzfeed. Lidington said that we must leave the Single Market and Customs Union if we want to leave the EU, and said the UK is seeking ‘a new partnership with our neighbours in the European Union’, which is beneficial to everyone in all EU countries. Blackford described this as a government in crisis and an international embarrassment, adding that the Chancellor and Home Secretary support the Single Market while the PM wants to make everyone poorer. Lidington said that the most important single market for Scotland is the rest of the UK.

Education
Conservative MP Ranil Jayawardena asked about the attainment gap and free schools, and Lidington stated that the government’s ambition is to ensure the schools system works for every child in every community. Cambridge’s Labour MP Daniel Zeichner, asked about the contribution of international students to the economy, arguing that there is a ‘steady increase’ in students threatened by the policies of the current government. Lidington said that the UK is the second-most popular destination for students in the world and added that university-sponsored student visa applications are up by nearly a fifth since 2010. Conservative MP Robert Neill asked about schools funding and questioned the Education & Skills Funding Agency. Lidington admitted that more work needs to be done on this front.

If you would like political intelligence on key topics and areas vital to your business, get in touch today. 

Today’s Political Headlines – 31 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines include the continued controversy surroung the government’s leaked Brexit forecasts, Theresa May’s visit to China and the UK’s skilled immigration cap. 

Brexit analysis causes continued controversy
Brexit minister Steve Baker has claimed that Government economic forecasts are ‘always wrong’ and that the leaked Brexit forecast ‘is not yet anywhere near being approved by ministers’, according to The Daily Telegraph. A ‘Cabinet source’ told the paper that it was ‘Project Fear Mark II’. The Guardian suggests that Baker’s claim has ‘triggered a furious backlash’ and says that Labour is to try to force the Government to publish the analysis using the same procedure previously deployed to force the publication of the Government’s sectoral reports. Theresa May has told the Financial Times that economic assessments will be given to Parliament after the final deal has been agreed, but ahead of the vote on it, 

Theresa May: ‘I’m not a quitter’
The Times reports that Theresa May has told reporters that ‘I’m not a quitter, and there is a long-term job to be done.’ She refused to say if she would fight on in the event of a vote of confidence. May insisted that she had a plan to get ‘the best Brexit deal’ and that ‘we need to ensure that we do speak about the achievements that we’ve seen’. 

Theresa May: China should play by rules
Theresa May has written an opinion piece for the Financial Times ahead of her trip to China, in which she argues for ‘deepening co-operation’ but warns that the two countries ‘will not always see eye-to-eye’, raising issues such as steel overcapacity, intellectual property, and trade rules. The paper describes this as a ‘blunt warning’.

Housing developers to lose right to build
Housing developers should lose planning permission on unused land, if they fail to hit construction targets, a review into land-banking is expected to conclude in the spring, according to The Times. The paper has interviewed Sajid Javid, who said ‘We are on the side of people who want more homes.’

Inheritance tax gifting limit under review
Chancellor Philip Hammond has ordered a review into inheritance tax, The Daily Telegraph says. The review, to be carried out by the Office for Tax Simplification, could lead to an increase in the tax-free gifting limit, which has been frozen at £3000 since 1981. The paper says that the move would ‘help younger generations onto the property ladder’.

UK should add folic acid to flour, study says
The BBC reports on a new study in Public Health News, which suggests that adding folic acid to flour would prevent spina bifida in unborn babies and not harm the public. Ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have already backed the move.

Parliament could be ‘at risk’, Historic England warns
The Guardian has seen a Historic England briefing note, which warns that the Palace of Westminster could be placed on the ‘at risk’ register of historic sites. MPs have a free vote tonight on whether or not to delay making a decision on repairs until the end of parliament, or to set up a delivery authority to draw up options to be voted on in 18 months’ time. 

UK hits skilled immigration cap
The Financial Times reports that the UK has hit the cap for skilled non-EU migrants for two months in a row, attributing this to companies being ‘forced to look further afield to make up for falling numbers of European immigrants.’ The NHS is amongst those being forced to turn away potential workers, whilst the Institute for Directors described it as a ‘particularly big concern’ for businesses.

If you want Vuelio Political services in your life, you can access them here. 

Paid for followers

Celebrities accused of buying followers

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

Celebrities, including Paul Hollywood, Baroness Lane-Fox and James Cracknell, have been accused of buying fake followers after an investigation by The New York Times.

The paper investigated a company called Devumi and discovered that more than 200,000 high-profile figures had purchased fake followers. Its report is particularly damning of Devumi’s practices, which seems, in some instances, to be ‘stealing identities’ of existing social media users to create the fake accounts.

This is illegal, and a New York prosecutor is now investigating the firm. Eric Schneiderman, the state’s attorney general, tweeted twice, first: ‘Impersonation and deception are illegal under New York law’, and then: ‘The growing prevalence of bots means that real voices are too often drowned out in our public conversation. Those who can pay the most for followers can buy their way to apparent influence.’

Buying followers to boost your social presence is, at best, unethical and at worst, fraud. Buying followers itself may not be criminal, and selling them seems to be a grey area, but legal issues arise around the purpose of having fake followers. If you buy followers and then, in any way, stand to gain financially – this could be a serious offence.

Gains could be in the form of paid-for posts, brand collaborations, getting jobs or being called upon as an expert. If your following is not genuine, and you know it, then you might be committing fraud.

Devumi is reported to have offered at least 3.5m automated accounts, which could be bought in packages of 1,000 for $17 (£12). The celebrities that have been called out are generally responding with ignorance, including Baroness Lane-Fox who blamed a ‘rogue employee’ for purchasing the followers. One of her acquisitions, for 25,000 followers, was made at about the time she joined Twitter as a board member in May 2016.

Paul Hollywood, who seems to have the biggest profile of any of the accused, also had the strongest reaction. The master baker deleted his Twitter account entirely (The Guardian’s suggestion that @Hollywoodbaker is his new account seems incorrect).

His spokesperson said: ‘Paul deleted his personal account last week when he was alerted to the fake followers. Like lots of high-profile people he followed advice at the time to build up his social media presence without realising what it involved’.

Paid-for follower is a huge industry-wide problem that until now has received little attention in the press. Social media influencers and digital stars have been accused of purchasing and fraudulently growing their following for some time, but little has been done to tackle the issue. Now traditional celebrities are being dragged into the argument, there might be some action from the platforms to curb this practice.

If you’re looking for genuine influence, check out the Vuelio Influencer Database, where individuals are verified and profiled so you know you’re working with the best.

Today’s Political Headlines – 30 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines include BuzzFeed’s scoop on the state of the UK economy after Brexit, Tory donors calling on May to quit and all PIP claims to be reviewed following a court ruling. 

Brexit impact assessments leak, as May rejects the EU’s transition terms
BuzzFeed News has obtained a copy of the Government’s economic analysis of Brexit. It suggests that the UK would be worse off outside the EU in every scenario modelled. The news comes as The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May is to reject the EU’s proposed transition period terms over free movement and ‘rule taking’, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox tells The Sun that Eurosceptics will have to ‘live with disappointment’. The Guardian says that a new report by Open Britain and the Labour Campaign for the Single Market argues ‘there is no leftwing case for leaving the single market and the customs union’. The paper also reports that the German ambassador has ascribed British Euroscepticism to a sense of national identity built around the Second World War.

Tory donors call on May to quit
The Times claims that displeasure with Theresa May ‘boiled over’ at a Conservative fundraising event on Thursday. An account of the event that suggests around a quarter of the 50 donors attending called for May to go has been circulating amongst pro-Brexit MPs.

PIP claims to be reviewed following court ruling
The BBC reports that the Department for Work and Pensions will review the claims of every person receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – a total of 1.6m claims. This follows the Government’s decision not to challenge a court ruling that PIP changes were unfair to people with mental health conditions.

MoD housing deal cost taxpayers £4bn
A report by the National Audit Office suggests that British taxpayers could have lost as much as £4bn because of a 1996 Ministry of Defence property deal, The Daily Telegraph says. In the deal, the MoD sold around 55,000 houses and then leased them back.

Robert Halfon suggests referendum on NHS spending increases
Conservative MP Robert Halfon has called for a referendum on raising NHS spending, The Guardian reports. He has suggested the Government should legislate for a referendum every ten years on how much to increase NHS spending, and consider a new hypothecated ringfenced tax for health and social care spending.

China ‘baffled’ over May’s delay in visiting
As Theresa May prepares to leave for her first trade mission to China, The Times reports that the Chinese are ‘baffled’ that it has taken her 18 months to visit. The Financial Times suggests May will not endorse China’s Belt and Road initiative in which it invests in Asian and central and eastern European infrastructure during the visit. The Guardian says that Brexit ‘has severely eroded’ the UK’s negotiating position and its value to China.

Gavin Williamson under pressure over defence spending
The Times says that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson came ‘under renewed pressure’ when three former security chiefs – Lord Ricketts (Former national security adviser), Sir John Sawyers (former MI6 head) and Robert Hannigan (former GCHQ director) – criticised the removal of defence from the national security capability review as a ‘backwards step’, driven by politics.

MPs could lose seats for sexual harassment or bullying
The Financial Times has seen a copy of draft plans, expected to be published later this week, under which MPs found to have engaged in sexual harassment or bullying could be suspended by the parliamentary commissioner for standards and trigger a recall process.

If you want Vuelio Political services in your life, you can access them here. 

Politics on Sunday – 28 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The leader of the opposition was the big guest on a day that seemed to be all about Piers Morgan and that interview. 

With the exception of Jeremy Corbyn, Sunday’s political shows seemed to lack star power – it was as though high-profile politicians knew they did not have the clout to match up to Piers Morgan interviewing Donald Trump later that day. As such, the guests across all the morning shows mainly find themselves on the fringes of politics.

In his appearance on Andrew Marr, the Labour leader unveiled a new housing police aimed at reducing the number of homeless people. A Labour government would purchase 8,000 homes and make them available to people with a history of homelessness through housing associations. More controversially, Corbyn said his Labour government would allow local authorities to take homes that are being kept empty; he finds the idea of building luxury blocks and keeping them empty ‘grossly insulting’.

Corbyn provided clarity on what Labour does not want from Brexit without saying what they do want. ‘The remain ship has sailed’ was the remark Corbyn made as he ruled out Labour calling for a second referendum. The Norway model was also rejected with Corbyn saying he would want Britain to be able to be an important player in negotiating trade deals in the future. This referred to the fact that while Norway is in the single market, they are unable to influence it.

Andrew Marr spends too much of his time reading the Daily Mail, was an accusation Corbyn made against the presenter when he was told that he has not condemned the actions of the Government of Iran. Corbyn went on to say that the Labour Party has and will continue to take a tough stance on those that abuse human rights.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington was one of the other guests on The Andrew Marr Show and he faced a similar line of questioning. Lidington’s presence was particular interesting in light of Philip Hammond’s remarks saying he wants the UK and EU to be as close as possible post-Brexit. Lidington said Hammond ‘is fully onboard’ with the plans of the government and the government wants future trade with the EU to be as free as possible. When asked about homelessness, Lidington did not present as many fresh ideas as Corbyn saying the Government is taking the issue seriously and investing in prevention.

Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Natalie Evans, appeared on Peston and Sunday and Sunday with Paterson, expressing confidence that the EU Withdrawal Bill would pass through the Lords unscathed. Evans also suggested Jacob Rees-Mogg’s fear that BRINO (Brexit in name only) will happen, did not have any real substance to them. Rees-Mogg was also a guest on Peston and could not resist letting it be known that his view on Philip Hammond should not be expressed in public. Nadine Dorries was not as diplomatic as Rees-Mogg, she said he ‘needs to go’ when asked about Hammond’s future.

Check out the dedicated Canvas of political coverage by clicking here or on the image below.

Want to make your own canvas? It’s easy and effective. 

Today’s Political Headlines – 29 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines are dominated by Brexit – with a ‘coordinated attempt’ to discredit the Chancellor and civil servants; the potential transition deal delay; and the Lords committee’s criticism. 

Brexit: Brexiteers in ‘co-ordinated attempt’ to discredit Chancellor & civil servants
According to this morning’s Times, Brexiteers are on ‘a co-ordinated attempt to discredit Philip Hammond and senior officials’. Key cabinet members are to be shown government economic impact assessments for different Brexit options this week, the paper reports. The Daily Telegraph has obtained a WhatsApp message in which energy minister Claire Perry claims that the ‘sell out traitor mob’ who criticised the Brexit bill are the ‘swivel-eyed few’.

Brexit: Transition deal may be delayed over law vetting demand
The Financial Times warns that the UK could be on a ‘collision course’ with the EU over demands to vet new EU laws agreed during the transition period. According to the paper, senior officials on each side are worried that the disagreement could delay reaching a deal. Meanwhile, The Times says that EU negotiators expect the UK to request an extended transition period, but that this will be kept secret to avoid a rebellion by Eurosceptics.

Brexit: Lords committee criticises Withdrawal Bill
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has criticised the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill ahead of the start of debates this week, The Guardian reports. The committee says that ‘the bill risks fundamentally undermining legal certainty’, criticising the ‘overly broad’ powers and the failure to secure agreement from the devolved governments.

Social media firms called on to do more about grooming
The Times dedicates its front page to a call for social media firms to crack down on online grooming. According to the paper, the NSPCC is calling for the Home Office to put pressure on social media companies to use artificial intelligence to block predatory behaviour online. The charity says that the Government’s new voluntary code ‘does not go far enough’.

Pensions Regulator criticised for failure to act over Carillion
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has criticised the Pensions Regulator for allowing Carillion to defer pension deficit contributions in September, according to The Guardian. Frank Field, who chairs the committee, said ‘It’s clear that Carillion has been trying to wriggle out of its obligations to its pensioners for the last 10 years.’

Tory peer and Church of England call for Government action over gambling adverts
A study commissioned by the Conservative peer Lord Chadlington has found that 65% of teenagers think that television channels carry too much advertising for gambling, the Daily Mail reports. He is calling for the Government to ban gambling advertising during sporting events. Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, told The Daily Telegraph that advertising for gambling was ‘an increasing moral crisis for us as a society.’

Increased automation may deepen the UK’s economic divide
The Financial Times has details of a report by the Centre for Cities think-tank, which suggests ‘the rise of the robots’ will deepen the UK’s economic divide, with a third of jobs in some northern and midlands cities vulnerable to automation and globalisation. The centre’s chief executive, Andrew Carter, has called for more devolution.

Labour would buy 8,000 properties for the homeless
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged to provide 8,000 homes ‘immediately’ to house people with a history of rough sleeping, should his party enter government. He described the scale of homelessness as ‘disgusting’ and ‘wholly unnecessary’.

If you want Vuelio Political services, find out more here. 

26 January

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 26 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

This week, Five Things includes the Creative Shootout, the Trust Barometer, Leeds United, Grumpy Cat, and the Guardian’s paying subscribers in the US.

 

1. The Creative Shootout

agency competition

The Creative Shootout is a unique awards ceremony, where finalists have just four hours to prepare a creative PR pitch. They then have just 10 minutes to present that pitch in front of an audience of hundreds. Raw London were the winners in 2018, read all about the process and their award-winning campaign here.

 

2. Edelman’s Trust Barometer

results

The annual report outlining public trust in the establishment saw a dramatic increase in trust for traditional media and a continuing decline in trust of social media. This compounds problems for social media, and Facebook in particular, with Mark Zuckerberg announcing several recent changes to the platform. Read all about the results here.

 

3. Leeds United

New badge

Every football fan loves a new crest, right? Leeds United found out this week how much that isn’t true, with their new logo (which took ‘6 months of research’, and saw ‘10,000 people consulted’) slated online after its launch. Compared to Pro Evolution and mocked by other football clubs, the new badge is now being reconsidered. Check out PR Week’s round up of ire.

 

4. Grumpy Cat

grumpy cat

Grumpy Cat, the household pet that looks permanently unimpressed, has successfully sued a US coffee company for ‘exceeding an agreement over the cat’s image’. The two parties had agreed usage of Grumpy Cat for a range of drinks (Grumppuccino) but the coffee company sold associated products too. Even though it’s one of the highest earning felines in the world, Grumpy Cat remains grumpy.

 

5. Guardian reaches 300,000 US subscribers

Guardian US

The Guardian, while still free online, has adopted a Wikipedia-style request for donations and financial support. Called ‘subscribers’, over 300,000 have now contributed to the Guardian in the US. Of those, 230,000 were one-time contributors, and 73,000 are recurring. Globally, the paper has 800,000 supporters, with over half a million making recurring monthly payments (as subscribers, members or recurring contributors).

agency competition

Diets, fruit faces and getting hangry at The Creative Shootout 2018

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Last night, The Creative Shootout 2018 crowned its winning team – Raw London – after a fierce evening of pitching and the industry’s best example of creativity in action.

Nine teams – each made up of four people – were briefed at lunchtime by the charity FareShare. FareShare is a food waste charity; it takes surplus food from restaurants and supermarket suppliers and delivers them, via distribution centres, to communities and charities. Over eight million people live in food poverty in this country and FoodShare is doing what it can to tackle this issue.

The brief – to increase the number of people volunteering for FareShare and raise the charity’s profile – was delivered to the finalists who then had just four hours to prepare a creative pitch. Vuelio provided a Canvas, showing coverage of FareShare with news stories of their work and social media posts from all parts of the FareShare process. We also opened an Influencer Hotline for finalists to call with their influencer needs and queries.

In the evening, the teams presented their pitches to the audience at BAFTA under a strict ten-minute limit.

The Creative Shootout is both an amazing event format, quite unlike any other awards ceremony, and a great showcase of the talent and creativity that makes the UK’s PR industry so rich and successful. Every team that pitched should be proud of their performances, as they all showed originality and unique perspectives on what was fundamentally a broad brief.

Incredibly, three ideas appeared more than once. Two teams suggested a new diet, two suggested that people should get ‘hangry’ and two suggested launching a new supermarket. But even within these similar ideas, the teams still managed to impress with their own takes and impressed the audience with different means and method of carrying out their campaigns. Other teams’ ideas included a skeleton of an elephant being filled with flowers and a new currency ‘bite coin’.

There could unfortunately, only be one winner. Raw London’s pitch was, as is so often the case for award-winning campaigns, simple in its positioning and easy to follow. Based on people who look like unusual foods (‘wonky’ fruit and veg), the campaign was ‘any Shape – any size’, talking about both food waste and people that could volunteer. The campaign would be rolled out via traditional channels – on billboards and in the press – as well as online, with people sharing their own pictures with fruit doppelgangers.

As winners, Raw London will stage its winning campaign with FareShare between May and September 2018, with resources including £250,000 digital media spend from premium publisher cooperative 1XL and £30,000 in fees from FareShare.

Vuelio was proud to sponsor such an awesome display of creativity and is happy to be counted among the first pieces of coverage for Raw London and its ‘any shape – any size’ campaign.

Today’s Political Headlines – 26 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines include Brexit news, with May, Hammond and Davis; Lord Mendelsohn who has been ‘effectively sacked’ for attending the Presidents Club dinner; Gavin Williamson warning of a Russian attack; and Donald Trump visiting the UK. 

May rebukes Hammond for Brexit claims and tones down Davis speech
Theresa May rebuked the Chancellor last night, The Times claims, after he predicted ‘very modest’ changes in the UK’s relationship with the EU after Brexit in a speech to the CBI at the World Economic Forum. The Daily Telegraph adds that Downing Street has toned down a major speech by David Davis today so that it focuses on negotiating trade deals during a transition period, rather than on managing expectations and selling the transition period as the price to pay for Brexit. The paper also reports that Jacob Rees-Mogg, chair of the European Research Group, has said that the Government’s tone on Brexit needs to ‘fundamentally change’. The Sun suggests that Downing Street ‘fears a vote of no confidence’ after at least three more Tory MPs said that they planned to call for May to go.

Lord Mendelsohn ‘effectively sacked’ for attending controversial dinner
Lord Mendelsohn has been ‘effectively sacked’ from his role as a Labour party spokesperson on business and international trade for attending the controversial Presidents Club dinner, The Times reports. The Financial Times adds that the Attorney-General has said that it is possible that criminal offences were committed at the event and that the Bank of England is investigating the regifting of tea with its Governor, Mark Carney, to the event’s auction.

Gavin Williamson warns of Russian attack, admits affair
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has warned that Russia could kill ‘thousands and thousands and thousands’ of people in the UK, with an attack on infrastructure and energy supply, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. He has also been speaking to the Daily Mail, admitting to an affair that happened before he became an MP.

Donald Trump will visit the UK, apologises for Britain First tweets
The Times reports that President Trump is to make a working visit to the UK in the summer, which is likely to include meeting the Queen. The visit’s outline was agreed when Trump met with Theresa May at Davos yesterday. The news comes as Trump tells Piers Morgan, in an interview for ITV, that he ‘would certainly apologise’ for retweeting Britain First.

Tessa Jowell calls for global cancer co-operation
The Guardian reports that Baroness Jowell received a standing ovation in the House of Lords yesterday. Jowell, who has a high-grade brain tumour, used her speech to promote the Eliminate Cancer Initiative, which links patients and doctors globally through a clinical trials network, and which is building a global database.

Companies prepare for no-deal Brexit
According to the Financial Times, a majority of UK companies are preparing for a no-deal Brexit, as time runs out for clarity on the transition period. A survey by the CBI has found that over 60% of companies have implemented contingency plans, or intend to do so.

Minister boycotts John Humphry’s interview
In an exclusive, The Guardian reports that minister Tracey Crouch refused to be interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme after presenter John Humphrys was recorded joking about his colleague Carrie Gracie’s fight for equal pay. The paper claims that other female MPs ‘are using informal parliamentary networks to encourage a potential boycott.’

Sadiq Khan launches legal action over Worboys release
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has applied for judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision to release the rapist John Worboys, The Guardian says. In a statement, Khan described it as ‘an astonishing and deeply concerning decision’.

 

Learn how you can get our dedicated political services, including exclusive content directly to your inbox. 

results

Social least trusted source for news

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

The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer has revealed that trust in the UK’s establishment – NGOs, Business, Government and Media – has largely stagnated year on year. While overall trust in the media hasn’t budged, there are huge changes to be found when looking individually at traditional and ‘new’ media.

Trust in traditional media has seen a dramatic rise from 2017, and is now at its highest point since 2012. Conversely, social media has continued its yearly decline to retain the ‘least trusted’ position.

Edelman Trust Barometer

It is social media companies’ inaction on key issues that has driven the decline in trust, with 70% agreeing that, ‘social media companies don’t do enough to stop illegal or unethical behaviour on their platforms’.

The report has followed weeks of announcements from Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, who is aiming to change the platform back into a ‘friends and families’ sharing space and away from a hotbed of ‘fake news’ and misinformation.

The lack of trust in social media as a news source (perhaps driven by the 42% who say they only skim headlines on platforms without reading stories, or the 64% who can’t tell good journalism from rumours or falsehoods) is only the beginning of the technology’s problems.

While 56% of Edelman’s respondents believe social media helps them to stay in touch with loved ones, only 38% think social media is a force for good and, more concerningly for the big platforms, 57% believe social media companies take advantage of people’s loneliness.

The report goes on, and is at every stage damning for social media – most don’t think social media companies are regulated enough, most don’t think they’re transparent enough and most think the companies will secretly sell their personal data.

It may be easy to think that people are now seeking their news out in traditional formats, but worryingly the truth seems to be that the public is abandoning the news altogether. While 33% of are consuming less news, 19% are avoiding it altogether, citing the fact it’s ‘too depressing’ as the main reason.

Social media’s established role in increasing depression (see here, here and here) in users, and therefore society, can only be negatively contributing to people’s views that the news is too depressing.

As people switch off from the news, and the world around them, they become less informed and the establishments that should be held to account have more power and control to do as they please. The election and presidency of Donald Trump is one such example, the recent Presidents Club scandal is another*. This is highlighted in the Barometer, which has found the lowest level of ‘informed publics’ among the British Population.

Defined as being aged 25-64, university-educated, with a household income in the top quartile for their age in their country, reading or watching business/news media several times a week and following public policy, informed publics are now at just 6% of the population.

It is unclear how this age of apathy will end, but if you’re still reading, maybe there’s hope for us yet.

 

*Yes, the Presidents Club has now closed down thanks to the FT’s investigative reporting, but it has been running since 1985 with similar behaviours alleged each year. And though the meeting place has gone, have the behaviours? Who is holding these men to account?

Today’s Political Headlines – 25 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines include the Presidents Club debacle, Theresa May addressing Davos, the 1922 Committee Chair begging MPs not to trigger a challenge against the PM and Ministerial turnover putting projects at risk. 

Presidents Club closes down, as minister faces calls to quit
The fallout from the Financial Times’s exposé of sexual harassment at the Presidents Club dinner has continued. The club is to be wound up and charities have returned donations. David Meller, a chair of the club, has resigned from the board of the Department for Education, while Theresa May has come under pressure to sack Nadhim Zahawi, the minister for children and families, who attended the event. Mark Carney and Boris Johnson have said that they did not authorise meetings with them being auctioned at the event.

May to tell investors to put pressure on social media firms over content
When she addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos today, the Prime Minister will call on investment companies to put pressure on social media providers to remove terrorist and extremist content, The Times reports. She will tell attendees that ‘No one wants to be known as the terrorists’ platform or the first-choice app for paedophiles’.

1922 Committee Chair begs MPs not to trigger challenge against May
An exclusive in The Sun reveals that Sir Graham Brady, the Chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, has begged MPs not to trigger a challenge against Theresa May. A no confidence vote would be automatically triggered if he receives 48 letters. He apparently declined to comment on the claim.

Ministerial turnover putting projects at risk
The unusually high turnover of ministers – more than two-thirds have been appointed since June – is putting Government projects at risk, according to the Institute for Government. The thinktank’s findings are reported by the Financial Times. Sir Richard Mottram, former Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary said that ‘The system incentivises short-termism and eye-catching initiatives.’

Sara Khan appointed to head Commission for Countering Extremism
Sara Khan has been appointed to head the new Commission for Countering Extremism, the BBC reports. The campaigner promised that the commission will challenge ‘extremism in the name of our shared values, fundamental freedoms and human rights’. However, Baroness Warsi has accused Khan of being a Home Office ‘mouthpiece’.

Theresa May’s relationship with Donald Trump under the microscope
Two different accounts of Theresa May’s relationship with Donald Trump are being reported today, ahead of their meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Daily Telegraph says that Trump compared May to Winston Churchill during a phone call in December, with a source saying that the pair ‘have a surprisingly warm relationship’. However, Bloomberg News claims ‘May finds it almost impossible to make headway and get her points across’.

Department for International Trade criticised
The Guardian says that the Department for International Trade has been criticised by the National Audit Office. The department is apparently struggling to meet deadlines, to recruit specialist staff, and to retrain its workforce. A departmental spokesperson said that ‘Overall, our plans are on track and we have met every EU exit delivery milestone to date.’

Prisons minister says that he will ‘get back to basics’
The Daily Mail reports on evidence given to the Justice Select Committee by the new justice minister, Rory Stewart. Following reports about poor conditions in prisons, Stewart said ‘My instinct is we need to get back to basics. We need to absolutely insist that we are going to run clean, decent prisons.’

 

Learn how you can get our dedicated political services, including exclusive content directly to your inbox. 

PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 24 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Theresa May faced questions from MPs that largely focused on the NHS. There were also discussions on welfare and cancer treatment. We present the word cloud for Theresa May’s answers on 24 January at PMQs.

Prime ministers Questions

NHS
Jeremy Corbyn’s questioning of the PM focused on the NHS and whether Theresa May agreed with Boris Johnson that the NHS needed more money, May did not seem comfortable with Corbyn’s initial questions but the PM grew into the debate and handled Corbyn’s questions with some ease towards the end.

Corbyn found a reply to May, who regularly brings up the Welsh health service that is Labour run, by stating the Prime Minister is responsible for funding to the Welsh Government.

 

Welfare
The PM was asked about a teacher who has having to wait six weeks for universal credit and how this related to child poverty. May replied that changes have been made and advance payments are now available, but did not mention the thousands of children living in poverty.

When later asked a question on people with disabilities who have committed suicide after their payments were stopped, the PM said those that can work are encouraged to work and that work is the best route out of poverty.

 

Cancer Treatment
This morning Tessa Jowell spoke publicly for the first time since being diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour in a very moving manner. The PM and Jeremy Hunt were asked whether they would meet Baroness Jowell and health experts and discuss possible improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

May did not give an answer as to whether she would meet Baroness Jowell but was encouraged by the approach she had taken and sent her best wishes. May accepted more cancer drugs need to be looked at and the Health Secretary will be more than happy to meet Baroness Jowell.

 

Want political insight on every major issue? 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 24 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Today’s Political Headlines include the Johnson backlash, allegations over the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, a new defence review and the UK opposing EU recycling targets. 

Johnson faces backlash at Cabinet meeting
The Times says that Boris Johnson received a ‘brutal rebuff’ in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, but that this has not deterred him from laying out his vision of a ‘liberal case’ for Brexit next month. The paper adds that at least eight cabinet ministers criticised Johnson yesterday, in an operation apparently ‘authorised and led by the prime minister’. The meeting concluded with Theresa May criticising those who leaked cabinet discussions.

Allegations about charity dinner lead to calls for changes to the law
An investigation by the Financial Times into the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, at which, the paper says, ‘many hostesses — some of them students earning extra cash — were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned’, has resulted in calls for changes to the law. The Guardian says that Maria Miller, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee suggested that ‘perhaps it’s time the government gives the Equality Act some real teeth?

New defence review announced
As The Daily Telegraph reports, a new defence review has been announced, giving Gavin Williamson another five months to make the case for increased military funding. The review will be controlled by the Ministry of Defence, having been spun-off from Sir Mark Sedwill’s cross-Whitehall security capability review, which had drawn up a programme of cuts.

UK opposing new EU recycling targets
In an exclusive, The Guardian claims that confidential documents show that the Government is opposing strong recycling targets across the EU, despite recently pledging to develop ‘ambitious new future targets and milestones’. The UK Government is opposing a target to recycle 65% of urban waste by 2035, according to a record obtained by Greenpeace.

New unit to combat ‘fake news’ will be created
The UK is to create a new unit to counter ‘fake news’, the BBC reports. According to a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, the ‘dedicated national security communications unit’ would be responsible for ‘combating disinformation by state actors and others’. The creation of the unit was agreed at a meeting of the National Security Council.

Channel 4 to air allegations about three former ministers
A controversial episode of Channel 4’s Dispatches, which alleges that three former Conservative ministers, Andrew Lansley, Andrew Mitchell and Peter Lilley, were willing to sell their services to a fake Chinese business will be shown next week, following a review by senior executives at the broadcaster, The Guardian says. The three men deny wrongdoing.

Government urged to introduce personalised road charging
The BBC says that a new report by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) suggests that the Government should charge drivers for using the road network, based on their individual circumstances, including the type of road, time of day, congestion levels, and their personal financial situation.

Labour’s National Executive Committee sides with ‘hard left’ in Haringey dispute
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party intervened in a dispute surrounding the Haringey Development Vehicle, a housing scheme run by the council in partnership with a private company, The Times reports. The scheme, backed by the council’s leadership, has been opposed by left-wing councillors, Momentum, and trade unions, as well as local Labour MPs, whose side the NEC has now taken.

 

Find out more about our dedicated political services, including exclusive content directly to your inbox. 

Lily Pebbles

Blogger Interview: Lily Pebbles

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Lily Pebbles is the lifestyle, beauty and vlogging guru who recently won the Best Women’s Lifestyle Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards. Launched in 2010, the eponymous blog now attracts a huge regular audience and Lily has branched out her success to YouTube and Instagram.

About to launch her first book, The F Word, we caught with Lily to discuss what it’s like to be an award winner, hating the word ‘influencer’ and having amazing relationships with brands and PRs.

You’ve recently published ‘Vlogging 7 years ago’ – how do you feel about your journey from where you were to where you are now?
I found this hilarious clip of me filming on my graduation day before I’d even started my YouTube channel and I was just getting to grips with talking to a camera. At the start I was so shy, quiet and incredibly monotoned… it’s harder than you think to show your true personality on camera. I think since then, I’ve just learnt how to relax and be myself, my ‘filming voice’ is no longer different to my normal speaking voice and I have the confidence to say what I want to say clearly.

You’ve written a book, what’s The F Word about?
Yes I have! I wrote it towards the end of last year and it’s finally coming out on 8th March!

The F Word is a personal exploration of female friendship; the good, the bad and the complicated. Female friendships are so important to me and I really want to get people to talk more about the topic. Whether you have a large group of girlfriends you’ve known since you were young, or just one best friend, I think the women we surround ourselves with are so important and can affect our lives in so many ways. The book covers a range of topics from toxic friendships to long distance friendships or what to do if you don’t like her boyfriend. I share my personal stories as well as exploring others’ experiences. I’m really proud of it and can’t wait for people to read it!

Lydia CollinsDo you feel like you’ve ‘made it’?
I think the term ‘made it’ implies having an end goal that I’ve tried to reach. When I started my blog in 2010 it was a hobby, there was absolutely no intention of it ever being my job; I didn’t know that was even possible! Over time it’s gradually grown, spread onto other platforms and I’ve had some incredible opportunities along the way. But there was never an end goal to try and reach and everyone measures success in different ways. I feel successful in that I have a job that I love, but I wouldn’t say I’ve ‘made it’.

How do you stay motivated to do more, and what’s next?
I think if you love what you do, that is the best motivation. I don’t have a team, I work alone and so if I don’t do the work, no-one will.

Last year I launched a podcast with my friend Anna called ‘At Home With…‘ and it was a huge success – going straight to number one in the charts. After the book launches, we are hoping to record season two and then, who knows… I don’t like to plan too far ahead.

How do you feel after your 31 days offline? Will you do it again?
It was amazing. I was writing the book at the time and I just needed to clear my head and focus. After two weeks offline, I felt like a new person, so I would definitely do it again, even if just for a couple of weeks whilst taking a holiday. Taking breaks is important and we don’t do it enough in this industry.

What do you tell people you do for a living? Do you call yourself an influencer, blogger, vlogger or something else?
I hate the word influencer, it implies that we are speaking one way to our audience… influencing. Influence is sometimes what happens, the after effect if you like, but it’s not what we set out to do. For us, it’s a two-way thing, I love engaging with my audience and creating content we both enjoy. ‘Influencer’ is just a marketing term and I think most of us feel really uncomfortable with it. I usually say I’m a YouTuber because most people know what that means now, but I like the term ‘creator’, as it seems to cover all platforms well.

How do you like to work with brands and PR agencies?
I have some amazing relationships with PRs I’ve known for over five years and it’s always nice to be updated about new launches and campaigns. I get sent a lot of stuff, I’m very lucky, but after years of trying beauty products it’s quite easy for me to figure out quickly what works for me or what doesn’t.

I’ve also been lucky to work more officially with some of my favourite brands and this allows me to put a bit more time and effort into collaborating on a specific campaign. I’m an ex-marketing student so this is my favourite part of my job and I really enjoy working on a new, more honest way of advertising. When a brand collaboration works, it’s really a win for everyone. I only work with brands or products I genuinely like, so I turn down a lot of work, but my credibility and relationship with my audience is always top priority.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK bloggers and vloggers in Beauty, fashion, Lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

Are there any campaign you’ve particularly enjoyed working on?
Last year I went to New York with Bobbi Brown to help promote their new lipstick range. I love NY, I love Bobbi Brown, I loved the new lipsticks… it was a dreamy job!

Congratulations on winning Best Women’s Lifestyle Blog award, how do you feel about winning?
Thank you! I was so thrilled. My blog originally started as a lifestyle blog but quickly got very beauty focused. But over the past year or so I’ve really been enjoying expanding the topics I talk about and including more home, food, style etc. so winning best lifestyle was a real honour.

What’s it like to be a leading member of the UK women’s lifestyle blogging scene?
Oh my gosh, I’m not sure I’d ever refer to myself as that! But I’m flattered… thank you. I’m just doing my thing and if people enjoy it, that’s great!

What other blogs do you read?
Some of my friends have really amazing blogs and they’ve amazed me at how they’ve kept up with posting so much content over the years. Just to name a few, The Anna Edit, Caroline Hirons, A Model Recommends, What Olivia Did and Wish Wish Wish.

 

Lily Pebbles is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Island love heart

The power of influence

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

We talk a lot about the importance of reaching the right audience in the right way, often through ‘influencers’. But what happens when you manage to get your product or service in the hands of an influencer?

New research from Whistl has identified top trends in 2017 and the impact of influence throughout the year. Television programmes and celebrities dominate the power of influence, which has struck in some surprising ways.

An incredible example is the water bottles on Love Island. The ITV reality dating programme caused an increase in online searches for ‘Love Island water bottles’ of 300,000. Not bad considering the programme’s viewing figures were between two and three million.

Melanie Darvall, director of marketing and communications at Whistl, said: ‘We were surprised to see just how influential shows such as Love Island can be – to increase the searches for water bottles by 300,000 in the space of a month is quite staggering.

‘It’s important for retailers to be aware of these events and what is attracting the interest of the UK public, so they can prepare for any sudden demand.’

Other TV programmes who influenced their audience in unexpected ways include the Bake Off, which increased the sales of baking tools and products by 50%, and Peaky Blinders, which is being credited with an 83% increase in sales of flat caps.

On the celebrity front, royalty rules (as it always has). Meghan Markle’s white coat, which she wore when she her announced engagement to a man named ‘Harry’, sold out instantly – and then crashed the retailer’s website.

Liam Gallagher also created a sell-out. Searches for the orange parka he wore at the One Love Manchester concert increased by 666% and the item sold out nationally a few hours after the concert finished.

Sometimes the effect of influence is less direct – Whistl has attributed a 45% rise in searches for holidays to Puerto Rico to the popularity of the song Despacito. And, social media hasn’t been left out of the expansive research, an Instagram post in which Rihanna wore thigh high boots caused a jump in online searches – a 600% increase.

These stats should encourage everyone whose working with influence to consider their strategy, and capitalise on the power of influence when they can. This doesn’t just mean creating the initial interest (by getting a product or service to be used by an influencer) but also reacting quickly to trends and ensuring you’re geared towards what people want, right now.

Richard Ellie, the director of paid media at digital agency IDHL Group, explained: ‘Marketers must be extremely savvy and reactive, allowing them to harness the plethora of opportunities that open up in places you could not predict – and with extremely limited planning time to allow them to do so.

‘Any marketer worth their salt is well aware that failure to react can result in your brand falling under the category of ‘doom, gloom and failed sales’, something that is especially prevalent when it comes to areas of retail such as fashion, where the must-have item of today is no longer in vogue in a weeks’ time.’

 

If you want to find out more about reaching influencers that can help you, check out our database. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 23 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A round-up of the latest political headlines, which includes Boris Johnson’s plea for more NHS funding, Gove’s warning of a ‘VHS economy’, the City of London being left in the dark and a major cyber attack on the UK being a matter of when, not if. 

Boris Johnson to use Cabinet meeting to call for NHS funding boost
The Times claims that Boris Johnson is to demand a £5bn annual cash injection for the NHS from next year at today’s Cabinet meeting. He will apparently frame his argument in terms of taking on Jeremy Corbyn, rather than his claims from the referendum. The paper says that the ‘timing and manner of his intervention will strain relations with the prime minister’.

Gove warns of ‘VHS economy’ as he calls for ‘clean Brexit’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Michael Gove has told Theresa May that the UK risks becoming a ‘VHS economy’, claiming that business organisations such as the CBI which is lobbying against a ‘clean Brexit’, represent companies which may be eclipsed by new technologies.

Financial services Brexit position paper may never be published
The Financial Times says the Government has been accused of leaving the City of London in the dark, as it emerged that its position paper on financial services and Brexit may never be published. According to the paper, the cabinet has been unable to agree the details of a proposed settlement on financial services, while some officials don’t want to show their negotiating hand.

Major cyber-attack on the UK a matter of ‘when, not if’
Ciaran Martin, the head of the National Cyber Centre, has said that a major cyber-attack on the UK is a matter of ‘when, not if’, The Guardian reports. During an interview with the paper, Martin said that the UK had been ‘fortunate’ to have avoided one so far.

Sir Nick Carter warns of Russian threat, as senior figures call for more defence spending
As the Daily Mail reports, the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Nick Carter, has warned that Russia could start hostilities against the West ‘sooner than we expect’. The paper adds that Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, is due to meet Chancellor Philip Hammond this week to ‘clear the air’ over defence funding. In a speech last night, The Sun says, former Defence Sectary Michael Fallon called for increased defence spending, a call echoed by former Foreign Secretary William Hague in The Daily Telegraph.

Apprenticeship providers rated inadequate, while Ofsted struggles to cope
The Times warns that figures from Ofsted show that nearly half of the registered apprenticeship providers it inspected last year were inadequate or require improvement, while Ofsted has also admitted that it will struggle to cope with the large number of new institutions created after the introduction of the apprenticeship levy last May.

Theresa May to announce plans for the ethical oversight of AI
According to The Daily Telegraph, Theresa May is to use her keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday ‘to discuss the opportunities and ethical challenges presented by the rise of artificial intelligence.’ She will announce a Centre for Data Ethics.

UKIP leader pledges to ‘drain the swamp’ in his own party
Speaking in Folkestone yesterday, UKIP leader Henry Bolton said that he would not standing down as UKIP leader, despite a vote of no confidence by the party’s National Executive Committee, which he described as ‘not fit for purpose’, and the resignation of 14 ‘senior figures’, the BBC reports. He pledged to ‘drain the swamp’ and end factional infighting.

Want more political insight? You need Vuelio political services.

Facebook people

Have you updated your Facebook strategy?

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

After signalling a huge change in Facebook’s News Feed, with more focus on posts from friends and family, Mark Zuckerberg has now revealed the second stage of his changes, promising the platform will serve up news from ‘trusted’ sources.

As Zuckerberg’s latest post explains:

‘I’m sharing our second major update this year: to make sure the news you see, while less overall, is high quality. I’ve asked our product teams to make sure we prioritize news that is trustworthy, informative, and local. And we’re starting next week with trusted sources.

‘There’s too much sensationalism, misinformation and polarization in the world today. Social media enables people to spread information faster than ever before, and if we don’t specifically tackle these problems, then we end up amplifying them. That’s why it’s important that News Feed promotes high quality news that helps build a sense of common ground.’

The ‘high quality’ news and ‘trustworthy’ sources will be decided by the Facebook community. As part of its surveys, the network will now ask if users are familiar with a news source and if they trust it. Facebook is aiming to create a list of sources from people that aren’t necessarily regular readers but those that know and consider the source to be trustworthy. Users who haven’t heard of the source will be discounted.

This is Zuckerberg’s latest attempt to legitimise his network and shift the focus from the spreading of ‘fake news’ and alleged interference in the likes of the Presidential election and Brexit.

What does this mean for you?

The first set of changes are expected to reduce the amount of news in the Feed from 5% to 4%, and the second will dramatically reduce the sources news comes from. This will benefit the sources that are trusted and should make all PR pros and brands consider who they’re targeting in media outreach.

Publishers with the biggest stats and the most readers are going to be greatly affected if they’re not also trustworthy. As the list will be publicly-sourced, it may be easy to think you know what will and won’t make the cut. But just because a news site has a reputation for being untrustworthy, it doesn’t mean Facebook’s crowdsourcing will stop it from appearing. Nor is it clear if those less high-quality publishers will be removed altogether.

As such, your new Facebook strategy needs to be reactive, rather than proactive. Using quality social media monitoring, keep an eye on which of your media partners are still appearing frequently on Facebook, and find new ones that you haven’t used before.

Take time to build new relationships where necessary, and broaden your PR community. That way, your stories will remain where they belong – on people’s News Feeds.

Dublin Hotel

Dublin hotel bans bloggers

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

In the latest ‘most people don’t understand blogging’ news, The White Moose Café in Dublin, which has a reported reputation for controversy on social media, has banned all bloggers after an online spat with a vlogger.

Elle Darby, a beauty and fitness influencer with 89K YouTube subscribers and 80K Instagram followers, asked The White Moose Café for a free stay in return for some publicity across her channels. The hotel’s owner, Paul Stenson, responded – not via email – but on Facebook. Including her original email, he replied saying:

‘Thank you for your email looking for free accommodation in return for exposure. It takes a lot of balls to send an email like that, if not much self-respect and dignity.

‘If I let you stay here in return for a feature in your video, who is going to pay the staff who look after you? Who is going to pay the housekeepers who clean your room? The waiters who serve you breakfast? The receptionist who checks you in? Who is going to pay for the light and heat you use during your stay? The laundering of your bed sheets? The water rates? Maybe I should tell my staff they will be featured in your video in lieu of receiving payment for work carried out while you’re in residence?’

He went on to describe his own social following (as Darby had in her request), and saying though he had tens or hundreds of thousands of followers, he would never ‘in a million years ask anyone for anything for free’.

He continued to attack the blogging profession, saying:

‘The above stats do not make me any better than anyone else or afford me the right to not pay for something everyone else has to pay for.

‘In future, I’d advise you to offer to pay your way like everyone else, and if the hotel in question believes your coverage will help them, maybe they’ll give you a complimentary upgrade to a suite. This would show more self-respect on your part and, let’s face it, it would be less embarrassing for you.’

In his post, he had seemingly tried to disguise Darby’s details but did a poor job. People quickly found her and the trolling began. Some people believed she was a freeloader and she started receiving a lot of abuse, while others have supported her, as she is following a common practice for her chosen profession.

Darby published a vlog, explaining how she was embarrassed that she had been ‘exposed’:

The support she received, and in turn the abuse Stenson received for his approach, led the hotelier to post another message on Facebook, banning all bloggers:

‘The sense of entitlement is just too strong in the blogging community and the nastiness, hissy fits and general hate displayed after one of your members was not granted her request for a freebie is giving your whole industry a bad name. I never thought we would be inundated with negative reviews for the simple reason that somebody was required to pay for goods received or services rendered.’

The controversy was compounded when Stenson created another post, ‘apologising’ to the blogging community for not mobilising their numbers with such controversy before. He calls the debacle good publicity and thanks the bloggers for all their ‘hard work’ and asks them to ‘continue to spread the word’ about the hotel.

This whole situation has arisen because a business, which knows how to drive publicity, called out a blogger, who was just doing her job. It worked because a large portion of the population doesn’t understand blogging as a profession or community; they don’t understand that these people are professional influencers and are amazing resources for publicity and promotion.

Darby is likely to be contacted by PR pros and brands on a regular basis, offering her exactly this sort of deal. In fact, many bloggers value their influence over freebies and require payment on top of the work they do. As genuine influence can make or break a business, it seems mad that anyone thinks a professional blogger is just freeloading.

Stenson was well within his rights to refuse the offer, of course, but it’s the manner in which he has refused – so publicly, that has caused the problem.

Both sides have benefitted to some extent, deserving or otherwise, with Stenson getting his publicity and Darby increasing her social following. But, hopefully, the blogging community will be the biggest benefactor, as more people are exposed to the amazing blogging industry, understanding how bloggers operate and seeing blogging as a valid career path.

 

Want to know more about bloggers in the UK? Find out more here.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 22 January 2018

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A round-up of the latest political headlines, which include the UKIP leadership crisis, MPs opinions on free movement, more money for the NHS and the ‘threat’ of Russia. 

UKIP Leadership Crisis
The BBC reports that the deputy leader of UKIP, Margot Parker has resigned and is calling for UKIP leader Henry Bolton to do the same. Yesterday the party’s national executive committee backed a vote of no confidence in Bolton. This vote comes after reports relating to Bolton’s personal life, Bolton has said he will not resign as he feels he is the person to bring success to the party. UKIP’s national executive committee does not have the power to remove Bolton so the members of the party will now be given a vote on Bolton’s future. John Bickley has also resigned from his position as the party’s immigration spokesperson.

Conservative MPs want free movement to end during the transition period
The Huffington Post claims that 75% of Conservative MPs want free movement to end during the transition period despite Theresa May saying the current state of play will continue for about two years after Brexit. With strong backbench influence, May will have to find a way to appease her MPs. May is not the only leader to be staring down a confrontation with backbench MPs as the same survey finds 90% of Labour MPs feel membership of the single market and Brexit are compatible. This would indicate that Labour MPs are more representative of the party membership than the leadership on this issue.

Extra £100m a week for the NHS?
Theresa May will face calls from senior members of the Cabinet to give the NHS £100m extra a week according to The Sun. Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Chris Grayling will all try to persuade the Prime Minister to make this commitment. This would contribute to the £350m mentioned in the referendum campaign.

The threat of Russia requires more spending on defence
The Guardian reports on the anticipated intervention by Sir Nick Carter, Chief of General Staff, into the debate into defence spending. Carter will warn that Russia is spending more on defence than the UK and this should be a concern. Carter does not feel that the threat coming from Russia takes a traditional form and in a speech, will warn of the unorthodox threats we face. The Ministry of Defence wants more spending on the army, navy and air force as the Government becomes more and more focused on counter-terrorism.

Abuse of pensions to come to an end
Executives who give themselves higher pay at the expense of workers’ pensions will be facing tougher sanctions, according to the Financial Times. A white paper to be published in March will set out new rules for directors who take risks with workers’ pensions. This commitment comes after 28,000 people face cuts to their retirement benefits since Carillion went into liquidation.

Councils can fix the housing crisis
The Telegraph suggests how councils can fix the housing crisis, the Treasury select committee wants the cap on how much councils can borrow to build to be abolished. History shows that when house building was at its highest, councils were building roughly half the homes. With the current borrowing cap the number of homes being built is severely restricted and the Government are being called on to address this.

Do you need political insight? Learn more about Vuelio political services