PCTs behind the times on Facebook and Twitter

The HSJ reported that PCTs are failing to capitalise on the power of the social media. Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are a powerful tool for companies to communicate to their communities. If PCTs do not have a powerful online presence then they are cutting off vital links to reach people. The promotion of healthcare online is recognised as a significant aspect of communication and if the PCTs are unable to engage with people in this manner then they will be throwing away such a ready built audience.

Hay Festival

The Guardian’s Hay festival is renowned for being the Holy Grail of literary festivals. It certainly is swamped by media coverage and a wealth of people willing to descend upon the small town of Hay-on-Wye. Having never been before I thought I would go and see what all the fuss was about, so early last Saturday morning I went sauntering down the M4 for the Hay Festival’s last weekend.

From the outside it looks like some overblown marquees in a field with a few limp silk flags. However, once inside, I was quite astonished about the amount of people in such a small space. After wandering around the stalls and bookshops for an hour or so I was feeling a little disheartened. I wasn’t getting the excitement of literature that I expected to wash over me as soon as I entered. Speaking to a retired advertising and marketing manager I asked him if he thought this was all a bit contrived. After laughing (at what I presume was my naivety) He said that of course this was all contrived (we were sitting in deckchairs comparing free samples of ethically sourced coffee at the time) but what mattered was the quality of the speakers and their ideas.

After seeing Mark Kermode (the film critic, who was funny and more charming on stage than he is on the radio), I went to see Yann Martel (famed for writing The Life of Pi) who was speaking on the Guardian stage about his new novel Beatrice and Virgil and the nature of human cruelty. The essence of his argument was that the taboo surrounding the approach to the holocaust means that there are not enough artistic interpretations of it and this in turn limits our response. History needs different perspectives and conflicting views in order for the truth to emerge. You may not agree with one response but this does not render it invalid (‘Silence is not useful’ to anybody). Martel did not come across as warm or dynamic but I enjoyed and agreed with his ideas on the interpretation of history. His talked also worked in the marketing sense: I bought The Life of Pi.

The crime writer Val McDermid spoke to Marcel Berlins about her writing, morality and the crime novel. This wasn’t an event I had planned to go to and I haven’t even read one of her novels but I thought I would go along anyway. Her audience had a very noticeable demographic of ‘nice old ladies’ (as one audience member put it) which was curious given the violence contained within her novels. McDermid was both amiable and interesting- a nice way to start my Sunday morning.

I ended Sunday by going to see two art history talks. The first was an investigation on the drama of the self-portrait by the Observer art critic Laura Cumming. This was pleasant, mildly funny and quite instructive to someone like me who knows little about art history. The second was the Story of Graphic Design, a talk by Patrick Cramsie. Cramsie seemed a little nervous and although the talk was good, it wasn’t as revolutionary as I had hoped.

I will definitely attend Hay next year but I will go with a different attitude. You need to go to Hay festival for a longer period of time and see as varied a range of events as possible to try and dig out the ideas and immerse yourself. It will still be commercialised and most speakers will probably still be trying to plug their new book subtly but this facilitates the magnificence of learning something new and speaking to people who get as excited about books as you do. I suppose this is what the Hay festival really is all about: the ideas and the literature are the core, surrounded by the slightly woolly and commercialised presence. Pretention aside: books are books and I love them!

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Mini writer retreats offered

A company in London has started to offer two hour mini retreats on weekday evenings; giving city workers the opportunity to 'get away from it all' after their working day has finished.

The retreats run on Mondays and Tuesdays at The Cube, Studio 5 (commercial street, London) and cost £10 or £50 for 6 retreats.

The company also offers weekend day retreats for individuals living in or near the capital.

Check out their website www.urbanwritersretreat.co.uk

New book release for job seekers

A newly released resource book for individual's looking to secure a job, Lorraine Mills' 2010 release covers everything from CV content and layout, interview preparation and how to handle interview feedback. With the contents of the book split into short, user-friendly chapters, it is easy to navigate around and makes it the perfect resource book for those of us who want something to 'dip into' from time to time and for those of us who like to read things from cover to cover.

My personal favourite element of the book is the acronym found at the very beginning of the book where Mills states "work hard to get the job by following the suggested rules and go to your interview with PURPOSE.

P: Punctual
U: Up to date
R: Reassured
P: Prepared
O: Organised
S: Smart
E: Enthusiastic"

This isn't an acronym I have heard before for job seekers and I think it cleverly sums up the approach a modern job seeker needs to take.

There cetainly isn't anything ground breaking in this book - the information provided on CVs and interviews can be found in almost all books of this genre and there is often repitition in the messages she gives which hinders the flow of the book if you do choose to read it from cover to cover. But Mills' tone is different to that found in other similar reads; she is direct and often blunt in her message, particularly in her chapters on personal hygiene and interview dress. The tone is refreshing and, as anyone who has carried out interviews before will second, often well placed.

You can purchase How to get that job! direct from the Matador website: http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=940

Usbourne launches 2nd Young Writer competition

The Young Writer's Award 2010 from the children's publisher Usbourne is aimed at children under the age of 14 years. It asks entrants to complete stories started by five of their top authors.

The winning story will be turned into an iphone application and will be available for others to download from the ITunes store. Furthermore, the winners will meet the 5 authors in London, they will have an author visit their school, receive £100 worth of Usbourne books and get a tear's subscription to reading-zone.com.

The finished entries must be 1000 words or fewer and must be emailed or sent by post by 22nd October 2010. Only one entry per person is allowed.

Digital Sales

A 27% rise in UK digital sales has been seen since 2007, a recent statement from the Publishers' Association reports. Some £150m worth of ebooks were sold in 2009 alone, which represents 5% of the total sales of UK publishers.

The bulk of this came from the academic and professional book sector, whilst general consumer titles generated £5m.

Simon Allen, president of the Publishers' Association told The Bookseller "Too few people read books - in any form - and any technological advance that shifts this behaviour is good not just for the publishing industry but for society."

Dickens Festival, Broadstairs in Kent

Whilst this isn't technically a literary festival, more of a mixed arts family festival, many literature highlights are included. The festival is focused around the works of Charles Dickens and there is a finale Festival Play "The Odd Curiosity Shop" as well as readings and talks that are suitably 'Dickens-orientated'.

There is a great range of other activities too to keep the family entertained, including a costume exhibition, cricket match and competitions.

Worth a little visit! Found in Broadstairs between 19th and 25th June 2010.