Tag Archives: The Guardian

Talking About Local Community Websites #TAL10

Posted on April 12, 2010 by | Leave a comment

THE HEDON BLOGGER is delighted to be in Leeds at the weekend taking part in Talk About Local 2010. This event will bring together some of the most enthusiastic hyperlocal publishers in the country.

The event has been organised at the Old Broadcasting House in partnership with the Guardian newspaper’s Local Initiative.

All the key things that help and support community and local newsgathering websites to continue to bring you the local ‘news’ will be under discussion.

Unlike a traditional ‘conference’ the items under discussion are not arranged by the organisers in advance, but arranged by those attending on the day. Whilst this might seem chaotic, in actual fact it ensures that people get to discuss what they really want to.

Early pre-discussions indicate that sessions are likely to take place on:

  • Newsgathering methods
  • Covering the General Election
  • Meeting the costs (even a ‘free’ blog costs!)
  • Hyperlocal – the next steps?

I wrote about last years event which was inspirational and had me buzzing for weeks. I expect to come back with the same fire and determination from this event!

For those of you on Twitter, then you can follow the event at #TAL10 search.

Source: My seldom updated Blog Social Media: It’s about Building Relationships

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Posted in ICT, UK/International

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East Riding Council named in call to scrap forced retirement

Posted on February 27, 2010 by | Leave a comment

MANDATORY RETIREMENT must be ended says AgeUK in its pre-election manifesto Our Power is Our Number (PDF, 1.7mb).

At a time when people are being encouraged to work for longer and save for their retirement and later care in life, then AgeUK (formerly Age Concern and Help the Aged) says that it is “perverse” that the barrier of a default retirement age is in place.

In 2009 around 100,000 people were forced to retire at or after 65 states the new campaigning charity for older people.  The charity’s own surveys claim that the default retirement age is being actively used in the midst of recession to drive older people out of the workplace.

Michelle Mitchell‚ Age Concern and Help the Aged Charity Director‚ said:

Our survey clearly shows the use of forced retirement has spiralled out of control‚ offering some employers a low-cost shortcut to shed jobs during the recession.”

The Guardian has cited the case of Margaret Davison-Scott who was forced to retire from two part-time jobs she had with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council when she reached her 65th birthday. Somebody who was willing to work is now claiming a basic state pension.

The East Riding Council does have a policy where workers can request to be retained after the age of 65 – although this is not always guaranteed. It also funds the OWEN Project (Older Workers Employment Network) which supports mature people (45+) who are seeking employment in the Humber sub-region.

There are pressures on local authorities to offer more job opportunities for school leavers – particularly during recession – and a default retirement age is assumed to help free up jobs for that generation.

So…. is a default retirement age an easy option for councils wanting to save money by cutting jobs? Is it age discrimination?

What do you think? Leave comments below.

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Posted in Hedon

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East Yorkshire Hyperlocal and other Community Websites #TAL09

Posted on October 11, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Following the success of the Talk About Local (un)Conference in Stoke, then the UK digierati on the Twitterverse and the Blogosphere has been full of conversation about the potential benefits of Hyperlocal community websites and blogs. Note: The above links are to articles on Wikipedia. Each definition could be the focus of major discussions!

East Yorkshire has its own share of Hyperlocal sites and the Hedon Blog is delighted to signpost its readers to these innovative sites:

HU17 Beverley snipHU17.net is all about Beverley. This vibrant and easy-on-the-eye website stands out from most because of its lively use of photographs to convey information. Whether its news, pubs, shops, hotels or eating out, all the comments and articles are accompanied by photographs. For example, click on Pubs and then the White Horse Inn – Nellies and you see various photos of the establishment and a google map of its location alongside information.

Sport is also covered in the same format. See this blow-by-blow account of a recent Beverley Town Vs Hedon Rangers football match – fantastic!

HU18 Hornsea snipHU18 on AboutMyArea is the best guide for Hornsea, Mappleton and the North Holderness Area. The HU18 website has made full use of the AboutMyArea features and tools to create a really informative and up-to-date site that encourages its local readers (individuals, community groups, charities and business) to become contributors. News, Things to do, Reviews and Features are all included.

AboutMyArea is a national network of local interactive websites that actually offers some rewards to community and charity users through an advertising scheme that involves sharing out some of the profits (see the Managing Director’s video on YouTube).

Others worth looking at are:

ERYC Watch – Pocklington Campaign website keeping a critical friendly eye on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The Barton Blog – OK it’s Lincolnshire – but worth looking at!

Hyperlocal sites in the UK have achieved international coverage in the news recently, most notably from:

Huffington Post – The Internet Newspaper

The Guardian

Do you know of other East Yorkshire Hyperlocal community websites? Then let us know by leaving a comment on the Hedon Blog.

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Posted in East Yorkshire UK, UK/International

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