December, 2008 Archive

Breast Feeding – Does Facebook Suck?

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Update: 1pm GMT – It appears there is another group on FB – Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!(Official petition to Facebook) – TechCrunch picked it up in 2007 so why-oh-why it’s hit the headlines again I don’t know!

Original post below:

BBC Radio Five Live’s Victoria Derbyshire has given quite a bit of airtime this morning to a new Facebook Group – Breast feeding is not a crime (Facebook bans breast feeding pictures)

Shoehorned in between coverage of the New Years Honours List and the bombings in Bilbao, the coverage has been greeted with mixed emotion by people berating Facebook for seemingly condemning what many see as a natural act, and those who can’t see what all the fuss is about.

Facebook has quite rightly banned photos of mothers breastfeeding where some or part of the nipple has been exposed because it violates their terms and conditions of service.

Those Ts & Cs are there for a reason and no one calling into Victoria’s show raised the issue of advertising!

It’s not that Facebook thinks that breast feeding is disgusting and somehow not worthy of parading on its pages, but it’s partly because advertisers don’t necessarily want their messages displayed next to images of nudity – what every form it might take.

Check out the group for some….erm……titillation….there are some weird and whacky comments, including one television company taking the opportunity to canvass for participants for a totally unrelated documentary.

One commenter from Australia says: “ITS YOUR FACE BOOK, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUT THE PHOTOS ON. THATS AS FAR AS IT GOES!!!!”

Actually it’s not just anyone’s Facebook and they have firm and decent reasons for policing images and making sure they keep within their guidelines.

Happy New Year! 🙂

P.S. At the time of writing the group had 1,156 members.

OK! Who Buried the Cars?!!

Out Front!

We are seriously SNOWED IN! 🙁

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Seriously surrounded front and back…..and it just keeps coming!

Might be having mac ‘n’ cheese tomorrow if we can’t get to the supermarket! 🙂

Happy Christmas 2008 From Mel & Ashley!

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This is Ashley’s icicle-covered house in Seattle and the city is bracing itself for yet more snow!

As we batten down the hatches, I just wanted to say on behalf of myself and my fiancée:

Happy Chrimbo and we’ll see you in 2009!!!

🙂

My Dreaming Came True…..

Looks like it’ll be a White Christmas in Seattle!

These pics are courtesy of jetlag and my new Nikon D60 🙂

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The weather is set to get even worse here at the weekend!

Guess I’ll be working from home today! 😉

The Internet Is Better Than Sex!

A survey by Intel has indicated women in the US would rather abstain from sex for two weeks than lose their access to the web!image

In the “Internet Reliance in Today’s Economy” survey conducted by Harris Interactive:

· 65% of adults say they can’t exist without the net

· 71% say internet enabled devices like mobile phones, laptops and netbooks are important for immediate access to information

· 46% of woman but only 30% of men would give up sex for two weeks to keep their access

· Cable TV, dining out and gym membership all rank below the internet as “must haves” in this day and age

Like mobile phones, I can’t quite remember how we all managed without the internet, and I still can’t understand how people today can’t get into it or use it to the max.

But abstaining from sex!?!

Not sure Tim Berners-Lee knew he’d invented a form of birth control! 🙂

End of an Era – Woolworths 50% Off Sale Experience

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My local Woolies closed down weeks ago so on a visit to my brother in Seaford at the weekend, we popped in to say goodbye to a British institution.

The first music I ever bought was an Elvis greatest hits album from their branch in Haywards Heath in Sussex. It was a tape! They didn’t have CDs in 1983! 🙂

I remember like it was yesterday, so imagine the coincidence when languishing on a sale shelf I spy a double album of Elvis Live In Concert for £4!

With CD in hand, my last ever pick ‘n’ mix and some presents for my US colleagues that I’ll see on Friday in Seattle, I got to the check out.

Firstly those horrid folks at American Express had shut down their service with Woolworths so I was 27 airmiles down before I’d even paid the bill. 🙁

Secondly – they didn’t have the CD – it was just an empty box but at least I got to see a spotty teenager rummaging around in the CD drawer for one last time! 🙂

As Dave says, it’s hard to believe the show’s all over after 99 years.

I hope they look after the staff or they at least find alternative work soon.

As for any left over cola bottles and white chocolate mice? Well I’m sure Victoria and Ripon could take a few off their hands for a discount! 🙂

On Pitch Display Advertising

I was guest of Accenture at the weekend to witness England’s drubbing by the All Blacks at Twickenham!

Being up in the hospitality area gives you a great perspective on the game and also a great view of what goes on after most of the crowd have gone home.

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Soon after the final whistle this chap came out with a high-powered hose and started blasting off the Investec logo that had been painted on the pitch at various angles to show up prominently on TV.

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After about 45 minutes he took off, probably for a well earned fag……

CIMG2148 ……and then returned to finish off the job. I may sound like an advertising nerd but I’m fascinated not just by the what, but also with the how.

This experience cleared up a lot of questions for me! 🙂

I’d be interested to know when they’ll have electronic advertising all around Twickenham. Had an idea to flight ads depending on the crowds mood!

Kleenex would have had seen a spike in sales on Saturday if they’d had a presence believe me!

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