Passionate Blog

Can your business ignore Pinterest?

By Louis Duffy and Terri-Anne Whitehouse, Passionate Media social media apprentices.

Is there a corner of the internet where you won't currently find someone extolling the virtues of Pinterest? Apparently people spend more time here than on Twitter, Linkedin and Google+ put together.

Debates about copyright and well, what the point is, have sprung up  very quickly, just as the site tops 11 million users. Pinterest looks cute and it seems like fun, there's no doubt about that. Most of the users are women. From a personal point of view, it could be pretty addictive. It's all about 'pinning up' images you love - say home interiors, food, art, design, you name it...

Pinterest is being touted as an excellent place to sell stuff - and better than Facebook:

Social media apprentices for hire!

 By Terri-Anne Whitehouse
Picture shows Andy, Anthony, Joe, Mel, Lauren, Ian from SSC Learning, and  trainer Carol (standing) from Passionate Media, Terri-Anne, Bethan, Abi and Sammy-Jo. 

Midlands businesses interested in finding out more about taking on a social media apprentice are invited to an employers' event in Birmingham on Friday.

Trainers SSC Learning are set to explain more about their innovative social media scheme to would be employers at the Birmingham Small Business Centre, Newhall Street, where presentations are being held at 8.30am, 10.30am and 12.30pm on Friday October 14.

You’re hired! School leavers pioneer social media management apprenticeship

 
Picture shows Andy, Anthony, Joe, Mel, Lauren, Ian from SSC Learning, and  trainer Carol (standing) from Passionate Media, Terri-Anne, Bethan, Abi and Sammy-Jo. 

Ten young people from around the West Midlands are blazing a trail as social media marketing apprentices.

And this Tuesday (September 20) there's a chance for businesses interested in finding out more about how an apprentice could boost their company,  to come and meet them.

The school leavers are the first to sign up for a brand new management course where blogging for business, Facebook and Twitter are key elements.

Travel writing competition celebrates beautiful Britain

OUR Have a Lovely Time family travel and activities website is calling for submissions in a travel writing competition celebrating Beautiful Britain.

The family travel writing contest has a top prize of £200, a second prize of a weekend stay at the Park Inn in historic York and 10 English Heritage family passes for everyone finishing in the top ten, as well as a copy of Travelling with Children, by Catherine Cooper, one of the competition’s judges.

There’s also a mystery prize on offer for the entry voted readers’ favourite after the competition closes on October 1, 2011.

We want to celebrate all that’s great about family tourism in our stunning land. That might include breathtaking  adventures in the Lakes, laughing til your sides ache at a family-friendly Edinburgh festival, savouring the splendour of the West Wales coastline, a Devon cream tea or a knees up at a holiday park…or of course plenty more.

Have a Lovely Time included as top ten stand out travel blog

By Carol Garrington 

THANK you very much to First Choice for including our family holidays and activities site us in a round up of top travel bloggers.

They're asking readers to vote for their favourites and they have a week to do so.

Thank you to anyone who can spare the time to vote. It's very straightforward and takes all of five seconds.

You can read the full post here:

Ten stand out travel bloggers.

 

The working mums' guide to making the most of social media

By Carol Garrington

ACCORDING to a recent article on Mumsclub, our director Linda has a reputation for being something of a guru when it comes to social media.

I know she won't be happy about that as she insists at our workshops there's no such thing.

But it's an excellent article by Heidi Scrimgeour which also includes advice from other mums in business.

Blogging for charity: Tips based on our experience

As the tragedy of earthquake and tsunami unfolds in Japan, parent bloggers are harnessing the power of social media to help those devastated.

Rebecca at Two Become Four rounded up ways that the community have rallied round: How can we help Japan?

Freelance mentoring, workshops and book proposal critique in Authors for Japan auction

By Linda Jones

 AUTHOR and freelance journalist Keris Stainton has pulled off an amazing feat.

Keris has, within 48 hours, brought together some of the UK's best known popular fiction talent, as well as some overseas writers, in an auction to raise funds for the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

Authors taking part include:

• Jenny Colgan
• Dorothy Koomson
• Andrew Crofts
• Jill Mansell
• Adele Parks
• Sam Baker
• Caroline Smailes

Grow a sunflower to win some great prizes and boost Compton Hospice

Help a hospice bloom in June

HAVE a Lovely Time and Nurturestore have joined forces to help a hospice bloom in June.

Last year Cathy at Nurturestore had an amazing response to her Sunflower Club so she seemed the perfect lady to ask to come onboard for a fun initiative that's going to help people with life-limiting illnesses in the West Midlands.

We're asking you to dig in and join the fun to be in with a chance of winning some great prizes too.

There's a prize for the tallest sunflower, both for the individual grower and a school or group of their choice, and we hope to raise cash for Wolverhampton's Compton Hospice in the process. We've also arranged prizes for runners up - we hope you like the sound of them as much as we do.

Find out more at Have a Lovely Time.

Patsy Kensit leads campaign for better UK playgrounds

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Patsy Kensit wants to help parents quickstep their way to a £15,000 award to breathe new life into delapidated play areas, as she tells us in the video above.

Mum-of-two Patsy is fronting the campaign called Parents for Playgrounds from Robinsons Fruit Shoot and Play England which is asking for nominations from around the UK. She's currently guest editing Ready for Ten where she's also keeping an eye on nominations and help pick the winners.