Do doctors live healthier lives?

“The question for me is how to live well inside our short, breakable lives.” Sam Guglani, oncologist There is this idea that doctors live healthier lives because of what we know and encounter through medicine – but I’m not sure this is true, or even what the measure of it is. As an oncologist, it might … Read more

Freelancers consistently overwork and undercharge

Being a freelancer is great. We know that. You know that. But sometimes it’s worth digging a little deeper, worth finding out what makes you – and your fellow freelancers – tick. For that reason, Dinghy recently embarked upon the inaugural ‘Freelancing in 2020: State of the Industry’ survey. After all, what better time is … Read more

Social Innovation Camp – 5-7 December 2008

Social Innovation Camp 2 (The Revenge!) was an amazing experience – tiring, draining, seemingly unending, but fun, fulfilling and infinitely rewarding. Around 60 people descended onto 7 different ideas trying to make positive social change to bring them from the glint of an idea into a project that could be taken on past the weekend. The key idea … Read more

3 Top Tips for PR hopefuls

Over at Flawless Buzz, Adam Lewis has been kind enough to tag me in his very first meme. The meme has three questions to it, with the aim of helping people looking to get into PR: If you’re hoping to get a career in PR yourself, there’s plenty more advice and insight out there from the others … Read more

3 Top Tips for PR hopefuls

Over at Flawless Buzz, Adam Lewis has been kind enough to tag me in his very first meme. The meme has three questions to it, with the aim of helping people looking to get into PR: If you’re hoping to get a career in PR yourself, there’s plenty more advice and insight out there from the others … Read more

Balancing the Positivity Around Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a well-known concept for most people, thanks to sites such as Kickstarter. Headlines of consumer products, such as the Pebble, to films, apps and games getting funded – with no apparent downsides – are everywhere. So when I was asked to write a piece on the "negative" side of crowdfunding, which would be … Read more

Economy, Effectiveness, Efficiency: How councils can measure the success of social media

(This is a full version of an article I wrote for The Guardian’s Local Leaders Network on how councils can measure the success of social media. You can read the edited version on the Guardian’s site.) According to the 2013 BDO Local Government Social Media Survey, 98% of UK councils are using some form of digital or … Read more

Digital innovation in local government around the world

(This is a full version of an article I wrote for The Guardian’s Local Leaders Network on digital innovation in local government. You can read the edited version on the Guardian’s site.) When working in digital innovation and local government, it’s helpful to stick your head above the parapet and see what others are up to. There is … Read more

Best Social Media Platforms for Social CEOs

Zoe Amar and Matt Collins invited me to write a chapter for their guide, "Social Media for Charity Leaders", as part of their project revealing the top 30 charity CEOs on social media. I wrote a chapter on The Best Social Platforms for CEOs", which you can find below. If you’re interested in finding out … Read more

8 simple steps you can take to get the confidence to go freelance

Lots of people dream about going freelance, but getting the confidence to go freelance is something else. Starting your own freelance business can feel like a big risk. There are lots of unknowns and you’re going to have to rely on your own knowledge, experience, judgement and plain hard graft to make your freelance business … Read more