Live. Laugh. Love. Be Happy.

So You’ve Been Dumped Stories – Chapter 1 “Brad”

Well I don’t generally like to cross blog but sometimes it needs to be done I guess.

So You've Been Dumped Stories - Ch 1 Brad
Chapter 1 – Brad

On Valentine’s Day, I rather deliberately launched our first Chapter in a year long series of stories of the dumped. I’d come close to editing in a normal documentary style when its star “Brad” (not his real name) decided he no longer wished to be associated with the film. To say this caused stress and a sleepless night was an understatement. At first I was VERY angry about the whole ordeal but then instead of focusing on the anger I kept asking “what is the solution?” I know all too well that hidden in every bit of misfortune good fortune rests. I figure stuff always works out eventually and this too would be the case.

So I emailed Ziggy who’s done some of my previous SYBD Break Up Line animations and pretty much begged him to animate the story. This way Brad could remain anonymous and I would still be able to get the story out there.

Ziggy, the professional that he is, came through in less than forty-eight hours, bless him.

Here we are two days after launching the video and we’ve had around a hundred and twenty views. (I wish rather wish it were a thousand and twenty views, but a hundred and twenty isn’t too bad.

The feedback is good so far as well. My concern is that the valid, universal and often  inspirational message may be lost in the lightness of delivery (via animation).

There are already a few other animations being created to launch over the coming months.  The ones I am currently looking at were ones that didn’t make the film due to my incompetence at filming!  (Or in one case because the person said they only wanted to do audio not video)

The stories are good and hopefully people find them compelling. There’s the fifty year old guy who’d logged on at the end of his 16-month rebound relationship. There’s the Texan gal who was dumped 1000 miles from home in the City By the Bay and there’s the young lad who was dumped by his first boyfriend.

Hope people enjoy them as we roll this out into a series.

VIEW THE SYBD YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW.

Tis the Season……to be Dumped!

Seriously you’d be amazed how many stories used to come up on Valentine’s Day. It’s always a time we get press mentions as you might have guessed.

Clyde 1, Glasgow Exterior Shot
Clyde 1, Glasgow

Today I woke up to a DM on Twitter from the lovely David Locket to say he’d heard me on Radio Clyde this morning. Wah-hey!

Last weekend I visited my former Q96 colleague Gillian Wheelan there to talk about being Dumped near Valentine’s Day. I can’t say it’s ever happened to me, thankfully, but I once was the dumper near then. Tut Tut. I know I should have waited until after (silly me) but he’s forgiven me so all’s well.

soyouvebeendumped.mobi screengrab
soyouvebeendumped.mobi

At the moment you can hear the blurb on Clyde 1′s site. Seems they’re airing snippets of me on the top of the hour news today.

Just heard myself on the 11am news….where I croaked out words that you can’t compare pain. It was funny actually!

How lovely is being featured hourly? If only my first of the So You’ve Been Dumped Stories were launched this week, instead of next, at least I’d benefit from the fantastic coverage…

Oh well. PR is nice at all times.

I think there is another piece likely due in the press here any day now as well – about our new soyouvebeendumped.mobi site – “pocket support” as I like to call it. :)

And another exciting VDAY project with the lovely folks at Muvizu -which  I think we may have LIVE for you soon too!

So yes, as you may have guessed it’s the “busy season” for me with respect to So You’ve Been Dumped anyway.

Rather looking forward to this weekend and Valentine’s Day too.  Makes a nice change!

It’s a beautiful, spring-like day today though – which makes everything seem better. More optimistic. More promising.

Have a great day – I am off to complete the first of the So You’ve Been Dumped Stories.

Be wonderful if we launch it on Monday.

Sort of poetic really! Fingers crossed. Check back next week!

So You’ve Been Dumped Goes Mobile

Soyouvebeendumped.mobi on iPad
So You’ve Been Dumped Mobile Site

This past weekend I did more work on mobile sites. This time the So You’ve Been Dumped mobile website though.

While there are a few things I’d like to add/change, I am super-pleased with how it’s come out thus far.

Heck, I think everyone should have one!

What happens now though? I am finding it very difficult to find mine (or any of the other mobile site’s I am indirectly related to) in Google or anywhere else.

So now it’s a case of – “OK my dot mobi site is made – now what?”

At risk of pissing the big G off – Google is absolutely rubbish at showing mobile sites. I struggle to find any – even when searching on my Nokia, Blackberry or iPad…

To me, if someone is searching on a mobile, Google should deliver mobile sites first (just my amateur opinion).

It truly surprises me that it doesn’t…and to read this article  (Has Google Killed the Mobile Web) about it from some years back.

So here, in my unbiased opinion, are some mobile sites worth a gander on your handset.

  • NSDesign – the first mobile site that I saw in action.
  • Sure Lock Homes - our first Californian client’s website. Alarm Company in San Jose.
  • The Glasgow Chauffeur – arguably the first, independent chauffeur in Scotland to have his own mobile site (I’ve certainly not found any others – though I did find one other large company that had one)
  • Rattray Motor Spares – Glasgow based car parts, spares, accessories with products selling world wide for classic-to-current cars!
  • So You’ve Been Dumped - my new mobile website for SYBD.

If nothing else maybe the blog mentions will help get the above sites noticed in Google through the back door.

And I guess I’ll continue to search for ways to promote these sites, and read some mobile SEO articles/blogs and so forth. Where there is a will, there is a way. Right?

With more and more people buying iPads, iPhones, Blackberry and Android Handsets – (handsets outnumber desktops for to one) – there has to be a better way to search and promote mobile websites.

In the meantime I guess I also ought to familiarize myself with this thread about mobile search engines and directories and see if I can find some gems to submit the above sites to.

Any thoughts? If you want a mobile site – get in touch with NSDesign or through me! If you have one – tell me your experience about it. I am very curious! GoMobi….

Going Mobile

Hooray! It’s February the first….Thank God we’re out of January, eh?

NSDesign Mobile Site
MOBILE: NSDesign.mobi

Actually to be fair, there was one really good thing about January – we have begun selling mobile websites (as in mobile versions for “normal” websites).

I’ve been really excited about this ever since I saw the technology some months back.

MOBILE STATS

  • Handsets now out number desktop computers 4 to 1.
    .
  • 80% of Americans own mobile phones & 50% of those will be connecting to the net with it by the end of 2011.

  • Among consumers aged 18-29, 65% are already accessing the Internet on their phones.
  • In the US the viewing of videos on a mobile phone is already approaching the time spent viewing online on a desktop computer.

That’s some pretty incredible stats if you think about it…

So if you’re not thinking mobile – you’re not thinking business.

For 2011, I’m willing to wager that mobile will be where it’s at.

Do you have a website? Are you a business? Then, you really will want to consider having a mobile site too.

surelockhomes.mobi -is the mobile version of surelockhomes.com
surelockhomes.mobi

The first mobile version of a website that I sold was to a Silicon Valley burglar alarm company called Sure Lock Homes.

They had an existing website which has been up for years and had absolutely no TEXT on the entire home page! As such it wins, hands down, my “worst website (ever)” award, I think.

So Greg, Sure Lock’s proprietor, said “Ok, sure it’s time I jumped into the 21st century” and we set him up with a new, simple, cost effective, efficient  mobile website (for less than 100 pounds!).

See right. >>

Now people can find his site, call him directly at the click of a button, leave him a message, book a service call or estimate, email him, and so forth.

The only challenge now, from my standpoint at any rate, is getting the search engines to find these new mobile sites.

We’ve been running a lot of searches at NSDesign (or if you’re reading this on a mobile, then check our mobile version: NSDesign.mobi) – trying to see what Google sends back when we search various words on different devices. It’s been fun and a little interesting.

Though it’s not there yet, I do believe that once Google really gets a handle on these mobile (dot mobi) sites – it will be a case of, when you’re searching on your iPhone, Blackberry, or any other web enabled phone, it will deliver up mobile versions of the websites first.

It’s not quite working that way yet, in my own experience, but I believe it will change over the coming year or two.

So now it’s all about discovering ways to get these mobile sites appearing in searches. Manually listing them.

Our second client (bear in mind we haven’t “officially launched” these mobile sites yet) is James “The Glasgow Chauffeur” Walker.

James has a full website already, which does pretty decent in the search engines, but it’s awful to read on a handheld device. (Sorry James)

Now though, James has a lovely, clean, simple site for those customers of his who are searching for his chauffeur/executive travel/airport transfers. Many of his clients do find him via their phones and so that experience will be even better for them.

So you might have guessed that I am pretty excited about all of this…?

I can’t help it. Mobile is where it’s at.

Get in touch with me @nsdesign.net if you’re interested in getting one for your site!

Speaking of mobiles, I’m also looking at the feasibility of the soyouvebeendumped.com iPhone app (and later Blackberry and Android).

Have just had a marathon chat with James the co-founder at mVenture via Skype hearing about their wonderful, affordable DIY iPhone App platform. Definitely worth considering.

The End

The End of SYBDs Forum
“THE END”

This past month or two has seen a number of endings  – both personally and professionally speaking. Arguably the most significant one was the closing of the SYBD forum which happened last night at 8pm PST.

Where the path is now taking me now is anyone’s guess.

From my personal experience, breaking up with one person is a truly a hard thing to do,  but whoah man, try breaking up with literally thousands. This last month has been a complete and utter drain. I’ve had some amazing and supportive messages (tons) and some truly vile and contentious ones (a few).

As a result of this emotional period in my life, I literally have nothing left to give right now. I intend to retreat for a spell, to take some time away from the online life, and aim to live more off-line. More time to simply BE – to open up to creativity and figure out where I am going next….so this may be the last post for a while (well, until I feel that I have something worth saying).

All I know in this moment, is I am 100% done with negative and toxic people around me. Goodbye Pain and Misery, and Hello to Joy, Love and Laughter…

Out with the old – in with the new (in every sense of the word).

May this year be the best yet…for all of us!

Every ending is a new beginning. Time to move on and start a new chapter in my life both personally and professionally.

Happy New Year wherever you are – whoever you are. Thanks for popping by.

PS: I just posted the New Years Wrap Up Radio Show Playlist on the Playlists page.

The End is Near

Well we’ve reached the final week of 2010 and I am pretty excited to welcome in a New Year already! New Year – New Thea…It’s all about – “out with the old, in with the new” at this time. Forging a New path at the moment.

My biggest news it that the forum will be shutting (much to many people’s chagrin and my relief)…The site will continue in some capacity but I am not sure what.

When it comes down to it, it feels as though, for more than a decade, my life has been pretty public – online, relationships splattered across the press, etc – Suffice it to say that my digital footprint is huge and now I’d just like to disappear.

“New Thea” will be spending less time online and more off it. I welcome the challenge.

So fewer blogs (business/personal), tweets and status updates. I’m actually starting by “logging off” of everything Jan 1.

Well,…almost everything. So this may be the last update for a while.

‘Doubt anyone’s reading this blog anyway, but in case you are, “hello” and “Happy New Year” to you.

May 2011 be your best year yet. Mine too for that matter.

I live in hope.

New Years Day Wrap & Video

Well we’re only a few weeks away from the New Year. It’s a year I am welcoming with open arms…am oh-so-ready for it. How’bout you?

As I sit here and type to you by candle light, I am scanning my music collection looking for tracks to play on a radio show that I am doing on radiosix.com on New Year’s Day.

It’s a wrap of some of my top tracks for 2010. It’s challenging to even think of what songs came out this year…so it involves logging onto the iTunes store to get release dates!

Some of my favourite records this year came from old faves like Sarah McLachlan, Susie Suh (EPs) Ray Lamontagne, Joshua Radin, Josh Rouse and of course AM‘s “Future Sons and Daughters” too. Priceless bit of work that.

Tonight I downloaded a free Duran Duran track, a guy I’ve never heard of called Jeremy Fisher (also free) and the latest Pete Yorn for a mere $7.99 (yay!)

Liked White Rabbits and Beach House…so they’re contenders at the moment…

I resisted music downloads for a very long time but now I am convert. With the push of a button – voila you own it! In the wrong hands it’s dangerous though.

Off to see who else I like who has some “newish” music.

Looking forward to this end of the year radio show – tune in if you can. When it’s aired the playlist will go on my new playlist page.

Stay warm this weather. xOxO

Leaving you with some gorgeous music from my friend Jamie (aka Little Fire) and scenery to match…”All I Need in Life”

Gigs Galore…Part 2

Well it’s been a quiet past month or so – well, apart from the amount of bands I’ve seen which has been extraordinary really. It’s seriously gone into overdrive.

There was JOSHUA RADIN who was sounding great at the ABC last month. My friend James, at Glasgow-Chauffeur actually got to chauffeur him from Glasgow airport to the tour bus…but he’d never even heard of him at the time. “Have you ever heard of Joshua Rodeo” he asked me that morning by text. Bless…He’s a fan now!

A week later it was AM opening for TRAIN and both acts were a-may-zing! Seriously good, my friends.

Also great was the PSYCHEDELIC FURS gig. Maybe my favorite really. It was an absolute hoot.  A little more subdued was the LLOYD COLE gig at the Fruitmarket, but that too was a good gig. (Ed note: How did I never hear the line about “San Jose” in “Rattlesnakes” before? That was a bizarre moment for me.)

The most recent was Canada’s COWBOY JUNKIES but having had the cold and coughing up a storm it wasn’t perhaps as enjoyable as it might have been. It was actually a tad dull and the musicians a bit too self-indulgent for my tastes…but Margot sounded good, as usual…

Movie wise – we were out last night seeing DUE DATE which was a bit of a hoot. It was in the same vein as the HANGOVER (not a film I loved to be honest) but we did enjoy this one…Really if I am being honest, I have a bit of Potter fever – looking forward to the finale this weekend.

Did you hear L107 has shut down. I am so threatening to write the screenplay because you just can’t make up the sh*t that has gone on at that radio station. Priceless.

Finally, hope you noticed that I added a page for my playlists? It made sense…

Radio Six International: My Return

Hello from awfully-dark-rain-soaked-Glasgow.

Good news for those who like to listen to Radio Six International….My new series of shows kicks off this Sunday (wayhey!).

But don’t worry, there are plenty of chances to catch it if that doesn’t work for ya  – especially for those across the globe!

It felt a bit rusty to be back in the studio with the mic, but hopefully the music will disguise it for me…

Show times (GMT) as follows:

  • The first one airs at 4pm on Sunday; (that’s 8am for PST)
  • Tues it’s on at 7pm Tuesday and again 6am Friday.

The first show is Scottish, as in Sounds Across Ecosse, but the next one is more general, chilled out, acoustic tracks from all over…

Once show one airs its first airing – will add the playlist here!

I’ll leave you with a guy who gets a wee play on Show # 1 – my dear friend Eoghan Colgan.  This is Make Calm Your Tempest – from Eoghan Colgan. It’s a lil video I made a few weeks ago after a lovely walk in a beautiful park. Hope you enjoy it x

Gigs Galore

Glasgow: Train

Wow it’s crazy busy all the sudden on the gig front anyway.

Last week it was the rather darling Joshua Radin and Justin Nozuka at the ABC, and then last night it was AM opening for Train there. Good times. It’s been eight years since the band played in Glasgow and I never went the last time and though I have and like all their records, I wouldn’t class myself as a “fan”…and boy did I meet some hardcore “fans” last night. Boy oh boy.

Anyway it was a surprisingly good gig all around. Am did a short set of about seven tracks – opening with my personal favorite (or one of them) “It’s Been So Long” which I made a video of the night before.

Pat-n-I

I’d come across Pat Monahan’s blog the day before the show and really liked the way he wrote. It was all very “real” to me. The way he connected with the audience was a real inspiring testament to what a good soul he appears to be. Deciding to risk looking like the oldest groupie in the world, I did have a brief exchange with him after the show. The highlight of which was “We’re going to the world series girl”. (Go Giants, indeed).

What fun. He was definitely the most entertaining and exuberant of front men I’ve seen in a long, long time. The choice of cover encore, unlike Led Zepplin the previous night was actually a great Aerosmith tune (two words I doubt I’ve ever used together in a sentence)…“Dream On”. I was immediately transported back to Junior High school (which also showed to me that Pat and I are around the same age, lol)

Tonight it’s down to Troon for the OXJAM Unplugged event. My buddy Eoghan Colgan‘s on the bill with the lovely Gianna Cassidy along with the stunning Little Fire and Alan Frew too.

There are a few more on the bill who I don’t know, but judging by the caliber of who I do know, I am expecting good things!

Next week it’s Lloyd Cole (sans the Commotions, I think) and hopefully the Psychedelic Furs too.

Finally I have kicked off a new series on RadioSix.com which will air in just over a week’s time. It’s great fun tracking down new music to play on the show. My joy of discovering new bands never seems to fade. That’s a good thing.