Oh, I love Twitter. I do, I do. It keeps me company late at night when everyone else has gone to bed, it allows me to stalk my favourite celebrities (although Duran Duran’s John Taylor has yet to acknowledge my existence) and it helps me to write blog posts.
Like this one.
Long Tails, Lady Gaga and Language
When I told Paul and Steve, the super patient guys over @Total WSI
, what the URL for this new site was going to be they grinned and said, simply, ‘Nice’. Because if you think about keywords and SEO and all that technical stuff that super patient web designers think about then ‘Copywriter Newcastle’ works.
It also works if you think about all that technical stuff, like long-tail keywords and short-tail keywords and SEO, as this little thing called language.
It’s the language that people use to type words in to that little oval box in the top corner of their search engine (in between their searches for YouTube videos of iPads being blended, babies rollerskating, gossipy Facebook updates and Lady Gaga’s latest tweet to her monsters).
Less about the Copywriter …
Now, I could start to write about copywriting and about what a copywriter does but I think that if someone gets as far as Googling ‘Copywriter Newcastle’ I can assume, for this first blog post least, that they know what someone like me does and why they might need my services.
So, instead I thought I would focus on Newcastle and on the North East. Back to Twitter and a quick Tweet before dashing out to a client meeting:
‘A specific North East question for a new feature – all replies much appreciated. ‘What? Where inspires you in this region?’#NEFollowers’
On my return to my desk I had a whole host of replies that would make any Geordie or Mackem proud.
More about the Newcastle …
The creatives over at @studioprecept, ‘A multi-disciplinary creative studio applying design and direction to help your business flourish’(who have the funkiest sofa and the coolest cushions) said:
“Geordies, Bars, Beer, Wine, NUFC, Creative Industry, Art and Culture, Music, Quayside, Ouseburn, the list goes on… 
”
Angela May, @angelsmay1,‘A busy, busy mum of 2, sewing, crafting & creating from old fabrics, scraps and buttons. Love tea, vintage china, faffing about in charity shops and the seaside’ said:
“Seven Stories, Biscuit Factory, Barter Books, The Laing, The Baltic…. Will keep thinking! …”
Elsewhere @RevSimonWard, ‘Itinerant Reformed Baptist minister and writer, school governor, runner, swimmer and pescatarian! A re-tweet is not necessarily an endorsement – but it may be’ said:
“As a relative newcomer to this region: it is the (1) undiscovered beauty of the NE(2) friendliness of the people #nefollowers“
And then he followed that with:
”Newcastle itself! #amazing #nefollowers“
Further north Lee Gray from @gandsorganics, ‘Organic smallholders in the windy Northumberland hills selling our meat and veg through our box scheme OH is @Organicbeth give us a follow and join in the fun!’ said:
”Constant Geordie optimism”
This is from a man who gets up at 2am every Thursday morning to make deliveries of organic food boxes – and who has never missed a week yet – so if anyone knows about Geordie optimism it’s Lee!
Chris Rooney, a fellow scribe, ‘Writer and fascinating – indeed intriguing – fellow with wide ranging interests. Especially interested in the shape of the universe and watching TV’, said:
”The power of place”
” … Since I took up walking, become very aware of the region’s deep historical roots, human roots, generations of people in place.”
So it’s an inspiration that runs deep.
Which brings me nicely onto a post from the very aptly named Neville Tynemouth who said that inspiration for him was:
Presenting on that subject tomorrow – one thing for me – Tyne Bridge on Great North Run day.
The Great North Run - Nova International
Fiona Simpson at ArtVenturers, ‘Art & creative events company for children in Sunderland. Classes, parties, workshops, holiday sessions-we’re on a mission to get children of all ages creating!’ replied:
“The coastline. Stunning and dramatic in all seasons.”
Which I have to agree with, while Joanne Dolezal ‘Holistic thinker!’said:
“Embleton Bay… and thousands of great, local entrepreneurs!”
A Month of Ups and Downs
In a month where unemployment in the North East rose by 19,000 to 142,000 and small businesses in the region emerged as ‘the strongest in the country when it comes to boosting the economy’ (that is according to the latest research, organised and created by Barclays Bank, which praised the region for its strong “entrepreneurial spirit.”) the idea of inspiration couldn’t be more important.
This feeling was summed up in a Tweet by Speedy from @PoliticsNE, ‘Bit of a political animal, slightly left of centre, blogger, loves the North East, Local issues, sport and good music. Hates unfairness and discrimination’ who said:
“The people, their friendliness, humour and resilience.”
And you can’t say fairer than that.
With thanks to the brilliant Shelley Armstrong at www.NewcastleGateshead.com
