The idea behind the interviews are to get an insight into what is happening in the fast changing internet world of social media, marketing and video. The first part of the series Simon interviews Paul Cash (Chief Zagga, Hurricane Marketing Ltd) on why businesses should be marketing differently using social media.

Coming up next will be an interview with Andrew Wilks and how to use LinkedIn.
If there are any particular topics you are interested in please leave us a comment below.

So how could this have happened? The broadcaster explained that the problem was the result of “human error” by staff at ITV’s transmission provider and they have insisted that “appropriate action” will be taken to ensure it doesn’t suffer a repeat of the problem.

I suspect the “human error” was caused by a technician previewing the commercial that was supposed to be aired at the half-time break. Unfortunately he or she had the wrong button switched on the vision mixer, which allowed the commercial to be seen when it should not have been. We all make mistakes but I could not believe this happened when England scored! And this is not first time ITV have made the same mistake. The winning goal was missed during an FA cup match between Liverpool and Everton. Again an unscheduled advertisement was aired towards the end of extra time.
Viewers returned to find that Everton had scored the winning goal.

ITV has apologised profusely about the mistakes, but will they happen again? Probably… you can never account for human error. Maybe England needs these kinds of mistakes to score more goals and win the world cup?!

Until recently, ‘online magazine’ meant one of two things. It was either a straightforward PDF with pages that turned. Or it was a flash creation with videos, music and lots of things to click. Extremely impressive, but extremely expensive!

Now there is the technology to create your own online magazine using software provided by Page Turn Interactive. One of the great things about this system is that it is simple enough to use yourself – just drag and drop  articles and images, no graphic design knowledge required!  Or if you’d rather bring in the experts, the team at Page Turn or Tallboy can help.

What’s more you can include a full range of interactive modules to bring the pages of your magazine to life. From click-to-buy links, forward-to-a-friend and voucher downloads to competitions, quizzes and polls and of course video, it really can create an all-singing, all-dancing publication.

“There was a huge gap in the market for a product like this,” says Oliver Gurnell, Product Developer. “Businesses wanted to create high-tech publications without having to bring in specialist staff. Page Turn Interactive can be used by anyone, and the results are truly impressive.”

The best part of the whole system is that you can track your Return On Investment (ROI). You can look at reports which tell you how many visits, which pages were looked at, what videos played, which links clicked on etc. It’s important that your publication works well for you, and by viewing this data on a regular basis, you can evaluate which elements of your publication are working well, and which elements can be improved.

Take a look at our own Tallboy online magazine

If you are interested in a free trial then click here

Lisa Morrison, head of Press & Communications at BCC said  ”We were impressed by the efficiency, professionalism and helpful attitude of all the staff at Tallboy, and would definitely like to work with them again.  The feedback we received from our colleagues across the network was incredibly positive, with many commenting on the high quality of the  video when it was screened at our annual conference at BAFTA earlier this year “.

Check out the video for yourself on the BCC website

Firstly, you have a great message to tell your potential customers. You know that face-to-face communication is best, because you not only convey the message with words, but you add the emotion through body language and sound.  Face to face communication isn’t always possible  – but video also stimulates the part of the brain that triggers emotion – therefore your message has more impact. So put video on your website.

Next, imagine you have a leaflet that described your business. That leaflet is useless until you hand it out.  The video is like that leaflet. Put video on your website – and you reach a massive audience. And here’s why. Websites with video on their front page are 53 times more likely to generate a first page Google ranking than traditional SEO technique.

Now your potential client has found your site, research shows you are more likely to convert a browser into a customer if you have video on your website. Numbers for the hotel industry show if a hotel includes a video on its website, a potential visitor is eighty percent more likely to book a room than if the site has only pictures.

Video doesn’t have to be complicated or as expensive as you think. You can use the camera on your computer to make a video blog. You can edit it yourself with the free software that can with your Mac or PC. Buy a Flip camera and shoot your own. There are also plenty of software you can download to make your own videos. Or you can get professional advice on how to produce your next film. Quality is important in video making as the better the production values the more likely the viewer is likely to watch it. However the important point is to have video on your web site.

So start producing and have fun.

Tallboy MD, Simon Banks, and TV presenter  Sally Eden went to visit year 4 at Sheen Mount School in East Sheen. They’ve been looking at news – what makes it and why we need it. We provided them with the bit about how the news gets to our living room via the TV set.

We set up a makeshift studio with seven jobs available. Two presenters (one male and one female, of course). One autocue operator. One studio cameraman and a floor manager. Then a roving reporter and a location cameraman.  We wrote a script based on the fun they’d had taking part in Sport’s Relief, and away they went!

Despite how nearly every dad has a video cam today and acres of tape is used recording every special event in a child’s life, it’s amazing the joy and excitement on the faces of the children when they see themselves on the telly. When I was eight, I was fascinated by that large box in the corner.  Television programmes which showed any behind-the-scenes footage were thrilling to me, (as they still are today). The thought of being part of the team that “made” television was electrifying.

So the future of TV is as it has always been. A group of kids, whose imagination is fired by an hour of our time in school. They are the future of video. It’s good to carry on the tradition.

The tiger loves to be the centre of attention. With its qualities of boldness, bravery and natural leadership, it’s the perfect metaphor for recovery in 2010. But the downside to tigers is they can be independent and go their own way – and in business, that can hinder more than help.

Communicating how you intend to survive and prosper in 2010 is vital. There’s no doubt face to face conversation is best. Different time zones, flexible-working practices, and out of office working styles are also barriers that can prevent the communication from succeeding.

There have been millions of words written about the failings of the email. We all have heard stories about the wrong phrase or piece of punctuation that turns a routine email into a viral nightmare. So, with that in mind, more and more people are turning to video. It’s easy to do, there’s access for all, and more importantly, it allows you to communicate to everyone at the same time and on the same level.

The “message to the troops” video can be used to give an update on trading figures, reassure employees of a specific situation, and deliver a sales presentation when you can’t be there in person. It can be put on a company’s external website, your intranet or even YouTube.

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” With a video message, there’s no such illusion – just hit the replay button!

Below is a short video with some clips of “Message to the troops” style communications.

*With apologies to Franklin D Roosevelt