Blogging Along

Looking back from March with Humber.Tv and the whole idea I do feel we have some good direction towards HOW the idea and company will make it’s living. Advertising is good but you need to offer twists and extra angles to secure advertising deals with local businesses.

I was once told as a young man by a local boss of a company…

It’s so easy to loose money but very hard to make it.

This is so true with the ideas and the paths I’m going down testing and trying out new ways to put shows and video onto the internet. Some things just don’t work and will never be worth the effort but you’d never know that unless you try them out to see.

Research is all very well but doing it and trying and testing ideas is good first hand live research!

I need to ge the few dozen postcode named sites up and LIVE ASAP so people can see the network I’m trying to create and get more people involved. First site live is HU15.co.uk covering Brough, South Cave, Gilberdyke, Newport etc and will grow to be on the same scale as Paul Smith’s HU17.NET along with all the others set to be put live.

Local news is key to keep people using your websites and updated regularly and people will find it through Google.

Build it and the will come

That’s sort of true but still need the  right kind of site for people to find it sticky enough they do come back for more.

I joined BCC or Business Community Co-operative Group which has NO annual fee, and only costs £10 per week to cover room hire and a hearty breakfast. Best networking group I’ve been to from just the feel and welcome you get from the people there and isn’t competitive with 5 web designers, 3 accountants, 10 life coachers. The categories are locked down so thats your area and is unchallenge “Video Production” been my area of business and category.

Just offering show reel videos to businesses in a certain area of business, Gyms and fitness for example and will be made up of 12 companies in that sector for an hour long show reel on local “Gyms and fitness” This will be ondemand from Humber TV and also showing as a schedule when nothing is showing live.

All in all I have lots of ideas and good interest for our road forward – Think Positive!

My Photo above by Pixelcreations.co.uk – Klaus Selke – Photographer

So April is here and I need a kick up the arse to get ideas focused!

I’ve been running around like a mad man this past 2-3 weeks juggling work, new projects and my little girl been in hospital. I just need to take stock.

Humber.TV is really doing well, considering I should be putting more hours in a week and now has a page rank of 2. The last webcast / podcast we recorded (still to edit the HD copy) was Cottingham Springboard and just loved the idea of musicians coming along who are in the 3 day music event and letting rip with some tunes.  Bring it on people…

Ok about this “Recycle old magazine content”. I had a HTC Touch Diamond spare after an upgrade to a Iphone 3GS and gave it to my son to use but just stopped charging, even with a new battery. Today (Sunday) is our local carboot day in Northcave and know theirs a guy who deals with mobiles. Got there, thought the phone was in the car but had left it at home – not to worry. 🙁

So we’re wondering around, Jo my Mrs buying books she’d wanted, me looking bemused by all the VHS cassettes people are STILL trying to sell and a round trip and I saw a mag stall. Geoff Anderson of Goole (01405-769574) was the pitch holder with 100’s of magazines, mainly cars ones that I could see but was told he has 1000’s of different ones at home!

A selection of Kit Car ones (a good pile of around 50+) caught my eye as I’d just finished a Kit Car Insurance mini site for a mate. The idea instantly popped into my head of reading really old content in mags from as far back as 1985, 1986, 1987 etc and then in my own words (helped by some creative use of the mags) write articles on a new domain I had bought especially for this idea.

How much Geoff? ……….. £3 the box! Wow I’ll take them.

So got home registered the below domain and another project was born ;o).

Kit-Car.org.uk isn’t yet designed or really started but does have a rough text flesh holding page for quick SEO and listings.

My guess is that these old mags will have content, ideas, wording and internet unpublished text in which it will give anyone who reads them great ideas! These mags are 25 years old and maybe out dated but have probably been long forgeotten about and never even heard of SEO.

My first trial is with as mentioned above with Kit-Car.org.uk and will see if it has any impact on rankings for the main phrase “Kit Car” but would expect long tail phrases to be it’s freind like “Cobra kit car replacement lights”.

Another 2 mini sites started today StainlessSteelBBQ.org.uk and GardenHeater.org.uk

Bit of a waffle post but keep with it ;o)

So I now reluctantly have an iPhone and surprisingly like it! I did want the HD2 but VodaFone stopped stocking them and was offered an iPhone. I can see how people spend £s on Apps the first few weeks of getting one, which can be a bit of a money pit.

I thought my iPhone died today as it wouldn’t turn on with it even been fully charged. In the end I tried the home button AND the power button which I think is a trick on the Ipod. This kicked it into life (bizarre) and I was a happy man again.

So Humber.TV hmm I wanted it separate from Media Blocks Ltd and so asked my accountant about my online TV venture Humber Media Network as it now is and was told it was going to cost £400 + VAT. “ok” i said “I’ll have a think” WTF I thought, a little steep. A little digging and asking around I found The company warehouse Called them up and asked loads of questions and it was done and dusted in 20 minutes. May I add they have great phone support and people working for them! Got all documents, shares, minutes, etc for £111 INC VAT in the post today FANTASTIC!

So Humber Media Network Limited was born, as I decided not to limit it’s size by just using Humber.TV as a name and Humber Media Network was like an umbrella name. Opening an account next week with Lloyds TSB again and already have payments from clients waiting for it to become live.

With all my ideas, I do always seem to be burning lots of candles at both ends and running around trying to juggle life, work and pushing ideas to the MAX. Recently I have taken on offered help (rare for me) by people I have met or knew already and is working out great! Still need to have a chat with a few more people but I’m liking team work and building.

Up to now Interviewers / Hosts for podcast shows, editor for the post production and sound checker for the audio setup to give it a once over for optimum quality.

I have been spending quite a bit of money (bucket fulls) on kit, software, and structure for the pod-casting / video venture but have had so much positiveness from people who we’ve had to interview I know it’s all worth or going to be worth every penny and minute spent on it.

Mentioning the people we’ve had on, we have had some great people and don’t want to list them all but 3 that many will know because of their businesses and exposure are:

• Geof Brooke – Brooke Tiles (now a Humber.TV Advertiser YEAH!)
• Jonathan Elvidge – (Gadget Shop) RED5 (Great guy to lookup to and follow)
• Paul Sewell – Sewell Group (Beams positiveness and knows business)

All the above people just made me more determined to make this venture succeed and grow for the Humber area!

One of my teeth decided a filling had been in long enough and fall out and taken half my tooth with it, which is no fun and the sharp edge it left cut my tongue to bits. 🙁 All sorted now with a temp filling and feels much better and will be fixed in March.

Found out this week Gradwell (VoIP supplier) are having issues with call pick up, meaning you can’t pick another call up remotely from your desk phone in the office. That’s a bit of a pain for some of my clients, but hey ho life does go on.

Final thoughts for this post, and maybe words of wisdom?!

• Use ideas that work and duplicate in business to succeed.
• Home in on business that your good at and enjoy.
• Never trust people who lie, even if it was just once.