Ertblog

Tony Blair, A Journey, SEO - and me

My blogpost, Tony Blair: A Journey for the showman prime minister, on Wednesday night about Blair's autobiography, A Journey, has proved a hit on Google. if you Google 'a journey tony blair ipad', my post comes first out of a staggering 211 million search results, beating huge media organisations. And it ranks highly on searches about Blair's book on iBooks and Kindle. (I'm on page two of results for a straight search for 'Tony Blair A Journey.) 

I only discovered this when I looked at what had brought a flood of visitors to the Ertblog post. 

My blog is purely for fun, so I've never set out to optimise it for search engine results. But every now and again it scores very highly on Google. My post on why I love my iPad scored third out of 47 million under the search term 'I love my iPad'. And my 25th anniversary account of the Falklands war in 2007 did very well. 

This latest, unexpected success prompted me to think seriously about the dark arts of search engine optimisation, or SEO. What prompted Google to rank my post so highly against the torrent of other articles and blogposts about Blair's book? What gave me the edge over all-powerful media groups? 

I am no expert on SEO, but I suspect the reason is that I wrote about a specific aspect of the publication of A Journey: its absence from Apple's iBooks store, which has puzzled many iPad owners. They've Googled the subject - and hit upon my blog.  (Surprisingly, I'm still as high as the second page of results for a straight search for 'Tony Blair A Journey.) The title of my post was also highly descriptive (including Tony Blair and the name of his book), while I also included a number of hyperlinks, which may have helped. 

As a PR professional, I need to know more about SEO, and this experience has prompted me to learn. In the meantime, I'd welcome any comments from SEO experts about what I did right - and wrong!

Tony Blair, A Journey, SEO - and me

My blogpost, Tony Blair: A Journey for the showman prime minister, on Wednesday night about Tony Blair's autobiography, A journey, has proved a hit on Google. if you Google 'a journey tony blair ipad', my post comes first out of a staggering 211 million search results, beating huge media organisations. And it ranks highly on searches about Blair's book on iBooks and Kindle. (I'm on page two of results for a straight search for 'Tony Blair A Journey.) 

I only discovered this when I looked at what had brought a flood of visitors to the Ertblog post. 

My blog is purely for fun, so I've never set out to optimise it for search engine results. But every now and again it scores very highly on Google. My post on why I love my iPad scored third out of 47 million under the search term 'I love my iPad'. And my 25th anniversary account of the Falklands war in 2007 did almost as well. 

This latest, unexpected success prompted me to think seriously about the dark arts of search engine optimisation, or SEO. What prompted Google to rank my post so highly against the torrent of other articles and blogposts about Blair's book? What gave me the edge over all-powerful media groups? 

I am no expert on SEO, but I suspect the reason is that I wrote about a specific aspect of the publication of A Journey: its absence from Apple's iBooks store, which has puzzled many iPad owners. They've Googled the subject - and hit upon my blog.  (Surprisingly, I'm still as high as the second page of results for a straight search for 'Tony Blair A Journey.) The title of my post was also highly descriptive (including Tony Blair and the name of his book), while I also included a number of hyperlinks, which may have helped. 

As a PR professional, I need to know more about SEO, and this experience has prompted me to learn. In the meantime, I'd welcome any comments from SEO experts about what I did right - and wrong!

Tony Blair: A Journey for the showman prime minister

 Tony Blair was Britain's finest showman prime minister since Macmillan, as I blogged after his last Labour conference speech in 2006. So it was little surprise that today's launch of Blair's autobiography, A Journey, was a theatrical event, dominating news bulletins. 

But Labour's longest serving prime minister's attempt to restore his tarnished reputation seems doomed. Blair now admits he thought Gordon Brown was an impossible, deeply flawed character. Yet he made no attempt to move Brown from the Treasury, and lied to the British people about his chancellor's suitability for office when Brown took over in 2007. 

Nick Robinson, the BBC's political editor, today apologised to readers of his blog for not telling the full story about the Blair-Brown feud. Yet we all knew of this poisonous schism - I read The Rivals, James Naughtie's book about the TB-GB storms, in 2003 with a growing sense of anger at this pathetic, juvenile relationship, and despairing of the lost hope of May 1997. 

Yet despite this, and my contempt for the way Blair trashed Britain's reputation by involving us in the invasion of Iraq, I still half admire this extraordinary politician. (In the same way that some still worship Margaret Thatcher.) He won three elections in a row for Labour. He played a huge role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, building on earlier efforts by John Major, Bill Clinton, Bertie Ahern, John Hume and Gerry Adams. He delivered devolution to Wales and Scotland - despite not sharing predecessor John Smith's commitment to home rule. His government saw renewed investment in public services, even though many questioned how effectively the money had been used. Blair himself must wonder how high his reputation would stand if it hadn't been for Iraq, although we'd still be facing a ruinous deficit thanks to Labour's lax regulation of the banks' casino activities. 

Blair claims that Labour could have won a fourth term had it not abandoned new Labour. That strikes me as a crazy claim. Gordon Brown didn't lose in 2010 because he became old Labour. He lost because the British people disliked him, because he and Blair created the greatest financial crisis since the 1930s - and because of their love of spin and sleaze. Ironically, Labour's late move to create a 50% tax rate was popular, belying the idea that old Labour tactics couldn't succeed. (A law to tax 100% of disgraced banker Fred Goodwin's income would have been acclaimed.) 

I'll quote just one passage from Tony Blair's book, as it is sobering:

"On 2 May 1997, I walked into Downing Street as prime minister for the first time. I had never held office, not even as the most junor of junior ministers. it was my first and only job in government."

I've bought my copy of Blair's book from Amazon on the Kindle, to read on my iPad. It's an interesting insight into book publishing in 2010. The full price of A Journey is £25. Waterstone's is selling the hardback for £12.50, as is Amazon. Apple's iBooks store isn't selling it yet, but is likely to offer it for £12.99 if its offer for Peter Mandelson's The Third Man is a guide. Kindle is the best offer: A Journey is just £6.99. I prefer iBooks to the Kindle app on the iPad, but as I recently blogged about iBooks, it will never take off until it offers far more titles at far lower prices. 

In praise of Chalfont St Giles' community library

 

We love reading and books. We were both brought up to love visits to the library - in my case, the grand old Cardiff central library in The Hayes. 

So we were horrified a few years ago when Buckinghamshire County Council made the crass decision to close the library in our village, Chalfont St Giles. But happily the village refused to accept the loss of this vital service. Good people like Tony Hoare put in long hours to save it as a community library. Tony explained how the village saved the library on BBC 1's One show last Monday. 

We have made a very modest financial contribution as friends of the library and have really appreciated this initiative since Owen was born in 2008. He can take out 15 books at a time, and is currently enjoying Man on the Moon, a vivid story about a man called Bob who goes to work on the Moon every day. The book lending service is supplemented by book readings and other events. 

Above: Owen loves his library

We hope the library continues to flourish. But it's a huge shame that our local council - which should be nurturing reading in its communities - sought to destroy this vital service. Less well off communities may not have been able to save their libraries. Books and libraries may seem old fashioned in the internet age, but nothing is quite as magical as a wonderful book.  

   

Why Waterstone's is struggling

Twenty years ago, Waterstone's was my dream bookstore. I loved browsing my (then) local stores in Richmond and Kingston. But in recent years the chain has lost its way. It was no surprise to read in The Guardian that it had a very poor Christmas.

The Guardian's report says people are browsing but not buying. And they're taking photos on their mobile phones of book covers in store to see if the titles are cheaper on Amazon.

I plead guilty to taking photos. But I'm more likely to be getting ideas for birthday or Christmas presents than bargain hunting. Waterstone's is struggling because it has been badly managed. I hate the practice - copied from rival Books etc - of having tables of books dominating the store, rather than decent displays of the latest titles. Those tables seem to carry a muddled selection of titles: fiction, non-fiction, new releases, 3 for 1 offers. I usually lose interest and walk out.

But more serious is the limited selection. I'm a regular visitor to the Richmond Waterstone's again after a gap of 15 years now I work just round the corner. But I'm invariably disappointed to discover the store doesn't stock the business, tech or current affairs title I'm after. By contrast, a quick search on Amazon or eBay comes up trumps, which means I'm more likely to buy online rather than order the title in Waterstone's. And even that option is flawed: I recently tried to order a BBC audio book in Waterstone's, only to be told they couldn't find it. Two days later, it arrived at my door ... from Amazon.

I wish Waterstone's well. It's still one of my favourite stores. But the fact I've still not spent a birthday gift token from the chain after almost three months is not a good sign. Once upon a time, to use a traditional storytelling opening, I'd have spent it in minutes not months.

The joy of Wessex: an unforgettable holiday in Thomas Hardy country

Above: Thomas Hardy's cottage, Higher Bockhampton, Dorset

When Owen arrived last year, we quickly decided we'd spend our holidays in Britain in his early years. The thought of struggling with airports and aircraft with a baby was too much. Over the past fortnight, we discovered just how rewarding holidaying at home can be.

We stayed at Greenwood Grange holiday cottages in the Dorset hamlet of Higher Bockhampton, just outside Dorchester, following an inspired recommendation by Karen's brother. The name of the village rang a bell, and I remembered that the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was born there. It was quite a thrill to discover that Hardy's birthplace cottage (above) was just up the lane from our cottage. (Hardy was born here in 1840 and wrote several of his novels in the modest house.)

This was no literary pilgrimage, but I was fascinated to compare today's Dorchester with Hardy's Casterbridge. (I grew to love Hardy's work after studying The Mayor of Casterbridge for my A levels.) Dorchester has changed far less than most British towns since Hardy's day. A traveller entering the town from Bockhampton is in the heart of the town almost immediately - no urban sprawl here. Ironically, the biggest expansion has come to the west, where Prince Charles's new village of Poundbury is growing rapidly. Poundbury is a curious mix: in parts, it's an appealing out of the box old-style village, but the frankly bizarre new Poundbury fire station is utterly out of place. We were also rather unsettled to see almost no evidence of human life in Poundbury: the streets were deserted. It was nice to discover the headquarters of Dorset Cereals, though!

 

The great discovery of the holiday was Weymouth. We had three wonderful days on the beach there. I knew a little about Weymouth's history, as one of Britain's original seaside resorts. But we found it a great place to spend a sunny day, with shops and cafes within a pebble's throw of the sandy beach. I took the photo above just before we took a day trip from Weymouth to Guernsey.

 

Finally, a glimpse of the wonderful swannery at Abbotsbury on the lagoon at Chesil Beach. It's extraordinary to think the swannery has been owned by the same family for 500 years. But we'll remember the kindness of the man who drove the tractor that pulled the trailer taking less mobile visitors from the car park to the Swannery. Knowing how much small boys love tractors, he let 11 month old Owen take the wheel of the tractor (below)!

We love Enid Blyton: Five Go to Smuggler's Top makes laureates' list

The literati look down on Enid Blyton, accusing the late children's writer of churning out formula fiction and reinforcing outdated stereotypes. But millions of people like me owe their love of books to countless childhood hours spent reading the Famous Five and Secret Seven adventures. So I was delighted to see that Five Go to Smuggler's Top was featured in a list of the best books for children, chosen by Britain's children's laureates.

I was given an Enid Blyton book by my maternal grandmother when I was about seven. I can't remember the title now - the story involved a wooded island, which hardly narrows it down - but fell in love with Blyton's ability to tell spellbinding stories. I've long since forgotten the storylines of the books, but some of that excitement came back when I discovered the summary of Smuggler's Top on www.enidblyton.net (the first link in this post, above), and identified it as my favourite Blyton story. The vision of an island linked only by a causeway across the marshes was amazingly evocative as a child; growing up in Cardiff, in foggy weather I imagined the road up Caerphilly mountain from Thornhill as the road up Castaway Hill. I can't wait to rediscover those Blyton classics as Owen is growing up!

Whatever happened to Bedside Guardian 2008?

Every year, Britain's Guardian newspaper publishes a collection of its best articles from the previous 12 months. The collection has carried the title of Bedside Guardian for most of its near 60 year history.

The 2008 edition, published in November, seems set to be the last of the line. The paper has completely failed to promote it, and it is unavailable, even from the Guardian's own bookshop. It would be sad if this venerable glimpse of each year's news and features has passed into history.    

UPDATE, 28 January 2009: I finally found a copy yesterday at Borders bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London. If you're looking for a copy, it might be worth trying there as they had half a dozen copies.

Roald Dahl: a brilliant museum for a great storyteller

If you think of a museum as a dull place, think again. The nearly new Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, is an inspiration for young and old alike.

It's truly hands-on: visitors can create their own film, invent crazy words and learn how Roald Dahl wrote his wonderful stories. It even has a mouse in a gobstopper jar.

We went with our friend Vanessa and her son Matthew. Matthew had a great time, and enjoyed sitting at a replica of Dahl's writing desk.

Storytelling is timeless. Video games and the internet haven't killed books, any more than radio and television did. Roald Dahl still captures the imagination, over 16 years after he died.

Our visit got me thinking about the books I read when I was growing up. One of my favourite authors was Malcolm Saville, whose Witchend books I loved. Most of Saville's books were set around the dramatic Long Mynd in Shropshire. I liked the stories but the sense of place - especially as my aunt came from Shrewsbury - was a huge appeal. Another author I liked was Leon Garfield, although I found his books harder work. Finally, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons were great fun. 

It's nice having an author in the family

Don't hold the front page! was the title. But the launch of Dad's book did make news in 2005. Published by Graffeg, it's an amusing tale of Bob Skinner's 60 years in the communications business. First, as a journalist on the Penarth Times and South Wales Argus. (Not to mention life as a 'stringer' for the national media and an early BBC Wales tv reporter.) Then as a public relations pioneer in local government and civic life in Wales and London.

The book tells how he bought porn on the rates, dodged the bullets in Northern Ireland during the troubled 1970s and helped the Pope enjoy a successful visit to Wales.

Bob launched the publication of his book in the Washington Gallery in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, last September. It was a great night, with friends and family celebrating a unique talent. Lorraine Barrett, Welsh Assembly Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, and Captain Norman Lloyd-Edwards, Lord Lieutenant for Glamorgan, made a special effort to join us for the evening. 

You can buy Don't hold the front page! in bookshops or on www.amazon.co.uk.