Author: Jessica Riches

I really enjoy thinking about the Internet. Email: jessica.m.riches@gmail.com

Getting in touch

Hello!

Welcome to my defunct blog! Scroll down to read my very embarrassing old posts.

If you’d like me to help out with social media training, strategy or management for your brand, NGO or anything else interesting – I’m still able to work with you on this, too! Email jessica.m.riches@gmail.com if you’d like to talk. My personal website – http://jessicariches.com – might help you out there.

As always, you can hear and see the day-to-day of my life on Twitter and on Instagram, and find out the latest in my working life on my LinkedIn profile.

Peace, love and hashtags!

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The HashKey – A Fun Side Project

Being a consultant is fun. You’ve got some time to work on projects that cater to your favourite obsessions outside of your paid client work. And you can make those projects pretty crazy ones, all in the name of experimentation.

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The HashKey is the latest fun experiment I’ve been involved in. Masterminded by my boyfriend, probably as some huge romantic gesture to keep me engaged, I’m really just a figurehead as a ‘social media fan’, but it’s been a blast so far nonetheless. (My hands are so famous now!)

We received a ridiculous amount of press, agency and influencer attention in the first few days we went live, as we knew we would; this product is peak social media sharing ammunition. It’s just interesting to see whether that level of conversation converts to getting this thing funded!

Watch my starring role in the Kickstarter video here!

 

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Teaching Some Experts How To Be A Social Media Experts (Without Making It A Full Time Job)

A few weeks back I spoke at an epic old venue down by the river about the thoroughly modern subject of Social Media. (Obvs. I mean what else did you expect from me at this stage?)

I was speaking to a room full of experts, women who are spokespeople about their professional specialism. I was there to teach them about how to increase their profiles online – but as these are busy women, I focused my talk on how to fit building up a social media profile into your daily routine.

I love doing talks and public or private training sessions about building up a social media profile. If you’d like me to help out with a social media training session for you or your organisation, get in touch! jessica.m.riches@gmail.com

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In a day and age where everyone is seen as a publisher because of social media, lots of people get very worried that committing to building up a social media following will involve having to create lots of their own, original content. This is obviously ideal if you have the time and genuinely have reams of wisdom to share – but it isn’t necessary, if you’re new to social media and just want to find a way to fit it into your life or working life. Continue reading →

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The Glitter Side of Things

I talk a lot about Twitter on my blog. I talk a lot about Twitter in life, actually. But this blog is called Twitter and Glitter for a reason. Not because, at the tender age of 20, I ran a fantastic night in Soho’s Escape (a venue that is now long gone and resigned to our blurriest memories) that involved everyone wearing wigs and covering themselves in sparkle. But because I really do love glitter.

Glitter makes an outfit. It never breaks an outfit. It gives you cheekbones or a pout or eyes that pop, depending on where you choose to put it. You find it the next day, and the next week, and the next month, and it makes you smile because you know you had a great time.

I recently found someone as obsessed with glitter as I am. Probably more so, actually. She’s an inspirational lady and this year quit her long-term job in events to launch a website that supports independent fashion designers. And glitter.

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Let’s Get Ethical

Short update – last week I took part in a small roundtable with the CIPR (Chartered Institute of PR for those not in-the-know – I wasn’t…) to advise them on their social media and technology ethics policy.

I’ll be honest – I think most people in the room had thought about this a lot more deeply than I had in the past, as they were mainly lawyers and academics. That said, it was a fascinating afternoon, and incredibly productive.

The main conclusion I personally drew was that social media doesn’t have the same need for an ethical conduct as other disciplines, because of it’s incredibly public, consumer-empowering nature. If a brand, individual or organisation does anything that breaches a ‘code of conduct’ – purposefully or otherwise – they are likely to be found out, sooner or later.

Thank God for accountability, right?!

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Do Ello Have A Mega Growth Hacking Strategy Or What?

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You’ve definitely seen Ello by now – with people desperately begging for invites, or boasting that they have loads to give away.

But how has Ello become so ubiquitous so quickly?

According to the limited resources available online, founder Paul Budnitz says that the network’s been in use for around 100 of his collective’s artist and designer friends for over a year – they only started sending invites outside of this in April. They have no ambition to be Facebook.

Despite the rapid uptake and belief in the hype, there’s a sceptical tone in the air around Ello. How can they take on Facebook when they’re shunning advertising? The premium model they’re talking about can only go so far.

The founders say they still own the majority of the company, and they say they’re not actually interested in taking on Facebook.

However, they raised substantial VC funds ($435,000) just before this mega-spike says otherwise. Investors don’t invest without a business model that promises return.

So how have they got to the stage where they were getting sign-ups at the rate of 31,000 per hour?

Continue reading →

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Oh Hi There Generation Z

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Generation Y have come of age – even the youngest are in higher education or have jobs.

This means that there’s a new generation in town – the younger crowd who are coming into their own and becoming the new ‘cool kids’, trendsetters and taste-makers as their older counterparts venture into real life. Generation Z are under 17 and still at school, so trends, early adoption and collective behaviour can exhibit itself more clearly.

Unlike the generation before them, Generation Z aren’t approaching adulthood at a time of flux and development.

Generation Y remember that there ever was not an Internet, and were conscious and aware of the transition they were making into digital communication. It’s second nature for them. However, Generation Z cannot truly remember a time without the internet and social media.

Following on from my last look at Generation Y, I wrote this for OnePoll about the biggest differences between these generations.

Continue reading →

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Post-Alphabet: What happens after Generation Z?

Generation Z is the buzzword of the moment. Those now-16-year-olds born with iPhones in their mouths and social networked from the womb.

But, with all this excitement around a new generation to categorise and stereotype, I couldn’t help but wonder: who comes after Generation Z? What defines them, the kids being born now, and what can we call them?

There are no more letters left, so I went for the Post-Alphabet Generation.

And based on the Apple Watch keynote that just took place – post-alphabet is exactly where mobile technology is taking us.

Doodles and personalisable emoji are going to be the most frequently used form of communication. If you want to send a reply, the language in the messages you receive is scanned to automate responses. Alerts and notifications are a series of vibrations, like a tap or a nudge. Motion sensors know when you’ve lifted your wrist to even engage with your Apple Watch. There’s no keyboard, so the written alphabet is already gone in favour of dictation.

To the Post-Alphabet Generation, this first Apple Watch will be like a Nokia 3310. These, and Google Glass, won’t be fads tech giants are trying to make work. (The Apple Watch is the first sign that we’re on the way there.) In 16+ years time, they’ll have struck gold and converted us all.

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Here are my initial thoughts from last month when I started thinking about the Post-Alphabet Generation and their relationship with tech. I’m publishing now after the official Apple Watch announcement because I’m interested to hear everyone else’s thoughts!

Continue reading →

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Writing About Young People and Social Media (obviously)

Quick one!

I’ve spent the last couple of months working with the SWNS Media Group, OnePoll and 72Point on innovating their digital offerings and helping them reach a new demographic – the kids. Big things are coming for Generation Y and Generation Z.

Anyway – I’ve also done some writing!

This blog for OnePoll is an introduction to the new Youth Engagement offering that we’ve been working on, complete with GIFs:

Five Ways We’ve Been Doing Youth Research Wrong Our Whole Lives (And What We Should Actually Be Doing)

And I jotted down some tips on how PR companies can keep their social media alive when the office is empty to contribute this 72Point post:

Why Summer Is The Time To Shine On Social Media 

Read, learn and enjoy!

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The Sexy Topic Of Content Distribution

I don’t want to excite anyone too much but a quick announcement – I’m talking about the raunchy topic of CONTENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS at the Culture24 Let’s Get Real Conference in September.

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After my talk I’ll be in conversation with Tanya Cordrey, the Chief Digital Officer at the Guardian, facilitated by the lovely Anna Rafferty of Penguin Books fame.

The blurb is below and if you happen to be a digital professional in the spheres of arts or culture you can find out more and buy tickets here – http://letsgetrealconference.com/

Dreaming of Content Distribution Systems – Learning From Brands

We can’t force people to click, engage and share, but there are things we can do to make it a lot more likely that they will. How can we learn from big name brands to make sure people actually see the content we create?

See you there!

 

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A Love Letter To Selfies

Dear Selfies,

Yesterday I moved 100GB of crap off of my hard drive. Most of that was you. I found a folder of over 4,000 of you just from the first half of 2011. I laughed recalling my fondest memories with you – waking up with a mild hangover and little recollection of the 550 new additions to Photobooth from the night before. 

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I have loved you for a long time. Continue reading →

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Politics Is Doing The Internet Right

Apologies for the lack of sentence construction in that title, but I really can’t think of another way to put it. I know it’s my job to think about political social media, and most people don’t care as much as I do. But seriously guys, politics really is doing the Internet right!

Obviously there have been some awesome uses of online tools and platforms for largescale political gain in the past, for good or for bad – I’ll namecheck Obama, Kony and the Occupy movement as a sample – the list goes on and on.

However, in terms of getting day-to-day messaging across, we’ve mostly* seen Twitter and other available online tools used as a new distribution service for otherwise unaltered PR materials – and nothing more. This completely ignores the potential for a wider reach than the usual political crowd that the Internet allows.

This year, something seems to have changed. We’ve seen political organisers, informers and campaigners step it up a notch with their digital strategy in a slightly different way in the past few months: Continue reading →

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Facebook’s 10th Birthday

So I know that this was a while ago now, but I just stumbled across the event I made for it – Facebook’s 10th Birthday. (That’s a witty and imaginative name right there.)

I made this event as a joke to send to my colleagues – we sit on Facebook all day as a job, so why not wear hats and do the same thing? Anyway, despite only inviting a handful of friends, when the day came, randoms were clicking ‘attending’ on the event and using the wall as a place to congratulate the network on 10 years of great work, and posting lots of pictures of cake.

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Continue reading →

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Social Media Agony Aunt Search Terms Part 1: Social Media Addiction

This blog gets an obscene amount of hits for a site so under-updated and so un-SEOed. I would say ‘God knows how’ – but WordPress knows how. (WordPress is God?)

Anyway, using this omniscient Internet capability, I can see the main search terms that get people here. And I can see that these search terms are a CRY FOR HELP. So I’m going to offer some help.

Welcome to Social Media Agony Aunt Search Terms Part 1. (Suggestions for catchier names welcome. And knowing me there won’t be a part 2.)

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Continue reading →

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This is what social media looks like right now

Bye guys, I’m giving up Facebook because of 17 reasons Only People With Really Big Facebook Habits Will Understand. The first 6 people to respost this get a puppy. You Won’t Believe How Awe-Inspiring I’m Being whilst I win the Internet. Seriously. Just Click Here.

Grammar aside, I’m pretty sure the Internet can’t be anything but a parody of itself right now.
Continue reading →

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Happy 2014!

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Despite the fact that each January I resolve to write something longer than 140 characters in the next 12 months, another blog-less year has passed.

Frustratingly, I’ve read millions of ‘end-of-2013’ reviews that have included condensed or expanded versions of blog posts I never quite got round to publishing at a relevant time. You’re all missing out on such exceptional social media and content-related content, I apologise.

To get myself motivated this year, when MTV asked where I see myself in a year I said ‘with a book deal’. Let’s see how that works out…

Most of my other resolutions revolve around Pinterest. In the off chance I stick to them, keep track here. Words can’t express the joy of committing to a new network that’s like, actually a network. I was so devastated when Highlight didn’t take off. Oh #2013.

I’ve had a couple of new additions to my media page recently so check that out, and do get in touch if you want to work with me on something this year or just have an overwhelming urge to talk about Twitter in 2014.

Peace, love and hashtags
LMW x

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PR Week’s 30 Under 30

Pretty cool news – I’m one of PR Week’s 30 Under 30! The list is filled with some amazing people so I’m pretty glad to have made it in when nearly 200 people were put forward. I’m also one of the youngest and used as the introductory example for why people should ‘watch out’ because we’re coming to steal all the jobs, so that’s nice.

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You can read it online here, and that’s a picture of me looking very happy with the physical copy of the magazine.

Peace, love & hashtags
LMW x

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Twitter’s IPO, my live news debut & more of my #life

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Last week Twitter announced that they would be floating on the stock market. Channel 4 News asked me to come on the show and talk about it, representing Twitter’s free spirit and general user base. Watch me talking to Jon Snow here.

(I’d just had a minor routine surgery if you think I’m sitting awkwardly.)

Also in recent weeks I’ve decided to put my real name on my Twitter account. Mainly because my ‘Tweet of the Week’ on Marketing Week decided that my insight on Snapchat and Chat Roulette (yes, really) should be attributed to “Jessica”. With speech marks. So I will always be @littlemisswilde, but I may sometimes go by Jessica Riches now.

And finally: it’s Social Media Week this week! #SMWLDN feels a lot like Fashion Week but there are less people taking pictures of your clothes. Say hi if you’re around; we can talk about ‘engagement’ and Instagram our coffees, because why shouldn’t we live up to the global ‘working in social media’ stereotype?

Peace, love & hashtags
@littlemisswilde / Jessica Riches

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MY BOYFRIEND CAN’T SEE THIS: Why Social Media Will Kill My Relationship (part 1)

LEGAL STALKING

A few weeks ago, the ladies at Pamflet asked me to speak at the London launch of Emma Koenig’s FUCK! I’M IN MY TWENTIES. It’s amazing, buy it. Anyway, I used this as an opportunity to find out what the audience thought of my online behaviour towards my boyfriend. They thought I was less of a psycho than I’d anticipated so I thought ‘sod it’ and turned my talk into a series of blog posts. This is part 1. And my boyfriend has now seen this.

I freak out every time my boyfriend wants to use my MacBook for something. I usually smack his hand away before he even has a chance to move the mouse to Chrome. I’d definitely rather accidentally break his DJing hand or whatever than see the look on his face if he discovered the dark secret that lies in wait on my home page if I haven’t cleared my browsing history in the last forty five minutes. But I’m not having a raunchy affair conducted entirely through Facebook chat, I don’t have a shameful past that could be revealed by an unfortunate email at any moment and there is no addiction to obscure pornography that could be exposed with a simple mistyped URL. The truth is far worse: my most visited sites will undoubtedly always be his Facebook and Twitter profiles.

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