A is for Abysmal
As in my posting on this blog.
I must admit I have posted a lot more recently than I thought I had. My most recent post was about the Bellowhead Broadside album launch party.
Even before that my posts were a little inconsistent however. Then as of October it stopped completely. Is this pure laziness? No it is not and let me tell you why.
As in my posting on this blog.
I must admit I have posted a lot more recently than I thought I had. My most recent post was about the Bellowhead Broadside album launch party.
Even before that my posts were a little inconsistent however. Then as of October it stopped completely. Is this pure laziness? No it is not and let me tell you why.
Despite being unemployed (More on that later) I managed to
find myself taking on more and more new projects as of the end of last year.
First and foremost I will no longer review Folk music on this blog. This is because I am now writing for one of the UK’s main Folk review websites: Bright Young Folk (http://www.brightyoungfolk.com)
So if you want news and reviews on Folk, please refer to there. (I will probably post links to my reviews as they crop up on here). I’m really pleased by this advancement as it really will help me with my desired career.
On which note, start of January I enrolled to start Presenter training for KCC Live, a community Radio Station up here in Liverpool (well Knowsley, they get touchy about that), and I am hoping to start a new Folk music show with them soon!
Despite my five years in amateur Radio now I haven’t really done much in the way of a Folk Music show, my last couple of attempts have been very short lived, my time as Station Manager for Liverpool Hope University’s Radio Hope was only five months and I think I only started my show in the second month of that. I then decided this year to start that show ‘Folklore’ up again but I have only managed two shows and now I have to stop again (again more later).
What has happened, much to my surprise, is my networking skills have improved. I went on a twitter campaign and started contact several folk bands (starting with come contacts I already had in Flaming June. They have a new EP out by the way ‘Rumpelstiltskin & the Perils and Promises of Womanhood’) and since then loads of bands have started sending me demo CD’s and agreed to interviews. This along with the music I have been getting from Bright Young Folk has all been very helpful.
This was of course until I had to pull ‘Folklore’ at a moment’s notice. I’m not extremely worried as if things get better I should get a new Folk show with KCC Live fairly soon. Although herein lies an issue.
With being officially unemployed I have to have finding paid work as my main priority. I could leech off benefits and my parents and survive but frankly I don’t like doing it, I’m sure the tax payer does not like me doing it and it has left me feeling down in the dumps of late.
I finally thought I was getting somewhere with this as an agency who do disability support in Universities called Clear Links agreed to take me on. The way this works had me curious since you get given individual clients... that makes this a very odd time to be taken on.
I was still excited at first thinking this would be perfect. I could work for Clear Links and get myself a fair amount of cash, get off the dole and then do the reviews and Radio on the side until I get a paid job doing that.
Of course if something sounds too good to be true it usually is. I have to wait for an e-mail which will give me two weeks notice before the next registration day for Clear Links. So this means it will probably be a while because they are unlikely to need to register me until near the start of the next academic year. (I’m assuming).
So I was kind of back to square one. Then I was contacted by the Work Experience department of the DWP and they had found a placement which could be suited to me. This job is working for a children’s education website called The Daily Mice. I went to a meeting at the headquarters and as a result I start tomorrow.
Now this could go on for about eight weeks as voluntary work experience. There is a chance (a high chance they say but who really knows) that I can get a paid job with them afterwards. If this comes to be then that would be very nice and I can finally get some stability into my day. I think it will be easier to do things like blogging and learning to play my Melodeon and maybe even more consistent exercise if I have this set work pattern to keep me in check.
It has however, mucked up my other plans. I do not know for certain when the Clear Links registration day is, so for all I know I’ll get an e-mail tomorrow saying it’s in two weeks. It may not come until after the placement and I have been offered a full time job.
It has also come at an awkward time as tomorrow I was meant to sit my presenter exam for KCC and I have a final assignment due in on Friday.
Here is another reason I have called this post Abysmal. People’s response times to e-mails.
I keep my phone on my 24/7 and I get all e-mails through to my phone. I check every e-mail that comes through throughout the day and I reply in some capacity, even if it is just to confirm it has been received. I hate it when this is not reciprocated. Now some people would argue that they never answer e-mails outside of work time. Generally fair enough. But not in Radio. The industry does not work like that.
For this exact problem arises. I sent an e-mail on Thursday to say I can no longer sit the exam at the appointed time and need to reschedule to an evening. I have not even been given my booking time to use the Studios for my final project yet, which is now extremely limited if I am to complete for Friday.
Since I have not had a reply I do not even know if they received the e-mail. So I will have to try again tomorrow which may not get a reply until Wednesday. I only have tomorrow and Wednesday night available.
Uh.
Abysmal.
DFTBA
First and foremost I will no longer review Folk music on this blog. This is because I am now writing for one of the UK’s main Folk review websites: Bright Young Folk (http://www.brightyoungfolk.com)
So if you want news and reviews on Folk, please refer to there. (I will probably post links to my reviews as they crop up on here). I’m really pleased by this advancement as it really will help me with my desired career.
On which note, start of January I enrolled to start Presenter training for KCC Live, a community Radio Station up here in Liverpool (well Knowsley, they get touchy about that), and I am hoping to start a new Folk music show with them soon!
Despite my five years in amateur Radio now I haven’t really done much in the way of a Folk Music show, my last couple of attempts have been very short lived, my time as Station Manager for Liverpool Hope University’s Radio Hope was only five months and I think I only started my show in the second month of that. I then decided this year to start that show ‘Folklore’ up again but I have only managed two shows and now I have to stop again (again more later).
What has happened, much to my surprise, is my networking skills have improved. I went on a twitter campaign and started contact several folk bands (starting with come contacts I already had in Flaming June. They have a new EP out by the way ‘Rumpelstiltskin & the Perils and Promises of Womanhood’) and since then loads of bands have started sending me demo CD’s and agreed to interviews. This along with the music I have been getting from Bright Young Folk has all been very helpful.
This was of course until I had to pull ‘Folklore’ at a moment’s notice. I’m not extremely worried as if things get better I should get a new Folk show with KCC Live fairly soon. Although herein lies an issue.
With being officially unemployed I have to have finding paid work as my main priority. I could leech off benefits and my parents and survive but frankly I don’t like doing it, I’m sure the tax payer does not like me doing it and it has left me feeling down in the dumps of late.
I finally thought I was getting somewhere with this as an agency who do disability support in Universities called Clear Links agreed to take me on. The way this works had me curious since you get given individual clients... that makes this a very odd time to be taken on.
I was still excited at first thinking this would be perfect. I could work for Clear Links and get myself a fair amount of cash, get off the dole and then do the reviews and Radio on the side until I get a paid job doing that.
Of course if something sounds too good to be true it usually is. I have to wait for an e-mail which will give me two weeks notice before the next registration day for Clear Links. So this means it will probably be a while because they are unlikely to need to register me until near the start of the next academic year. (I’m assuming).
So I was kind of back to square one. Then I was contacted by the Work Experience department of the DWP and they had found a placement which could be suited to me. This job is working for a children’s education website called The Daily Mice. I went to a meeting at the headquarters and as a result I start tomorrow.
Now this could go on for about eight weeks as voluntary work experience. There is a chance (a high chance they say but who really knows) that I can get a paid job with them afterwards. If this comes to be then that would be very nice and I can finally get some stability into my day. I think it will be easier to do things like blogging and learning to play my Melodeon and maybe even more consistent exercise if I have this set work pattern to keep me in check.
It has however, mucked up my other plans. I do not know for certain when the Clear Links registration day is, so for all I know I’ll get an e-mail tomorrow saying it’s in two weeks. It may not come until after the placement and I have been offered a full time job.
It has also come at an awkward time as tomorrow I was meant to sit my presenter exam for KCC and I have a final assignment due in on Friday.
Here is another reason I have called this post Abysmal. People’s response times to e-mails.
I keep my phone on my 24/7 and I get all e-mails through to my phone. I check every e-mail that comes through throughout the day and I reply in some capacity, even if it is just to confirm it has been received. I hate it when this is not reciprocated. Now some people would argue that they never answer e-mails outside of work time. Generally fair enough. But not in Radio. The industry does not work like that.
For this exact problem arises. I sent an e-mail on Thursday to say I can no longer sit the exam at the appointed time and need to reschedule to an evening. I have not even been given my booking time to use the Studios for my final project yet, which is now extremely limited if I am to complete for Friday.
Since I have not had a reply I do not even know if they received the e-mail. So I will have to try again tomorrow which may not get a reply until Wednesday. I only have tomorrow and Wednesday night available.
Uh.
Abysmal.
DFTBA
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