It’s nearly a year since I started Openmike so I had a look through a few posts to work out what I had learnt.
My first post was on the 20th July with Prêt à Porter which, considering I was just wanting to show a bit of initial lightheartedness, seemed to hit a serious chord with people. In fact I have been in two recent conversations about the subject of work attire where I was representing the more liberal viewpoint. And funnily enough I don’t think whether you see contemporary lack of formalwear as abhorrent or something to be aspired to is anything to do with age. As I said most pretentiously in the post, we live in post-modern times.
Quite a few questions this last year relate to the account handler’s relationship with the creative department and the ensuing frustrations. That tranche of questions can be found here and you need to check out the A Few Good Men spoof which I have only just recently come across.
The business book I most enjoyed reading was Jon Steel’s Perfect Pitch, about the drive for new business, and I was glad that I had the chance through email to tell Jon directly how good that book is.
Doing the blog has opened my eyes to other blogs though interestingly I have noticed quite a few have slowed down, stopped entirely or moved their content into other areas. Adverblog is a daily inspiration but feels more like a slick commercial venture. So my award for best other homespun blog goes to Dave Mance’s Real Men Write Long Copy. He is very funny, consistently present and the only person I know who has related pitching to premature ejaculation.
I totally understand why a few bloggers have lost steam – it is another commitment fighting against work and personal life, sometimes a busman’s holiday and - when you know you need to overhaul some parts of the site - often gnaws on your conscience like peeling wallpaper.
So thinking back to a year ago when I had no clue even know how to publish a post or once I had embarked on it whether I would get beyond Christmas, it feels a good thing to have done. It definitely pushes my thinking and hopefully helps those who read it.
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