As someone who started blogging at the start of 2003 the Business Week article was a tipping point. It was when I began to get approaches from global PR firms and their clients eager to learn about how social media would impact on their work. I first spoke at a social media conference in November 2005 (organised by Don’t Panic and Philip Young at the University of Sunderland).

I originally started blogging as a local councillor, and I’d love to be able to claim it was that as a public relations professional I’d had some great insight as to how social media would disrupt traditional media and communications channels. But it was nothing so profound, it was simply that I thought doing a blog would be a lot easier than maintaining my councillor website (which forced me to try and understand things like FTP and HTML). It was a lot easier, but more importantly I very quickly found that it was actually a lot better. Suddenly I was able to have conversations and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in my ward far better than I had before. It was only about a month later I realised it could also have enormous potential for me as a public relations professional.

When Business Week ran its ‘Blogs will change your business’ cover blogs were at the peak of inflated expectation on the Gartner hype cycle. As the work we’re doing at Wolfstar demonstrates we’ve now reached the slope of enlightenment. The Time front cover asking ‘How Twitter will change the way we live’ is another indication that micro-blogging or Twitter is at the peak of inflated expectation.

If you’d like to see some case studies demonstrating real social media success for businesses in the UK and globally then give me a call on +44 (0)845 838 7282.

At Leeds Business Week my session is looking at business and the social web. For a lay audience it will examine how businesses need to adapt to the changes that the social internet is bringing and how it is not just about technology and the ubiquitous Twitter and Facebook.

It’s part of the Leeds leads the future of the digital industry stream. You can register to attend in person here, or we’ll also be live streaming it via Kyte on the Leeds Business Week website. You can follow what’s happening at Leeds Business Week on Twitter and join in using the #hashtag #leedsbizweek.

Leeds Business Week runs from June 1 to June 5, culminating with the Yorkshire International Business Conference where speakers include John Cleese, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics guitarist and now successful businessman) Tim Smit (Eden Project), round the world yacht’s woman Tracy Edwards and the Daily Telegraph’s Matt cartoonist.

Disclaimer: Marketing Leeds, the organiser of Leeds Business Week is a client of Wolfstar.

It’s based around the list of the DVDs that Barack Obama gave to Gordon Brown. The idea is that you take two points for every film you own and have seen (only one if you own it but haven’t got round to watching it yet), one point if you’ve seen it but don’t own the DVD, and no points for those you haven’t either watched, purchased or been given.

OWN: The Godfather, It’s a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia – 8 points

SEEN: Star Wars: Episode IV, Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain, , Schindler’s List, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz, The Searchers, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Chinatown, Some Like it Hot, ET: The Extra-Terrestrial – 15 points

NEVER SEEN: Raging Bull, City Lights, Sunset Boulevard, The General, The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird

So I get 23 points out of 50, exactly the same as Tom’s (and with us both owning The Godfather and It’s a Wonderful Life).

I tag David Brain, Andy Wake, Philip Young and Rob Skinner.

If you can’t attend in person then we’ve created a Twitter hash tag of #wolfstarparty and we’ll also be streaming live video via Qik from a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (disclosure, Sony Ericsson is a client).

As we couldn’t find anything more memorable on that day we’ve also decided to honour Cassius Clay, who on 25 February 1964 was crowned heavy weight champion of the world. As Muhammed Ali is one of the world’s most prominent Parkinson’s Disease sufferers we also want to help raise some money for the Parkinson’s Disease Society.

Everyone who makes a donation and Twitters or blogs using the #wolfstarparty hash tag will be entered into a draw to win a week in a luxury apartment at the exclusive La Manga Club (dates open, subject to availability). You don’t need to attend the party to donate and participate in the draw.

So please visit our Justgiving Wolfstar’s Cinnamon Club party page and donate now!

#wolfstarparty

XP: Wolfstar blog

• What are the greatest areas of potential benefit in councils using social media?

Interesting one this. My advice is often ‘don’t think too big’. Some of the best social media ROI might come from smaller or niche uses. For example how about using you can use it to improve communication within an area management structure in order to reduce the number of meetings required between officers, community groups, members and other organisations.

• How can councils support local communities and individuals in becoming digitally enabled and empowered?

Don’t aim too high. Initially you don’t need to convert/empower/support the wider community. Start off with the ‘empowered citizen’ (sometimes known as the ‘usual suspects’) who are already active in community groups and forums.

• How can local and hyper-local social networks increase community cohesion and empowerment.

Yes, but as an addition to face-to-face real world communication, not as a replacement.

• How can councillors develop their leadership and communication skills using social media?

This must be down to councillors themselves with support from their political parties. I think I was the first councillor in the UK to start a blog and one thing that made it successful was that it was political. The ‘local politics’ posts were the most popular, for example knocking the Tory executive member for leisure because he cancelled our local November 5 bonfire. If councillors have official support they can’t create the content that really interests and fires up local people. But thing councillors must understand is that a successful local ward blog isn’t the same as a national political blog.

• How can councils create the space for community conversations without overpowering them?

Not sure what is meant by ‘create the space’. The spaces already exist and it is about finding appropriate ways to participate. That means looking at what you can give, rather than what you can take. It’s no different to how businesses should be behaving in the space. ‘Create the space’ sounds dangerously close to ‘build it and they will come’ – well they won’t necessarily.

• How can social media be used for more effective social marketing encouraging the behaviour change necessary to achieve complex outcomes?

Huge question and not space to answer here, other than to say that’s already what we’re doing for some of Wolfstar’s clients.

• What’s the ‘next practice’ in social media, including virtual worlds and more?

Everyone has their predictions, with lots published on blogs as new year forecasts. I’m not going to get into that game other than to say that mobile and convergence will become even more important.

If you’re really interested in social media for local government then I’d highly recommend you read Simon Wakeman’s blog, he’s the head of marketing at Medway Council.

Amelia Torode attended the launch of the IPA’s social media research paper and wasn’t very impressed. Simon Collister has read the CIPR’s updated social media guidelines and wasn’t very impressed.

I can’t comment much on the IPA research as I wasn’t asked to contribute to the research, wasn’t invited to the launch and haven’t yet shelled out to buy the report. But I respect Amelia’s opinion, so don’t have high hopes for one I eventually read it.

I was invited to contribute to the updated CIPR social media guidelines, but chose not to for the same reason as I didn’t contribute to the first version. I’m just not convinced that a separate set of guidelines are required. The CIPR already has a professional code of conduct that all members should abide by. The code covers what we do in any discipline and we don’t have separate ones for media relations, stakeholder relations or investor relations – so why for social media?

And Simon quite rightly questions its interpretation of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Asking if the regulations really do outlaw ‘ghosted’ blogs. The guidelines appear to be confused about the difference between ghosted and fake blogs, the first of which is usually bad practice and the second of which is illegal.

As the voice and content of the consumer becomes ever more important it will be interesting to see how quickly the trade bodies that represent old vested interests are able to adapt.

For the record I’m a massive supporter of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and have volunteered my time to sit on committees and speak at conferences. However, on this I don’t think we’re there yet.

So here goes. The management of National Express East Coast are without doubt one of the most disgraceful showers I’ve ever had the displeasure to do business with. Since taking over the east coast franchise from GNER the standards of service have consistently gone down hill while prices have gone up.

With GNER the only complaint I ever really had was the expense and that wasn’t totally GNER’s fault as it was as much to do with government subsidy levels and franchise costs.

The people who I really feel sorry for are the lions led by donkeys. The hard working National Express East Coast staff who sometimes unfortunately have to bear the brunt of passengers anger. It’s not their fault that their bosses are complete idiots.

Since January 5 I’ve made about six or seven journeys and each one has been far worse than what you used to experience before they brought in the new ‘improved’ service. It wouldn’t be so bad if they would admit that they are money grabbing oiks, but to spin it that it is i response to passenger demand is shameful.

This picture is of my first class table on this morning’s 9:40 from Leeds to King’s Cross. You can see that it hasn’t even been cleaned since the previous journey and is covered in coffee stains, discarded sugar wrappers and empty water bottles. I doubt this isn’t meant to happen, but it has on virtually every journey recently. I guess it is because of staff cuts.

The second photograph shows how tables now look in first class. Before Christmas you got a trolley service with a friendly waiter/waitress offering you a complimentary selection of coffee, tea, a choice of cookies and fresh fruit. They had fresh milk in a jug.

Now your table is cluttered with a pile of rubbish including water bottles, plastic cups, one choice of biscuit (lemon curd!), sachets of tomato ketchup and brown sauce etc. What’s causing most complaint amongst my fellow passengers is some nasty little tubes called ‘Dairystix’ instead of the fresh milk.

As part of this service-cutting National Express East Coast has also reduced the restaurant car service to almost nothing.

It is evident that National Express has broken the promises it made when it obtained the East Coast franchise on August 14, 2007. The Department of Transport news release makes it clear that ‘full dining services reatined on 87 weekday trains.’ A lie?

The news release also claimed ‘A simpler website that will highlight the cheapest tickets available.’ That was another lie? The website hardly ever gives you the cheapest tickets available as the Martin Lewis’ Moneysavingexpert.com website makes clear.

I’m also extremely dubious about National Express East Coast’s claim that the changes are in response to customer research. There is a Wolfstar person travelling up and down from Leeds to London at least once or twice a week. We also know a lot of people who do the same journey. Not a single person we’ve spoken to was surveyed. I challenge National Express to publish the full research report and not just the spun version in its news release.

For this reduced level of service National Express East Coast charge you an eye-watering £334! Just for reference you can hire a Mercedes and chauffer to drive you to London and back for about £550, so for just two people travelling it is cheaper to choose the more environmentally damaging route. Admittedly you can get less expensive tickets, but not much cheaper if you want to leave London between about 15:00 and 19:00. And the only way to get the cheapest tickets is by knowing that the National Express website doesn’t give you them, despite its promise when it won the franchise.

And don’t get me started on the free wifi. At least when you had to pay for it (although first class was always free) it usually worked. Now the connection is far more sporadic (which is why at the moment I’m waiting to complete this post as I can’t get the National Express East Coast website to work on my laptop and it isn’t designed to work on mobiles). I didn’t get my connection back before the train reached London and it’s taken me numerous attempts and almost an hour into the journey before I could get this connection.

The hair shirt socialist in me always feels a bit uncomfortable about travelling first class, but the practical reality is that standard class is nearly always far too crowded to enable you to do any meaningful work on the journey.

Back in the days of GNER it was one of the brands on my list of who I really wanted to work for. I naively put National Express on the same list. It isn’t anymore as in the words of President Elect Obama: ‘you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.’

p.s. When I Twittered about this I had an excellent suggestion from 10Yeti’s Andrew Barr. I might just do it.

And it looks like Rob Brown at Staniforth is having issues with Virgin Rail:

Rant over, thank you for reading (if anyone’s actually made it this far!)

UPDATE: If you want to rant about National Express East Coast on your blog or Twitter then lets all use this hash tag #NEEC

It isn’t and shouldn’t be as that wouldn’t be a sensible strategy. Instead it is far more likely to be used as a resource and hub for Labour members (and crucially supporters and friends). My initial impressions are very favourable.

Derek has already posted his initial response to the first round of criticism.

I will be posting a more in-depth analysis, but probably not until at least next weekend as I’m very busy with client projects and two new business pitches this week.

A few minutes ago LiveGuy popped into our office to talk about his mission:

Incidentally I recorded him Using my Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (disclaimer: client), which to help close the circle just happens to be available on Vodafone.

If you can figure out the clues and catch up with LiveGuy then there is still chance to win one of the three remaining Dell netbooks that he is giving away.