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Conrad
11-09-2009, 14:18
Well todays project is to look at Twitter. We have a twitter feed that I want to integrate into the site. It is a bit of an experiment as being honest I don't really get Twitter - there are definitely some pubs that do though, we have so far been found by the following tweeters:

photoshopreview (http://twitter.com/photoshopreview) - Being honest have no idea what this is about
ArfurD (http://twitter.com/ArfurD) - Editor of the Brew Wales (http://twitter.com/ArfurD) blog
DanielPearce (http://twitter.com/DanielPearce) - Editor of the Publican (http://www.thepublican.com/) publication (nice to be found by)
PubnBarNetwork (http://twitter.com/PubnBarNetwork) - Not sure who these are to be honest
ratandratchet (http://twitter.com/ratandratchet) - An Ossett Brewery (http://ossett-brewery.co.uk/pubs.html) pub in Huddersfield (PG-link (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/40704/))
TheCastleInn (http://twitter.com/TheCastleInn) - A pub in West Lulworth (http://www.thecastleinn-lulworthcove.co.uk/) who are big fans of dogs (PG-link (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/60617/))

The last 2 are pubs who seem to have gotten their heads round using Twitter far better than I have. They use it to promote the beers they are serving and festivals at their venues.

I am hoping to set it up so that these pubs can have their twitter feed shown straight on the Pubs Galore page giving our site users a hint about what is being served at these pubs.

Conrad

Soup Dragon
11-09-2009, 16:13
I have no real idea what it is, mate - just hear its popular. Modern communication is beyond me - i deal with parchment for a living remember!:D

Conrad
11-09-2009, 16:21
Missed opportunity, the Archivist twitter, boiling down your work on a daily basis to 140 letters.

Soup Dragon
11-09-2009, 16:26
Missed opportunity, the Archivist twitter, boiling down your work on a daily basis to 140 letters.

Dont laugh, Squire, someone set me up on it as 'Archivist', as a ploy to get interest in archives/history etc. I just cant find where the profile is to enter anything. I got a few messages from great looking ladies:) saying they were following me;) - turns out the were advertising as well :(

Conrad
11-09-2009, 16:30
Been there had those, same thing happened on my set up which I created to try and work out how it all worked. There are some good twitter feeds out there, but I really don't get it.

Filo
13-09-2009, 14:05
Hi,

I set up a Myspace account just to stop my kids going on about it to me. It lasted three months before it was boring me to tears and I got rid of the account. So then they wanted me to have a Myspace account so they could keep in touch while they were at University, but they didnt, and since all the contacts I got came from people who sounded a bit strange, I got rid of that too. None of my, kids have mentioned Twitter. I'm not sure if they think I am getting to old to be interested, or that they are older themselves and have better things to do with their time. Either way I won't be getting involved in twitter. I can't imagine anyone being interested in what I do at work, since I dont actually do much at all, and every day is the same as the last. :(

Filo

Filo
13-09-2009, 14:08
P.S.

The second reference to Myspace in the second line was supposed to be "Facebook".

Filo :o

Conrad
13-09-2009, 14:33
Ahh you got in a bit quick there. I was going to ask about Facebook.

I have never tried MySpace and genuinely don't understand it, it does seem to be more for music artists to me (gross generalisation).

Facebook I kind of dally with, to my mind it has picked up where Friends Reunited left off, and I think it still has quite a lot to offer. I have been toying with adding some Facebook features to the site, but it is more work and I don't think offers much to PG at the moment. One I will watch though, and I do occasionally enjoy playing on it.

Twitter just seems to be the ultimate vanity toy to me, regular cries out of look @ me, I'm doing this. I'm told that I just don't get it though and equally assured that it is a threat to Google. Apparently you just have to ask a question and it magically gets answered (I don't see it, but then maybe I don't have enough friends :o). To be more positive about it though, we have already seen a few pub sites posting about what guest ales they are taking on - something I would love to list for every pub. So if we can pass through their Tweets onto PG it is at least a start for some.

Conrad
13-10-2009, 14:11
Well we have done some minor Twitter enhancements. More to come I hope.

For the moment though we have attached the following pubs Twitter feeds to their pub page:

Rat & Ratchet - Huddersfield (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/40704/)
The Castle Inn - Lulworth Cove (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/60617/) - (Alex Halliday's pub)
Kings Head - Beccles (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/34726/)
Kilverts - Hay on Wye (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55326/) - (Eddie86's pub)

The Twitter feed will be updated every hour, so we will sadly not be showing every post as it happens (particularly not Alex's who is an astonishingly prolific Tweeter). Although they do link to the Twitter feed hopefully allowing interested people to then follow the feeds.

There are some minor improvements planned that may appear at random, but let us know if there is anything you would like to see (or not in fact). Would be really interested if Ed or Alex have any feedback on this feature as well.

Just in case any publican is reading this and wants to know how to join basically just follow our Twitter feed and we will sort it, but more info in my blog (http://blog.pubsgalore.co.uk/2009/10/twitter-feeds.html).

Soup Dragon
13-10-2009, 15:06
i went out with a few friends around Bloxwich the other week and one of them Twittered in every pub (to be fair, he does run a bloxwich blog website - on which my blocko pub comments appear too). With the twits he received, i thought it was a waste of time coming out, as he didnt speak to us, just with the virtual world. Mad.

Conrad
13-10-2009, 15:12
I have friends who seem to only virtually date :). Wondering now if I can get away with a joke about virtual marriage, but I suspect it could see me making my own food for a long time to come.

Anyway, you should add your friends Bloxwich site to our Bloxwich page (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/towns/bloxwich/west-midlands/).

Soup Dragon
13-10-2009, 15:26
i'll text him:p

Eddie86
13-10-2009, 16:43
I regularly search twitter for Hay on Wye, to see what people are saying - one tweet mentioned excellent pub lunch, lovely draft cider but draft perry tasting of vinegar. As I'd had to take a perry of the bar this weekend I thought it might be us - tweeted him offering him a free pint next time he's in - one happy customer that might not have come back :D

Love the tweet feed, I can see this site becoming more popular than, well, other *ahem* sites. Have to go - I fancy a BITE to eat :D

Soup Dragon
13-10-2009, 16:48
I had to drop you a PM on on the *ahem* other site, as i dont think yours is set up on here. I think that proves my comment on customer service though for your place!

Conrad
13-10-2009, 16:54
Pm's should work on here, if not let me know (me being nervous we have something broken here).

Ed, glad you like the Twitter stuff, I would love to do more for the publican side of the site if it is simple add ons like that, I believe if we can get them interested it is better for the visitors to the site. One of the improvements I have to do is make the link to the Twitter feed more visible, so that will appear in the next couple of days.

Also well done on the customer service, I wish a fraction of the places I went to offered good service in the place, let alone once I have left it.

Conrad
14-10-2009, 20:14
Ok, just made the links on the pub page a little more visible if there is a Twitter feed. Also made our Twitter feed visible on the front page, and a link off to a page with all the pub Twitter feeds we know about. The list is randomised so as not to give anyone priority. In general hopefully a little more visibility on PG for those pubs on Twitter though.

Oh and a big shout out to Ed for mentioning us on his feed, we got a spike in people on Twitter last night and I think that was a huge contributer, so thanks a lot.

Eddie86
14-10-2009, 21:24
Always happy to help :D Now about that giant advert at the top of every page advertising a certain pub...

Seriously, I think the site is cracking, and innovation and support shown to pubs from the owners deserves thanks. Simply mentioning you every now and then is the least we can do :D

That doesn't mean you can start slacking, letting HQ team-members go on holiday and the like :eek:

arwkrite
15-10-2009, 00:36
Like Mr Arch I just dont get the fascination of Twitter, Texting, Face book and mobile phones in general. I even have a strong phobia about ordinary phones.
I go to a pub and without exception I will see someone fiddling with their phone all evening while their friend stares into space obviously bored out of their skull. I consider such action plain rudeness. Its like saying to your friend that you would rather be in someone elses company.
As to the lax security on these new methods of communication it defies belief. Now we have not one but two divorces ongoing in the family. All because of messages and photos on Face book and emails on the PC and texts and phone numbers on mobiles. If you carry on with another man/woman or meerkat why leave easily available evidence in every IT device you own. Take this as a warning . Do not covet thy neighbours Ass . Meerkat or Partner. What a pair of Plonkers.

Conrad
15-10-2009, 12:00
Security is an odd one, it is certainly not unheard of for me to take advantage of lax security, for instance when my neighbours wireless network was getting on my nerves I may have changed the name of the network to suggest that they should make it secure. The trouble is though all of this is advancing faster than people know how to cope with, but for most it is outweighed by the pleasure they get from playing with their new toys.

Couldn't agree more about the phones when out with mates thing though, how rude. That said when out with Dave it is actually quite amusing at times to watch him try and field his many responsibilities (:D) via text messaging - antisocial git :p.

Dave M
15-10-2009, 13:42
That said when out with Dave it is actually quite amusing at times to watch him try and field his many responsibilities (:D) via text messaging - antisocial git :p.

You're just jealous of my very active anti-social life! :cool:


I have friends who seem to only virtually date :)

Nothing wrong with virtual dates. The alternative is ending up in an O'Neill's, being forced to drink lager due to a total lack of beer and then having a hangover all the following day at work. Not that anything like that has happened to me this week.

aleandhearty
15-10-2009, 15:14
Hi Conrad

It's funny that you mentioned the Rat and Ratchet in Huddersfield because they contributed to my Twitter epiphany also. It was whilst I was dipping into the excellent Huddersfield based beer/brewery/pubs blog 'aswiftone' that I realised...hang on this is actually useful.

Three other superb venues contribute to the blog The Sportsman, The Star and The White Horse, Emley. I wonder if they might also be interested in having their tweets on PG?

Conrad
15-10-2009, 15:16
Nothing wrong with virtual dates. The alternative is ending up in an O'Neill's, being forced to drink lager due to a total lack of beer and then having a hangover all the following day at work. Not that anything like that has happened to me this week.
How are you trying to claim that there is not a link between drinking at O'Neill's and virtual dates?

Conrad
15-10-2009, 16:50
Hi Conrad

It's funny that you mentioned the Rat and Ratchet in Huddersfield because they contributed to my Twitter epiphany also. It was whilst I was dipping into the excellent Huddersfield based beer/brewery/pubs blog 'aswiftone' that I realised...hang on this actually useful.

Three other superb venues contribute to the blog The Sportsman, The Star and The White Horse, Emley. I wonder if they might also be interested in having their tweets on PG?
Hi aleandhearty,

Sorry I overlooked this.

Twittering certainly has it's uses, I have to admit I am not quite in tune with some of the more dramatic claims, but I am coming round to some of it. As to pubs using it, my own personal feeling is that if a pub is currently using it then they are an innovator, and as such more likely to actually be trying to please their customers. A broad assertion to make, but an indicator at least. And I do think that the ones we have flagged are using it in a good way.

As to those 3, we are kind of against aggressive marketing, I know if people were to just start sending messages to me I would treat it as spam. We will give it some thought, and may well try approaching them to get them onboard.

At the moment we are asking those whose Tweets are being displayed on PG to follow our Tweets, which we then use to promote ourselves, so they may view that as an unnecessary annoyance.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I will let you know where we go with it.

Conrad
23-10-2009, 17:00
Hi aleandhearty,

Just as another follow up (being appallingly slow on this one), I have just tried contacting those 3 pubs (not sure if I got it right though, I am still trying to understand Twitter). So hopefully they will join in on the site.

Also the A Swift One blog (http://www.aswiftone.com/) is quite interesting, so thanks for that pointer.

Conrad