about

I am a consultant, educator and journalist focusing on the Internet and all aspects of digital technology.

I have advised schools, SMEs and not-for-profit organisations on how to exploit the collaborative and publishing opportunities offered by the Internet, and have written for numerous publications (including The Guardian and Macworld) on topics ranging from personal publishing, online communities, and other web 2.0 phenomena. And I occasionally write code.


Current assignments include writing a blog for ZDNet called The Social Web, and editor of last100.com (a blog co-published with Richard MacManus of Read/WriteWeb).

I'm also the writer and director of the documentary, In Search of the Valley: a personal journey into the psyche of Silicon Valley.

In 2002 I was made a fellow of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (nesta.org.uk), and from 2004 - 2005 I served on the board of governors for the University of East London.

The Social Web (my ZDNet blog)

Yahoo Buzz! opens up, let the gaming begin
Buzz, Yahoo's social news site and “meme tracker”, has opened its submission process so that any site on the Web can now be 'buzzed'. Prior to today, only select publishers were allowed into the program, with around 400 sites vying for the top prize of being featured on the Yahoo.com homepage.

Snap2Face: Facebook lands on Windows Mobile
Just like their iPhone, Palm and Blackberry brethren, Windows Mobile users now have a native Facebook client for their cellphone. Snap2Face isn't an official effort but comes courtesy of New Jersey-based Magnifoca Inc.

Lessons from Twitter’s SMS shut down
The news that Twitter has shut down its outbound SMS service in the UK highlights two problems with our industry: A consumer culture whereby you can't charge for something that was once provided for free (the Web 2.0 syndrome), and that Silicon Valley doesn't understand Europe.

Twitter moves to combat ‘follow spam’
In a move to combat so-called 'follow spam', Twitter has begun limiting the number of people any one user can follow.

BlueWhaleMail: Facebook messages “pushed” to your cellphone
I'm not a fan of Facebook's messaging system, but for many it's fast replacing email. It's not surprising then to see a company targeting this trend by offering a "push" solution for Facebook messaging on a cellphone.