The one about the visiting relatives

It’s been a manic few weeks and I haven’t written a thing, not here and not on Social Media Daily. We’ve had visiting relies: Mum, my in-laws and at the moment, my sister and her boyfriend. We’ve overindulged, got drenched at the Blue Mountains and sunburnt at Palm Beach. There were a few moments I could’ve caused physical harm, but at the end of the day, when the taxi arrived and one of my beloveds jumped in en route to the airport, it was surprisingly emotional.

In other news: Our mates Gene and Donna got married in Newcastle (I overcame my fear of weddings and actually enjoyed the day), busted moves on the dance floor with Russell Brand, Paris Hilton and Tony Abbott at a friend’s housewarming dressed as Katy Perry and finally, my Masters is complete.

Epically, our trip is now less than a month away. And we’re completely unprepared. Our Spanish hasn’t evolved and we’re still sans salsa lessons and snorkelling practice. Immunisations, our Cuban visas and various internal flights are still to be organised...

The one about the champion becoming the coach

Today, a dream I didn’t know I even had, until about maybe two months ago, came true.

I’ve copped a bit of flak over the years as an obsessed Essendon supporter with a crush on former captain, Brownlow medallist and all-round golden boy, James Hird. And today, it became official; Essendon’s favourite son is returning to coach the black and red. Hird’s return marks the end of a difficult period under the now-sacked Matthew Knights, a man who over promised and, by all accounts, significantly under delivered.

But as I rejoiced, it appeared, the rest of the nation got their cynical on.

I get it. He’s a 37-year-old untried coach. A former club legend whose appointment may be viewed as a marketing / supporter ploy. And while we’re all entitled to an opinion or online rant, this hardly justifies the barrage of negative comments posted on the Herald Sun website in force. Less than two hours after the story broke, I posted the 172^nd comment. Recognising my clear bias, my issue is not with the question mark around the appointment as such, but more so the unsportsmanlike display on a mass scale.

Just because you don’t agree with the decision, doesn’t give you the right to literally hate a team, or their supporters with an intensity usually reserved for a war criminal. While passion is a staple of sport, stating that you hope the team finishes last, that he’s crap and never wins a game, that he’s undeserving or that Essendon deserves a bad coach, is nothing short of unsportsmanlike and quite frankly, embarrassing. Criticism is path for the course for high profile sports men and women, but Hird hasn’t so much as held a team meeting. The animosity that came through today was bewildering. Debating the decision and advocating a position is great, otherwise what's the point of even barracking for a team if you can't get involved in the banter? But I'm not sure why so many comments took a nasty note.

Interestingly, a lot of others asked the same in the latter comments that came through. And no, not all were Essendon supporters.

One line of commentary that caused particular exception was the angry call of dishonesty; that Hird had deceived the nation by failing to put his hand up publicly for the position. I commented on the Herald Sun website, and I ask the same question now, who tells their current boss they’re going to quit their job before they’ve lined up something else? Furthermore, few of us would have a multi-million dollar business to consider.

I want the haters to be wrong, not just because I’ve barracked for the club my entire life, but because I’d be very interested to see, come round 22 next year, what everyone will be saying.

The one about India

In just under a week, the Commonwealth’s best athletes and their uncertain entourage will arrive in India. Dirty, hectic, unapologetically raw India.

While one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful places to visit, many scoff at the thought of battling the heavily-populated streets, preferring destinations less complex. With unprecedented international scrutiny and the threat of terrorist activity looming, it seems we’re all just waiting for a fatal mistake.

The four weeks I spent in India, subsequently post the 2008 Mumbai attacks, rate as the most colourful and confronting. At the time I didn’t comprehend the danger to personal safety. Pacifying loved ones, and at times outright lying about where I was going, I hopped on a plane and hoped for the best.

When I arrived at the New Delhi airport, I had no concept of being in a capital city. While it’s difficult to summarise India without cliché or condescending undertone, the airport battleground and car park dirt road were a shock.

In a village called Shiv, 110 kilometres from the Pakistan border, electricity was sporadic, the internet unheard of and a bath came in the form of a giant bucket that doubled as the camp washing machine. At one point the roof of our hut caved in.

In a country of supposed great wealth, slums epitomise the developing nation, while bride burning and child abandonment remain common practice in rural communities, a direct parody to the glamour of Bollywood films.

Cue the Commonwealth Games and a colleague, whose daughter has made the Australian swim team, is in limbo. If she and her husband go to India, what could happen? If they don’t, what does that say to her daughter?

As a race, the Indian people are gentle; more interested in Ricky Ponting’s batting average than their own state of affairs. My curiosity over the tension Pakistan during my time there, was always returned with a cheery “Don’t worry Madam, all is safe”. Not really. I fell off a bloody camel and my tuk-tuk collided with another, twice.

Hygiene and infrastructure issues aside, there is no way on this earth that the police, or any other regulatory body, will be able to control the masses. The roads are congested beyond that of any South East Asian country. There will be none of the rigid efficiency of the Beijing Olympics.

While an attempted economic investment for a developing country, selecting India as host of the Commonwealth Games was not a wise decision. I’d like to say it was before time, I don’t actually know if there will be a time

The one about Social Media Daily

Hi All,

I've started guest blogging on Social Media Daily - my first blog "Social Media: Bringing the masses out of their shells" got a bit of talkability and received a ripper comment / analysis from my former housemate Ewan! The plan is to post something fortnightly. Let me know if there's anything you think would be woth rating a mention.

http://socialmediadaily.com.au

Cheers, Kate x

The one with my favourite Sydney photos # 1

The one about Sydney footy supporters being a bunch of haters

How one man can invoke such an open hatred is astounding.

Sitting at the SCG on Saturday night, shivering with my hot chips in one hand and coffee in the other, I was appalled by my fellow Sydney-siders and their treatment of a former ‘favourite son’. Bad sportsmanship was not just on show, it was openly celebrated.

Less than two seasons ago, Barry Hall was loved by the red and white. The man could do no wrong; he captained the side to its long-awaited 2005 grand final, finished the season as the leading goal kick eight times and tirelessly promoted the game in a League-dominated state. We all remember those Barry Hall ‘Hall’ TV ads.

But a couple of brain snaps and king hits later, he’s no longer welcomed. He was unceremoniously booted. His axing was clinical, executed to PR precision, and, disappointingly, Barry towed the line. He could’ve cracked the shits, gone to the media and refused to leave the club under the circumstances. Instead, he fronted an aggressive media pack, conceded he had ‘a problem’ and stepped down.

In the final round of 2009, Hall was honoured with one of the most emotional laps of honour to grace the SCG. At that in point in time I still thought he should have taken the ‘screw you’ mentality, but he was gracious. The fans couldn’t cheer enough.

Saturday night he was booed and jeered. The only time any level of appreciation was roused came when Hall slipped over. It’s got me thinking. His treatment is not unlike that of an employee, once heralded as the office favourite, who has hit a wall and resigned. Instead of claiming his boss a wanker and letting pride cloud his judgement, he smiles during the goodbye speeches, enduring stiff pleasantries as he is pushed out the door.

If leaving wasn’t Hall’s decision, and he acted with good grace and towed the Swans line in the face of public humiliation, why is he subject to such sheer hatred?

The one about the room-full of socially awkward bloggers

Last night the who’s who of the Sydney social media set gathered for an informative Social Media Club event. It seems that if you provide the location (The Ivy) and the promise of free canapés (which got Andres Lopez-Varela through the door) and a steady flow of wine, people will gather. And gather they did; with nerds, trendy blogger types and wannabe trendy blogger types well represented.

Without meaning to bag my like-minded social media associates, I have to say, the evening was one of frustration.

The theme was a cracker – Social media: how is the social media you different from the real you? Or to break it down: Authenticity v superficiality.

We’re all guilty of it. Carefully selecting Facebook profile pics, untagging like a feind and crafting our wall updates with more attention to detail than you afford your mother’s birthday card. Or the polar opposite, letting go and using your status update to have a little rant, only to realise you’re a complete psycho, so you delete or reword like a motherf#cker, for fear people will actually think you suffer real emotions, bad days or that your life is less than perfect.

A mate of mine hates Facebook. In fact she fumes when her co-workers whip out their iPhones at Friday night work drinks, take painstakingly posed photos, and then (in the trifecta of rudeness according to her) casually move to the corner of the dance floor to upload to Facebook immediately. An interesting point made here by KPMG’s Bernard Salt who spoke last night is that this kind of behaviour is not dissimilar to that of the avid mobile phone user of the 90s. You know, that guy who took a call in the middle of dinner in a restaurant, only to shout obnoxiously in way that says “Oh yeah, I got a mobile, I’m awesome”.

Some interesting stats also came out of the night, i.e. there are more PR’s in Australia than journos (no kidding) and that the 25 – 34 year age bracket are the fastest growing on Facebook. There were also a lot of discussions around Gen X and Gen Y and their adaptation to the “always-on” nature of social media.

My frustration? Well it came from the room. More specifically, the pretentious crowd, who spent more time, on Twitter, following the conversations happening about the event, rather than paying attention to the actual event itself. And I generalise; not everyone in the room was like that. But a good two-thirds. To me, it defeated the purpose. I need to clarify here and say that that posing questions to the presenters via Twitter was encouraged, but what you actually got left with was a room full of hundreds of people, heads down, thumbs going crazy, chatting away about the dumb shit people Tweeted. Didn’t feel overly authentic to me.

Kate x

The one about the unwritten rules

An ambitious Spaniard and his opportunistic grab at the yellow jersey in the Tour de France has made international headlines over the past few days and brought up the age old debate around the ‘unwritten rules’ of sport.

As a nation of sports lovers, do unwritten rules spill into our every day lives and how readily are they implemented? www.smh.com.au featured a great story about all the rules of various sports, with a bit of a piss take at the dramatic World Cup dives and the infamous underarm bowl in cricket. But what about real life? Saturday afternoon, with a ridiculous armload of groceries, a microwave and a bucket and mop (no really) Ads and I somehow managed to flag down a taxi outside of Broadway. Only to have someone else jump into it. As far as I’m concerned, that’s not okay on any level. It motivated me to brainstorm the unspoken rules of every day life.

1. Don’t hijack someone else’s taxi. If you didn’t flag it, don’t get in it.
2. BBQ beer stays in the fridge of the host, it doesn’t go home with you
3. Don’t take the last piece of cake, or the last anything
4. Live and die by the Bro Code; you don’t date your mate’s ex, sister, mother and / or potential future lady friend.
5. Bro Code works for the ladies
6. If you’re in a relationship and your mate is single, do not crap on about your partner. Your single mate doesn’t care how wonderful he / she is
7. Number two’s; not cool at work
8. Abide by the time limitations imposed on gym equipment. You don’t need 40 minutes on the bike
9. Women need more wardrobe space than men. Don’t whinge, take it like a man
10. Replace the petrol you use is a mate’s borrowed car. Empty is not okay.

The one about the demise of Kevin 07

It would be remiss of me to not blog about the state of Australian politics today. I’d like to resist the urge, but along with millions of other bloggers, Twitterers and avid Facebookers, I have an opinion. And I’m mad.

Last night I was at the Young Walkley awards at the Goldfish bar in the Cross, the only PR in a room full of jounos; the editor of the SMH, the heavies from Sky News, ABC and SBS. Latika Bourke who ironically won the Young Journalist of the Year award for her coverage of Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall announced, while accepting her accolade, “Thanks, but I have to go, there’s a breaking story in Canberra, Twitter’s going crazy...” Blackberries suddenly appeared as though the world were about to end. Those less dedicated to the Fourth Estate remained more interested in the open bar.

Back to Kevin. Our most popular PM, the Labor party prodigal son, the man who Australians embraced like no other political figure before, following 11 years of boring Liberal government. Make no mistake; Kevin Rudd was elected by the Australian people. And he did a lot for our country. Have we forgotten his steady hand throughout the economic crisis, the apology to indigenous Australians, hospital reform? I was proud to have Kevin as our PM, he restored our national image, spoke out about the slaughter of whales and refused to tow the hardline on refugees. At least Kevin got climate change on the agenda, more than can be said for many others before him. Yes mistakes were made, but John Howard continued to mislead the Australian public throughout his four terms, yet we forgave him – many times over.

I’m a fair-weather feminist; in the sense that I get on my soapbox regularly about equality for women, but I wouldn’t dare get on ladder to change a light bulb or be the one to take out the rubbish. I do not embrace our first female PM. I am, in fact, ashamed. I want my first female PM to be voted in, based on integrity and policy. Her takeover was weak, sneaky and underhand. Was Rudd such a bad PM that he deserved this national embarrassment?

The only thing that made me proud to be Australian today; Tim Cahill running around the soccer pitch, topless, in a crazy green and gold hat, embracing his teammates and Pim, and comforting a devastated Lucas Neil. It was heart-warming.

The one about citizen journalism

Think back to the Mumbai terrorist attack of November 2008; the images splashed across the Internet, the first-hand accounts of Aussie expats and the Twitter updates that impacted our work day. We watched the whole thing unfold on our desktops, and when desired, our mobile phones. There was no need to so much as get up and switch on a TV.

The onslaught of digital news begs the question, are we sanitised to the images of war and terrorism due to the over-exposure new media allows?

More importantly, has the role of citizen journalist, born from the accessibility of social media, made the role of ‘traditional’ journalist near redundant in the online world? The standing of journalism in the online world impacts the relationship between public relations professional and journalist. As the role of media changes through digital mediums, information can no longer be owned or be relied on to derive to client key messages advocated through mass media outlets. Online news is immediate, complicated and near impossible to control.

In stark comparison to Mumbai, during the 9-11 terrorist attack, coverage was streamed through mass media outlets, dominated by 24/7 TV footage. CNN anchors deciphered the news agenda and packaged the global impact of the terrorist attack on the international community in convenient 30 minute news bulletins.

The increased role of digital media in news consumption has had a direct impact on the perceived transparency of war. The Gulf War of the early 1990s is a case in point; with the ground deemed ‘too dangerous’ for the embedded journalist, news operators were provided with government footage and fed information via press conferences.

However fast forward 20 years and the reality couldn’t be very different. Late last month when Israeli special forces stormed a flotilla of six ships carrying aid for the blockaded Gaza killing nine Turks on board, international condemnation was sparked and various global protests organised immediately after.

Heralded as the Fourth Estate and sworn to uphold the ideal of impartiality, it will be interesting to see how the journalist function, and the relationship with the PR profession will continue as digital mediums impact news delivery. Kate xo

The one with the photos from home

The one about segmenting virtual audiences

Digital communications – it’s a bandwagon with serious cred that agencies and in-house comms teams are jumping on. While the potential is uncharted and limited only by the capabilities of practitioners, the commitment of managers and the applicable campaign objectives, how much of an understanding do we really have of this popular medium and its associated virtual communities?

PR agencies are implementing digital strategy and building specialised teams at a rate of knots, but there is almost a feeling that digital strategy has to be built into a campaign because that’s the way things are going. Key to disseminating the capacity of the digital shift is the role of virtual audiences in campaign implementation.

Strategy is the result of research and audience segmentation. While touch points for virtual communities may appear obvious, identifying the demographics of these communities is a challenge for practitioners. Ordered 'tick boxes' are not always apparent. A virtual community can be an influential individual or a mobilised mass united through a common cause. They do not always possess an obvious unifier i.e. community group, club or workplace. They are savvy, organised and influential while others have sporadic interactions in the digital sphere.

Two-way communication and relationship building are best practice for engaging with virtual communities, but what happens when this is not always possible? Regulatory bodies across specific practices make two-way communications very difficult, particularly in the healthcare space. For instance, pharmaceutical code limits pharma companies in the social media space. According to law, if a member of the public reports a concern with a medication on a website hosted by the drug maker, they are legally bound to respond to the enquiry within 48 hours. This means that any Facebook or Twitter presence would need to be monitored 24/7 – an impossible task.

An example is the 50 years of the Pill campaign by Bayer Schering Pharma. To comply with all relevant medical codes, public interaction was limited to a simple voting mechanism on the Facebook page. While an effective compromise, does this defeat the purpose of the Facebook presence?

To answer, in short, it was recognised that a digital arm was needed for this campaign due to the sheer importance of this milestone, but it would have been against regulatory code to harness Facebook for open dialect. The campaign was therefore tailored to become a charity initiative that raised money through a voting mechanism – meaning the charitable donation created a virtual community in itself.

Virtual communities will become an increasingly necessary audience to engage with, as the future of digital expands at a rate few of us can keep up with. While impossible to control or predict, specific plans need to be put in place to establish ongoing dialect with influential virtual communities as a proactive measure that will reap long-term client benefits no end.

The one about the ethics of online honesty; where do you draw the line?

One of the biggest scandals to hit Australian sport has posed a question greater than that of homosexuality in the locker room. ‘Aker-gate’ as it is fast becoming known, has challenged the freedom of speech of sporting identities and whether it’s ethical for their opinions to be pre-approved by third parties or sanitised to toe a particular line.

Two weeks ago, when Jason Akermanis, former Brownlow medallist and renowned AFL loud mouth suggested gay men stay in the closet in his weekly column for The Herald Sun, an unprecedented debate was ignited by sport lovers, the gay community and the general public. Seven related articles on http://www.news.com.au/ have attracted no less than 68 commments each in the past two weeks.

As a consequence, the Western Bulldogs has put a media ban on their veteran forward. However, even prior to this sanction, Akermanis’ columns were subject to a rigorous approval process by his club and the AFL. It is interesting to note that as Akermanis’ career winds down and his popularity sours, his media contracts provide a greater source of income than his playing contract.

Akermanis is renowned for his unwelcome frankness about upcoming opponents and the form of his teammates. Unwilling, or unable to curb his media activities, Aker’s playing career reached a considerable low at his former club when a comment arose on his blog describing then-coach Leigh Matthews as a "f***wit". He never played another game for the Brisbane Lions. It seems that what the player saw as honesty in an online forum, the club saw as destructive disloyalty.

Off-field, he is equally as colourful, learning sign language so he can converse with his hearing impaired in-laws, he speaks Spanish, plays chess and has an ideas whiteboard in his house. Surely a player as interesting as Akermanis does not deserve to have his blog shut down? Two key issues arise around ethics in online communication in this instance.

In an online world where so much of what we say is sanitised, Akermanis goes out on a limb. He has the playing ability and sheer flamboyancy to back it up. Ethically where does the responsibility lie; does Aker have to choose a media career or football and should his comments be regulated because his opinions are not a reflection of the club? Restricting the comments of a colourful character may help to create unity, but is it good for the sport?

Or, is it ethical for Akermanis to provide commentary on the performance of his players or the relationship break-down with his former club on a blog?

Aker-gate follows the sacking of The Age journalist Catherine Deveny after her Logies tirade against the likes of Bindi Irwin and Rove McManus. The ethics of this online controversially seem to be a more black and white scenario; Denevy was sacked immediately. Her blog belonged to The Age. Akermanis writes as a football personality, not as a forward for the Bulldogs.

Given that we spend so much of our time with our work colleagues, the question does arise as to how far our online opinions reflect our employers? How much should our activities on social networks be a sanitised version of our belief systems and observations to comply with company policy or norm? At what expense do we entertain our online followers?

The one about people searching Google for Google

Clearly I’m out of the office – at home in fact on sick leave and completely over daytime TV.

Our new digital strategist at work sent an email out the other day re the most searched for terms on Google and I just have to share – some crazy findings below to appreciate:

Most searched for term all yearPublish Post

1. Facebook
2. Youtube
3. Google
4. Hotmail
5. Facebook login

What this tells us is that people don’t really use URL addresses i.e. using Google to search for Google

The one about authenticity in PR

Last month, I joined 20 of my constituents from CMG offices across Asia Pacific, with experiential agency Jack Morton, sports marketing practice Octagon and PR agencies Golin Harris and Weber Shandwick and advertising giant McCann represented.

It was a fabulous, if brief, four days of debate around the notion of authenticity in business and its role in the future of PR and marketing. Debate ignited two key areas of relevance; the issue of definition and the challenges brought about through new media.

In relation to the latter, a study analysing attitudes towards new media by PR practitioners in Malaysia and Singapore, has revealed some interesting findings. In the study, PR practitioners identified feelings of anxiety and resistance to the adoption of social media. For some, new media channels represent a dehumanising of communication, a particularly interesting point when considering the role of authenticity in communication practices. (FYI: Other challenges identified include workload increase and keeping up-to-date with emerging platforms.)

Fitch, K 2009, 'The New Frontier: Singaporean and Malaysian public relations practitioners' perceptions of new media', Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal , Vol. 10 pp. 137‐148

Hot House facilitator Ian Rumbsby, Executive Vice President of Weber Shadnwick challenged us to consider the impact of new media in communication and the perception of control over the message. For example, a challenge to message delivery is the shift of public news consumption, through blogs, Tweets and online commentary. Does this mean that people consume news more authentically through Internet-driven tools than in a previous age where newspapers ruled supreme? Or is the art of reading a newspaper an authentic practice compared to the mass practice of online news consumption?

Kate xo

The one with the "Island State of Mind"

I just had to share this - if you're a Tasmanian you'll appreciate it, if not, it's hilarious nonetheless.

A former Burnie resident has gone to the effort of changing the words to Jay Z and Alicia Key's New York State of Mind to highlight the unique selling points of Tasmania, with great success. Watch our for the Sirocco and McGinty mentions. Love it. Kate xo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfmlZt8R6r4

The one about the philosophy book

Book Club. Usually the third Sunday of every month, and cause of frantic reading in the days prior. I’m a relative new comer. We’ve read a couple of great books and movie (I cheated with The Time Travellers Wife) but I was quite surprised when we were tasked with a philosophy book.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton was found in the self-help section of the bookstore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of self-help. Trips to bookshops with friends often result in the individual wander through genres of interest only to conclude with the inadvertent meeting point – the self-help isle. So I’m not afraid. But,The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, was neither helpful, nor that philosophical to my mind. It was more candid documentary meets witty commentary on matters from accountancy to logistics.

Now as I write this blog, I must confess – a nautical themed pub crawl last night flared up my throat infection, and I’ve failed to show face at Book Club, but in my mind, I’m making up for the no-show by blogging about de Botton’s insights on work.

Sitting on my desk on top of the pile of the unread newspapers and trade magazines, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Workhas received considerable attention from my work colleagues over the past fortnight. Some have read his previous works, some found the title alone interesting, others thought I was making a political statement; as though it were for display purposes only.

The book takes you on a journey of ten different working environments, or careers, from that of a biscuit manufacturer to rocket scientist, career counsellor and transmission engineer, containing mostly detailed descriptions, thought-provoking observations and illustrations to further the point. One of the most interesting pints I’ve taken from the book is the debate around the idea of work being meaningful identifier. From the biscuit manufacturer chapter: “It is surely significant that the adults who feature in children’s books are rarely, if ever, Regional Sales Manager or Building Services Engineer. They are shopkeepers, builders, cooks or farmers – people whose labour can easily be linked to the visible betterment of human life.”

To illustrate the point, over lunch a couple of weeks ago, my work colleague quipped that none of us aspired to middle management when we were little. Fair call.

Overall, while a good read, the book required a concentrated effort. I do appreciate the efforts de Botton went to in explaining the life journey of a tuna in the chapter Cargo Ship Spotting, but aside from the thought-provoking nature of the book (I won’t look at a factory the same again) I did struggle.

Critics seem divided as to whether de Botton investigated the sorrows or the pleasures more, however a good review can be found from The Guardian's Sukhdev Sandhu

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/5060519/The-Pleasures-and-Sorrows-of-Work-by-Alain-de-Botton-review.html

The one about the colleague in a play

In a week that saw the 50^th Anniversary of the Pill come and go, a baby lorikeet fly into our apartment, to be rescued by the RSPCA and a new-found addiction to Glee hit Alexandra Drive; the acting prowess of a colleague beat all contenders to prove this week’s highlight.

Which brings me to ask, how well do you know your workmates? Andres Lopez-Varela, web guru, dedicated PR professional and all-round office good guy, happens to act in his spare time. But few of us, prior to the all-staffer sent by another colleague publicising his play, had any idea.

After tearing out of the office at 5.30pm and missing the ferry to Manly Thursday night, we got to the Star of the Sea Theatre (late, so we had to sit upstairs in the wings), to watch the thought-provoking Mother Courage. It was a gem of a play and Andres’ personality shined through the characters he played.

I don’t know if these people were put on earth to remind us of our own limitations – I struggle to manage work alone, but what else don’t we know about our colleagues? We have our office favourites, the ones we complain to, confide in and selectively let into our personal lives. Then there are those you never quite get past “Hi, how are you? Good thanks”. “How was your weekend?” is about as far as it goes.

Workmates have idiosyncrasies that make them unique, a penchant for shoes, an interest in horse riding. But how many of our workmates have completely separate lives outside of the confines of the office? A friend of mine is a gung-ho Army Reserves enthusiast, another finds pleasure in marathons, with a lazy 20km the Sunday norm, while another has become a somewhat professional party planner, with a skill-set ranging from Tupperware to shoes. All defined as 'hobbies' compared to their actual 9 to 5.

But unless this kind of intel is dropped into a conversation - most likely stemming from the old "How was your weekend?" we'd never really know.

Kate xo

The one about the 50th Anniversary of the Pill

I sat in a radio studio this afternoon, opposite a 73-year-old woman, awkwardly head-bopping to a song neither of us recognised. As we waited with our over-sized headphones, braced for her cue to begin the live cross with the interstate ABC producer, the significance of today hit me.

Today is the 50^th Anniversary of the Oral Contraceptive Pill. For me, up until that point, May 11 marked the day I’d be glued to the phone, manically engaging with journos to secure widespread coverage for the this key milestone. But this woman, who escaped Nazi Germany as a child and immigrated to Australia where she graduated with a medical degree, brought home how lucky we are.

This generation has no concept of struggling for sexual or reproductive rights – as women in a developed country that is. Hearing stories of GPs refusing to issue Pill prescriptions to unmarried women, and worse, to learn women were not officially represented at an early US Senate hearing into the Pill, is disconcerting. That women who went on the Pill were considered promiscuous, is dumbfounding to me.

This woman, our contraception campaigner, was a working mother in the early 60s, much to the disdain of her mother-in-law and friends. They could not understand why she’d want to work when she had a perfectly capable husband.

Today, the Pill continues to provide women with freedom from unplanned pregnancies. Modern Pills bring a much greater benefit than contraceptive control; cycles can be regulated, heavy bleeding eased and adult acne treated. The Pill can also help prevent against some cancers.

What's so great to see is that this milestone has affected people in so many ways. The Economist deemed the Pill “the greatest advance in science and technology in the 20^thCentury” while a random blogger today thanked the Pill for preventing pro-creation with all her former 'loser' boyfriends. Not over PC, but it hits home.

Some great articles to come through:

Marie Claire Online:

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/features/society-celeb/article/-/7206354/50th-anniversary-of-the-pill/

The SMH Online:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/the-sexual-revolution-turns-50-20100511-uqj2.html

So happy birthday to the Pill and thanks to the generations before us who have battled to secure the opportunities we take for granted today. xo

The one with the bachelors

So, the other day, I offered the excuse of attending CLEO Bachelor of the Year for the delayed start to the blog. I thought I’d share some of the evidence. It was an unexpectedly crazy night. I was the worst wingman in history. At 5 feet 9 and in heels, my partner in crime Hannah Rayment, chatted to the bachelors at a level I literally couldn’t reach - standing at just 164cm and in ballet flats. We met V presenters, athletes, a Home and Away hottie and a physio from Fremantle.

Kate xo

The one with the F Bomb

In a world where we sensor, withhold and craft ourselves for the sake of public image, I was amused to discover the most popular story on www.news.com.au is still What a boob! Claudia Karvan has her own Superbowl moment at Logies – two days after Australia’s night of nights.

While a boob making a sneaky escape from a low-plunging dress is the most newsworthy element for many, I was more interested to see that Karvan cracked out the F-bomb in her acceptance speech when the name of her cast mate and fellow Logie nominee failed her.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/what-a-boob-claudia-karvan-has-her-own-superbowl-moment-at-logies/story-e6frfmyi-1225861359672

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s drunken-enduced forgetfulness, a rare slip of the name or a complete mind blank at an awkward moment, the fact that she was honest enough to speak aloud the exact thing that was going through her mind was impressive, albeit crude for the super-sensitive. You forget a name, particularly of someone you spend so much time with, Golly Gosh is not the phrase running through your mind.

Better yet was Rebecca Gibney’s admission of being “pre-menstrual” when accepting her Logie. Overwhelmed or over-share, doesn’t matter. It’s impressive for the honesty alone. So many times when you interview anyone of notoriety, whether in the arts, science or sport, they tow a very straight line. I work in PR and train, brief and lend our spokespeople the importance of staying on message, but as a journalist it's frustrating; and a consumer wanting a good story, limiting. So to see two slip-of-the-tongues by such well-respected and accomplished women is a relief.

The one where I introduce myself

I’ve wanted to have my own blog for some time, but always found something better to do. It seemed too hard to the point that filing last year’s tax receipts took precedence.

But tasked with starting a blog for a uni assessment, I’ve spent the past few weeks racking my brain to find an area I can inflict my expert opinion / witty observations.

Could I provide a somewhat limited sports commentary on AFL in a League-dominated state? Blog about living with my boyfriend for the first time (aside from our manic shared-house experiences), the fact that my girlfriends, none of whom are engaged, talk endlessly about getting married, or could I even gloat about my average wingman attempts at the CLEO Bachelor of the Year party last week? (Another reason this blog is a week late).

The reality is that my life is not that exciting; I fell asleep on the couch watching The Hangover on Saturday night and spent my Sunday shopping for cushions at Kmart, trying to convince Adam that we NEED more clutter in our one-bedroom apartment. There are rare moments of gold, don’t get me wrong. In recent weeks I’ve been to Bali, impulsively booked a five-week trip to Mexico and Cuba, interviewed, and was inspired by, rock historian and former Travel Writer of the Year Glenn A. Baker, and even won the Come Dine With Me house challenge at 89 Watkin St – despite not having gone near the oven since August last year. I even beat my former-chef boyfriend by .5 of a point!

So now I’m ready to blog. I’ve read the Online Survival Guide in this month’s Dolly. And no, I’m not 14, but in-between ‘Friendship Fails’ and a tear-out poster of Liam Hemsworth, I hope I’ve stumbled across some solid advice.

So apologies in advance for any soapbox moments I may inflict over upcoming weeks. xo