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Leaders

How the Google algorithm stole a blogger's domain name.

You may remember, in the early days of the internet, some very smart cookies enriched themselves considerably by buying up the domain names they figured would be in demand, just as soon as major corporations woke up to the new technology. Smart...

Posted by: Magnus Shaw
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Features

Wogan: Children In Need & Versions of Pudsey

In what has been a rather unsettling start to 2016 in terms of celebrity “news” – with David Bowie and Alan Rickman creating a torrent of outpouring across social media – we couldn’t let the week go by without a nod to Terry Wogan. Upheld...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Inspiration

BBH show us how to deliver a Must-Watch Infomercial

I’ve often thought one of the hardest things to do is to come up with a genuinely engaging infomercial. To turn something rather dull that people “really should” watch and listen to into something interesting and/or entertaining...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

The New Year's list to end all lists

I don’t know about you but my inbox seems to be full to bursting with messages from every Tom, Dick and Hubert offering me advice about how to kick-start my super-productive 2016. It’s only 4th January and I’m bored of it all...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

Suck it up! The harsh side of freelancing

I know a lot of freelancers and, by contrast with their permanently employed counterparts, I would say almost all of them are happy. I’m a freelancer too, and it would take a lot for me to go back to permanent employment now. And I don’t...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Do you suffer from FOBO? The curse of smartphone addiction

It felt weird and I couldn’t quite work out why. Something was different. And I don’t just mean it was a warm, sunny day in September rather than brass monkeys “shall we turn on the heating?” weather as we’ve been used...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Inspiration

40 years of BBC weather forecast symbols

It’s now 40 years since weather forecast symbols were introduced on BBC television. You’d think there would only be so many ways one could represent sun and rain, but there have been a huge number of changes since 1975. It was actually...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

If you were on a precipice, maybe you should just let go

Last week, I posted one of my most successful blogs this year. "Top 10 worst corporate phrases" was for all you folk out there who hate ugly jargon such as “reach out”, “touch base” and “push the envelope”. You...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Top 10 worst corporate phrases

The other day, I was told to reach out to someone. Reach out. Reach out as if I’m dangling Hollywood-style by my fingertips from a cliff, with Stallone looking all Botoxy-slumpy-faced in front of me, telling me to HANG ON! What I was actually...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Fancy a break, freelancers? Become an employee again

In April of this year, I quit my part-time job of 15 years (almost to the day). Until then, two days a week, I was one of a number of pairs of hands… (ugh! What an ugly way of putting it! But I’m leaving it in because there’s...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Inspiration

Solar street furniture: the what, where and how

Four years ago, I wrote an article about a small Belgrade-based technology company called Strawberry Energy and their ingenious innovation, the Strawberry Tree - a public solar-powered mobile device charging station that popped up for the first time...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

I’m the best copywriter in the world ever – guaranteed*

Nobody likes a show-off. Unless they’re on X Factor and have zero talent, of course; THEN we like a show-off because it makes the dismissive “you’ve got four noes” that bit sweeter. But seriously, if you’re going to brag...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Food Revolution Day and yet another viral video

I’m a grumpy git, I know. I never watch Comic Relief and I find Pudsey the giant eye-patched teddy bear more sinister than endearing. For me, there’s nothing more nauseating than being lectured by multi-millionaire...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

What do you do when you're not feeling creative?

It’s been a heck of a few weeks. Actually, make that a heck of a few months. Why? Because I’ve been revamping my home and it’s taking up every waking hour of my time. It all started off more Kevin McCloud - a la Grand Designs. We...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

5 Reasons Why You Should Write a Blog

Five. That’s a nice number. In fact, it’s the number of the week; and not just because I can’t think of ten reasons why you should write a blog (or even six reasons). Admittedly, it’s often said that people think in threes (so...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

I’m donating my earnings from Creativepool to a guy in Nigeria

A few weeks ago, I urged you not to read my latest blog. So if you took my advice, well done, and I hope you enjoyed the five minutes of your life that I kindly gave back to you. If you didn’t, thank you for loving my writing too much. Note to...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

Top 5 tips for successful homeworking

I am excited. And worried. And excited again. It’s now officially the afternoon and I’ve done next to no work. Naughty boy. But why? Well, on Tuesday, I acquired a new puppy, and he’s adorable (see above). But here’s the...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Whatever happens, I urge you NOT to read this blog post

I'm serious. Quit while you're ahead. Or rather, quit while you're not as far behind as you will be if you keep reading. Apart from its arguable entertainment value, it will not enrich your life, make you cleverer, funnier or wealthier. Or even feel...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

New coin portrait of Queen unveiled today at National Portrait Gallery

Let's face it, if you're going to have your face on millions of coins, you're going to want to be pleased with the chosen image. So let's hope Her Majesty is not going to be ordering any beheadings after this morning's unveiling at the National...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

When reality TV meets recruitment

I don't know about you, but I'm getting a bit bored of reality TV shows. If we're not biting our fingernails during Masterchef just because the soufflé hasn't risen and Mr Big Food Critic is poking at it disapprovingly, then we're waiting for...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

The BAFTAs: the award goes to...the dinner jacket

So, it looks we have a winner in the Eton versus Harrow battle. Yes, Eddie Redmayne toddled off with the BAFTA for Best Actor last night, leaving Benedict Cumberbatch with a more enigmatic expression of stiff-upper-lippedness than ever. Oh, sure, I...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

How to be nice. Yes, I'm talking to you, PALS. #hellomynameis

There's something I don't like. 'Quelle surprise!' (that's your actual French) I hear you cry. It's when people start emails off like this: Ashley. Blah blah blah. Message message message. J. Now, for all I know they might not have been frowning...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

Training courses: just a day of your life that you won't get back?

It's Monday morning. Email hell beckons. I've got my Creativepool blog to write but I do also need to try and whittle down the daily glut of Groupons, StumbleUpons, Voucherclouds, More Groupons, and LinkedIn's “congratulate Billy-Bob on his new...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Let's push the envelope to reach out and touch base

I rarely, if ever, blog about television programmes I happen to like - largely because it would be a bit off-brief if I did. This is, after all, a blog that is specifically supposed to appeal to Creativepoolers, with features, advice or opinions on...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Features

Happy 100th birthday to Ladybird books

Today, one of the great British brands is celebrating its 100th birthday: Ladybird, publishers of children's books with an instantly recognisable format and feel, and - during the Second World War - absolutely identical in terms of number of...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

Top five to-do items for the freelance 2015 list

Hello and happy new diet to you. No? Happy new gym membership, maybe. Not that either? Happy new I’m-only-drinking-alcohol-at-the-weekend. Getting warmer? Or perhaps the number one aim in the Land of You is get a happy new job. If so, good...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

So long, farewell… The most pointless ad campaign in history?

This week has been one big, fat customer relations fail in the life of Creativepool’s grumpiest blogger. That’s me, by the way, and it’s a title I’m rather proud of. Oh, and before you go all grammar guru on me, and tell me...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

A Right Honourable Christmas? When design meets politics

There are few things more cringe-worthy than politicians trying to be any of the following: hip, funny, down with da yoof, normal, John Travolta. I had to add number five because I'm still haunted by images of John "Two Jags" Prescott bopping away at...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Sainsbury's Christmas ad: the bad taste of festive chocolate?

Ah, advent! The gateway to Christmas! Today is the day when millions of children all over the country are opening the first window on their advent calendars and devouring that first overpriced and possibly over-wrapped square of chocolate - assuming...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Inspiration

The Paddington Trail: please look out for this bear, thank you...

by Ashley Morrison This Friday sees the eagerly anticipated release of the Paddington movie. I'm a colossal fan of the marmalade sandwich-loving young gentleman bear - and not only of the original five-minute animated episodes narrated by Michael...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Workshop

Blogging: what are the rules? Are there any?

by Ashley Morrison The other day, I was at a party and talking to someone who wrote for a technical magazine. Personally, I'm a generalist; unlike him, I don't have one particular area of expertise. So that means, as a freelance copywriter, I've...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Fair game? The ugly world of trolling

By virtue of the fact that you're reading this blog, you almost certainly know what trolling is. For those of you that don't, it's when people with absolutely no penis (and whatever the female equivalent is) leave nasty comments on blogs, online...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Inspiration

Christ on a bike! No, Jesus in a marathon

Today I’m on a bit of a high. And not just because I have a rare day off. No, it’s because yesterday I completed my second marathon this year - the 41st BMW Berlin Marathon. For a while there, I didn’t fancy my chances. About six...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

Thank you, U2...for giving us something to moan about on Twitter

Looking down my Twitter feed, it seems to me that the 140-character-loving public has forgotten something. They've forgotten how to be interesting. That includes me, incidentally, before you go and tweet something rude @Ashley_Morrison in response. I...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison
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Leaders

The ALS ice bucket challenge – brilliant or annoying?

If you have a Facebook account, which most of you probably do, you can't have failed to notice your friends and family lobbing buckets of ice water over their heads for the past few weeks. Maybe you've taken part in the stunt yourself, much to the...

Posted by: Ashley Morrison

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