During my unplugged week last week, I met up with David Tebbutt for lunch.

David’s a UK-based journalist who I’ve known for some years now. He writes a pretty good blog and, while we sometimes don’t quite see eye to eye on everything to do with social media, journalism and public relations – we coincide, though, much more often than not – we do talk quite a bit about areas of communication in which both of us have a keen interest and some pretty passionate views.

And so it was over a very pleasant lunch on 6 July at the Sipson Tandoori, a great Indian restaurant (“the epicurian capital of western Europe,” as we like to call it) near Heathrow airport. We met at the same place in June 2005, so much of our conversation was to do with what’s changed in a year.

As both of us are podcasters, naturally I recorded our conversation (on my spiffy Microtrack 24/96 digital audio recorder), the final version of which runs to just over 22 minutes. Only some light editing to the recording to take out some irrelevant stuff such as when the waiter interrupted our conversation flow.

We discussed a wide range of connected topics – a lot’s changed in a year; the end of social media fanaticism; ethics and journalism; newspapers and blogs; BrainStorm for podcasting; perspectives on what’s valuable; screencasts and screencasting software; videocasting and Alan Shearer; how to exploit new tools for organizational benefit; the life/work balance; opportunities and challenges; life changes and patterns of life.

So here’s our conversation. We hope you find it of interest. Do let us know.

12 responses to “Lunchtime reflections on life and social media”

  1. David Tebbutt avatar

    Hey Neville, thought you might like a timed running order:

    00:00 Scene setting
    00:37 A lot’s changed in a year
    01:04 Death of fanaticism
    01:40 Ethics/Journalism
    02:24 Guardian blogger – for free
    02:58 Podcasting – noise cancelling headphones
    04.29 BrainStorm for podcasting
    09:36 Perspective on what’s valuable in social computing
    12:18 Screencasts starts (interrupted)
    12:48 Low cost video, daughter records Alan Shearer, recording industry issues
    15:33 Screencasts continues – Camtasia & BB Flashback
    16:17 Neville’s life changes – how to exploit new tools for organisational benefit
    17:23 Life/Work threaded – attention to family etc needed
    18:43 New life: opportunities from FIR & conf
    19:27 Level of engagement high, met people couldn’t have before
    21:31 Closing remarks and plug for the Sipson Tandoori

  2. neville avatar

    Good man! Thanks.

  3. […] Neville has blogged about it and provides professional links to the podcast. […]

  4. 12 months on, Tebbutt and Hobson catch up on social media…

    Had lunch with Neville Hobson a couple of weeks ago. We see each other from time to time, but rarely get the chance for a good chinwag. Oddly, the previous session had been in the same restaurant about a year…

  5. Martyn Davies avatar

    Interesting about Youtube – coincidentally I blogged aout that this morning. Nice to hear about the Sipson Tandoori, I used to visit regularly when my office was near Hayes.

  6. neville avatar

    It’s the best curry house I’ve been to for years, Martyn. Great food.

    I read your post re YouTube. Good points re copyright and the new pragmatic approach. My cynical view would say that I suspect you might be right.

  7. Tom Keefe avatar

    Although not directly related to your post, I recently wrote about Why you’ll never see the best “Office” promos on a YouTube contest. One of the reasons is the hurdle of getting permission to use coworkers’ images. Of course, another is the possibility of getting fired.

  8. neville avatar

    Tom (and Martyn), you might be intersted to see this feature on Ars Technica about YouTube and copyright –

    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060716-7273.html

    Very relevant quote, Martyn, related to your post:

    Daniel Pearl, Deputy editor of BBC’s Newsnight, recently compared life at the venerable Beeb to life at YouTube. Noting that the BBC has to get clearance for everything that it uses, Pearl asks, “So why is there one rule for us and another for YouTube?” That is, why does the BBC get hit with letters, licensing demands, and potential lawsuits when they use unauthorized material, yet YouTube is packed to the gills with it? “Perhaps someone could explain,” he says.

    Just IMing about it with David Tebbutt who sent me the link.

  9. David Tebbutt avatar

    The BBC has deep pockets, full of our (British licence payers’) money.

    The individuals who post to YouTube haven’t (usually).

    Does this help?

  10. […] Lunchtime reflections on life and social media – a conversation on 6 July between David and me. […]

  11. Rukya (19, London) avatar
    Rukya (19, London)

    MY FATHER FOUNDED SIPSON TANDOORI AND GRAPES TANDOORI RESTAURANTS (ONE OF THE FIRST INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN LONDON). IT’S STILL RUN BY MY FAMILY. IT’S GREAT TO HEAR SUCH WONDERFUL COMMENTS! THANKS A LOT! BOTH OF MY RESTAURANTS HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE BRITISH CURRY AWARDS! CHECK OUT THE WEBSITES.

  12. neville avatar

    Thanks for dropping in, Rukya. The Sipson Tandoori really is a great restaurant. Great food, great Indian beer!

    David and I had a very pleasnt time there. When we do another conversation, I’m pretty sure it will be in the Sipson Tandoori again.