Peripatetic Aussie PR blogger Paull Young is in the UK on the latest leg of his around-the-world expedition, and I had the pleasure of meeting up with him yesterday for a spot of lunch and a good old chat.

First time we’d met although I certainly knew of Paull already – he’s the one who kick-started some timely attention on the thorny topic of astroturfing that generated considerable discussion in the online PR community in the middle of last year.

We met in Richmond and dived into O’Neils next to the station, mainly because it was the first pub we came across. Plenty of tables so we could grab a relatively private spot at the back. Steak and Guinness pies for both of us, lovely stuff!

So we chatted for a couple of hours over our pies and a pint. You name the topic related to social media, we talked about it. Then, we had a conversation mostly about online communities which Paul recorded for an upcoming episode of the Forward podcast. I think that will be out in mid March.

Reading Paull’s chronicles of his meetings, get-togethers and experiences so far, it’s clear that he’s fast becoming a walking Rolodex of the global PR blogosphere.

Good luck on your next stages, Paull.