Tweetally ridiculous to criticise

Arguably the most interesting local authority debate for years was started this week by an article on
www.thisiscornwall.co.uk on the self-proclaimed "Twitter Gang" of Cornwall Council. Cllrs Alex Folkes, Andrew Wallis, Steve Double, Jeremy Rowe and Rob Nolan had been labelled the "naughty schoolboys" of the council after it was revealed they had been tweeting from meetings.

Now, as a newbie tweeter myself, I was fascinated to see how this debate went. And it seems people have been really upset by it. Yes, it was childish to make fun of the chairman and ignore her instruction to turn off their mobiles. But it was also quite funny. And actually, I think many of the positive results of their tweets have been overlooked by people who think councillors should just be sitting, nodding, jeering and shaking their heads at meetings on their behalfs.

On Monday, I was actually following Cllr Andrew Wallis as he posted regular Twitter updates on the discussion in Cabinet about the future of Penzance Harbour. At no point did he give an opinion on what was taking place (his position on the strategic planning committee would have made it difficult for him to openly comment), he just gave a straight report of what was going on in occasional one-liners from his Twitter account. And I, for one, thought it was brilliant. I felt as though I was almost part of that meeting because I could find out what was going on in real-time.

He described himself as a "sort of at the scene Twitter reporter" in his blog later that day. And that's exactly what he was. Like millions of others across the world who are starting to inform the future of news through social media in this way, he was reporting what he saw and heard and informing the public. Now, I won't go into the debate over what effect these so-called "Twitter reporters" might have on newspapers as I'll be here all night. But I will say that I think keeping people informed in this way - or any other - can only be a good thing.

As for the audience for these "Twitterers", well it will have got a whole lot bigger with our recent stories. And the bigger this audience gets, the more worthwhile their tweets become.

The reason it's got everyone's knickers in a tweet is because it sits against the usual image of stuffy local politicians. But I am struggling to see how we can really criticise a group of councillors who are actually making an effort to create a more accessible face of politics. Surely if they can find a way to engage the "Big Brother" generation and anyone else who wants to be informed, that should only be applauded.

I may be a "blow-in" but I love this town

Driving "over the top" from Penzance to St Ives always gives me that feeling that I'm in the most beautiful place in the world. Particularly on a glorious day like today, nothing beats that view of the early morning sun shining on St Micheal's Mount. Making that journey this morning, that incredible view looking out from the layby at Castle Gate had me humming The Carpenters's Top of the World at full volume and feeling even more excited than usual.
Because yesterday, my partner, Andy, and I had an offer accepted on a house in Penzance. We're finally buying a place, getting the cats and the chickens, and settling down. And I don't wish to jinx it, but there's nowhere on this earth that I'd rather be.
Today was a brilliant example of just what we've got here. The day started with a rather strange and stilted interview with MP Andrew George and former BBC correspondent and independent MP Martin Bell, of white suit fame, at the Tregenna Castle Hotel. While both were more than pleasant, I couldn't help but wonder why exactly Mr Bell was here. His interest in ridding politics of sleaze is more than apparent but his interest in West Cornwall was nowhere to be found.
I returned to Penzance feeling like I needed to seize the remains of the day. He might not realise why this part of the world was so special, even looking out across St Ives Bay from that beautiful hotel, but I certainly did. So I badgered Andy to join me in a little trip to Sennen where I squeezed into my wetsuit and, body board in hand, ran into the sea. The feeling was amazing. Lying on the board, waiting for a wave, I almost had to pinch myself to appreciate just how lucky I was to be there.
We followed it up with tea with friends Nick and Jacqui in Sancreed - friends who have been lovely to us since we moved here - followed by a walk with their three boys. Again, looking across from Sancreed Beacon to the sea, picking edible plants, making whistles and chatting, I was again struck by what we had. This place has so much to offer. I know I'm not the only one to realise this. And I've not even started on all the backstreet bits of Penzance, the bars, the cafes and the people, that have made me feel so welcome.
The day ended back at home, on our one little sofa in our rather bare living room, with a fantastic drop of Sicilian red, and a small toast to what we hope will be our new home. There's still a long way to go, as there always is with these things, but fingers crossed we'll have made this wonderful town our permanent home by summer. And I can't wait. I may be a "blow-in" from Devon, but Penzance is now my home, our home, and I couldn't be more excited.

If you've got nothing good to say, say nothing...

Giving people an opportunity to post their immediate reactions to news stories is a fairly recent phenomenon. Up until a few years ago, the only conversation a newspaper could really have with its readers in public was on its letters pages. They have always been among the most popular pages in a paper because people love to know whether others agree with their views. So it’s unsurprising that the introduction of web comments on stories has been a massive success. And sometimes the most unexpected stories elicit the most bizarre responses.
Take Rachel Picken's blog, Cornish Career Girl, uploaded on www.thisiscornwall.co.uk this week. The author, a Truro girl who had set up here own PR company, posted how delighted she was that 'Career Girl' was about to become 'Working Mum'. It was a celebratory post - she was sharing happy news with readers.
But it seems not everyone saw it that way. At time of writing, there were 45 posts in response to Rachel, starting with Mary of Polzeath: "Isn't she joint managing director of marketing, public relations, advertising and design agency, MPAD. Her husband was named as Best Individual in the 2009 Cornwall Sustainability Awards. Hardly what I would call a working mum." Now, where did that come from?
Utterly leftfield. And a bit spiteful. Rachel handled it pretty well... "I am very lucky to enjoy my work and I'm excited about what 2010 will bring, not to mention apprehensive because this is all new to me. I would appreciate it if everyone laid off the negative comments."
But why do people feel the need to be so negative in these comment posts? Is it because it's essentially anonymous and they can get away with saying anything they want to?
Up until now, we've mainly moderated our comments - publishing them only when we believe there's nothing racist or offensive or libellous within them. But we shouldn't have to. Why do people feel that the web should give them carte blanche to say to people what they would never say to them face to face? It's a real downside of this multimedia age.
Personally I'm all in favour of people engaging more with the paper and our website and with each other in response to our stories and posts, but I feel there's no need for all this negativity. If you've got nothing good to say, please don't say anything at all.

Penzance Harbour poll - a "complete farce"?

Penzance Harbour. It's been the biggest issue facing this town since I joined The Cornishman six months ago. And it shows no signs of being resolved. Every week the paper is bombarded with letters on the subject and every week the story takes another turn. (To see a little of what I'm talking about, log on to www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/penzanceharbour - I promise not to mention this subject too often!)
Now, I feel there's been ample opportunity for people to make their views heard on this subject. And they have - in several public meetings; in a Cornishman vote; and in a strategic planning committee, which saw the plans for a combined freight and passenger terminal rejected. But, in light of threats by Cornwall Council that if Penzance did not get its act together and bring back the latter proposal, known as Option A, the Isles of Scilly sea link could move to Falmouth, we decided to see whether people in Penzance had changed their minds.
The words "can" and "worms" spring to mind. For campaigners have allegedly asked all of their contacts to persuade their friends, family members and in turn their contacts to vote against Option A. There is, of course, nothing to stop anyone voting, but if, as alleged, many of those contacts are outside the county, the result is unlikely to be an accurate reflection of feeling in Penzance. And as such, with the votes standing at 30% in favour of Option A and 70% in favour of looking at alternative options, the poll has been dismissed by one councillor as a "complete farce".
So what next? How do we truly gauge public opinion on this? Is an internet poll representative of public feeling? The Chamber of Commerce took to the streets this weekend with a petition in favour of Option A and gathered more than 700 signatures. But they say, like the council, that there is no alternative to Option A and therefore gave people no alternative. So is this an accurate reflection of public opinion? Or is it what people will accept when left with nothing else?
It's hard to see where this will all end. All I want to see is the best solution for Penzance. If everyone would sit down together and talk about this in a rational and calm manner, then maybe we could find a way forward for the good of this town.

Welcome to my blog

As the snow finally melted across Cornwall and 2010 ground into action after a much-delayed start, this week brought inspiration from every corner. It started with the idea of a club for readers to give people a chance to get more involved with The Cornishman and ended with a flying visit to London for a journalism conference at which I met some of the most innovative people I've ever come across. And last night, sitting in Mousehole surrounded by a group of the finest creative people I've met down here, with the storm battering against the windows of the Ship, I decided to get blogging.

So, here I am. I've been at The Cornishman for six months now and it's been an incredible journey. The paper has gone from strength to strength and I hope it will only get better over the next year. And for me, becoming part of this community has made me realise there is nowhere else I'd rather be.

This blog will be all about Penzance, The Cornishman and the community, as well as a few snippets about what I get up to on a day to day basis. I'll let you in on a few secrets and hope you will get involved too and let me know what you're up to and what you're talking about.