One of the many benefits of the blogosphere (or blogocircle as David Tebbutt refers to it) and social networking is that like minded people can converse and share mutual interests.
I’ve been doing this on the subject of PR for nearly three months now (more on that to come) and it has been great. But as well as developing my knowledge of the PR – and especially ‘New PR’/web 2.0 technology – I have encountered a particularly un-technological serendipity through blogging.
I have discovered, for instance, that PR Guru Stuart Bruce lives about 5 minutes down the road from me…. and that the now infamous(!) PR student Alex Pullin has finished her dissertation and is helping out at Harrogate’s newest agency, which, again, is 5 minutes around the corner from my place of work!
Now, I have started noticing an intersting theme underlying some of the PR blogs I read. And that, to my delight, is……. cycling! [WARNING: the following may become slightly esoteric!]
First to catch my eye was Philip Young’s assertion that one of the four places he’d rather be is:
"On my bike, a few yards from the summit of Mont Ventoux, with the energy to do it all again ."
And then, just the other day I found Serge Cornelius blogging about Trek’s new frame failing George Hincapie in this year’s Paris-Roubaix.
OK, so it’s only two PR/media bloggers so far, but that’s enough to get me enthusiastic about a potential cycling sub-culture among PR/media people who blog.
I would consider myself a part-timer enthusiast. That is, I love cycling and the attendent culture but I draw the line at altering my diet in the ‘on-season’ to maximise fitness! So far, it’s still ‘off-season’ until the weather warms up! Plus, Philip/Serge… shaven legs to enhance aerodynamics?
But this, combined with the fact that there doesn’t seem to be too many offical pro-cyclist blogs, is enough to make me think about setting up a second blog for the cyclists among us, especially now the season (at least for the pros) has kicked off.
Any more PR bloggers with lycra leg-warmers in their closets?
Thanks for the blogocircles credit.
I used to love cycling (and swimming and running, oddly). I have two bikes neither of which I have used for a while. It would be good. But I’m ‘darn sarf’ and there’s no way I’m cycling up to Yorkshire.
I’ll be with you in spirit.
Thanks, David!
I think ‘blogocircle’ is a rather accurate description of the networks being established on the web!
I should have been out on the bike a lot more this year… but weather, work etc etc. So many excuses!
I had noticed the overlap, too. I can think of at least two leading PR academics who are keen cyclists – one of whom is seriously good. And then there’s me.
Maybe there’s a gap in the market for a spin-off blog, Simon – the PR Peloton…
PS. Serge and I often shave each other’s legs. There’s a special plug-in you can get for Firefox…
How about simply…. Spin-Off?
I take it the second comment was all in jest…. please?
In jest? Perhaps I should post some pics of my legs and reveal the truth š
BTW: thanks for the linkup, Simon. And here’s another one for the cycling team: Ian Joyce’s Velo blog ( http://www.veloblog.org/ ).
Thanks for that, Serge. The ‘influences’ post rings especially true… and funnily enough, one of my early heros was Team Z’s LeMond!!
Serge,
I caught some of Amstel Gold on Eurosport – looks like there are some lumpy bits in Holland… I’m looking forward to it.
Simon,
You started this thread….! Some people have their musings hijacked by Strumpette, you have to decide whether to go back to command and control techniques to manage a discourse being driven – pedalled! – by people with an unhealthy obsession with body hair.