So, after chatting to Ellen about it, we decided to set something up.

Here’s the event description from Upcoming:

Do you write for a living? If you’re a professional writer, or someone who wants to be a professional writer (like a journalist, copywriter, novelist, poet, travel writer, proofreader or anything else) or just someone who would like to meet writers, come along!

WriteClub is a very relaxed, informal association that consists of drinking coffee and chatting. You can come along to get ideas or support, to find inspiration or tips or to just get away from the laptop and meet other writers working in your area.

What do you need? Nothing. Just yourself and some change for a coffee.

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So Ellen and I will be in Cafe Delice, 24 North Road, on Tuesday 29 September at 8:30 (am). The meeting will last as long as it lasts, but feel free to drop in and leave whenever it’s convenient.

We hope to see you there!

[Update - WriteClub - the networking meet-ups for writers and non-writers alike, now has a website]

Jack Hooker, a local graphic designer, recently put Moo.com to good use and designed some rather lovely business cards:

Are these Brighton’s best business cards?

Can Jack ever compete with this man?

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that my website has been renovated. Shaun Morrison, a Brighton Freelance Web Designer, has tidied up my WordPress theme. My site is now more compact, more cohesive and nicer to look at.

I can heartily recommend Shaun’s skills as a freelance web designer – he understands the kind of things that matter to me when it comes to web design – usability, simplicity and SEO.

Thanks Shaun!

I love copywriting here in Brighton, and I love blogging about copywriting, digital marketing and Brighton itself. At times I’ve even been slightly evangelical about the usefulness of blogging for businesses.

Is blogging worth the effort?

But I confess that I’ve had doubts. I’ve lost faith, and wondered whether blogging is a complete waste of time, if anyone is reading my posts, if anyone cares.

Luckily, before I could get disheartened, I received a flurry of positive feedback and several new clients – all as a result of my blog.

Hallelujah! – Blogging pays off

So I can personally attest to the useful of blogging as a marketing activity. It’s especially good as a way to let people get to know you. Your website may be very slick and beautifully designed, but it’s probably deeply impersonal. People buy from people, not beautiful websites. So you should use every opportunity to show your realness.

It seems that, in business, those that succeed tend to know people. Lots of people. The more people you know, the better. Networking is a key activity for most business people – but I think blogging works well alongside this personal contact.

(Picture courtesy of Minifig)

I love working in Brighton. Why?

Because I can network at The Farm or Vine Brighton, communicate with a wide web of new media professionals via  the Brighton New Media email list (plus the BNM website is great for monitoring everyone’s blogs) and keep up with business matters and community affairs with Project Brighton, Sussex Digital and Wired Sussex.

But best of all is The Werks, Brighton’s best office space. Designed to meet the needs of freelancers and small businesses, The Werks combines normal office space with flexible coworking space for freelancers like me. So I can drop in and work whenever I need an office and some Wi-Fi. But the really great thing about The Werks is the friendly and helpful people who work there, and who create a space that is dynamic, innovative and nurturing.

If you work from home and ever fancy getting out and working with link-minded people, I urge you to give it a try.

On top of all that, there is the unique Brighton atmosphere: idiosyncratic, freewheeling, creative, coastal, fun-loving, passionate and bold.

(Picture courtesy of Mikelo)

http://kendallcopywriting.co.uk is now

1^st for “brighton copywriter”

3^rd for “brighton copywriting”

6^th for “web copy brighton”

and 10^th out of 479,000 results for “freelance copywriter”.

Of course, the secret to a successful SEO strategy is perseverance. So I’ll keep trying to push my website higher in the results.

If you’d like help getting your own website to appear more prominently in search results, give me a call.

(Picture courtesy of Nate C)

Brighton is a great place to work, especially if you’re a freelancer or in any way connected to the geek community. There are lots of regular networking groups and loads of opportunities to get involved with interesting projects.

One of these networking groups is the Farm. Aimed at connecting and supporting freelancers and small businesses, the Farm meets weekly at a Brighton pub. I started going a few weeks ago and have now been invited to join the mailing list, and was given a rather fetching profile on the Farm website.

So if you’re working in new media and want to do a bit of low-key, super-relaxed networking with Brighton’s friendliest bunch of geeks, get on down to the Farm.

Project Brighton wants your news.

Project Brighton is a series of projects and initiatives promoting and supporting the digital community in Brighton.

Project Brighton wants to tell the world about Brighton’s thriving geek community.

I’m going to be blogging for Project Brighton so if you have a story to tell or an interesting project you’d like to shout about, get in touch.

If you rue the waste of perfectly good vegetable peelings, but have neither garden nor compost bin, Premasagar’s idea may change the way you recycle!

As Premasagar writes on sicamp.org:

‘Social Compost’ [working title] would be a drop-dead simple website, based around an interactive map. There would be an option to add yourself to the map and to offer either kitchen peelings or mature compost. You could use the map to find others who are offering either peelings or compost.

So with Social Compost, those without gardens can find a loving home for their compostable waste.

As someone who religiously cleans, sorts and recycles rubbish, I hate to chuck out so much good fodder.

Visit Social Innovation Camp to register your support for this idea. One day Social Compost could be a reality.

Anyone interested in what’s happening in Brighton’s digital scene should take a look. And if you’re blogging new media in Brighton, join the list!