I’m back. Spent the ENTIRE day doing email triage, wading through 1700+ emails, 90% of which were stuff you simply have to read the day you get it. I subscribe to dozens of newsletters, alerts, and other publications, and if a day goes by with them unread, I might as well trash them. Sad to say, but one cannot read everything, or even try.
Thank you Perry, Adriana, Ashley and Hugh
I was hosted on the trip by Ashley Friedland’s e-consultancy, and I spoke at their online marketing conference at the gorgeous Royal Institute of British Architects. I was given extreme hospitality by Perry de Havilland and Adriana Cronin of Big Blog Company, who invited me to stay at their wonderful house. I also finally met Hugh Macleod, whose friendship I have enjoyed for the past several years. We used to call each other and wonder if this blogging thing was something we should stick with or if we had to get real jobs. Seems amazing now that we’re happily making good livings through blogging.
Loved London, Hated British Airways
I loved everything about London, but the traveling. I flew British Airways business class, and it’s a ruse. What they call a bed, I call a hard, lumpy chair that doesn’t lay flat. The British Aiways first class lounge in JFK is grand and they treat you really well. The British Airways lounge at Heathrow is tacky, tiny, and had lousy food.
A 12-hour ordeal getting home
My trip home was a 12-hour ordeal. BA sure doesn’t know how to deal with Americans. We didn’t find out until we boarded 3 1/2 hours late that they’d had to get a new plane because the first had mechanical problems, and that the truck towing the replacement plane broke down. Then, we were held nearly an hour at JFK for whatever reasons. The trip home became a 12-hour ordeal.
Dear British Airways: It all would be so much more bearable if yoy simply kept us informed and treated us like we had a right to know why you were wasting our precious time. That was my first and last trip on British Airways. British Airways sucks in my book. And hopefully also in Google after this post. :>)
Anyhow, I will be back tomorrow, bright eyed and relatively bushy tailed. Coffeed up and ready to roll. I hope you all had a wonderful week.
Welcome back BL – yes I am still hiding, cannot even find my blog on your blogroll :)
Since you were struggling to blog in London, I thought you would appreciate this post
http://h20325.www2.hp.com/blogs/kintz/archive/2006/06/05/1120.html
Cheers
Eric
What I struggled with in London was getting a reliable Internet connection. I blog because I love blogging and all the wonderful people and opportunities it has brought into my life.
My only issue is time. But you’ll find me blogging late at night and early in the morning when I have something I want to share.
I also like that I can send thousands of visitors to another blog when I link to it, and that I have loyal readers.
I’ve been publishing a newsletter since 1985, first in print, then through my website and for the past 3 years, in a blog. Writing is my passion, and marketing is my skill set. It’s not a chore to blog.
And hey, about the blogroll: I don’t see my blog on yours. You want a reciprocal link, we can talk. :>)
BL
Welcome back B.L. Sorry the travel sucked!
Will you be sharing thoughts from your presentation? Would love to hear. Also would like to know what reactions were to “visualizing the social network”. I haven’t put that in front of a live audience yet.
Glad you made it back in one piece even if it’s a slightly frazzled one. ;)
Hi David: I share my presentation here every day and have been doing so for the past several years.
I didn’t get a specific reaction to your drawing, but it helped to make my overall point, which is that there is no such thing as message control anymore. Thanks for letting me use it.
BL
British Airways are a bad advert for the Britian
My flight was stuck for an hour waiting for steps to walk down and a bus to carry everyone ???? its 2006. My baggage I havent seen for four days nobody answers the phone, the baggage tracer is a bad idea unless they are going to update it.
The biggest airline definatly the worst organised,I have spent many thousands with BA never never again.WE DONT LIKE BEING TREATED LIKE CATTLE. we are paying your wages…
BA sucks. They didn’t feed me anything on the 10 hr flight. When I asked for a glass of water, the flight attendant retorted by saying, oh yah, you can have it because it’s free.
British Airways has to be the worst airline on the planet. Recently flew from L.A. to Capetown, encountering a 21-hour delay in my connection through London. No explanation, no apologies from BA. Coach in their 747s offers cramped, sub-human traveling conditions, ripe for a severe case of DVT. Worse yet, if you book through Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. the miserly bastards at BA give you only .25 miles credit toward your frequent flier account. Never again!!!