Backstory to this is that when I was interviewing for my current job, my Creative Director then asked for a couple of radio scripts to see how I write. So I wrote one up in the cyber cafe and it was about a hangover cure wonder drug.

But here’s my process….

Writing scripts is easy, what’s difficult is making the script memorable/interesting one that someone can listen to without cringing or feeling that it is an intrusion to what he/she is listening to. It is always important to know that radio listeners give fuck-all about your ad, that should guide you when starting out.

Humour is usually the go-to device for most writers, it usually works but it does in extremes ie the spot is either hilarious or not, when using humour as your hook, you either get it or not. I usually try and stay away from this because I’m not a very funny person.

On Monday, I’ll post a couple of script options based on the devices in the image above.

How do you write YOUR scripts?

Cheers.

I’m a copywriter and taglines are part of what I come up with, here’s how I write them. This is for a drug called Zed, a hangover cure that I conjured up.

I try and get lines that align towards each thought in groups, then cull that to what to me represents what I want to say then finally cull this to two or three. From there it’s submitting it for approval.

On an aside, a Zed-like drug should be created ASAP.

I’m looking at a sort of collation format where I post links I like/read with short blurbs about why I like them and the occasional post when the body & mind patana.

First post off this is tomorrow 1500Hrs Nairobi time.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

I’ll be posting links to stories I found interesting till i get back in rhythm.  So here goes:

• Catalonia and the self determination plan
• Italy heading left
• Cartalk – Podcast on Auto-stuff
• Africa and the weak eurozone

His latest piece is an example of this.  Reading Clay’s article on the surface it seems well thought out and clear, but once one tries to understand what twitter actually is, his article loses meaning.

First one should bear in mind that twitter is not a newspaper/magazine nor is it radio station or television, it differes from these media in the way it is used.  Once someone signs up and decides that his/her timeline will consist of updates of his bowel movements they are free and in fact encouraged are by twitter to do so, seeing as the question is ‘What’s happening’?.  The fact that this might turn away any prospective followers is a choice he/she has to live with.  Following any user is a deliberate act actualized by you clicking the follow button, it is not forced.  Twitter does not and will never have caveats on what someone can tweet, save for legal remedial measures that any offended party may seek.  Something to note here is that using twitter to defame is not without punishment as courts in the UK and US have shown us.

I, myself have bored people who follow me with drunken tweets, offended them with derogatory statements and galled them with inanities and this has been rewarded with being unfollowed.  In many situations I have been schooled leading to retractions. Clay himself did this once.

What is I find interesting about the article is that Clay attempts to educate, through chastizing, twitter users of habits that he himself indulges in.  The whole issue of herd mentality which he talks about as he attempts to reply to tweets consequent to his article falls on its face due to the fact that he goes about re-tweeting others who are in agreement with his article, attempting to coalesce with these, but wants the subjects of his ridicule to suffer singly.  I write this not as a group but as an individual who has been using twitter for a while now, and mostly without any incidences of abuse or online fights.

Twitter can sometimes be bile inducing what with Trending Topics that dont make sense, hashtags that irritate and serial re-tweeters but such is the medium, you have to accept it warts and all.  The most important thing on twitter, I think, is that YOU the user are the filter, the unfollow button is your friend, use it!  Create lists and place your followers in them according to the importance of their tweets to you and your irritability levels will go down.

This is not not to say that Clay’s article is totally incorrect, he does raise important points about the Brand Kenya Board and many goings on wrong in our society.  Points that we would be follish to ignore.  Another issue the article and the subsequent debate raises though not directly is online bullying which though not exclusive to, is slowly rearing its ugly head on the Kenyan twitter-sphere.  He is absolutely correct in many matters in the article but with his assessment of twitter use in Kenya, I fear he is grossly misinformed.

I'm certainly not the first to delve into the subject of #KenyaFeb28. The lovely 3CB, who's also a writer on DR, touched on the subject on her blog. Another blogger Kachwanya eulogized the event weeks before its perceived death. Let me also clarify that though I am in support of #KenyaFeb28, I do not speak on behalf of the organizers. I just happen to a be a blogger and tweep (@Nittzsah) who doesn't mind singing the National Anthem, for the whole … Read More

via Diasporadical

To encourage the growth of impact investing in the ICT sector in East Africa and thus improve ICT services to the poor while also contributing to the growth of the financial market…

The taskforce with Richard Bell as the chairman undertook a three-phased research and will be launching their report on Thursday 24th February at the Nairobi Serena.

The taskforce’s major objecitves were:

• Identify the impediments to socially impactful technology investments in the region.
• Identify possible technology investments that could be attractive to Impact Investors
• Develop tangible recommendations on steps that could be taken to overcome the existing obstacles to successful impact investing and venture capital in the East African ICT sector.

The most important output of this report is the fact that actual and relevant data available to groups and individuals interested in investing in the ICT sector in the EA region.

Another issue I am most interested in is the recommendations from the taskforces on tax and legal requirements obtaining in the EA region. One thing to note is that in so much as the EA governements have tried to streamline tax and legal obligations to investment, they still are dissimilar, thus exposing investors to bottlenecks.

From the extensive expertise of the taskforce members, we expect a thorough and detailed report, I’ll be writing more on this once I after the launch..