A few words from Rob Mansfield

The ultimate guide to using Boris bikes

rob — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:32:20 +0000

Last August I made a decision to ditch the Tube and use Barclays Cycle Hire in London (better known as Boris bikes). This was partly to save money (around £500 over 12 months) and also in a quest to do some regular exercise. Over the past 5 months, I’ve used Boris bikes pretty much every [...]

My memories of Blockbusters’ Bob Holness – much more than the Baker Street saxophonist*

rob — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:38:02 +0000

It is with great sadness that I heard news of the death of Bob Holness. To many 30- and 40-somethings, he will be remembered as the host of iconic quiz show Blockbusters, but his career started long before that, being an early BBC Radio host (alongside Terry Wogan and Jimmy Young) and he was also [...]

Why Nikon’s Facebook ‘epic fail’ wasn’t really that bad

rob — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:37:34 +0000

Major fuss today over on the Facebook page of Nikon, after it posted a status update that enraged many of its followers. The Japanese camera company’s fans took offence at the suggestion that equipment was more important than the photographer. Nikon received almost 1500 comments, many of which blasted the company for being too concerned [...]

5 golden rules for aspiring journalists

rob — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:08:40 +0000

Whether it’s at a careers conference, or via online mentoring services, I’m often asked for tips on how to get into the business that is journalism and writing. It’s a bit of a loaded question because, unlike many more vocational careers, writing for a living doesn’t really come with an easily-defined path. What’s more, different [...]

Why you need to find your writing voice

rob — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:58:49 +0000

When it comes to writing, people often talk about ‘finding your voice’ – it’s a phrase that sounds a bit, well, up its own arse if you’re not someone who enjoys words. Now when Christopher Hitchens writes, I listen. In the June 2011 edition of Vanity Fair, Hitchens examines what is meant by ‘a writer’s [...]