Hello! Thanks for stopping by to find out more about me.
So who am I and what do I do?
Who am I?
I’m Mike, I live in Turriff which is in Aberdeenshire, I was made in Manchester but have been around a bit before I landed here in Turriff. I’m a Manchester City fan and have been for over 40 years (no glory hunting here). I have an eclectic choice in music and I enjoy craft beer. I’m a community councillor and an RNLI volunteer.
What do I do?
Broadly speaking I do a couple of things, one is WordPress, and the other is community.
Community
I have been working with communities around the UK since 2009. I work with communities and groups to help them reach their targets and achieve their goals. My main area of interest is citizen journalism and community publishing where I have a considerable amount of experience.
WordPress
I have been a WordPress user since 2004 and have used the platform to develop many different types of sites over the years. I still build websites using WordPress, but most of my work now is providing WordPress management services through my WP Site Manager business.
As your WordPress site manager I look after and maintain your WordPress website, I take care of the backups, security updates, monitoring and housekeeping, all the things that are needed to keep your WordPress website running nicely. This leaves you free to run your business.
I’m a bit like the Night Manager, but without the violence, helicopters, international travel or arms dealing.
Citizen Journalism and #hyperlocal
I’ve been a citizen journalist since 2009 when I cut my teeth running a local website that scrutinised the political machinations of the administration of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. From there I joined Talk About Local where I used my experience to help communities across the UK use the many free to use publishing tools that were available. I helped to set up websites that were used to hold power to account, fill in the gaps where local papers had closed and to provide new types of community engagement.
I have spoken widely about Citizen Journalism and the benefits of Hyperlocal websites at conferences and events.
I am a board member of the Independent Community News Network which is facilitated by Centre For Community Journalism, at Cardiff University.
Can I hire you?
Why yes, yes you can hire me, I’d love to work with you, your business or community. If you would like to start a conversation about hiring me to help you with a project, please fill in the form below with some information about your project & plans and I’ll get back to you.