Paul Smith (blogger)
Encyclopedia
Paul Smith is a British
blogger, writer and former radio executive. An advocate of social media, Smith coined the phrase "twitchhiking" in February 2009 when he travelled around the world using the social media network Twitter
.
as a 'presenter and dogsbody' before moving to Metro Radio and then 96.6 TFM, where he presented football show "90 Minutes". He left for the BBC as a Programmes Editor in BBC Local Radio
before joining BBC Radio 7 as Executive producer. At BBC Radio Manchester
, he launched and produced the Terry Christian
breakfast show, before moving to Galaxy Yorkshire
as the producer of Hirsty's Daily Dose
. Smith then joined 100-102 Century Radio as Programme Controller, before leaving in September 2007.
After thirty days and with the aid of over 11,000 Twitter followers, Smith had travelled as far as Stewart Island in New Zealand, raising over £5,000 for charity: water
. His intended destination had been Campbell Island
, several hundred miles further south.
The project was covered by media around the world, including Good Morning America
and the Los Angeles Times
in the US, the BBC
, The Sun
and This Morning
in the UK as well as numerous tech blogs and other media outlets. Smith has since presented to seminars and events about the project and how social media can benefit business.
, as well as writing for satirical site Holy Moly
and 3sacrowd.com. He is currently the co-editor of consumer blog Bitterwallet.com.
In November 2009, Smith announced he had been contracted to write a book based on Twitchhiker, to be released on 2 August 2010 by Summersdale Publishing.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
blogger, writer and former radio executive. An advocate of social media, Smith coined the phrase "twitchhiking" in February 2009 when he travelled around the world using the social media network Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Radio career
Smith began his radio career at commercial station Alpha 103.2Alpha 103.2
103.2 Alpha Radio was an Independent Local Radio station based in Darlington, County Durham, England.-History:...
as a 'presenter and dogsbody' before moving to Metro Radio and then 96.6 TFM, where he presented football show "90 Minutes". He left for the BBC as a Programmes Editor in BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
before joining BBC Radio 7 as Executive producer. At BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth...
, he launched and produced the Terry Christian
Terry Christian
Terry Christian is a British television and radio presenter whose credits include Channel 4's late night Youth Entertainment show The Word and ITV1 moral issues talk show It's My Life...
breakfast show, before moving to Galaxy Yorkshire
Galaxy Yorkshire
Capital Yorkshire is an Independent Local Radio station owned by Global Radio as part of the nine-station Capital radio network which specialises in mainstream music...
as the producer of Hirsty's Daily Dose
Simon Hirst
Simon Hirst is a British radio presenter best known for hosting Hit40UK, the former national commercial chart show...
. Smith then joined 100-102 Century Radio as Programme Controller, before leaving in September 2007.
Twitchhiker
In February 2009, Smith launch the Twitchhiker Project, an attempt to travel "as far around the world as possible in 30 days, relying only on the goodwill of people using the social media network Twitter." The rules of the project meant Smith could spend no money on transport or accommodation, he only accept offers of help through Twitter, his travel plans could only be made up to three days in advance and if he was stranded anywhere for longer than 48 hours, Smith had to abandon his journey.After thirty days and with the aid of over 11,000 Twitter followers, Smith had travelled as far as Stewart Island in New Zealand, raising over £5,000 for charity: water
Charity: water
charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded in 2006, it has helped fund 3,962 projects in 19 countries, benefiting over 1,794,983 people...
. His intended destination had been Campbell Island
Campbell Island, New Zealand
Campbell Island is a remote, subantarctic island of New Zealand and the main island of the Campbell Island group. It covers of the group's , and is surrounded by numerous stacks, rocks and islets like Dent Island, Folly Island , Isle de Jeanette Marie, and Jacquemart Island, the latter being the...
, several hundred miles further south.
The project was covered by media around the world, including Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in the US, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
in the UK as well as numerous tech blogs and other media outlets. Smith has since presented to seminars and events about the project and how social media can benefit business.
Writing
As a writer, Smith has contributed to both the travel and media sections of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, as well as writing for satirical site Holy Moly
Holy Moly
Holy Moly, often known as "HM", is an entertainment website and weekly email based in the UK and has similarities to Popbitch, and B3ta. It publishes gossip items related to celebrities, notably Amy Winehouse, Sienna Miller, Britney Spears, Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton...
and 3sacrowd.com. He is currently the co-editor of consumer blog Bitterwallet.com.
In November 2009, Smith announced he had been contracted to write a book based on Twitchhiker, to be released on 2 August 2010 by Summersdale Publishing.