Huma ready to blog (image: Sarah Ahmed)

In the first of our Blogging in Heels features, we quizzed one of our favourite bloggers, Huma Qureshi who writes the blog Her Little Place; a fascinating (and hunger-inducing) insight into design, interiors and yummy food!

When and why did you start blogging?

I set up my blog one spring Sunday in April last year. I was on the tube, and there was a discarded copy of the FT House & Home lying there; in it was a feature written by a blogger all about home and interiors blogs. The piece struck a chord with me that I could set up my own. And so, the very same night, I set up HerLittlePlace.com.

What’s your blog about?

I’ve always been interested in design and interiors, and moving in to my own apartment meant I could really indulge in it. So, HerLittlePlace.com started off as a blog on everything and anything that inspired me home-style wise. It was an extended wish list of sorts, of things I wanted for my own apartment or styles that inspired me. But as it developed, it’s become about two real elements that I love the most – homestyle (through interiors) and comfort food (mainly cake recipes).

What inspires you?

Interiors style-wise, my inspired switch flicks on when I see clean lines and pops of colour; contemporary and quirky modern with the slightest hint of vintage. I don’t like showiness – so low-key simplicity, and gentleness in both a person’s or a place’s character and style is also my inspiration. This picture sums it up for me; and I guess the woman whose home it happens to be is pretty inspiring in herself too.

What’s your day job?

By day, I’m a features writer for Ikea Family Live Magazine, an aspirational lifestyle interiors magazine that’s all about contemporary living – so it’s right up my street. I also write freelance for The Guardian, the Times and the Metro. I write on anything to do with lifestyle – food, books, health, interiors, craft. Before joining Ikea Family Live, I worked as a features writer for The Guardian for five years.

What do your family and friends think about your blog?

I was initially quite shy about telling my friends and family about HerLittlePlace.com; it’s not as if they all share my interests, so I was worried they’d see it as fluffy nonsense. But it turns out my shyness was unfounded – they all like it. Plus, my brothers are more business-savvy than I am, so they helped with my site’s shop-function, which sells cookie giftboxes and cards. But judging from the comments, most people who read my blog are other bloggers or people who just stumble across it and keep coming back; those who are into what I am into. It makes it more of an achievement to know that it’s not just friends or family reading it.

Do you read any other blogs?

There are some that are my inspiration staples – Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge Online – but also I love quirky, characterful blogs that reflect personality, such as Conversation Pieces, From The Right Bank, Truly Smitten and What Katie Does.

How do you use Twitter and has it changed how you blog?

I’m a latecomer to Twitter (follow @Huma_Qureshi). I’m still getting used to it. It hasn’t changed how I blog, but when I’ve written something new, be it a feature for a paper or a new blogpost, I’ll always link it up on Twitter and it’s nice to get positive comments back on my work. I also like connecting with bloggers who I feel like I already know because we always comment on each other’s sites already. It’s good for work – a great way of making contact with PRs and finding case studies.

What couldn’t you live without?

Lipbalm, laptop, love; faith, family, friends. Not necessarily in that order.

Huma's delicious lavender shortbread

How do you stay motivated?

Since going freelance, I’ve had no choice but to stay motivated – my career depends upon it. Every feature of mine that ends up  in print spurs me on to score another one. If you have any sort of creative outlet, be it words or photography, you sort of end up motivating yourself because you have to get it out there, so to speak – or else, what’s the point?

Typical blog wardrobe?

A variation on skinny jeans, dresses and ballet pumps.

Blog soundtrack?

Bizarrely, I can’t write with music on – but when I’m in the kitchen, trying out or inventing new recipes for my blog, I invariably have my iPod plugged into my docking station. It’s a completely, utterly random mix of tunes. Either that, or the radio’s on.

Favourite European city and why?

Hands down, London. I’ve lived in Paris and Bordeaux, and seen lots of European cities on holidays, but it’s always been London for me. Whenever I’ve been away from the city too long, I end up missing it and get a real buzz to come back. It’s so much more than just somewhere to live or somewhere to work, it’s one of the most amazing cities in the world. I secretly love London in the winter – look beyond the bad weather, and there’s something movie-scene-charming about wrapping up in layers, cold winter air and bright city lights. Throw in good company, a little central heating and hot chocolate and it becomes nearly magical.

Do you ever get blog block?

I used to. When I first started out blogging, I set myself a goal of doing a blog post a day. It was completely unrealistic. When I blog, I don’t want to just re-write what someone else has done, I want to create my own editorial value, write something new and where possible use my own images. Sometimes a new post is a note-to-self; a reminder of something I’ve seen that I want to bookmark. I don’t put myself under pressure to blog constantly. In an ideal world, I’ll post a few times a week, but if I’m short on ideas or time, it’s no big deal and I’ll leave it until I’ve got more of both.

Dream purchase?

A loft apartment in New York; a loft apartment in London; a house in Hampstead. Lofty dreams indeed.

Desert island blog?

I’d rather a good book than a blog, but Design Sponge Online. There’s so much to read, I’d never get bored.

Is blogging a viable career?

For the blogger with the right, original idea, then yes. I wrote a feature about bloggers who had turned their blogs into careers for The Guardian; most of those that “made it” did so by their blogs being turned into books, or commercial ventures – but it happened at a time when blogging was fairly new. Now, with there being so many blogs on so many subjects, and many so similar in style, I think it’s much harder for a blog to stand out. For me, although there is a business element to my blog, with the online boutique, the products I sell are things I love making or sourcing; the love or enjoyment of it comes before any sense of it being a viable career.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In an ideal world, I’ll be settled down with my own little family in that home of my dreams, working as a magazine editor with maybe a book to my name (I’m working on a food-based book concept right now). Ultimately, if I still have the people I love in my life, I’ll be pretty content with my lot.

Can you run in heels?

Run in heels? I took flamenco lessons for a year to tone up my legs. If I can dance in heels, I can sure as hell run in them!

Check out Huma’s blog Her Little Place and follow her on Twitter @Huma_Qureshi. Images of Huma are courtesy of Sarah Ahmed.

Rejecting a glass of wine and a chat?

Friday night cocktails are incomplete without tales of dating drama and relationship gossip, and the accompanying cliches we dole out to comfort and reassure the people in our lives that they are not alone.

But as we become increasingly reliant on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter in our day to day lives, it seems many women are favouring the advice of perfect strangers on online forums and chat rooms to that of their friends.

The Forum Advocate

Rachel, a 23-year-old teacher from Doncaster, frequents message boards for advice on her dramatic six-year relationship with boyfriend James.

“It’s easier to post anonymously online because you don’t have to look your friends in the eye and tell them your deepest, darkest secrets, and risk them secretly judging you,” she explains.

“You get a lot of cliches online, or people being really bold and telling you to end the relationship when they have only read a paragraph of your life and really have no idea. But it’s good to write everything out – it helps you process your thoughts.”

Posting problems online can indeed be therapeutic, as can keeping a diary or writing a letter to someone. It can also prove invaluable to women in abusive relationships or with drug or alcohol addictions as a vital step towards admitting a problem or seeking help.

But Rachel has pinpointed a major flaw. By posting online to avoid face to face confessions, women may find the internet becomes a barrier between themselves and their ‘real life’ friends, who they no longer rely on for advice.

The Dangers of Forums

‘Lisa B’, a first-time forum user, posted her marital problems on the online message board of a popular magazine, seeking advice on her husband’s reluctancy to have children.

“I love spending my life with him,” she wrote. “He is my best friend, but I don’t know if I can make that sacrifice or if he’ll ever change his mind.”

An hour later, a reply appeared urging her it would be “kinder to him and yourself to let him go, or one day you’ll meet someone better and you’ll realise what’s missing.”

Lisa replied: “You’re right. You are saying all the things I already know in my head but am terrified to admit to myself. It’s just so nice to be able to say this to someone after keeping it to myself for so long.”

It is impossible to know whether Lisa will follow the advice of her chat room friend, or go on to consult her friends, family and husband, or even seek professional advice.

But the golden rule has been broken. Friends will only interfere to this extent in extreme for fear of offering bad advice, but the anonymity of the internet has broken down this barrier and a stranger offering rashly formed opinions is far less likely to be cautious, or to have the recipient’s interests at heart.

Even those with the best intentions can forget that behind the screen lies a real person, with real issues, relationships, concerns and doubts. They will judge a person’s situation on a few lines of late-night angry ramblings, because this is all they have to go on, and add their two-pennies worth without seriously believing they will be taken them at their word.

Are forums the best place for advice?

And while the advice may well be genuine, it will be based on their own experiences, not on those of the recipient. Where a friend might say “Don’t be silly, it’s just a blip. You’ve always been happy,” and stop things from being blown out of proportion, an outsider with minimal insight is likely to take the issue completely out of context and see only the negative.

The Psychologist’s Point of View

Internet expert and psychologist Graham Jones believes the extent to which women rely on online relationship advice is closely linked to personality trends.

“Some people take the advice as gospel, whereas others see it as part of a wider picture,” he explains. “This seems to be related to personality type in some way and factors like depression also play a part. Women who are depressed could be more likely to see the answers they get as certain.”

The anonymity of the internet can add perceived value to the writer’s opinion, and will often plant unnecessary doubts in the minds of vulnerable women.

Graham’s research indicates that, when it comes to marriage and relationships, people are more likely to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on the internet. When hiding behind a pseudonym, people have nothing to lose and, in turn, responses from other users reflect the same level of brutal honesty.

“Because it is possible to have multiple online identities, some people set up their public version of themselves, but present the more personal and real individual that they are as another online persona.”

But Graham disagrees that forums can damage female friendships, instead indicating that women will touch upon sensitive issues with their friends, and later go online and expand on the issue to their friends, or in a forum, adding detail they may be uncomfortable admitting in person.

“The internet is increasing connections between people and providing much higher levels of support than was ever possible without the web. We may find that, because of the arm’s length nature of social sites, people will be more prepared to admit to issues briefly when they are with their friends, knowing that they can go online later and discuss them online, either with those same friends or with strangers on forums, behind the protection of a screen and in the comfort of their own home.

“So instead of the internet being seen as a problem for women who have difficulties and issues they need to cope with, it could well be the very thing that provides them with real help.”

Tavi has turned heads at the shows...

These days, you might struggle to find a subject that hasn’t been blogged in one way or another. My Milk Toof follows the adventures of a pair of, er, fictitious milk teeth in series’ of bizarre yet endearing photographs; Photoshop Disasters looks at, well, just that and we’ve all seen those Lol cats, haven’t we?

Over recent years, blogging has become spectacularly popular, proving itself more and more to be a credible platform for up and coming, passionate writers. Most recently, fashion bloggers have gained lots of press attention, with young enthusiasts such as ‘Style Rookie’ Tavi Gevinson, getting front-row access to top runway shows and others like ‘Mademoiselle Robot’ Laetitia Wajnapel featuring as style adjudicators on shows like T4’s Frock Me.

But there’s another kind of writer being celebrated right now and that’s the cinema blogger. With access to press screenings and events as well as herds of followers, movie bloggers across the web are becoming increasingly respected as industry insiders

The beauty of blogging is the freedom it gives to those that wish to publicise their own interests. Therefore, it only makes sense that we not only look as some of the most popular movie blogs out there, but also sneak a peek at some of the more focussed sites that concentrate on particular aspects of cinema.

And if all that weren’t enough, we’ve included a couple of film reviewing old-timers whose movie musings are always worth checking out.

So, without further ado, read on for our pick of the best movie blogs around.

Our Top Cinema Blogs

HeyUGuys

Yes, that’s a reference to one of our favourite movies of the eighties – The Goonies – which, might we begin, is a sure-fire way to make us fall in love with your blog. Founded by Jon Lyus and David Sztypuljak in 2008 as a platform to pay tribute to their favourite movies from the past and present, HeyUGuys has since become one of the more popular sites for instant film news, honest reviews and video interviews. The 11-strong team also offer great coverage of red carpet events.

Follow on Twitter @heyuguysblog

Ultra Culture

If it’s brutal honesty you’re after then head to Ultra Culture: ‘the UK’s greatest movie blog.’ That declaration might be self-proclaimed but we’re quite tempted to agree. Giving snapshot reviews of the UK’s latest trailers and feature releases, creator Charlie Lyne offers witty opinions on all things film – from movie posters to fellow critics.

Follow on Twitter @ultraculture

The Playlist

Dedicated to bringing you the latest, in-depth reports on all film news and latest releases, The Playlist also covers film scores and movie soundtracks and is a must-read for those after detailed and up-to-date articles on all the latest silver-screen gossip. The Blogger site might be down at that moment but not ones to be deterred, The Playlist have created a temporary replacement: The Playlist Nation. Thank goodness for that.

Follow on Twitter @ThePlaylist

Sciretta: an influential cinema blogger

/Film

Peter Sciretta – listed as one of Total Film magazine’s most influential people in film – heads the team at /Film, a widely respected movie blog that first started out back in 2005. As well as the regular news and reviews postings, we favour the site’s regular feature: ‘Big Director’s Small Films’, which profiles short films – old and new – from directors most prominently known for their feature-lengths. /Film was also announced as Total Film’s Best Major Movie Blog at the end of last year. Well-deserved, we say.

Follow on Twitter @slashfilm

Speciality Movie Blogs

Horror:  Fatally Yours

The brainchild of Sarah Jahier, Fatally Yours is a hub of all things horror. Not just limited to feature-lengths, the site also includes write-ups on short films, TV programmes and even the occasional novel. Log on for frequent interviews with filmmakers and authors.

Follow on Twitter @fatallyyours

Women: Women & Hollywood

This thought-provoking site focuses on women in the film business and how exactly they’re getting on in such a male-dominated world. Less reviews, more news this one veers on the serious side, featuring statistics on the state of women in Hollywood and the like.

Follow on Twitter @melsil

DVD: The Criterion Contraption

You know the Criterion Collection? That massive series of classic films released on laser disc and DVD? Well, Matthew Dessem is aiming to get through them all in their order of release and is documenting the journey via his blog, The Criterion Contraption. Expect in-depth analyses and fantastic screen shots in each essay entry which – according to Dessem’s interview with Christopher Zane – is normally a result of around 15 hours work. Now that’s a labour of love.

Follow on Twitter @MatthewDessem

Celebrated European Films: European Film Awards Reviews

Written by James Drew and Colin Moors of Picture Nose, European Film Award Reviews does exactly what it says on the tin and more, featuring write-ups on nominated and awarded movies of the EFA’s, nomination news regarding up-coming awards ceremonies and occasional interviews with influential European filmmakers. A great resource for those keen on learning more about European cinema: both past and present.

Follow on Twitter @CinEuropa

Lost Highway's ratings system...

B-Movies and Cult film – Lost Highway

Guiding us through the very best and worst in B-movies is Lost Highway, giving us humourous insights into the latest and greatest. Be sure to read right the way to the bottom of each review as the ‘Lost Highway Totals’ works as a quick 10/10 reference, relating to the appearance of the all-important ‘3b’s’ in each featured movie: blood, beasts and breasts, that is. Also make sure you check out the ‘B-movie Survival Tips’ for an entertaining reminder of those cringey movie clichés.

Follow on Twitter @Losthighway

Personal Favourites: A Petrified Fountain

Aside from his other online work relating to the movie world, Scott Jordan Harris is also responsible for A Petrified Fountain, his personal blog which analyses all the films that he firmly believes deserve a watch. Intelligent and inspiring, each piece is passionate and articulately written. If you’re not quite sold yet, then take a tip from Movie critic and industry legend, Roger Ebert, who featured Harris in his latest blog post as one of the internet writers that he admires.

Follow on Twitter @ScottFilmCritic

The Pros

Roger Ebert’s Journal

Ah, the aforementioned Roger Ebert. The film critic of all film critics, if you will. Once presenter of three American TV shows alongside the late Gene Siskel, Ebert has written numerous books on the subject of film and he continues to write his own column at Chicago Sun-Times, reviewing the latest releases in theatres and on DVD. For us, and many others, Ebert’s Journal is a must-read.

Follow on Twitter @EbertChicago

Kermode Uncut

See what the outspoken Dr. has to say outside of the BBC Five Live studio. Mark Kermode’s twice-weekly video blog does cover his latest reviews but sees additional videos uploaded; showing him air new thoughts in a conversational manner which invites the viewer to argue their own views in the comments section.

Follow on Twitter @wittertainment

The murky world of online privacy...

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg rocked the internet recently when he commented that privacy may be dead. Yet, a couple of days later in an entirely unrelated step, he took down a photo of himself from his Facebook profile page where he appeared geekier than he would have liked.

These events reveal a couple of truths about the status of privacy in the digital age. One, privacy is not really dead; two, people have more control over their privacy than they realise and three, Mark Zuckerberg is just as self-conscious as the rest of us.

The main issue is this: we are so busy surfing Facebook, twittering and emailing we don’t really stop to think about our privacy at all.

The Rise of Social Networking

The concept of privacy has changed by the rise of social media. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have made it accessible for a person with an internet connection and some time on their hands to broadcast their entire lives, in words and images, to millions of faceless and oftentimes nameless people.

Invasive new social media sites are continually popping up. For example: Blippy allows its users to register their credit cards online and then publishes their purchases in real time. Foursquare is a location-enabled mobile phone application that tracks its users’ location and then publishes this information to its members. I Just Made Love lets its users pin the location of their latest tumble on a world map. It seems that people are becoming more and more comfortable revealing intimate details of their lives.

The popularity of these social networking sites has changed the way we perceive privacy. This is especially true for the younger generation of internet users. Privacy issues do not really concern them. They want to be where everyone else is; and right now that’s online.

According to Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge, social networking is not only the place to be but might also have an evolutionary advantage.

“At Cambridge all the party invitations go out on Facebook,” he told Times Online. “So if you don’t have Facebook, you won’t get invited to any parties, so you won’t have any sex, so you won’t have any children, so your genes die out. So it’s an evolutionary necessity to be on Facebook.”

Be that as it may, social networking sites and the rising culture of over-sharing do have consequences for privacy.

Many celebrities have embraced Twitter

The Culture of Privacy

On the one hand, social networking has given some people more control over their information and as a result more control over their own privacy. Celebrities have embraced Twitter as a means of talking directly to their fans; giving them a chance to quash untrue rumours and shape their public persona. In the US, it has been reported that the Obama administration oftentimes surpass the White House Press Corps and prefer instead to use Twitter, Facebook and their own web site to provide the public directly with information. Within this context, where privacy is almost code word for corruption, they argue that social networking provides the government with the tools to be transparent.

But on the other hand, social networking and the increase of information online has also opened the floodgates for abuse of privacy. Cases in point: a US teacher, Stacy Snyder was denied her teaching certificate after she posted a photo of herself online in an apparent state of insobriety. An unnamed woman in Switzerland was fired last year when she was caught surfing Facebook after she had requested to take a sick day off work. Tragically, in March 2010 the UK saw the worst consequences of social networking. Seventeen year old Ashleigh Hall was befriended by a sex offender on Facebook and then raped and murdered.

Social networking has not changed human behaviour and our society in a fundamental way. Good and evil still co-exist in the same way they did before. What these applications have done is change the way that we communicate and share information. Even the way we stick our noses in other people’s business.

While social media continues to push the boundaries of privacy at breathtaking speed, the average internet user’s expectation of privacy has not changed. Many people are hesitant to share information online because of legitimate privacy concerns. They have heard stories of identity theft. They’re not at all comfortable that cookies are able to track and store their internet history. Humans have a need to control their surroundings and the online environment this loss of control can oftentimes be terrifying.

This begs the question:

Can Privacy Exist in the Digital Age?

Adam Rosenberg from the Centre for Democracy & Technology thinks that it can as long as the innovators behind social media applications give users control. “Studies and history have shown”, he writes on the CDT blog, “that people want more control when they feel likes it’s being taken away. It’s increasing user control over the information shared by using one of these applications (and making these controls front and centre) that helps bridge the gap between privacy and social media.”

But this also means that as consumers we need to be careful and proactive. We can choose to opt out completely and not share our lives online. But if we still want to be part of this new era of communication, we need to educate ourselves on the privacy controls that are available. In most cases, we choose the content we put out there. So, we need to read before we agree (No, really!); pause before we post and think before we share exactly where we are, what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with.

Wait a minute Mr Postman...

Pants by Post

Love lingerie and surprises? Then Pants by Post might just be the website you need. A lot less dodgy than its name might suggest, the website works as a mail order service. You can choose the style and size of the underwear you require, including a special bridal collection. There even are choices for men! The pants, made by Blush Lingerie (and Change for the plus sizes), are then delivered each month by the post. If it’s a present you’re after, or something to spice up a long distance relationship, Pants by Post can also add a message. Enough to look forward to the postman coming! The site also has a blog and you can follow Pants by Post on Twitter.

Chosen by Lucie

Chat Roulette

Web-based chat has rarely been this exciting, surreal, curious and yet at the same time utterly insulting. Chat Roulette was set up three months ago by a 17-year-old Russian and allows users to connect from across the globe, via webcams. Expect the weird, the wonderful and the wacky, as well as lots of token nudity and debauchery: one in twenty chats is meant to throw up a fully frontal nude. If you’re not happy with who you’ve landed simply click “next” and set the roulette wheel spinning through cyberspace once more. The whole experience is enough to leave you feeling exhausted, offended and ashamedly wanting more.

Chosen by Hannah.

Very Mary Kate

Created by comedian Elaine Carroll this video blog claims to be the unofficial biography of Mary Kate Olsen. Its one minute webisodes depict the trials and tribulations of Mary Kate as she struggles to survive in the big bad world, with the help of her long suffering bodyguard of course. Satire for the celebrity obsessed generation with a Twitter-sized attention span and, unless you’re Mary Kate, essential viewing. There are new videos posted every Monday. Favourite quote:

‘Hey, will you hold my water bottle while I drink from it like a…’ Like a hamster, I know.’

Chosen by Jenny.

An oh-so-on-trend outfit on Looklet

Looklet

One of the other RIH journalists mentioned this site to me and I since become Looklet-addicted. I may not be Rachel Zoe or Patricia Field, but I might just be about to consider a change of career. Looklet is a virtual styling site which gives users access to literally thousands of items from high street stores and your favourite fashion designers. It’s like being allowed to use that sophisticated and swishy get-dressed software Cher had at her disposal in Clueless, but with way more clothes. Once you have created your sartorial masterpiece you can share it with other would-be stylists, and even remix their looks… ouch! You can also check out the most popular items or see how specific pieces have been styled. Inspirational. You’ll never be “ensembly challenged” ever again.

Chosen by Alice.

Sleep Talkin’ Man

Sleep Talkin’ Man is a blog started by husband and wife Adam and Karen. Karen, claims on the blog that her “mild-mannered English husband lives quite a colourful existence in his dreams.” Adam is a prolific somniloquist —that’s someone who talks in their sleep to you and me, and it’s not the usual mundane mumbles about the most recent days’ work as we may have all experienced at times. No, what Adam says at night when he is fast asleep is a little more off the wall. Since Karen decided to make a record of these outbursts online their blog has had more than two million hits! There’s every chance you might have heard something about them as the couple have also made appearances TV in Britain and the US. If this wasn’t enough people are now starting to imitate Adam and his penchant for coining some rather bizarre phrases. A young American guy called Steve has compiled some of his favourite among Sleep Talkin’ Man’s ramblings and performs them to hilarious affect in this video on youtube. Some of my favourites include:

“Oompa loompas don’t sing in heaven. They tidy up the clouds.”

“Don’t… Don’t put the noodles and the dumplings together in the boat. They’ll fight! The noodles are bullies. Poor dumplings.”

“I can’t control the kittens. Too many whiskers! Too many whiskers!”

“Do you like what you see? No? Well, bloody look harder. Strain your eyes!”

Chosen by Emma.

Will Ferrell in The Landlord

Funny or Die

Funny or Die is a comedy video site that combines both user-generated content with original exclusive content. You can find anything and everything here but the beauty of the site is that bad comedy doesn’t get to stay. Users get to vote on whether a video is funny or whether it deserves to die, once ‘dead’ the video goes to the site’s crypt to rest for eternity or until it is resurrected, if users consider it worthy of a second chance.

Co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay – the comedy geniuses (genii?!) behind Anchorman – and Chris Hency (writer and producer for the brilliant Entourage and – pause for useless celebrity fact – husband of Brooke Shields), the site’s very first video The Landlor featuring McKay’s baby daughter as a beer swilling, foul mouthed landlord harassing Will Ferrell for his rent, has amassed over 69 millions views to date.

Being a celebrity junkie, The Red Carpet Club is my favourite area of the site, with celebrities like Zac Efron, Rachel Bilson and Lindsay Lohan guest-starring in the sites videos. Some of my favourites are:

●        Paris gets presidential with Martin Sheen: This video series was a response to an ill advised McCain campaign commercial, and focused on Paris’s campaign to become America’s next fake president demonstrating a more self aware and witty side to the heiress than anyone expected. Paris queries America’s ‘greatest fake president’ about the issues she plans to tackle including the economic crisis – ‘the biggest depression since The Notebook’.

●        Lindsay Lohan’s eHarmony profile: Lindsay Lohan looking for someone to spend the rest of her life, or at least the rest of her parole, with.

●        Zac Efron’s pool Party: Just because he’s hot and because the video also features Brody Jenner discussing economics (no really).

Summer Heights High's Mr G.

Youtube it!

Whilist funnyordie finds the best of comedy videos, great comedy can also be found by trawling through youtube. Here are two of my youtube favourites.

Chortle

Chortle is the online guide to comedy in Britain. Their youtube page has some great stand up videos. I’m currently obsessed with David O’Doherty’s Text Song but that’s just one of the many videos waiting to amuse you.

Summer Heights High

Created by and starring by comedian Chris Lilley, Summer Heights High is a mockumentary about life in an Australian public school which deals with typical high school issues. The main characters – Jonah Takalua, Mr. G, and J’aime King – the school boy, the teacher and the exchange student respectively, are all played by Lilley.

Whilst the entire show cannot be watched on youtube legally there are enough teasers to keep you giggling. Within Europe the show has screened on BBC3 but with a mere eight episodes in existence prepare to watch those youtube clips over and over again…

Tweet Comedy Club

One of the more innovative ideas to come out of twitter so far (and certainly more creative than the fake RIP Johnny Depp tag that keeps upsetting me lately), Tweet Comedy Club (@tweetcomedyclub) was conceived by comedian Tiernan Douieb. Described as an online comedy club/experiment, the club had their first gig last June gathering nine comedians together via twitter.

Whilst the gig itself was rife with problems; comedians forgetting to use the hash tag, slow typing and a particularly poor effort by Carl Donnelly who simply provided a link to a youtube video of him performing, it is an idea which has great potential if developed. A repeat performance in front of a both a live and virtual audience at Edinburgh Fringe in August was the last that has been seen of twitter comedy club but follow their twitter for developments as there may be another in the pipeline. It’s not going to put comedy clubs out of business anytime soon but it’s definitely one to watch.

David O’Doherty’s Text Song

Oh dear...

The Daily Bunny

I’ve got stupidly and rather pathetically obsessed with The Daily Bunny – a picture blog that more or less explains itself. It’s ridiculously cutesy but it does cheer me up down here in London, where the only animals I tend to see are one-legged pigeons and harassed looking, balding foxes.

Chosen by Rebecca.

Love Harder

The Love Harder project highlights the power, sense of community and love among bloggers. A well known blogger in the 20 Something Bloggers community fell in love with her Hot Awesome Dude (as she refers to him) and he was then diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma – an incurable cancer. Her blogging friends (people she has never met before) all rallied and set up Love Harder to raise money and awareness for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund. Within the first six hours of their launch , they had already hit their goal of raising $3000. The next target has been set for $5000. In less than a week, there is a blog, a shop for all things with the logo Love Harder and a new video project that asks bloggers to send videos with what inspires them to love harder. A very inspirational blogging movement! Read the full story here, or you can also follow the project on Twitter.

Chosen by Eleni.

Kanal5 – Natalie Karlsson

The past few days I have totally fallen in love with a website which is basically a Swedish TV station, Kanal5. However, the site also hosts three amazing blogs which are full of inspirational food, fashion and culture. My favourite blogger has to be the uber-fashionable and really amazing  Natalie Karlsson who is based in Gothenburg.

Chosen by Domonique.

Wahanda

Wahanda is a great website I’ve discovered recently offering brilliant deals on spa, health and beauty treatments, as well as info and reviews on different wellbeing and spa centres. It also runs a daily mob deal, where if enough people sign up to a particular offer (half-price haircuts for example), then everyone gets the deal for that price. What’s not to love?

Chosen by Hannah.

Just what you've always needed!

Toy-A-Day

I love this website. Toy-A-Day has been around since 2008 and its creator, Joe Chiang, initially planned to make and post a paper toy every day for a year. However, two and a half years on he’s still working away on the site so whilst it may have not gone according to plan, that’s definitely a good thing!   Toys featured range from The Beatles, to Jay and Silent Bob to Barack Obama and everything in between. The toy is designed on a PDF which you print out and construct. Even if you haven’t got the patience to make one (and I admit I’ve only tried once) it’s still adorable to look at!

Chosen by Jenny.

Trivial Pursuit Experiment

If you’re looking to spend five minutes challenging your neurones on the net and contributing to the battle of the sexes, head to the Trivial Pursuit Experiment. The site pits girls against guys in a web-wide version of everyone’s favourite after dinner game – personally there’s nothing I like better than proving I’m brainier than the boys…  Is it cheating that I never pick the Sport and Leisure questions in case I’m asked about football/darts/other extremely tedious and incomprehensible pastimes? I don’t think so! As of right now, the women are way ahead. Let’s make sure it stays that way!

Chosen by Alice.

Virtual work creates a solitary existence

Since I graduated from university this May as a journalist and photographer I have been actively looking for work. Maybe 30 or even 20 years ago I would have run from one newspaper office to the next passing out CVs and pleading with various editors. Today I sit in Starbucks and do all this virtually through my laptop. I spend all my days in this basement room. I have literally become one with the corner armchair; the baristas pour my drink before I can even reach the counter and my friends jokingly call this my “office.”

Telecommuting has skyrocketed in Europe and it doesn’t ask your name, gender, age or hair colour. Especially now, during the credit crunch we will witness more and more professions moving from the “real” office into an online office space. I guess when you are a builder  or taxi driver you don’t really come across this problem but all professional writers, graphic designers, music makers, script writers, journalists and photographer are encountering this issue. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says telework has quadrupled in three years, and that 46% of British firms now offer telework, compared to just 11% in 2004. Teleworker numbers jumped from 921,000 (4% of workers) in 1997 to 1.8 million in 2005 (8% of all workers). The growth was strongest among those who worked in different places. “We are becoming a lot less structured in the ways we work,” comments Dave Wadell. Long time ago Dave worked in one of the biggest workplaces in UK, now he works  in his bedroom-cum-office. “Most people that are online dip in and out of the work side of their lives and into the social. A natural extension of this is to be connected to both throughout the day, making location irrelevant.”

On average in the EU, 7 percent of the labour force regularly works at home via the computer. Other countries with high scores are Denmark (18 percent) and Finland (16 percent). Southern European countries such as Italy (3 percent) and Spain (2 percent) have much lower scores. Outside the EU, there are also many teleworkers in the US (17 percent).

There are advantages in this arrangement. For example there are no more workroom and travel costs. I know a film producer who runs an office, just like me, from a friends restaurant. “Why on earth would I spend my money on renting an office? Do you know how much office spaces cost in London?” She does most of her work via email; writing projects, sending attachments and forwarding letters. The production meetings are held via Skype – free for all concerned parties.

Step into my office...

The other good thing about virtual work environment is that you don’t have to live in a specific country to apply for a post. I stopped looking for UK-based job sites the moment I realised an employer in New York doesn’t care if I don’t live in Brooklyn or Long Island in order for me to write for him. Now I spend at least one day a week going through a long list of global job sites and by doing this have multiplied my chances of getting employed. Another bonus, which could also be seen as a negative, is that you don’t have to be super experienced to find a suitable project. 30 years ago I would have to start from the bottom and work my way up. Today it’s easy to hide my lack of experience; something  that would all emerge in a face to face meeting. Employers look at the cover letter, read the writing samples or go to the online portfolio. If these impress, nobody cares where you may have worked previously.

And that leads us to the downsides of online workplace. You can send out hundreds of emails (well maybe not hundreds, but a lot) by copying and pasting different email addresses. If one hundred job seekers send one hundred emails to one hundred newspaper editors there are…. a lot of emails being sent and received. The chances are your email will get lost amongst the pile. You will not get a productive feedback on your CV and cover letter. You are left wondering why you didn’t get the job and what you are lacking.

A huge number of unemployed professionals and number of posts offering work makes it easy for different scams to spring up. If you never meet your employer you are unable to identify him or her. You lose the ability to differentiate the potential great work offers from fraudulent opportunities. People make up jobs that don’t really exist to add you to their mailing list; they lie about the pay; tell you be writing for one sight but later you work is published somewhere else. During my job search I came across many companies who pay ridiculously little for the work and advertised internships that simply meant free work for them. This very morning a future employer wanted me to write a review about a product that I had to purchase through internet in order to review it.

The face-to-face interview: soon to be thing of the past?

So will telecommuting take over the world? Not just yet. Researchers at the School of Business at Indiana University did a survey and found that despite technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness, home and mobile telecommuting were neither psychologically nor socially attractive to employees for two reasons – social isolation and home-work boundaries. Despite the fact the people do fall in love and even get married thanks to cyberspace, the internet can never serve as a successful platform for human interaction. “I used to work for a big organisation and I miss the social side,” complains Dave.  “And if you work remotely from others in your business, you aren’t always up to date with everything that is going on, however sophisticated your communication might be.” It’s exhausting to socialise with your own computer screen reflection. And lets face it, working from home requires a lot of self discipline, energy, enthusiasm and drive.

I conclude this article with an appropriate story. I’ve been writing for an online magazine for seven months. A few weeks ago all our virtual staff met in a London pub for the first time. We shook hands, had a beer and took time to get acquainted with one another. One writer wanted to do a little toast. “It’s so great to meet you all in person after all this time. It’s great to put names to faces,” she said. Put names to faces – what a great phrase I thought. Yet it scared me to death because I realised that that’s what I’ll have to do rest of my potential career – putting names to faces.

What illnesses have you diagnosed via the net?

Meningitis, a brain tumour, the early signs of cardiac arrest and an over-active thyroid are just a selection of the illnesses I have self-diagnosed myself with via the internet. It turned out I had a headache, caffeine withdrawal, lack of fitness and too many late nights to blame; not deadly diseases. Playing match-the-symptoms online is a dangerous game. But with the increase of health-related searches on Google – and even the introduction of web-based diagnosis websites – we may all be doomed to contract a new condition: cyberchondria.

Technological advances and an increased availability of information have resulted in us taking our fate into our own hands. There’s even an iPhone app for it. STAR Analytical Services are developing software that allows patients to cough into their iPhones to tell them if they have a cold, flu, pneumonia or other respiratory diseases by the sound of their cough.

With so many health forums and websites online – as well as technology gimmicks – the more you search the internet for your aches and pains, the more you think you have Lyme disease rather than a dose of flu. Searching for health conditions online has now created a recognised online health condition: ‘cyberchondria’. As anxiety over health-related searches reaches pandemic heights, is self-diagnosis ever useful?

Last year, Microsoft researchers Eric Horvitz and Ryen White proved the increase of health-related search anxiety in a report, titled, Cyberchondria: Studies of the Escalation of Medical Concerns in Web Search. 515 Microsoft employees as well as web-tracking thousands of web-users (with their permission) were surveyed. The results found that around 2 percent of all Windows Live searches were health-related. Out of 250,000 users, one third ‘escalated’ their original Web query in a subsequent search to a more serious condition.

The issue is something doctors are increasingly aware of; even more so for future doctors as children of the internet-revolution. “The internet is full of medical information, from lay-person’s opinion to NHS guidance for medical professionals. It has the potential to be both extremely useful and extremely dangerous,” says 22-year-old Oxford University student doctor, Rebecca Williams, “It depends on the type of information patients use to obtain information and how they use it.

Yes, I seem to have all of those ailments...

“Any single symptom may be caused by hundreds of underlying conditions,” continues Rebecca, “A patient searching for such a symptom online may be faced with a long list of possible causes. A doctor is able to use their clinical knowledge and experience, from years of medical training and practice, to deduce what is more or less likely in a particular patient. However, a patient faced with such a list cannot sieve through and rule out unlikely or irrelevant diagnoses. They may be left anxious and unsure as to what is causing their symptom.”

And this anxiety is known has been coined ‘cyberchondria’. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines ‘cyberchondria’ as “a hypochondriac who imagines that he or she has a particular disease based on medical information gleaned from the Internet”. Apparently, former American Gladiator Jonathan Byrne says he struggles with serious cyberchondria and has even considered professional psychiatric treatment for it. But, anxiety aside, is the internet enabling patients to be more informed about potential illnesses – and even recognise an incorrect diagnosis?

Lindsey Middlemiss was wrongly diagnosed by her local GP, “I found a list of fibromyalgia symptoms on a US site and had almost every one,” says Lindsey to the Telegraph, “The more I looked into it, the more it fitted. I moved house and got a new GP, marched in and said, ‘I think this is what I have’, and they agreed.”

So even if you do visit your GP, it’s likely with your new found knowledge via the internet that you might disagree or even influence their diagnosis. After all, it’s only one person’s opinion and the internet’s second opinion is surely much worthier, covering a greater collective experience. Right?

“Having the resources available to research symptoms may give the patient a greater feeling of autonomy and control,” adds Rebecca, “People with no medical knowledge can research symptoms and conditions, whereas before they would be at the ‘mercy’ of a doctor’s medical opinion.”

And for some people, in some situations, this is vital. As Planet Cancer blogger Heidi Adams says of cancer suffers, “No one believed you, but then it was cancer. So, in a way, cyberchondria is a protective mechanism to keep us from getting hit by that truck again.”

Is help online really helping?

Health organisations are now using the internet to diagnose and manage a potential pandemic. Aside from NHS Direct, the online resource for simple diagnosis, the rise of swine flu has resulted in the launching of a website to diagnose symptoms. It has actively encouraged us not to go to our GP and spread flu about the waiting room but stay at home, call a number or check online – and Tamiflu is then prescribed remotely. Indeed, as quoted on DirectGov’s website, ‘the National Pandemic Flu Service is a new online service that will assess your symptoms. If required, it will provide an authorisation number that can be used to collect antiviral medication from a local collection point’.

But it’s clear that self-diagnosis is not to be solely relied upon. Rebecca concludes, adding, “Diagnosis is not simply a case of matching symptoms to a disease. It is complex and involves an understanding of symptoms as well as the general health of the patient.

“It is important to remember that a doctor’s job is not only to diagnose and treat diseases; it is to educate patients about their health and any conditions they may have, to address worries and concerns – which may not always be medical – and to build a relationship with their patients to gain a better understanding of them.”

A quick search online for a cure for ‘cyberchondria’ and the internet collective suggests: stop consulting the Web and visit a doctor. Perhaps next time I’m tempted to consult Dr. Google, I’ll just make a trip to the humble docs and let them play spot-the-symptoms like they’re trained to do. Ignorance is bliss, after-all. That’s it; I’m turning the computer off. Now where’s that book? Ah yes, ‘The Complete Manual of Things That Might Kill You’.

A little bit too much information?

Novelist Anthony Price once remarked that “The devil himself had probably redesigned Hell in the light of information he had gained from observing airport layouts.” Sometimes, that is the way I feel about the internet; the devil must be gleefully redesigning Hell because of it.

The amount of information available at our fingertips is mind-boggling. The internet is a wonderland; updated every single second of the day. News stories, blog posts, photos, gossip; all you ever want to know only a click away. But who hasn’t wasted an entire evening (or a dozen) jumping from website to website in a link-induced frenzy? Who likes Perez Hilton but is embarrassed to open his bright pink site at the office? Where people have eyes and can see? Who hasn’t found a blog whose writer leaves you giggling over your morning coffee but flying graphics and favourite music keep distracting you? Is there a way to get around all the madness?

Enter RSS.

RSS is the acronym for Rich Site Summary. In short, RSS is an aggregator that collects content from the internet and delivers it through syndication. But, enough tech talk. All you really need to know is that RSS feeds and RSS readers are pieces of internet organisation heaven. They turn that cluttered, distracting online world into a personalised and focused sanctuary.

Here’s how it works. You take what you want from the internet. Are you a gossip junkie? Or are you a news aficionado? Do you worship at the doorstep of Apartment Therapy? Or do you read countless of blogs in your niche area? Do you adore Running in Heels? (You should, we’re awesome!)

Whatever your fetish, you add your favourite sites to your RSS Reader. Your reader then meanders around the internet–on your behalf–collecting the most recent updates from your subscribed list. Then it delivers all of this to you on one, clean and crisp page. Let me repeat that because if your jaw didn’t just drop, you haven’t fully understood.

RSS allows you to read all your favourite, online content on one simple page.

And cue jaw dropping.

The wonderful Google Reader

RSS Feeds save time. You can read every post in your Reader without having to put up with ads or irrelevant content and busy website design. RSS is private. You no longer have to give out your email address to receive newsletters or the latest content. All you have to do is subscribe to the RSS Feed of the particular website through your Reader. It’s that simple. RSS is social. You can share posts, funny photos and interesting news items with everyone on your contact list.

There are several free RSS readers to pick and use. You can choose between web-based readers and desktop-based readers. Most readers offer similar functions. You can organize your content into folders. For example, I use six different categories for the 60 plus different websites and blogs I follow: News; Personal Blogs; Design Blogs; Fashion, Cooking and Miscellaneous.  Most readers will also recommend websites for you to follow based on your preferences. You can even use some readers on your mobile phone.

If you’re tired of opening twenty tabs every morning, if you’re constantly refreshing a blog hoping for an update, if you love lists, organisation and simplicity, you are already an RSS fan and you didn’t even know it!

To get you started, Running in Heels recommends:

Google Reader (Web-based reader for all users)

FeedDemon (Desktop-based reader for Windows users)

NetNewsWire (Desktop-based reader for Mac users)