Partly because I’ve been working so much but partly because since I’ve been back I’ve found it hard to really not so much care, but just find time to talk about Social Media when I do it all day long.

So I have decided that I need a new theme for my blog – or even a new blog.I don’t want to give up blogging although as I do enjoy it but I just don’t want to become another person blogging about Social Media repeating the same stories as a million other blogs.

So you may not hear from me for a while or I may be letting you know about a new blog I decide to start, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do!

Speak soon.x

However it occurred to me during the discussions at the recent measurement camp that depending on the type of agency the social media activity is being run through that this will also affect how it is measured as well as how highly it is regarded in terms of accountability.

For example take a PR agency. In comparison to traditional PR social media is regarded as being highly accountable as you are able to track how many people have read your article, shared it, linked to it etc

Although in comparison the numbers can appear a lot smaller in contrast to articles published in a national paper, despite the fact that you can’t guarantee the number of people that actually read the article, it can still be regarded as a higher reach medium compared to social media activity.

In comparison if the social media activity is run through a digital agency than it is one of the least accountable parts of the online activity. Where PPC, Affiliates and Display media can track every user and their behaviour online, third party tracking can rarely be used for social media and numbers are more assumptions based on certain facts.

This may mean that the ownership of social media in the future may have an impact on how campaigns are run as well the chance that it may lose its identity and become swallowed up as part of an existing media.

So although there always a requirement for measurement maybe we should stop trying to fit social media around other existing forms of measurement and allow it to develop its own form of accountability and let its success be defined on its own merit.

This week I thought I’d put together a few things that I’ve found or read about on the internet that I really liked.

1. Light Graffiti Fashion – This was part of Trendhunters top 50 Tech trends of 2009, but this trend is one I really love as I have a think for Light Graffiti.

2. Haagen Dazs Five – With only 5 ingredients there’s now no reason not to indulge on your weekends. Avaliable in Mint, Coffee, Vanilla Bean, Brown Sugar, Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit.

3. I know its a couple of weeks since Fathers day and this ad is years old but its the first time I’d seen it, and well its my  blog so its going on there.

4.  Funky Tattoos – I saw this on one of my new favourite blogs cakeheadlovesevil, and loved how original the designs were. To see more of Yann Tranvaille’s designs check out Emma’s original post but I really want this one:

Have a good weekend!

I’m a big fan of small boutiquey store and I wasn’t disappointed. The store is gorgeous and has lots of lovely items that you wont find down the highstreet (that are also really affordable).

As well as the lovely things is the shop, we were also treated to Pimms and yummy cakes from Kennards across the road as well as a goodie bag to take home.

Although Something’s isn’t  in my local area I’ll definitely be popping down again come pay day to most  likely buy up the whole store for belated birthday present for my friends as well as presents for my self!

If you didnt make it down last night I was seriously recommend going down – especially if you’ve just been paid!

The advert manages to trigger a more emotional response and goes to show that even the action of using the product can be as well known as the product its self.

Being back in the UK has been probably more of a culture shock than being in Asia, with my housemate frequently having to save me from being run over, as unlike in Vietnam the cars here dont go round you, they just hit you.

Getting used to the temperature has also been interesting (13 degrees!) as I have gone from over compensating on the number of items I wear so not only do I look twice as big but generally end up feeling hotter than I did when in Asia, to then being completely blaise and regretting it later when I start to get frost bite.

Although I didn’t intend this to be a personal blog about what I get up to on a daily basis, and since you have had to put up with the random posts about my travels for the last three months I thought I’d do just one more before I get back to the mildly intelligent stuff that I used to post about.

So in a nutshell these last two weeks being back I have; dressed as Shera for my housemates 30th, become a lady that lunches (until I checked my bank balance), caught up with friends, gone north of the M4 for the first time in my life and I suppose most importantly (especially for my bank balance) got a new job as a Social Media Account Manager.

Since being back I thought I would also compile a short list of tips etc that I learnt a long the way for any one thinking of going away, so here we go:

• Dont wear a boob tube while travelling to and from places, however comfy it is (you’ll wake up with it round your waist and flashing your boobs – not a good look, although you will make friends quickly
• Know the local exchange rate – should be obvious one, but guessing what you think it is isn’t the best way
• Always agree money/ costs before doing anything – nothing is free and it may turn ugly later
• Be Flexible
• Roll not fold your clothes as you can get more in your bag that way
• Just accept that you will never get any sleep on a night bus
• Tie die or speedo’s never look good
• Try everything
• Timings for anything are never guaranteed and will probably take longer than they are meant to
• When using public transport write down where you want to go – its hilarious looking back on it but not so much at the time when you’re dropped of some where completely random with the insistence that this is where you asked to go.
• Lastly and probably the best one of all is SMILE! It will change your whole trip and always makes everything better

Surprisingly I made it the whole way there without a hitch – now becoming an expert of the local Indonesian transport system. Ok only really because the locals are so amazingly helpful and friendly that this was the case but still I’m taking some credit!

Pangandaran is quite a random little place. I think it used to be quite busy with a better infrastructure than it does now but over recent years has been hit by a couple of Tsunamis which has meant the place has become a bit run down.

The main attraction is the long wind swept beach, which although wasn’t made of white tropical sand, it was still pretty impressive. What amazed me however were the waves, I’ve never seen waves like it. They were 2-3 metres high but not only that broke with such force and power I quickly knew that I would not be learning to surf here.

Despite one of my new found mates continually trying to get me in the water to try surfing I was having none of it (rubbish I know, but learning to kite surf was traumatic enough for one trip). With onlya week left I had two choices. One: to continue to work my way across Indonesia and up Sumatra to Bangkok for my flight back home or two: go straight to Thailand and spend my last few days chilling on a beach before I returned.

You’ll be probably unsurprised to find out I chose the later, but only because after finding out that Sumatra was the 5th largest Island in the world I realised that my last week would mainly be spent on 36 hour bus jounreys trying to get across the country in time for my flight back home.

So leaving Pangandaran I went to Bandung for a night (horrible city – dont go) before flying to KL the next morning and then onto the sleeper train up to Thailand that night. This also meant that I am maintaining my record of managing to get in and out of KL in less than 12 hours.

So with my final days quickly disappearing I spent my time getting as much tanning as possible, meeting new people, and generally going out.

So that’s it! The last of my blog posts about travelling. Back to the UK to get a job and join the real world…. oh its going to be painful!