Friday, September 01, 2006

In The Future Everything Will Be Smaller. And Digital!


It has been drawn to our attention that there have been a number of complaints about the Mishmash Bookshop Weblog; specifically that it has largely been about topics other than bookselling. And we admit that it has up until now been little more than a convenient outlet for witless half-baked opinions on brutalist architecture and kids telly. But this will change!

Our long-term plan for the blog - [and its still anyone’s guess what the long term is in IT] - is to have twice weekly posts delivering news about the shop, review some new titles we have in, let you know about upcoming promotions, some charts, leak rumours from the trade rags, maybe an online book club..... Always spiced up with our immoderate opinions on life in London, what’s wrong in the world, and 80's culture. Ambitious? Yes, but first, as 'Laughing' Lenny Cohen said, we take Manhattan.

And with this plan clearly at the front of our tiny but fecund minds, we will make the next post about the huge delivery of illustrated children’s titles that have just arrived in the shop. That’s Mishmash Bookshop. In St. James’s Park Station.

4 comments:

Andrew MishMash said...

Hey Neil!

Thanks for the tips - the point is a good one.

Personally i can't imagine anything worse [for the audience] than putting my personal stuff on a blog; what we're trying to do is make the blog about the bookshop, and add a bit of personality. and I'm sorry to say the only personality that came easily to hand was .... mine.

keep watching and the balance will settle once we have some more marvellous books [and some better reviewers] in stock.

btw the poor proofing was largely down to my posting a draft [which sounds rather nasty doesn't it?] rather than the polished and memorable article you now have before you.

no doubt changing posts after the fact is 'simply not the done thing' and i will soon be flamed or cruised - whatever!

love to you all and a slightly belated Bday to junior

drew

Gnomie said...

Hi Drew,

You asked me to have a look... Well I have. Very nice.

Though I know a little about Web Design, I know nothing about Blogs...

I strikes me that a Blog instead of a conventional Web Site is an excellent idea as it ensure that your site does not fall into the standard trap of always being out of date.

Are you restricted on you layout etc.?

James

Andrew MishMash said...

Hi Gnomie

You're quite right - the sticking point for advertising remainder bookselling has always been that print takes too much time, and websites take a lot of effort to keep permanaently updated.

The blog is a happy medium - essentially you can post a "get 'em hot" mesage and everyone can see its short term. and its very easy to post new items.

There are about a couple of dozen standard template designs that can be further tweaked - and we have just upgraded to a version that seems to allow much more personality. my advice is give it a shot make a dummy and junk it if it isn't what you'd thought.

try one for one of your weird/wonderful societies?

Best wishes

Drew

Anonymous said...

Drew,

Greetings from Canada - you're now an international site!

Sorry to hear about the shop but life's about looking forward not back and I'm sure the entrepreneur in you will be back to fight another day.

I am stuck in an internet cafe in Banff, Alberta and look like a right old codger when compared to some of these cool dude snowboarders around me. It's -27 Celsius outside and the skiing has been cancelled as the lifts stop working at these temperatures, you get frostbite on exposed skin within 10-15 minutes.

Enjoyed reading about your sci-fi stuff - I can recommend "Silent Running" and "Dark Star" as well worth a re-watch. They are both great sci-fi films from the seventies that dwell on the human side of space not the technology.

Anyway - I'll miss dropping into the bookshop for a coffee and a chat, you're always welcome at The London Scottish for a beer with a Hodden Grey chaser.

To finish - I was in an Irish bar last night with my friend Bernie (from Belfast) and we were given two pints with about an inch and a half of froth on top. Bernie looked at the pint and then said to the server - "is there room for a wee whiskey in that luv?", she said "no problem", he replied - "well will you fill it up with beer then". Maybe you had to be there but it was funny at the time.

Cheers.