
It's been said, not far from here, that home working doesn't work. Why? Poor management now, or in the past.
‘Managing’ remote staff requires experience. If someone is in the office, it’s easy to ‘feel’ they are being effective because they can be observed. That’s an illusion accepted by ineffective managers.
Here's a thing: the business isn’t paying someone to sit at a desk, it’s paying them to be productive. If I am measuring output rather than activity I can measure that just as well if the employee is at home. So that’s the first management failure: valuing presence over productivity.

Banner adverts are an ineffective way to drive traffic or boost online PR for a brand, it is reported by digital marketing agency TAN Media.
The banner ad is so unappealing that it “has become a symbol of all that’s wrong with online advertising”, according to Brian Morrissey in a post for Digiday.com.
Typically it is said to be lacking in creativity, intrusive and ignored by the overwhelming majority of web users.

In this session, Ross Nichols of The Daily Mail Group, Adam Stewart of Play.com, Carie Lewis of The Humane Society of the United States, Craig Hepburn from Nokia, and Richard Jones, CEO of EngageSciences, discussed how social marketing is changing, and the processes organisations need to put in place to generate real world value.

Government backed IC tomorrow, part of the Technology Strategy has launched its latest competition, Digital Innovation Contest 2013, with up to 7 awards of £25,000 up for grabs.
Backed by HarperCollins, Constable & Robinson, MediaCom, Ogilvy Mather UK Group and JCDecaux, FremantleMedia UK, Samsung, and YouTube, it focuses on media, publishing, mobile content and outdoor media.

With February behind us, we are eagerly looking forward to our next Social Media Week, set to take place September 23-27, 2013! And we want you to experience it in a new way.
What if you had the chance to travel to one of our host cities this SMW September? Imagine joining amazing conversations, seeing iconic venues in London, Bogota and more while meeting innovators from all around the world? Thanks to our new Travel Award Program, powered by Nokia, you could do all that and truly have an international SMW experience!

Insight and ideas drive Thinking Digital, an annual conference with a reputation for attracting the best thinkers and speakers.
The sixth event takes place between 21-23 May at The Sage Gateshead, and one lucky Chinwag reader will be attending free.
Thinking Digital have given one ticket worth £275+VAT. The competition closes on April 30th - see below for entry details.
Can't Wait? Thinking Digital have given us a discount code for all you registered users of over 15%.

Dr. David Stillwell is Science Director at Cambridge Personality Research. He will be speaking at Chinwag Psych on May 9th, but here’s a preview of his thoughts on the role of tracking Neuromarketing.
Science fiction tells us brain reading is inevitable, but current methods are woeful at providing anything but the most basic insights. The Guardian reports on ad men using brain scanners, while companies such as NeuroFocus use caps covered in electrodes (EEG) or magnetic scanners (fMRI) to find out what we’re really thinking.

Doing Business in the USA was a highlight of SXSW Interactive, demystifying what’s involved and letting digital entrepreneurs connect in the grand arena of Austin City Hall.
A welcome from Mayor Leffingwell (@TheLeeTeam - yes, he's on Twitter) started the day, with the Brits thanked for bringing the rain with them.

The time has come. Social Media Week London is back. This September London will be joined by some awesome cities including Barcelona, Berlin, Bogotá, Los Angeles, Mumbai, São Paulo, Torino and Toronto.
Here are some important milestones ahead for the London event:
- April 23rd: Event Submission Opens
- August 2nd: Event Submission Closes
- August 13th: Attendee Registration Opens
Whether you’re new or old to Social Media Week London, there are many ways to take part: