Friday, November 21, 2008

I am officially a Genius

I just paid $9.00 for the domain www.tammycanette.com. Talk about brilliant, her blog and website could be as big as the new lifestyle site on it's own. Move over Harry Enfield, I am in 'imagination overdrive'

I just invented Tammy Canette

You will be able to check out the latest gossip and shop openings with our roving reporter, Tammy Canette and her doggies, Crois and Sette as they totter proudly, from shop to shop along one of the most glamourous high streets in the world, the Rue d'Antibes. Tammy and her dogs will also be covering (not literally we hope) every inch of Cannes, the most ritzy city in Europe, including the world famous Palais d'Festival, home to renowned Palm D'Or film festival. It should make for addicitive reading.

Disclaimer

I thought I had better say that this blog is written with passion and from the heart BUT without any knowledge of the laws of France, Journalism or in fact anything legal. I just want to say I love the French (-food, ski resorts, beaches, wine etc) , I love my girlfriend Lucy who is a woman, I love my cousin Tracey who lives in China, my best friend is a black Nigerian (not sure that they even make white ones) My best friend before that was gay and is now sadly no longer around and my new best friend, karen Hockney, is a journalist which proves I have absolutely no discriminations whatsoever against anyone.
I guess we will be publishing this blog somewhere on our fantastic site one day, so please, if I have offended you or taken one of your images from Google then I am sorry, truly sorry and just in case you are thinking of suing me, then at least wait till the site has made us a few million because before that I am pretty skint and you will just be wasting your time and money.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Please...There must be somewhere round here for me?

Another great three hour meeting of two magnificent minds, with probably our most golden nugget being the decision to not only help the hip becoming hipper and the busy become busier but now we are going to make sure all our GAY friends (Mark, Dave, Chris) have somewhere to go OUT too, after all, what is the point of 'coming out' if your stuck at home bored. Great for them and great for the new site because it gives us a bigger target market and them something to look forward to. We tried googling (that's a search term and not an obscene act btw) French Riviera and the word gay and all we found was Pierre the carefree and lively lavender farmer up the backend of Provence. We are so fired up about this project, now and every day things just seem to be evolving into what can only be a surefire success.

PS: This guy is not meant to be representative of the gay community and is just a possible example of someone who could possible be gay.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Our ideas - Karen's Commas,,,,,,,,,

To create a punchy, sassy, in your face social networking/dating/magazine website appealing across the board to ex-pats and French alike but with one fundamental difference...it will be the antithesis of everything that has gone before on the Cote d’Azur.
Forget Middle England, genteel Brits of a certain age, comfortable, respectable, safe Riviera Radio and Anglo Info, the defining quality of our site will be the cool factor. We don’t want to be a part of the establishment, we don’t want to be in that time warp gang, we want you to come and join our gang. It promises to be everything the Cote d’Azur hasn’t currently got:
Independent
Quirky
Off the beaten track
Humorous
Selective
Irreverent
Fun
and boasting seriously cool credentials when it comes to knowing everything that is worth knowing about in our beautiful corner of France.
If you want comparisons, think the Hip Hotel Guide, Mr and Mrs Smith, LA2day, Wallpaper.....in other words, a sophisticated, user friendly site with the feel of a private members club, exploiting the area covering Monaco to St Tropez and all it has to offer in a unique fashion. Funded by subscriptions and advertising, our target market is the young and young thinking brigade, singletons new to the area looking for a social network, commuters from the UK who spend their working week here displaced from their own social circle, parents of teens who aren’t ready for the pinnie, pipe and slippers just yet.
The lowdown:
• What’s On. A definitive guide to upcoming concerts, events, club nights, the hottest parties, festivals, premieres, creating tie-ins with the Cannes Film Festival, the World DJ Festival, the World Music Awards amongst others. Also covering new bar and restaurant openings.
• Restaurants. Food is a major factor in France and the Med has so much to offer. We will feature honest reviews of restaurants on and off the beaten track, as well as readers/bloggers constructive views on their not so great experiences as well as their memorable ones.
• Feedback forum. Focusing on subscribers and bloggers views, their grass roots knowledge and tips for hidden jewels like a great walk, beach, or gastronomic eaterie. We want to create a Riviera-wide network of discerning people who can keep us up to date with great tips, reviews and recommendations. After all, word of mouth is the best form of advertising.
• Showbiz, showbiz,showbiz. It’s a proven fact that showbiz and glamour sells and the Cote D’Azur has it in spades. Coverage of A list events, who’s in town, a spotted column of who’s been seen where, celebs favourite haunts, the possibilities are endless with the constant stream of household names in the area.
• Dating. Another huge growth area on the internet, this page will aim to match up singletons between 25-45 who are living, working or playing in the area.
• Health. Sorry to repeat ourselves but another major growth area, and cannot be ignored in an area as rich as this in terms of temperate climate and unsurpassed sporting facilities. A well informed guide to the latest trends in health, diet and fitness, with an emphasis on well being rather than faddish and negative body image stuff.
• Travel. Exploring great boltholes for romantic getaways, family friendly hotels, adventure weekends, city breaks and cool camp sites. Aiming at boutique-style, personal, individual places to stay that aren’t break the bank expensive but offer something beyond the usual hotel experience.

Green and eco friendly are also very much the way forward for this exciting project.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Me and Citydating - Poles Apart

3rd November-Wayne wrote to Olga at Cityline Dating:
I live here on The French Riviera, am bored and need to do something for work. We have an events management company but it is seasonal and we get a lot of spare time. I miss the buzz of London and sales but DEFINITELY do not want to come back. I have been exploring a couple of Internet ideas, one of them being dating. Love your site and wonder if you would be interested in chatting?

After a long phone call the next day and a bit of batting e-mails back and forth, there was a firm promise of a price and a seemingly strong interest. I implored her to disassociate me from all things 'Monaco', when she finally gets down to working out the Zloty.

11th November - Olga phoned Wayne:
"Hi Wayne, sorry been really busy but will get back to you tomorrow, I have an important question for you though"...... "OK go for it I said with baited breath" ....... "What star sign are you!!!!!.....Oh dear I thought.

12th November - Olga wrote:

Was stucked in a meat till nearly soon, so hoop you forgived it. I was thought that considering all the high standards but also as you are first client and we really do not know you- maybe we should ask more or even much very more - but GBP 15.000 should be a decent request. Not bad too yes??

12th November - Wayne wrote:
Any chance you could write back in Polish next time please as it might be easier to understand! I have however grasped the part of your letter that says GBP 15,000 and unless this is yet another mistake in translation the the costs are way to expensive and thanks for your time.

13th November - Olga wrote:
Jak są wy? JA było bardzo zajęte wczoraj ale tutaj JA jestem. myślący o interes (handlowy) znowu i był nie co (żeby; który) pewnien. My także licytował (sprzedawał na akcji) cały praca (roboczy) wewnętrznie czwartki nie coak jest zrobiony do takiego wysokiego standardu co (żeby; który) obmyślamy £15.000 jest zbyt niski – my wciąż badają ale być może bliższy (bliżej) £20.000 miał pracować. Także odbijał na czas w tutaj już i jak (ponieważ) jestem w Polsce, płacę za wędrowanie. To byłoby jest już bardziej (więcej) potem £19 nie nawet włączający (włączenie; przyłączający; przyłączenie; włączając) mój

Now she has either a GSOH or is taking the p**s but this is the translation of this according to Babel Fish:

How are you? I was very busy yesterday but here I am. I was thinking of the cost again and am not that sure. The website is however done to such a high standard that we think £15.000 is far too low – we are still researching but maybe closer to £20.000 should work.
Also I am investing my time here and as I am in Poland, I'm paying for roaming. It would be already more then £19 not including my time!

So all in all a five grand increase over night and her complaining about a £19 phone bill!

As they say in Poland
Do widzenia Olga...

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Bingo- They love it!

Had a couple of new friends round last night, Iain and Karen, just thought it would be nice to have a bit of a relax (see picture) and maybe throw a few ideas around. Iain is far left and closest to the camera, the one with the deaf aid and the silvery grey hair. Lucy and Karen were making the tea when I took this photo, while Iain was working out which one he fancied. After the golden girls decided to go for an early game of bingo with the chap on Iain's left (blown out again mate) I run my idea about dating and lifestyle by them and they loved it. Karen Hockney is a successful Fleet Street journalist and Iain already runs a couple of Internet businesses and I loved their London style of thinking and was buoyed up with their enthusiasm. The idea is really raw at the money but hopefully it can evolve and sort itself out into a workable business, where we can all make some money. If not, then I might go to the bingo next week with Cyril and his mates, at least there are five possible revenue streams to follow, none of them look that healthy after all and I guess someone has got to win that full house. Clickety Click!