Justin Myers is a writer and columnist for titles including GQ and the Sunday Times Style.
His debut novel The Last Romeo has been described (by me) as a sort of modern gay Bridget Jones.
It is, in part, based on Justin’s experience of anonymously blogging about his own dating life for several years as The Guyliner.
He’s no longer dating but is still blogging, turning his attention to the “Impeccable Table Manners” on offer in the Guardian’s Blind Dates column.
He’s also big on Twitter, crediting it with giving him the career he currently enjoys and racking up more than 106,000 tweets in the ten years he’s been using it.
Daytime Snaps is the sort of thing that can really only exist on Twitter.
Its creator Nick Walker takes strange, often totally surreal but always amusing screenshots from daytime television and posts them to Twitter with absolutely no context.
If you are not familiar, a quick browse through the @daytimesnaps account will help you understand.
The inspiration came as a result of Nick’s job, working for a television company in an office where numerous TVs display the different channels. None of them with the sound on.
He would share the bizarre moments as screen grabs on his personal Twitter and was eventually persuaded by friends to setup a dedicated account for the posts.
Since launching in 2016 @daytimesnaps has gained more than 62 thousand followers, including many of the stars of the posts.
Nick’s notifications are now filled with tip offs from other daytime TV viewers and, as he explains in the podcast, some well-meaning people who simply don’t get the rules.
I first got in touch with Simon James Green just over a year ago after reading his debut YA novel Noah Can’t Even.
In short, it is the story of geeky teenager Noah Grimes coming to terms with the fact he is gay after kissing his best friend Harry at a party. Set in a small Lincolnshire town, against a backdrop of colourful characters; Noah is a highly comedic book but resonated with me on a deeply emotional level.
Full disclosure: I sobbed on a flight back from Tenerife after finishing the book.
The reason for my emotional outpouring was mixed. On the one hand I wished I had been able to access a story like it twenty years ago when facing a similar internal struggle to Noah as a teenager. On the other I felt joy that a boy in a similar position today can read this book in the school library and feel a little less alone on this planet.
Deep. So anyway, the punchline to all of this is that I originally asked Simon to take part in an entirely different podcast to Show This Thread. Thankfully though he is on Twitter and that is sufficient to qualify as a guest on the show. Hoorah!
Section 28: An amendment to the UK’s Local Government Act which stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.
An example of an incredible LGBT display in a school library. Bravo!
This is probably one the best LGBT displays I’ve done as a librarian. So many books, so much colour. The students will have a hard time missing this! 🏳️🌈 Also looking forward to welcoming @simonjamesgreen to my school at the end of the month! #PrideMonth 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/MbC8oucPg9
If you have listened to this episode please get in touch to let me know what you think – either on Twitter – @showthreadpod – or you can email podcast@robgillett.com.
My 9 to 5 job, my side hustles, my friends. They have pretty much all come from Twitter.
@alice
Alice Beverton-Palmer is an Entertainment Partnerships Manager for Twitter UK but the platform has given her much more than just a day job.
In this episode of Show This Thread, Alice offers a very personal perspective on the positive outcomes that can occur when the platform is used well, and gives some valuable insight into where Twitter is heading in 2019.
She shares stories of how Twitter has taken her to Eurovision with a total stranger and how discovering London club night Push The Button led to an unexpected side hustle as a DJ.
Alice also tells me about her upcoming podcast The Dorothy Project which explores stories of women who have become significant figures in gay male society.
This episode is full of useful information about Twitter from an insider’s perspective and inspiration on how to use the platform in an effective and rewarding way as an individual.
Show Notes
Follow @alice on Twitter to instantly improve your feed and for updates on the launch of The Dorothy Project.
Here is The Good Place tweet she feels sums up her personal brand:
If you have any comments or would like more information about this episode please contact me on Twitter – @showthreadpod – or by emailing podcast@robgillett.com
In January this year Josh Spector published a post on his blog For The Interested which prompted me to get off my behind and make this podcast happen.
It was called What Will Happen If You Start Today and among all of its wisdom (of which there is a lot) there was one line in particular that has stuck with me:
If you start today, you won’t regret it. Nobody ever says, “I wish I would have procrastinated longer.”
I was on holiday at the time but made a decision there and then to commit to making this thing a reality. It seemed only right to ask Josh to come on the show.
If I’m honest I thought he would say no because as well as publishing a hugely successful blog and newsletter, Josh works as a freelance digital marketing consultant; most notably overseeing social media for the Oscars.
Thankfully he was more than happy to jump on a Skype call, which began with a discussion of the record-breaking Oscars moment in 2014 when Ellen Degeneres went into the audience, took a selfie with a bunch of A-listers and posted it to Twitter.
Here’s the talk on making weird choices I refer to:
A huge thank you to Josh Spector for coming on the show and sharing his knowledge.
If you found this episode valuable please subscribe to the podcast wherever you are listening and make sure you follow Show This Thread on Twitter for updates on future episodes.
f you have any comments or questions – you can leave them on this post, or – e-mail me using podcast@robgillett.com
On the 9th April last year, Adam Koszary from The Museum of English Rural Life in Reading, Berkshire was looking through the archives for something appropriate to post on Twitter to mark International Unicorn Day.
He had in mind a sheep or cow with a unicorn-like horn but nothing came up. Instead he found a picture of an enormous and proud looking Exmoor Horn aged ram and decided to post this:
— The Museum of English Rural Life (@TheMERL) April 9, 2018
look at this absolute unit.
The tweet went viral and the rest, as they say, is history. In this episode of Show This Thread, Adam explains exactly what happened next and how @TheMERL has built on the success of the ‘absolute unit’.
Show Notes
Adam Koszary’s official title is Programme Manager/Digital Lead for Museums Partnership Reading. He will soon be leaving the role and taking up a new position as Social Media Editor at the Royal Academy of Arts.
The library card issued to Merlin the bat who made his way into the museum’s archive storage.
Not only is Adam very good at social media, he is also very happy to share his wisdom and you should definitely visit his Medium page – here are a few highlights:
Swapping souls with Elon Musk The latest headline grabbing incident to befall The MERL happened after this episode was recorded but Adam’s got it covered.
A huge thank you to Adam Koszary for agreeing to be my first guest on Show This Thread.
If you have enjoyed this episode please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts so that you don’t miss one.
If you have any comments or questions – you can leave them on this post, or – e-mail me using podcast@robgillett.com
Show This Thread is a new podcast going beyond the character limit with some of the best people on Twitter. Each episode features a different guest in conversation with me, Rob Gillett; revealing the stories behind their Twitter success and what they love and loathe about the platform.
Listen to the trailer below:
Sounds amazing! How do I subscribe?
Search for ‘Show This Thread’ wherever you already listen to podcasts or use the links below:
Twitter is my favourite social platform and full of really interesting, creative, passionate and funny people. I thought it would be nice to have a chat with some of them in real life and share that experience with the rest of the world.
Why on earth is it called Show This Thread?
Erm…
Who will feature on the show?
This list is subject to change but so far I have recorded or have confirmed recordings booked with the following wonderful people:
Josh Spector (@jspector) A digital consultant who runs social media for the Oscars and a hugely successful email newsletter called For The Interested
Adam Koszary (@AdamKoszary) Transformed the Twitter account for The Museum of English Rural Life into a viral sensation with the help of an ‘absolute unit’
Nick Walker (@nickw84) The man behind the hilarious and hugely popular @daytimesnaps account
Alice Beverton-Palmer (@alice) Senior Manager for Entertainment Partnerships at Twitter UK, DJ at London club night Push The Button and fellow future podcaster
Simon James Green (@simonjamesgreen) YA author and screenwriter behind Noah Can’t Even and Noah Could Never
Justin Myers (@theguyliner) Justin is a writer, GQ columnist and author of The Last Romeo, a sort of modern gay version of Bridget Jones
When is Show This Thread being released?
The first episode will be released on Thursday 16th May. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss it.
Can I come on the show?
Yes! I’m on the lookout for more guests. If you think your name would fit nicely among those listed above you can email podcast@robgillett.com.
