Twitter Interviews
Welcome to our Twitter inviews, these are the extended interviews, parts of which can be seen in the magazine.
Our first interview is with Jan Gilbert, enjoy. Interview done by Dante Harker, Manchester for the Big Issue in the North in Manchester. There are some guidelines for our Twitter interviews here.
@bigissuenorth - @jan_gilbert are you around?
@bigissuenorth - I just got the sense I was a medium then for a second but no - I'm about to do a short interview - with @jan_gilbert - exciting!
@bigissuenorth - Papa can you hear me? Papa can you see me? No, not sure that's helping!
@bigissuenorth - Of course I could have just rung @jan_gilbert as she's not too far away, actually you can ring most places these days, still no fun in that!
@jan_gilbert – I’m here!
@bigissuenorth - Yay! That’s very cool - have you seen the questions that I'm going to ask you on the website? http://ow.ly/VdGh
@bigissuenorth my connection is doing its own thing at home tonight so if I vanish briefly I'm beating the router box again :(
@jan_gilbert No worries, I’m reading the questions now :)
@bigissuenorth - Cool, so for everyone else, I ask a question, interviewee reposts it, then answers it, then I repost the answer then ask next.
@bigissuenorth Ok, Q1 Describe yourself and your relationship with Twitter?
@jan_gilbert I'm a freelance movie and entertainment journalist for print, online, radio & TV.
Also do voiceovers and chair Q&As
@bigissuenorth Is that your full answer to Q1? I think you can use 3 tweets if you want :)
@bigissuenorth you are the first real person I've tried this with - I interviewed myself in the practice run, which didn't go well!
@jan_gilbert My relationship with Twitter? Well, we've not been going out v
long, but I may be smitten. ;)
@bigissuenorth excellent, and funny, now on two Q2 - in the next tweet....
@bigissuenorth - Q2 What's the single best Tweet you recall reading?
@jan_gilbert - Well, I always enjoy a tweet that makes me laugh. So far today's winner is...
@davidschneider who said “Honeymoon period with the snow is over, we're arguing, bickering, there's no fun anymore. One of us will have to end it! :)
@bigissuenorth So, Q3 finish this sentence: Twitter changed the world because...
@jan_gilbert - It opens up interesting and fun conversations with an amazing variety of
people around the globe.
@bigissuenorth - I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to go with four questions, so this last one being the 4th, I want to keep the interview to around the 30 minute mark so that I don't take up too much of a person’s time, and timing is saying 4 questions :)
@bigissuenorth - Q4 what are you using Twitter for mostly at the minute?
@jan_gilbert - Well, at the minute I'm mostly using it for this interview with you... :)
@bigissuenorth - That doesn't count as an answer - this is the question where you get to push your wares, like the sofa-surfers on chat shows :)
@bigissuenorth, though thinking about it perhaps I'll make that question a little less literal next time :)
@bigissuenorth - I'm not an interviewer though to be fair - I'm a therapist, I just got sidelined somewhere along the way :) If I were Parkinson now I'd be pressing for a final answer, or I'd be... no, he's a national treasure!
@jan_gilbert ok :) more generally, I'm using it to spread my comedy gold around the world. What do u mean, "what comedy gold?"! :)
@bigissuenorth - Excellent, that's a good answer, I'll allow that one :) thank-you for being a
wonderful interviewee :)
The Big Issue in the North Twitter account, @bigissuenorth, will publicise interviews each week. We will publish these interview guidelines on our website together with a schedule of interviewees. If the interviewee is also able to publicise the interview that would be great.
The interviews will be published on the Big Issue in the North website the week after they have taken place. Excerpts from them may also be published in the magazine, along with a picture of the interviewee and a short biography or web address.
To ensure that followers of both @bigissuenorth and the interviewee can see the interview, this process should be followed:
1. Each question will be asked in a single tweet.
2. The answer should be given in three tweets, or fewer.
3. Interviewees should include ‘@bigissuenorth’ at the start of each message.
4. The interviewer will include the name of the interviewee at the start of each message.
5. Both interviewer and interviewee should include ‘#biitn’ at the end of every message to allow the interviews to be tracked by followers.
6. Each question should be re-tweeted before being answered by the interviewee so that anyone in their network who is not following #biitn can see the question.
7. Every answer should be re-tweeted by @bigissuenorth for the same reason.
Example Interview: (@bigissuenorth starting first)
(@bigissuenorth) - @interviewee Q1 Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for those who might not know? #biitn
(@interviewee) - RT @bigissuenorth Q1 Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for those who might not know? #biitn
(@interviewee) - @bigissuenorth A1 I’m a wonderful amazing person that you all need to get to know etc #biitn
(@bigissuenorth) - RT @interviewee A1 I’m a wonderful amazing person that you all need to get to know etc #biitn
(@bigissuenorth) - @interviewee Q2 If you could have dinner with one person on Twitter, who would it be? #biitn
(@interviewee) - RT @bigissuenorth Q2 If you could have dinner with one person on Twitter, who would it be? #biitn
(@interviewee) - @bigissuenorth A2 Hard to say, perhaps Stephen Fry or Sarah Beeny #biitn
(@bigissuenorth) - RT @interviewee A2 Hard to say, perhaps Stephen Fry, or Sarah Beeny #biitn
And so on and so forth!
The Twitter questions we'll be asking:
Describe yourself and your relationship with Twitter?
What's the single best Tweet you recall reading?
Finish this sentence: Twitter changed the world because...
How can people quickly increase the number of people following them?
What are you using Twitter for mostly at the minute?
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