For some inexplicable reason, I seem to have allowed myself to follow the Bristol Live website, the online arm of the failing Bristol Post newspaper. I suppose I did so because I wanted to keep up-to-date with local news. And there is some local news, alongside the items which are hardly news at all. Look at today’s offering (and here I deliberately pick out some of the tosh):
- TV Dr Michael Mosley’s (who he?) verdict on when to drink coffee before your workout.
- The derelict Bristol building that used to be the “prettiest in England.
- Taxi driver at Bristol Airport fuming over £75 drop off charge.
Not exactly riveting stuff, I am sure you will agree, but there was one item that knocked everything else out of the park: Fans gush over Alex Beresford holidays snaps as he shares rare picture with wife. Now, I must confess that I did click on this ‘story’. I had no idea who Mr Beresford was – the article states that he is “Bristol’s most famous weatherman”, so now I know – but oddly the rare picture with his wife hasn’t been shared with readers. Not that I am unduly bothered by this absence, but in taking the piss out of all this trivia I am also doing exactly what Bristol Live wants: giving it extra clicks.
Although one might be sorely tempted to ridicule the author, one Emma Grimshaw, it is important to note her job title, which is Content Editor. I am no expert in this subject, but I would suggest that her main role is to provide content for the website and encourage people to click on the links. Bristol Live will know how many clicks the fascinating tale of Beresford’s holiday snaps, but on the Facebook page there are an astonishing 77 comments. Ms Grimshaw will be rubbing her hands together as she hands the stats to the advertising department with proof of the success of her editorship.
In other words, we are the mugs, not Bristol Live. They provide clickbait, we click on it, they sell more advertising. Kerching!
At least it makes a change from the five ‘stories’ about the very middle class problems at Adge Cutler International Airport caused by a computer glitch. People love a good air passenger problems story which is why most of the media is going on about it. But when it comes down to it, we’re far more interested in Alex Beresford, aren’t we, even if, until today, some of us had no idea who he was.
