Giles Turnbull, freelance writer

# Contacts

Phone: 		+44 (0)7939 127917 
Email: 		giles@gilest.org 
Post: 		16 Springfield, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1BB, UK


# Career summary

## 2000-present: freelance writer, Mac specialist

- Technical reviewer, 'iWork, The Missing Manual' (O'Reilly / Pogue Press)

- Contributor, 'We've got blog' (Perseus Publishing)

- Contributor, 'Mac OS X Panther Hacks' (O'Reilly)

- Mac news weblogger for O'Reilly (weblogs.oreilly.com/pub/au/1154)

- Regular articles, including many software reviews, for macdevcenter.com

- Two ongoing internet columns: PA Newswire (fortnightly), Modern and
Mature magazine (monthly)

- Contributions for The Guardian, MacUser, PDA Essentials, BBC Online
and Macworld

- Various copywriting and consulting contracts for private clients,
including several web sites and multimedia presentations

Recent published work is linked from: http://del.icio.us/gilest/work


## 2000: Specialist advisor for a technology-oriented public relations team at
Burson-Marsteller, London.

- A consulting role, with emphasis on advising businesses large and small
on successful internet strategies. Experience of dealing with high-level
management, commissioning content, running workshops, and pitching for
business.


## 1997-2000: New Media Correspondent, then Technology Editor, Press
Association.

- Covered the rise and fall of the dotcom bubble in the UK, making
excellent contacts in the UK new media industry along the way.

- Part of the team producing the innovative online news service, PA
NewsCentre (later renamed Ananova.com).

- Some commissioning experience while responsible for another reporter.
Devised new columns covering technology, videogames and the internet.


## 1993-1996: General news reporter, Cambridge Evening News.

- News beats (courts, crime, politics, events) and occasional stand-ins on
the business desk. Regular articles on TV, popular culture, comedy and
architecture.


# Specialist interests

Mac OS X: What's new in the world of Mac? Why should people care about it?

Alternatives: what low-cost, free or open source applications are available
for people who cannot afford, or do not wish to use, mainstream software.

The exciting web: how are modern web services turning the internet on its
head? Why should people care?

Advanced digital culture for ordinary people: how can cutting-edge web
applications (such as RSS, wiki, or weblogs) be put to use by ordinary
internet users with little knowledge or experience of the technologies and
histories behind them?


# Skills in a nutshell

- Excellent communicator, electronically and face-to-face 
- Clear, concise, friendly writing style 
- Fast, efficient producer of copy 
- Computer-friendly; I speak Windows, Mac and Unix 
- Superb understanding of internet culture, history and etiquette
- Excellent contacts within Mac software industry and internet development
community


# Education

1993: NCTJ Post-graduate Journalism Course, Harlow College

1992: Graduate degree, grade 2.2, Geography and Sociology, Anglia
Polytechnic University, Cambridge, UK


# Other information

- Co-founder, Make A Shorter Link (http://makeashorterlink.com)
		MASL was the first of many link-shortening services
- Contributor, WriteTheWeb (http://writetheweb.com) (no longer updated)
- Shortlisted finalist, The Guardian Best British Weblog Awards 2002 
- Shortlisted finalist, BT London and Home Counties Press Awards, 1994 
- Married with one child 
- Full, clean UK driving licence

It has been said that I have a 'track record of being an honest and
curious reporter of online life.'


# References

From recent employers and clients; available on request.


Last updated: 5 January 2006