I was really quite gutted with the loss of Crains earlier this year, but every cloud has its silver lining, and that lining has arrived in the form of ‘Business Week’.

Business Week is the newest publication from the MEN, and is a weekly magazine aimed at business leaders across the region. The first of its kind in our area (if you don’t count Crain’s), it  will be distributed direct to  businesses as well as being delivered to pick up points in the city centre, airport and business parks.

It’s a positive step in the right direction at a time when publications are closing left, right and centre. The full and trusted team of MEN business reporters are on hand  to contribute, and an online counterpart is available to check what’s going on whilst out and about. What’s not to love?

Anyone launching something new at the moment should be applauded, not condemned and it’s disappointing to see the lack of support aired on community forums like How-Do.

We’ve got everything crossed for you guys – good luck!

People are following me on Twitter. This in itself seems rather odd to me, even odder that it’s usually American evangelical Christians.

Today though upon checking my emails I discovered that one of my new followers is Trafford Centre Shop which is quite possibly the first viable business use of Twitter I’ve seen.

It’s a simple concept: if you follow them they will send you updates on what’s on offer in what shops in the Trafford Centre. Today HMV’s Easter Sale has started.

To my mind this is the perfect way for Twitter to make someone some money. If I live in Manchester knowing what’s on sale at the Trafford Centre might make me pop out and buy it.

Following Apple and The Guardian is interesting but it’s not about to make me head out for today’s paper and another mac.

Perhaps teaming up is the way forward. If all the sandwich shops in Manchester were telling me their daily special in one feed I’d be truly realising the potential of Twitter.

Is it just me – or did this week have 12 days in it?

Start of the week is a bit hazy – combination of industrial strength Lemsip and numerous new business proposals. The middle of the week had a couple of 32 hour days (or so it seemed at the time). And the past few days; well, they definitely had a Groundhog Day feeling about them.

So, now it’s Friday, with a couple of days rest to look forward to.

I wish.

The five day working week is history, as are 9-5 “opening hours”. In the marketing business, you’re working when your clients want you working. It goes with the territory. It’s understood. When you’re working in online PR, where deadlines roll for 24 hours and your public is every person with an Internet connection and an opinion, then it’s doubly so (at the very least).

But – thankfully – I enjoy what I do. And the beauty of living in an inter-connected world, with easy access to WiFi around the house, means that I can write this – my last blog post of the working week – sat at the kitchen table, using my trusty MacBook and nary a wire in site.

It’s a blog post now, but could just as easily be development of a social media newsroom, posting to a newsgroup, mixing a podcast or one of the 101 different online services we offer.

But, for now at least, work’s over. So, with the sound of a cork exiting a bottle of red echoing in the background, it just remains for me to shamelessly plug our new Facebook ‘fan page‘ – and invite you to join.

It’s not a replacement for the web site and blog, more a support to them. We look forward to welcoming you