This week's episode is a little different. It was World Book Day last Thursday so I reached out to local authors to find out what they did for book day. In this episode, we check in with local authors Helen Grant, David MacPhail, Pauline Tait, Fiona Lowry, Lindsey Gibb, and John Bray (that's me!). 

You'll hear about oompa loompa pirates, an entry in an anthology alongside Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill, and much more. On top of this, I read a sample of my own dark fantasy book 'Marcus' which is set in Crieff and is aimed at children in late primary school and older.

We also talk a little about the forthcoming changes to Twitter's 'Live Spaces', as well as a diminishing role for hashtags within Facebook.

Thanks as always for listening, and see you again next week.

This week we take some time to hear about the many ways Precious Sparkle in Perth has changed and adapted through the years into the amazingly eclectic and diverse shop they are now. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me Dawn, I really appreciate it.

In our Social Media tips and Ticks section we look at the news that Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is trialling a new 'Paid Verification Scheme' in Australia which is aimed at businesses, organisations, and other official pages. How might this impact your business or organisation if it comes to the UK? And what strategies can you implement to safeguard your ability to communicate with customers/ clients.

Finally, it's World Book Day this week, so I'm putting out a call to Perthshire Authors to ask if they can tell us a bit about themselves, their books, and what they did for World Book Day. I'll be doing a Perthshire Author feature for next week's PerthshireHour podcast. Please get in touch if you'd like to be involved.

This week the Twitter Live Space system was updated in some way so the Live Space barely worked. Sorry to those who tried to tune in. Hopefully, things will be back to normal again next week.

This week's podcast episode includes an interview with Elizabeth Philip from Crieff ConneXions. It was genuinely interesting to find out more about this broad-ranging community support organisation with connections to various different Perth and Kinross organisations.

In the second half of the podcast, we look at ways to tidy up your text, whether this is a short Facebook or Twitter post, or something longer.  I've included a description of two resources which I use to make writing clearer, more on point, and in some cases, more 'on brand' for your business.

Thank you for listening and don't forget to share this podcast with any friends or colleagues who may find it useful.

This week Laura Norval from Bushcraft Bairns was good enough to give me a short interview telling me about this relatively new addition to the Crieff/ Comrie area. Bushcraft Bairns offer a host of activities for children including den building, making woodland jewellery, mini-beast hunts, hand tools, basic woodwork, and more.

We also look at revamping your social media profiles and how to streamline the process of getting your posts seen (by the right people). Also, don't forget to send us a message if you're a Perthshire creative, or if you run a Perthshire business/organisation. Tell us about yourself, your business, your organisation, or your event for an ALWAYS FREE mention in a future episode.

This week's episode focuses on three different Perthshire creatives. It's also the first time we've pre-recorded an episode. Hopefully, the episode is still worth a listen despite not being recorded live. 

Our Perthshire creatives focus includes three different creatives. First is the 'The Grey Earl' and his Star Wars/ popular culture-inspired artwork and greeting cards. We also look at June McEwan who, among other things, creates distinctive large (sometimes life-sized) willow animals. Finally, we focus on Storyteller Claire Hewitt. Being there for Claire's storytelling is so different from simply hearing someone reading from a book. Hopefully, my description of it does it some justice.

We also look at ways to automate and improve your email list support and social media scheduling. On top of this was a call to action for listeners to share this podcast with others, as well as join the WhatsApp group.

As always, thanks for listening in and we'll see you next week.

On this week's #PerthshireHour we talk about Perthshire's multi-award winning independent bookshop the Aberfeldy Watermill, and take a brief visit to the stunning range of homewares and household supplies next door Homer.

In our Social Media tips and tricks segment we look at the end of the 'magic button' of social media. Ten years ago, Facebook and Twitter were like a magic wand for getting information out to the world. Sadly, these platforms seem to have lost their magic touch due to a mixture of promoted tweets/posts, algorithms, and user drop-off. In this section, we think about ways to get information out in this next stage of technology use for businesses. 

You can find links to topics from this week's programme either on Twitter (search #Perthshirehour), on Facebook (on the Crieff Business Page), or via the new PerthshireHour WhatsApp group (message the host John to be added to the group).

Thanks for listening, remember to tell us about your own events, activities, and more and we'll get your story into the podcast for you (no fee is charged for this).

In this week's episode, we take a visit to Fun Junction the toy shop to hear about one of their oddest customer requests, as well as learn more about their most popular toys, and about a way that they help customers to make their Christmas spend a little easier.

We close up the episode with a quick rundown of what's on in Perthshire over the next couple of weeks and a few mentions of different Perthshire businesses and organisations.

This week is the first in the new program format which includes a Perthshire story, a social media tip/trick, and a short mention of local events in the Perthshire area.

This week our story focus is McCash's Country Store which has been supplying animal feed to the people (and animals) of Perth Since 1746. Yep McCash's is older than the USA!

Our Social media tip this week focuses on the ways that you can use WhatsApp to make your customers/ clients feel more special/ listened to (and get your message out in a more authentic and engaging way).

Finally, we share a list of various Burns Nights celebrations which you can enjoy in the Perthshire area over the next week or two.

Thanks for listening, and don't forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast app to be sure to catch the newest episodes of the #PertshireHour podcast as they're released.

In this week's episode we look at artistic activities in the Perthshire area including a photography competition in Letham and a pottery beginners handbuilding class at Moka in Crieff. We also look at the 'Warm Spaces' initiative springing up throughout Perthshire with venues offering a warm space to visit and keep warm during the difficulties associated with the rise in heating costs. Many of these spaces also offer various forms of free entertainment (including film showings, games, and other activities) as well as free refreshments.

Also mentioned this week is the new 'share tree' WhatsApp group. Contact John for more details and to have your name added to the group. This should make it even easier for businesses, organisations, and creatives to share the posts that they're most excited about with the wider Perthshire community.

A quick one this week as I'm recovering from the lurgy. Find out what's happening for Hogmanay all over Perthshire. Then prepare to fill the next few weeks promoting your new business ideas, creative endeavours, events, or whatever else you'd like to tell us about. 

As always, thanks for listening.