Paul Taylor

Latest Writing

  • Net Zero and The Law of Horse Manure

    Net Zero and The Law of Horse Manure

    Catastrophic predictions that spell dark days for humanity are nothing new. The Times predicted in 1894 that in 50 years time, every street in London would be buried under nine feet of horse manure. It was the crisis of all crises. There was, to be fair, some evidence for this. As urban populations rapidly increased… Read more

  • The Gravitational Pull Of Business As Usual

    The Gravitational Pull Of Business As Usual

    The interior secrets of black holes are guarded by a one-way light-trapping boundary called the event horizon. This horizon is the point, according to NASA, that the gravitational influence of the black hole becomes so intense that not even light is fast enough to escape it. A very different horizon exists in many organisations, except… Read more

  • Getting People Online (Lessons from my Mother)

    On my recent holiday a surprising thing happened. Two emails from my Mom. From my Mom. Who , 9 months ago,  had never been online. I’m proud. But it’s been a difficult journey. This post is not about having a laugh at the expense of older people online. It’s an attempt to capture some of my… Read more

  • The Delicate Balance Of Online and Offline Influence

    “What is truly exciting about where we are today is that never before in our collective history has it been so accessible for absolutely everyone to provide their voice to the conversation. Where anyone with ‘humble beginnings’ can make a name for themselves.  Your ability to influence comes more from what you have to offer,… Read more

  • The New Transparency

    What does having an open social media policy say about a company? For me , it says nothing about social media and everything about trust. Trust in your people – you believe that they come to work to do good things , not wreck your reputation. Trust in yourself – you are an open business… Read more

  • Digital Myths

    How confident are you using the internet? On a scale of 1 to 10. And how confident would you say the average user of social housing is? Last week , I posted about the myth of social housing residents and digital inclusion. How 99% of our new customers said they had the ability to access the… Read more

  • The Rules of Attraction

    I was asked a question the other day: “No-one is engaging with our Facebook discussion. Will you have a look at it and tell us what you think?” I turned the question back on them. “If it was you. And you were the customer. Would you have joined in?” After a few seconds deliberation –… Read more

  • The Great Divide?

    Residents of social housing are , pretty much , excluded from access to the internet. If you believe everything you read. Grant Shapps MP once said Social Housing tenants live in a “digital apartheid” Martha Lane Fox has said that “Almost half” of the UK’s adult population who do not use the internet live in social… Read more