This interview was written in 2017 for the occasion of the European Pipe Band Championships A piper who appeared on prime-time TV at the age of ten will lead the Forres and District Pipe Band into the European Pipe Band Championships this year for the second time. Gordon Roy started learning the pipes at age … Read more
How an attempt to boost SEO is being disguised as a copyright infringement case threat. Having sent my own copyright infringement case letters to website owners using images without permission, I am familiar with the process of takedown notices and claims for unauthorised use. Howver, on Christmas Eve 2023, I received a threatening letter from … Read more
The Visit Forres website and app launched this year and I provided a substantial quantity of photographs taken over the years to illustrate the site. In October, we produced a wall calendar. It’s nice to know that the snapshots of Forres through the seasons are making their way all over the world, and there will … Read more
Scottish Enterprise Awards and other vanity schemes just prey on the gullible There can be few better feelings for business owners than the news they’ve won an award. To know that hard work and good practice is being recognised by your industry peers, can be very valuable. And so it’s no surprise that there are … Read more
It’s unfortunate that I’ve had to write this post, but it has become an increasing problem. Copyright in pictures (and words and videos) exists automatically by law. This should prevent people from copying them, but it doesn’t, and I have found people and companies using my pictures, and constantly having to track them down and … Read more
When I worked for Forres Events, the organisation behind the European Pipe Band Championships, for each of the six years it was in Forres, I got the opportunity to meet and write about some amazing people, including John Wilson, a retired Chief Superintendent of the former Strathclyde Police force, and life-long piper. I spoke to … Read more
Every now and then someone comes up with an idea that you wish you’d have thought of yourself. And the latest contender for me is ‘Online Strategy Cards’ – a deck of 54 cards packed with content ideas categorised into… well, categories. It’s the brainchild of local entrepreneur Sarah Frame O’Hare. I’ve met Sarah before … Read more