Tell me about your Blog?

My main blog is called Fake Plastic Noodles, which is a little bit about PR, a little bit about social media and a little bit about my life as an American expat in London. I also run a food blog called Om Nom London, where I do reviews on restaurants, share recipes or food news.

What was your first blog?

My first blog was and still is Fake Plastic Noodles. I started it two years ago when I thought that I was moving to London imminently. I wanted to start getting to know people in London and gain a better understanding of the UK PR industry.

What is the biggest tip you would give to a newbie blogger?

Keep it up. It’s really easy to get sidetracked and let the blog slip away into the deepest caverns of the internet. If you’re serious about blogging, get into the habit by posting something every day. Also make sure you’re reading and commenting on other people’s blogs – otherwise no one will know you exist!

What do advertisers do that you wish they wouldn’t?

Not sure! I’ve never done advertising on my blog before!

What do bloggers do that you wish they wouldn’t?

Too much self-promotion – especially on Twitter. I get annoyed when bloggers only sign up for other services to hawk their blog posts.

Where do you see growth in the blogging field?

Through sites like Twitter. Anything that makes sharing thoughts esier and quicker.

What new ideas are advertisers coming up with to take advantage of new trends?

Advertising is becoming less like ADVERTISING all the time. They’re much more clever now – and the line between PR, marketing and advertising, while still distinct, is seeing a lot more crossover.

What do you do to improve the world?

Such a deep question! I give money to NPR, which improves the quality of the airwaves, thus the world, hundredfold (http://npr.org)

What do you do that is green?

I recycle and I jog into work.

What is one thing about you that not many people know?

I absolutely hate cucumbers. To me, they have the most wretchedly strong smell on the planet.

What’s your favourite book?

My favourite classic will always be The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, but I just finished tonight, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, which I thought was lovely.

What is on your iPod?

Abba to Zero 7 and 7,951 songs in between. (The National, Explosions in the Sky, The Veils and Belle and Sebastian have been in heavy rotation though)

What are your contact details (email, company, blog, facebook, myspace, forums, etc)?

Email: melanie.seasons@REMOVEgmai.com

Company: onlinefire.co.uk

Blog: Fakeplasticnoodles.com; omnomlondon.com

What events do you go to?

I try to make it to all of the London Bloggers Meetups that are organised by Andy Bargery. He does an amazing job and they’re always so much fun.

How do you prefer to communicate?

Text, actually. But in a work capacity, definitely e-mail.

Who would you recommend, and why?

Londonelicious – http://kristainlondon.typepad.com/ – My favourite restaurant blogger and a fellow American expat

A Brit out of Water – http://www.britoutofwater.com/ – Great expat blog from a Brit living in NY

Annie Mole’s Going Underground – http://london-underground.blogspot.com/ – The best damn Tube blog on the planet.

The Diary of Specific Generalities – http://davebirss.wordpress.com/ – Dave Biriss’ fun and quirky blog on the digital and creative inductries

The Bad Pitch Blog – http://badpitch.blogspot.com/ – A collection of the worst PR pitches sent in from bloggers around the world

The Denver Egotist – http://thedenveregotist.com/ – Oddly enough, a blog about the advertising inductry in Denver Colorado, but still incredibly interesting for the rest of us. Nice chaps, too.

147xxxxx – http://147xxxx.tumblr.com/ – An anonymous blog from Starbucks worker 147xxxxx. Rants and raves about working in the coffee industry – sometimes enlightening, sometimes cringeworthy, but always funny.

Garfield minus Garfield – http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/ – Does exactly what it says on the tin – A collection of Garfield comics without Garfield. Therefore only starring Jon Arbuckle, and therefore, funny.

Passive Aggressive Notes – http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/ – Always good for a laugh. This is a collection of user-submitted photos of, you guessed it, passive aggressive notes. So when a note is taped to your office fridge titled, “Dear, sandwich stealer…” you’ll know where to send it.

PR Blogger and Social Media Blogger Melanie Seasons of Fake Plastic Noodles, an Interview