Six as a parrot

It seems like only yesterday that I gained my first ever follower. On January 25th Jennifer Walker-Shannon tied her colours to the Barry Newsdesk flagpole and I was jubilant. Over time the number of followers grew, from tiny acorns do mighty oaks grow (as my second ever follower and knitting enthusiast Donnac1968 would say ).

Today though, is a grim day in the life of Barry Newsdesk. Because, as with trading on the stock exchange, things can go down as well as up. Where once there were nine, there now stand six. Steve, Vince and Jack Nork have all, quite inexplicably, stopped following yours truly.

What’s wrong guys? Was it something I wrote? My last post was massively upbeat about Christianity, so maybe those guys are just Satanists. Like Jesus though I will turn the other cheek, I’m still going to be following their blogs and I urge you to do likewise. Some of the insight you’ll see will change your world.

I won’t lie to you though. Losing followers is like losing limbs. Well, maybe not limbs, but fingers or toes, something that it’s really nice to have but wouldn’t stop you leading a normal life. Maybe an ear or an eyebrow. Put it this way, it’s like losing a part of yourself that would still mean you didn’t qualify for the Paralympics.

Maybe this is how Jesus felt when Judas Priest snitched on him.

A follower!!!!

Who says journalism is a lonely career. I logged on this morning and was greeted by the news that I have a follower!

Jennifer Walker-Shannon has tied her colours to the Barry Newsdesk mast, so to speak, and agreed to follow me.

A Californian writer. She looks every bit as glamorous as she sounds too! Though I should also point out that she is married to a gentleman called Brett. Hopefully, this will assure Gill that our virtual friendship is purely platonic.

I wonder what Jennifer makes of the great public transport vs atheism debate? I know our American cousins can be quite religious, however, I also know that public transport leaves a lot to be desired in the Land of the Free!

Perhaps this is something President Obama will be looking to change during his tenure. He's probably got a lot on his plate, but he seems like the sort of man who will leave no stone unturned. Even if it means upsetting a few people.

I have yet to receive any feedback from the various editors whom I furnished with my piece on sexual harassment. It's early days, of course, and I'm not too downhearted. Particularly in light of the news that Jennifer (a published writer!!!!) is now following yours truly.

Perhaps I will go out into the virtual world and follow some other notable bloggers - in journalism, it is a case of who you know AND what you know!