Employment history
For the past nine years, I have been working for Northcliffe Media in Derby. Initially, I worked for the company from 2000-2004 as a content editor for several of the thisis brand of websites.I was responsible for uploading and modifying content and images for several newspapers, using Quark Xpress and Adobe Photoshop. I also worked on the Derby Evening Telegraph’s www.therams.co.uk website and built up the web forum.
From 2004-2008 I worked on the Beehive community helpdesk helping not-for-profit groups build and maintain websites using free web based software via email, mail & phone. I also co-authored the book, “Derby: Picture the Past” (ISBN 0752435809) with my colleague Sally Parkin and working on the BAFTA winning Headline History website. I then spent six months working on the QA team helping to launch the award winning Lasting Tribute website. I am currently employed as a Platform developer building web forums with Jive forums and managing Clearspace X for other UGC, designing blogging templates for our journalists, aggregating feeds through RSS and Yahoo Pipes and encourage user generated content through bespoke websites. I have a keen interest in in Drupal, Wordpress and Blogger in particular.
Another facet of my role is on a technical helpdesk for web managers using Northcliffe’s web-based CMS for their newspapers and responding to their queries via telephone, email or through the service desk software as appropriate. In addition to this I play a role in maintaining domain names for Northcliffe, purchasing and renewing domain names with our three major providers, transferring in domain names and assigning DNS and MX records.
Education
1990 to 1994 - University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Lane, Coventry, West Midlands, CV4 7AL
Level Achieved: 2:1 Joint Honours Degree in Law and Sociology
1988 to 1990 - Belper School
Kilburn Road, Belper, Derbyshire
Level Achieved:A Level - History, Sociology, General Studies, English Literature
1988 to 1984 - Belper School
Kilburn Road, Belper, Derbyshire
Level Achieved:GCSE - French, Humanities, Music, English Literature, English Language, Maths, Modular Science, Modular Science (2)
About me
38 years of age, I live in Alvaston, Derby with my partner Victoria, although I have spent most of my life living in Belper, Derbyshire, with four years in Leamington Spa and Coventry whilst at University in the 1990s.
Aside from my job I have a keen interest in IT, web design and information technology. A keen gamer I enjoy both games on the Playstation 3 and on the PC, mostly strategy, role-playing or sports and like most people nowadays I indulge in the odd-spot of social networking and blogging.
I enjoy reading books and newspapers and I like to keep up with current affairs and politics and I have kept an interest in Law and legislation and its social impact from my university days. Another interest from my time at University is History, and I enjoy reading history books and watching documentaries.
Other interests I have include film and sport. I am a passionate Derby County supporter who has followed the team through thick and thin (mostly thin!) since 1976. and I also follow Rugby Union and play pool and snooker
Skills and voluntary work
I am highly computer literate having first worked on the Internet whilst at the University of Warwick in the the early 90s on their UNIX system and having nine years of work experience with a Digital Publisher.
I have a good working knowledge of HTML, CSS, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office and domain name administration and I am beginning to learn PHP and SQL. I have a touch-typing speed of 84 wpm.
Before working for Northcliffe, I also spent a year as a Citizen’s Advice Bureaux volunteer worker, giving advice to people on a wide range of problems, this helped to develop my phone and customer service skills which I previously used in work for AB Gee Ltd as an invoicer and customer returns clerk and at Aristoc Ltd as a quality control operative.
During my working experience I have spent a good amount of that time in a customer support role and I have good interpersonal and problem solving skills.