Wow, What a week!

Well, what a week!

Never did I think when I started this blog all those weeks ago that I'd be sat here watching a clip of Mary Portas telling ITV reporters that she hopes Warwick wins!

We have certainly played the game and done everything that Mary asked of us in her review, so we're not surprised she thinks we're worthy of some cash to make our pilot happen - but it's still pretty incredible!

As ever, social media has played a massive part in what has been a monumental shift in the way things are done in Warwick. From a few tweets, to a blog, to one heck of a lot of views, to finally posting a YouTube video of our proposal, it has been a real success for the new age of communication.

With the strapline "From the medieval to the modern" ringing out from the town crier at the start of our YouTube video, it's clear from the offset that Warwick is really playing to its strengths.

History and new-found technology.

As we have seen, Social media and Twitter in particular are strong in Warwick. We may have a castle and some incredibly historic buildings and stunning architecture, but we also have a strong community of shopkeepers, businesses, members of the public and even our Mayor wielding smart phones; sharing and caring all the day long on social media networks. You may think, "So what?" and many in our own town have said, "Let's get out of the virtual world for a second." My response is that we do, and we are. Misunderstanding of social media is something I try to change daily.

Twitter is simply the post office queue but online...with a heck of a lot more people in it!

What we do in Warwick is constantly keep in touch. We update each other and recommend each other to others. The difference is that when we do this, masses of other people see it. Put simply, if you recommend a business or person to a friend in the street, only your friend will hear your recommendation. Do it on Twitter (the right way) and literally hundreds if not thousands will see and hear. Word of mouth just got very VERY powerful!

Mary Portas indeed first noticed Hatton & Harding via their Twitter feed and the massive Warwickshire support they had. If we had just walked into David and Jerry's shop and told them how good they were, or wished them good luck then who would have heard it?! Certainly not the Queen of Shops, that's for sure! Our support was there for all to see, and I mean all. Our well-wishes were visible online and out there. Mary Portas didn't need to look far to find it. Click click pow! There we were.

It hasn't stopped either. The entire campaign has been laid bare on social media and indeed every other form of media we cared to involve. Twitter, Facebook, blogs (ours and others) YouTube, local papers, radio and TV have all been involved. Our secret has been our open and interactive campaign. People loved what we were doing so they cheered us on, which spurred us on more. People wanted to help in any way they could so we had THE best Town Team, backed up with brilliant advisors. People heard about us through so many different channels that it has become a local phenomenon. When you include people you become not only more knowledgable but also more powerful. This has not been just six people around a table - this has been an entire virtual town around a table!

But don't worry Warwick, we don't want people without a smartphone to be excluded - far from it. Naturally we'll be doing everything possible through WarwickTweetup to promote the use and benefits of Twitter and communication via digital aids, in fact there are many new tweeters already. But we are fully aware that not everyone has or wants access to the information superhighway. We very much enjoy meeting and greeting like we did in the square on our market stall. We also have Hatton & Harding to thank for this whole movement - and they are the quintessential example of a community shop with traditional customer service and values.

Warwick Portas Pilots are simply going to use both methods; old with new, tried with tested, from tweets to streets. Our town crier sharing a hashtag, our school children making community videos.

Together we are stronger, learning from each other, but ultimately now we stand side by side. Young and old, district and county, tweeters and speakers. We have done something incredible over the last few weeks. Imagine what we can do in a year...?