Blog
This blog has evolved and moved several times since starting as ‘Helpful Technology’ in 2008. This has always been a personal blog alongside my work – and so it remains.
RSS Feed: https://stephgray.com/feed/
![Alan Partridge - Monkey Tennis](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Monkey-Tennis-1200x826.jpg)
Monkey Tennis syndrome
![Different ice cream flavours in a stand](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/pexels-jeshoots-3631-1200x763.jpg)
Mavericks & the Tutti Frutti client
![Fire-damaged Brighton pier](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Brighton-pier-1200x900.jpg)
Practising Max
![Buddy the cat](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-12-05-10.31.08-1200x900.jpg)
Ambitions for 2024
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Gromit-laying-track.jpg)
A few lessons learned from tracking The Queue
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Steph-Helpful-timeline.jpg)
Understanding the journey with a timeline
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2022-01-18-at-09.26.35-1200x616.png)
How to get Google Analytics reports by email
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Empty-Helpful-chair-scaled-1-1200x734.jpg)
Farewell Helpful
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0704-scaled-1-1200x900.jpg)
Lessons from the first 1,000km as a new bike commuter
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/man-in-black-jacket-and-black-pants-standing-under-vehicle-3807811-scaled-1-1200x1004.jpg)
The website MOT: 7 hallmarks of a good modern website
![Angry face emoji on phone screen](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/angry_1575125618-1200x800.jpeg)
The wrong clients
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/9DC7B243-8426-454F-A189-4D187EE4532E-1200x650.jpeg)
What might digital comms under Boris look like?
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/danielle-macinnes-IuLgi9PWETU-unsplash-1200x800.jpg)
How to make “working out loud” work
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/foodomiser-process-1200x900.jpg)
As a foodie, I have too many recipe books I never use…
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/file-25-04-2019-22-25-09-1200x819.jpg)
Being no-nonsense in a nonsense world
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Sim-aviation-1200x541.jpg)
Long haul
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/production-wagon-wheels-revival-of-a-dying-art-a-wheelwright-in-a-southern-1024.jpg)
It’s OK to reinvent the wheel
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2012-09-10-14.01.48-1200x1200.jpg)
Blogging as thinking
![Family boarding a train](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180405_173431-1024x768-2.jpg)
Traindomiser 2: this time, it’s multimodal
![man wearing Donald Trump mask standing in front of White House](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/b_vxfdzvw3g-1200x800.jpg)
How to be a Very Stable Genius
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2BBF7039-639B-42BD-8824-8BE3AE1AC7A3-1200x727.jpeg)
The Traindomiser: a train adventure
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/luke-1200x579.jpg)
Agent O
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/CommsCamp-2017-1200x625.jpg)
20 things I learned at CommsCamp 2017
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Stephen-Hale-1200x900.jpg)
Digital Hero: Stephen Hale
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2016-10-03-14.28.44-1-1200x900.jpg)
In 2016, I…
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/amaterus-1200x640.jpg)
On experts and amateurs
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2015-11-18-at-21.25.24.png)
What good digital consultation looks like
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/briefs-1200x816.jpg)
A better website brief
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/CJek3diWgAA7_iP.jpg)
20 things I learned at #CommsCamp15
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HT-at-work-1200x832.jpg)
Five years down the road
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5664499518_38a2e3cc68_b.jpg)
Digital people by the ounce
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4077487123_a976ffc724_o-1200x797.jpg)
Day 1
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/B3TxZTACQAAQYEz.jpg)
Simpler, clearer, fairer
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2533979576_b5acca5429_o-1200x800.jpg)
The great offices of State
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/whiteboard-flow-1200x524.jpg)
The digital comms planner
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/smallumbrellas.jpg)
Small umbrellas
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/enhanced-5821-1401215094-2.jpg)
Buzzfeed, Lego and government communication
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2014-05-29-at-08.22.59.png)
Doing the right thing right
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Team-RA-1200x891.jpg)
Four more years
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dan-slee.png)
On freelancing
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dig-Eng-needs-ladder.png)
What holds people back?
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/classroom-1200x732.jpg)
In 2014, let’s get digital skills out of the classroom
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/gcnreview.png)
Whither digital communication?
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/screwed-up-paper.jpg)
Fêting failure
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HT-dashboard-1200x900.jpg)
Keeping up with our clients
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2013-09-10-at-08.36.51.png)
What public consultation can look like
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/9385693887_ea522b4161_b.jpg)
What archaeology can teach us about agile web projects
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2013-08-19-07.10.05-1200x900.jpg)
All the news that’s fit to print
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Octonauts-1200x675.jpg)
5 crisis communications lessons from Captain Barnacles of the Octonauts
![](https://stephgray.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/BPcCQRzCEAEc2cE.jpeg)