I’m an online communications strategist working under contract for Intrasoft International, an ICT services and communications provider. However, my blog is not sponsored in any way.

I’m basically interested in exploring the development of the EU online public space, which is why I launched the blog platform you’re reading now in 2007. I’m also an editor of BloggingPortal.eu, the aggregator of EU-oriented blogs, and an administrator of IABC Belgium’s “Web2EU” community, which I helped launch in May 2009.

My LinkedIn profile has more details. If you must, here are some bits and pieces, culled from a previous client’s ‘golden page’ for me (a sort of CV at a glance), with a few comments added:

• 1980s: trained in theoretical physics before becoming a scientific press officer and then a science freelance journalist;
• working in EU communications since 1991, when he launched the English Editorial Department for European Services Network;
• 1995: launched the company’s Web Department by running a research group from the Université Libre de Bruxelles to publish www.eureka.be (early ’96), first database-driven site by a public organisation in Europe
• spent a year (2000) as a broadband content strategist in his native Australia, returned to Europe;
• 2001-2007: DG Information Society and Media, developed overall communication strategy and oversaw implementation of online strategy. Led INFSO’s webteam and was responsible for all major web projects, many considered ‘Commission best practice’ – e.g.,:
  • a pilot thematic portal project, explored the editorial, linguistic, organisational and technological issues in reorganising EUROPA’s upper levels along thematic lines for non-specialists (more);
  • the Newsroom application (2002-): manages, shares and publishes news, events, publications, videos and more, on web and via RSS and email, across organisational boundaries. The first use by the Commission of RSS. Since adopted by several other DGs (and now being ‘corporatised’, apparently);
  • the Event in a Box application (2002-): the first version of this was the first ‘community-driven’ site on EUROPA to feature user-generated content (e.g., personal profiles, contributions, comments, competitions), two years before the term Web2.0 was invented. It also featured back-end e-logistics integration. Currently being adopted by other DGs (or so they tell me – more);
  • International Roaming Charges (2005-): probably the first – and possibly still the only – site on EUROPA to tap popular support (via sheer user traffic) for a new EU regulation. So next time you get a roaming bill, utter a prayer of thanks to the INFSO webteam who built the site, and the policy guys who spent their weekends filling it with data collected from the web!

  Also obtained a first class Open Honours degree, specialised in international relations and environmental affairs.

• late 2007: Launch Director of Blogactiv.eu
• 2008-2012: relaunched GOPA-Cartermill’s online communications department, rolled out company department structure and internal processes, developed quality framework, won more work than the business development department, turned GC into a leader in Drupal for the Commission.
• from November 2012: online comms strategist at Intrasoft International.