So here’s the thing. I love travelling. I love adventures. I love free stuff.
I’ve been shortlisted to win a press trip to New York with Virgin Atlantic and it’s now down to a public vote. By tweeting “I vote @radiokate for #vblogger” or suchlike before 1pm Friday 16th April, you would get me a teeny step closer to this amazing trip.
The thing is, I don’t like asking people to vote for me. I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable about not wanting to litter their Twitter stream. I don’t want to hassle them. Also, I don’t want my Twitter stream to be full of annoying tweets about this trip. So the question is, do I give up on the whole thing, in order not to spam my followers who I have spent time attracting, or do I to go all guns blazing and try and win this thing?
The truth is, I desperately want the chance to go to New York… When else will I ever have the chance to fly upper class? How else will I get the opportunity to be paid to write for the Vtravelled blog? What else will fill my week with such excitement and joy?
I not sure I’m entirely ruthless enough to manage it though. I’m not tweeting every celebrity out there and begging them to vote for me (no, I chose my targets carefully – much love to Ben Goldacre and Paul Carr for humouring me). I am not completely spamming my stream (certainly not as much as others at least), but I still feel really bad about asking people to do this. I mean it sucks. I hate it when people ask me to do this kind of thing so I’m basically being a total hyprocrit. I’m sorry, I guess I just really really want to go on another adventure.
I’m not sure how to make it up to you, or to thank you if you do vote for me (by tweeting “I vote @radiokate for #vblogger” btw, did I mention that?), but here’s a nice photograph for you from my last adventure:
Sunrise at Zzyzx desert research base
UPDATE: Wow – you have been so great and so generous with your help! Thank you! Just a few hours to go. I think we could actually do this! One last push!
BTW, if you are a tweeter (or looking to start and want some really awesome people to follow), may I suggest you check out some of the following:
@bengoldacre, @paulcarr, @danieljowen, @cwtch, @alizasherman, @flashboy, @qwghlm, @jiminthemorning, @motorbikematt, @davelee, @jamescridland, @paulaheasman, @wilsondasilva, @ilicco, @meredithperry, @nicktheguitar, @meducate – in fact take a look at anyone I’m following on Twitter and give them a go. I’m following them all for a reason… 
UPDATE: I didn’t win. But I did come a close second. In fact, 20 votes close. Oh. Oh well. Perhaps if I’d not jetlag-slept through almost the entire first day of voting I might have won, but the very fact that I was jetlagged probably means it was someone else’s turn to go on a cool trip. Next time. Next time…
Kate Arkless Gray is a freelance broadcast journalist, radio producer and social media strategist. Her work ranges from saving the world’s endangered sounds with the BBC World Service’s Save Our Sounds project to writing medical news stories.
She has worked BBC Radio 2, 5Live, Radio 4 and the World Service as well as having produced podcasts for Lonely Planet, Eurostar and 4Talent.
