A Frog of Good Taste

Here’s a heart-warming review I came across today of my current project – Sexperience – in FroggBlog, the words of wisdom of a UK-based online marketing consultancy.

The mini site that’s accompanying Channel 4’s ‘The Sex Education Show‘ is remarkable.

Visitors to the site can browse statistics, watch a number of high quality videos based on the experiences of real people as well as answer questions that they might normally be afraid to ask courtesy of some excellent online content and tools.

Now what Channel 4 have done is not only create a website which supports the sex education television show in terms of online advertising but it strengthens their association with and commitment to education, enhances their authority as a provider of quality and accessible information (whether it’s broadcasting or reporting online) and ultimately strengthens their relationship with users, both young and old, who might view such a resource as valuable.

The Sexperience site provides an interesting case as to how businesses, both large and small, can involve themselves in other methods of communication, whether it’s through harnessing video content, integrating social tools and feedback facilities, sharing knowledge or by investing in quality content which fulfils user need at all stages of the buying circle.

There is inspiration all around… and acting upon these brainwaves can get people talking about you and your business. And that’s a good thing.

[To date (in its first 15 days) Sexperience has experienced over 280,000 visits racking up over 2.6M pageviews, with nearly 6,000 user-generated contributions (comments and questions).]

Sexperience was produced by the talented folks at Mint Digital and Cheetah Television

(article and picture reproduced courtesy of FroggBlog)

4mations Reviewed

4mations has had its first review (in Web User) – it’s the first project to emerge from the 4iP fund at Channel 4 (though only part-financed by 4iP) – 4mations moves out of beta later this month.

4mations review in Web User

4mations review in Web User

Alpha Mails

Sexperience - The Sex Education Show on-line

Following up my recent in-depth analysis of the Daily Mail, I return to that august journal to gather together some of its readers’ comments on the article it published yesterday about The Sex Education Show on Channel 4 whose on-line presence is Sexperience.

Mail/male journo says: “Channel 4 has been accused of peddling obscenity… school pupils asked to discuss pornography… In the programme a group of boys were shown close-up images of penises and asked which they thought was the average size… A male model’s genitals were also shown in close up as a female doctor described in depth the anatomy of the penis… a group of schoolgirls looking at pictures of different size breasts… Shocked viewers said Channel 4 was guilty of broadcasting indecency into family homes… One viewer contacting a TV message board said Channel 4 was ‘reaching new lows’… Conservative MP David Davies added: […] ‘do we really need to have these things graphically discussed by schoolchildren at 8pm in the evening when we are having our tea?’ “

Mail readers say:

My husband and I watched it with our 12 year old son, and it sparked a really honest and helpful discussion. The pictures of genitalia were not prurient or arousing and it was actually helpful for him to see how other normal people looked, without resorting to porn. The point that the program made with those pictures is that normal people don’t look like porn stars, so be happy with your body. A pretty good message for young men and women, I think!

Well done, Channel 4 – we’ll be watching next week!

– Annie, Lincoln, UK

Personally as a parent of teenagers I thought it was a very informative and “real” programme. I think it would be far more useful to show teenagers a show like this instead of the tepid sex education stuff they usually get at school. If they got real life education such as this then maybe they would have less STD`s and less unwanted pregnancies.

– Jeff, CHESTER

I thought it was extremely well done, it was not vulgar or seedy in any way at all, in fact at 48 with 4 children I learn something new, I could never understand why condoms were so tight and hard to put on until I watched that programme and found out there were different sizes available! Shouldn’t teenagers know that? Fantastic useful and educational, well done channel 4

– David Burns, COVENTRY

Channel 4 has a special remit – it is neither a channel designed for ‘everybody’. The real disgrace is no other broadcaster would make such a program because they are paranoid about offending viewers at that time – 8pm is the right time but no earlier.

They have done nothing wrong – clearly educational even when containing explicit detail.

Viewers were warned about the images multiple times – do they have no responsibility or do they just rubberneck for the sake of being offended?

– Ali, Liverpool

This show is educational. Society needs to be less scared of talking about sex. Unless you prefer teen pregnancy that is.

– Arwen, Edinburgh

We can do without this on TV. It is the sort of thing that was subject of some banter on the mess-decks of the RN, and even sailors would not have been so vulgar in another environment.

– LionelB, Dundee

There is always the “amazing off switch” for viewers to use, if they do not like what they are viewing or are embarassed by this programme.

– John Rodwell, Rye

I didn’t watch the show, but i had already heard about it. Why is it so wrong for boys to look at a photo of a penis? Or girls to look at breasts? I don’t understand? Surely it educates children and dispels alot of myths.

– Michaela Cerda, Essex

It’s about time this country developed a grown up attitude to sexual matters.

Just what were those viewers who complained expecting from the programme?

For God sake GROW UP!

– David Maggs, Devizes

If I don’t need to see male genitalia on tv at all, let alone before 9pm, then I very much doubt kids do either!

How many children will have still been awake and watching tv (likely unsupervised in their rooms) at this time?

Ridiculous.

Grow up C4!

– Anonymouse, UK

The teenage boys shown in the photo, which I assume are a good example of modern youth, look look a bunch of thugs, I doubt that they learnt anything new by watching the TV.

– Robert the EX-Brit, Sumter, USA

Robert the EX-Brit… the teenage boys in the photo do not look like thugs at all. This witch hunt against teenagers needs to stop. As for the program, their parents consented to it, so it’s fine, in fact, we need a culture that is more open and understanding about sex.

– John, Sheffield

Robert the EX-Brit, I watched this progremme. The school boys on the show (pictured) came across as thoughtful, eloquent, intelligent young men. It is obvious from your remarks that you did not watch it (being in the US). Please do not tar all youngsters here in such a way. Remember, sometimes it is better to keep quiet than to speak and let everyone know you are an idiot!

– WA, Oxford

So it’s ok to show fight scenes on Coronation Street, domestic abuse on Emmerdale and advertisements for films where people routinely slaughter each other, but it’s not ok to educate and inform young people who are having sex ANYWAY about the dangers out there. What a load of hypocrites.

– Janice, London

one reason I never watch channel 4

– Christina Crosbie, LESMAHAGOW SCOTLAND

Oh for goodness sake, I wish people would wake up!

This is a modern society where our children and teenagers are exposed to the internet, they know the airbrushed, highlighted and soft pornographic side of sex which is zero education, this programme showed the honesty and reality of sexual organs and sex in all its gory detail, its what responisble parents should be doing anyway, not glossing over the birds and bees story to a 13 year old child who is then more than likely going to naively get into trouble.

I wish more parents would speak to their children so honestly, this isn’t the 1950’s anymore! And if you don’t like it, don’t watch it, there’s plenty of drivel on the other channels to switch your brain off to and brush the ‘shhhhh… sex’ chat under the carpet.

– Ellie, London

Guardian/female journo says: “This is not my kind of thing, as a rule – people talking openly about sex, how much they’re getting it, what kind they’re getting. I’d rather clean the oven. But this show claimed to present both teenage and adult perspectives on all matters sexual. And because I have both a 16-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter, any advice on how to broach this stuff in a way that is less likely to scar my offspring for life is gratefully received.

As it turned out, I didn’t need to make notes, because teenage son decided to watch it with me. Which I guess was what Channel 4 intended when they gave it a pre-watershed 8pm slot, but was entirely unexpected and potentially horrifically embarrassing (no, for ME, not him). He wandered in at the start, asked what I was watching, and decided to “give it five minutes”. By the end he admitted it had been “interesting” and “useful”. And in the mumble-heavy vocabulary of a 16-year-old boy, I believe that counts as a glowing review.

So was it any good? Well, yes, I think it was”

Screen from the Sexperience website

TLC of TLAs

TLC on the South Bank of the Thames

Just a reminder : I’m still collecting Three Letter Acronyms aka TLAs

and it’s a richer world than you may think:

TLC = yes of course Tender Loving Care but also…

	Text Local Coordinates
	The Learning Channel
	Third Level Cache
	Tables & Ladders & Chairs (pro wrestling)
	TACOM (Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command) Learning Center [a marvelllous double acronym from the military-industrial complex]
	Tactical Landing Craft
	Tactical Leaders Course
	Tailored Logistics Corporation (US defense contractor specializing in the development of component overhaul kits)
	Targeted Learning Corporation
	Tastes Like Chicken
	Tasty Little Crackers (Kashi Company)
	Taxi & Limousine Commission (New York City)
	Teacher Leadership Council (Mormon Church)
	Teaching and Learning Centre (Australia)
	Teaching and Learning Committee
	Teaching/Learning Center
	Team Leadership Center
	Team Life Care Insurance Pvt Ltd (India)
	Tech Logic Corporation (library services company)
	Technology Learning Center
	Technology Life Careers
	Technology Life Cycle
	Teen Life Conference
	Telecommunication Line Controller
	Telecomunicazioni
	Telephone Line Control
	Time to Lane Crossing
	Tender Loving Cuisine (Five Dock, NSW, Australia)
	Tennessee Llama Community
	Term Loan C
	Ternary Linear Code
	Territory Logistics Center (FEMA)
	Test Loop Combination
	Texas Land & Cattle (restaurant)
	Texas Logistics Corporation
	Texas Lutheran College
	The Laser Center (laser vision correction)
	Tool Command Language
	Top Level Care
	The Latino Coalition (Washington, DC)
	The Laughing Classroom (book)
	The Leadership Center
	The Leaky Cauldron (Harry Potter website)
	The Learning Collaborative (Columbia, South Carolina)
	The Learning Company
	Top Level Categories
	The Lego Company
	The Library Corporation
	The Lost Creatures (gaming clan)
	The Loveline Companion
	Therapeutic Lifestyle Change
	Thermochromic Liquid Crystal
	Thin Layer Chromatography
	Three Letter Code
	Thunderbird Language Center (Glendale, Arizona)
	Tiwi Land Council (statutory authority representing Aboriginal Owners of Tiwi Islands)
	Toastmasters Learning Center
	Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Cheese
	Top Line Creations (Utah)
	Total Lack of Consideration
	Total Lateral Clearance (highway capacity, civil engineering)
	Total Leucocyte Count
	Total Lines of Code
	Total Logistic Control
	Total Lung Capacity
	Total Lymphocyte Count
	Tough Logging Conditions (oil industry)
	Touro Law Center
	Toxic Links Coalition
	Toyota Land Cruiser
	Toys for Local Children (charity)
	Trac Lapping Club
	Trades and Labor Council of Western Australia
	Traffic Light Chart (integrated three-tiered reporting system/format)
	Traffic Load Control
	Trafikledningscentral
	Transformation Life Cycle
	Transformational Learning Connections
	Transformative Learning Centre (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto)
	Transformer-rectifier Line Contactor
	Transgender Liberation and Care
	Transitional Learning Center
	Transitional Line Charge
	TransLogistique, Canada (Logistics and SCM training)
	Translunar Coast
	Transmission Line Coupler
	Transport Logical Connection (Ciena)
	Transport-, Informatik-, Logistik-Consulting GmbH
	Transportation & Logistics Council, Inc. (formerly Transportation Consumer Protection Council, TCPC)
	Transportation for Livable Communities
	Tratado de Libre Comercio
	Tri-Level Compression (ACS Communications)
	Trichotillomania Learning Center (Santa Cruz, CA)
	Trilateral Commission
	Trinity Lutheran College
	Triple-Lumen Catheter
	Tripp Lake Camp (Poland, Maine)
	Trivial Loot Code (Everquest game)
	Trotskyist League of Canada
	TrueLicense Library Collection
	Trunk Logic Circuit (Nortel)
	Truth in Labeling Campaign
	Tuckerton Lumber Company
	Tunable Laser Channel (Agilent)
	Two Letter Clan (gaming clan)
	Talbo Lago Carrossiers
	Total Linux Coverage
	So next time someone close to you asks for some TLC you know what to give them… (And if you know any good TLAs you know just what to give me)