Think-a-link! Is it in?

Newsletter 14 -

Cough, cough, get off you linking freak, cough, cough, rubbish, cough, cough, Arsenal...

I threw myself into the lion's den a fortnight ago, a Saturday morning (8.30am) it was, by standing up in front of the 500 Eton sixth form boys - the togged-up, top of the food chain, privileged mongers - on their first day back from the Easter break, looking as grumpy as you like, thinking 'Who is this bald plum standing before us in his silly t-shirt, blotting the landscape?' My opening gambit was 'I take it that you're all looking down in the mouth due to your pop not being able to take you on a tropical Easter jolly as you, along with the rest of the family, had to help him find receipts for all sorts of moody claims?' Anyway, I only found out, after I had finished, that they start to cough to each other if they think the presenter is poo. Thankfully, no Benylin was required.

One other thing that was hilarious was at the end of my presentation I say 'Thinkalink.co.uk, is it in?' praying that they come back with a resounding 'You know it is!!!' But, it's very uncool for teenage boys to be vocal. So they all joined in with their deep voices but said it under their breath, mumbling....'You know it is.' I can only equate the sound to the noise that moving tables make. It was superb to be on the recieving end of it. Junior school children can't get enough of putting their hands up and yelling out at every given opportunity. This is the other end of the spectrum, that's for sure. A lesson for Linky.

Things are moving apace with me going around schools, spreading the joy. The British Dyslexic Association and the Speling Soceity (sorry, that was rubbish) are huge fans, as they think linking could solve the world's spelling problems (which it will) . Thinking about it, the Spelling Society will go under if it does.......hmm, interesting. I'm in chats with the bods who organise the conferences for teachers who are part of the HMC, BSA & GSA (don't ask) and they love it. So, it's not only our little bundles of joy who will be on the wrong end of Linky givin' it sum but their keepers too! As of last week, I am now Twittering myself up like there's no tomorrow, coming out with a link a day plus some other nonsense crammed into what's left of the 140 characters available and am being followed by 4 people, no less!! Isn't fame just the danglers??

A challenge for your goodselves

I have done a couple of links for the order of Henry VIII's wives (not their fate) http://www.thinkalink.co.uk/thinkalink/view/the-order-of-henry-viii-s-wives-not-fate-aragon-boleyn-seymour-cleeves-howard-parr . I want to do a link that includes their surnames, not just their initial, as many people won't know them. The challenge is to try and use as few words as possible and for the link to make some sort of sense. Ideally, it will be a combination of the two links currently on the site. I've managed to do a link using just 5 words outside the wives' names. I reckon 3 can be done but it won't be easy peezy Japaneezy. Here's a good example of doing a link this way which is scoring extremely well (8.36 average). It's the 6 states that make up the region of New England. http://www.thinkalink.co.uk/thinkalink/view/new-england-is-a-region-in-the-usa-consisting-of-6-states-massachusetts-connecticut-maine-rhode-island-new-hampshire-vermont The wives is a very useful fact to know and the most popular link, along with the linker's name will, unquestionably, be in the book (published by Scholastic Press) as long as it's not too saucy as the audience is 7 to 14 year olds. Don't get me wrong, I love saucy links, as you can see with one of the two links submitted, to date. See how you get on, but, be warned, this is not an easy one to do and will take time. We love a bit of 'gauntlet laying down' nonsense, don';t we???

Your chance to get involved

The site is a meeting-place for linkers & learners alike. So if you have a link for anything, absolutely anything, regardless of how random the fact is, then submit it and let's see what the boys and girls think. If it's an 'OMG, how good is that??' link then it will go in the book (as will your name).

Feedback

I would love to get your thoughts and observations on the site, good or bad. This has been a passion of mine since 1995 and it's finally come to fruition which is hugely exciting. It's new territory for me so any guidance or tips on what does and doesn't work will be warmly received - please let me know at andy.salmon@thinkalink.co.uk

Competition

Congratulations to rajishdunbu who goes to the top of the class winning 100 nicker for getting the 4 answers correct which were...

28, Liechtenstien, Bad-tempered/Aggressive & Mexico

Here is the next competition.........

http://www.thinkalink.co.uk/content/competitions/competitions/competition-13-may-09-open

Email the answers to andy.salmon@thinkalink.co.uk and you will be entered into the draw for another 100 big ones.

Future Newsletters

Please let me know if you would prefer me not to contact you in this way and I will take you off my newsletter circulation list. If that is the case, please accept my apologies.

I will love you and leave you with a couple of recent net-busters.......

To imprecate means to curse or to invoke evil upon.......Just look at 'im. Pre-Kate he was happy as Larry. Bet Peter's cursing Jordan now!

Hungary's capital is Budapest (I do love a world capital, it has to be said)......Is my hungry bud a pest or what???

Have a snip-rorter of a month, you bunch of swines.

Love & kisses, especially to all your muscle-bound hunks out there.

Madam Linky

PS You can view old newsletters at www.thinkalink.co.uk/content/news-events

Think-a-link - is it in?

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