Another email about my unemployment group, this time from the BBC

As I posted previously, I have a dormant Yahoo! group about unemployment and the recession. The thing is, I created this group a pretty long time ago, it's probably almost two years old. And it hasn't exactly set the world on fire, I have no active members. I have to concede that I haven't tried very hard to promote it, especially after I was able to obtain two jobs last summer.

But anyway, a few weeks ago, I received emails from a documentary filmmaker and the Toronto Globe and Mail who were making stories about the rising unemployment in the U.S. And last week, I received an email from, of all places, the BBC. Yes, the British Broadcasting Corporation wanted to know about my Yahoo! Group, which I felt was amazing, especially since, again, it hasn't won over a lot of people.

A lesser person looking for his or her minute in the sun would have probably contacted the reporter who was writing a story, and told a lot of half-truthes, and it probably would have been printed too. But I didn't write back to him. I didn't know what to say. I don't know where I went wrong with the group, maybe if I had put it on Facebook or something, it would have done better.

Anyway, here's the letter from the BBC.


Hi Jeff

I'm a presenter for BBC World Service radio in London. We are doing a news piece today covering the latest US jobs figures - which again aren't very encouraging. We're trying to talk to someone who has recently become unemployed to talk through what it's been like, and how much confidence they have about the future.

You struck me as ideal because you could give your own personal experience, and talk about the web support group you've just set up - what sort of responses are you getting, etc etc.

Is this something you might be able to do?

If you can give me your phone number I can call you back to discuss further.

Many thanks

Mike Johnson



Mike Johnson
Reporter/presenter, television and radio
BBC News, BBC World Service, Current Affairs, Factual and Learning
Office: London + 44 (0) 207 557 2422
Mobile: + 44 (0) 7710 074459