Jessamy Hawley from Gadget Candy (INTERVIEW)

Jessamy Hawley is a good friend of Trend Hunter and the Senior Writer at T3 Magazine's GadgetCandy. She's traveled the world and now lives in London where she spends her time looking for the latest new gadgets. Her site is a delicious online magazine that is a must-read, especially for its growing female audience.

Jessamy is also a Trend Hunter. You can check out her portfolio at TrendHunter.com/GadgetCandy. When asked why she reads TH, she tells us, “TrendHunter is fab for those news items that you wouldn't traditionally find in mainstream media, but are so funky that you'll wonder why!"

10 Questions with Jessamy



1. How did you get involved with Gadget Candy?

I joined GadgetCandy when it started just over a year ago. I'd previously worked as a lifestyle journalist and dabbled in the world of fashion, and writing for GadgetCandy seemed like a fantastic opportunity to combine my interest in style trends with journalism. Since then I've been sneaking out the latest glam gizmos on a daily basis and, from these, keeping an eye on emerging tech trends.

2. How do you define a trend?

Answers.com defines a 'trend' as 'the general direction in which something tends to move' and the 'current 'style. I'd say that's spot on. At the moment in consumer technology, pink seems to be a trend that's not showing any signs of abating. From the pink PS2 and candy-coloured 2nd-gen iPod nano to pink mobiles and accessories, products with a blushing bod' frequently feature on GadgetCandy.com and are hot property at the moment!

3. What types of articles interest you the most?

Why-hasn't-anyone-thought-of-that-before products. Gadgets and gizmos that, once discovered, will become so indispensable that you'll wonder how you ever survived without them!

4. How and where do you discover your content?

I work alongside the T3.co.uk team so between us we're constantly consulting other top gadget blogs and websites. Gizmodo and Engadget are daily must-reads because of their huge quantity of daily updated tech news. Those aside, we also hunt around smaller blogs and websites, such as BornRich, for interesting snippets of information and diverging perspectives.

Good relations with industry PRs is also important to secure product exclusives and sneak previews.

5. How do you decide if something is worthy of Gadget Candy?

GadgetCandy.com is updated around five or six times a day with the latest glam gadget gossip. Our website is broken down into 11 categories - including naughty candy, celebrity candy and things for him - so the GadgetCandy umbrella is actually quite comprehensive. Having said that, we mainly feature newly launched products with an emphasis on the women's consumer technology market.

Importantly, just because the website is written for women by women does not mean that everything we cover is pink or fluffy. For the most part, we're talking the exact same technology that our male counterparts cover, but presenting it in a way which I hope removes the shudder women commonly associate with the words 'technology' and 'gadgets'.

In other words, we hope to remove the knee-jerk fear by celebrating the rise and rise of the female technology consumer - those women out there who are swapping their lipsticks for memory sticks and embracing technology to make their lives simpler, better, faster.

6. Why do you feel it is important to track trends?

By tracking trends and understanding the changing nature of consumer technology, you can better understand consumer demands and what lies ahead. On a personal level, it's great because it means you'll know better than to spend £300 on a pair of animal print pumps that'll only last the season!

7. What are your favorite three articles that you've written?

Toy joy
http://www.gadgetcandy.com/archives/2005/09/toy_joy.php

Does my iPod look big in this?
http://www.gadgetcandy.com/archives/2006/03/post_191.php

Gold-plated juicer!
http://www.gadgetcandy.com/archives/2006/10/post_531.php

8. What do you think is the best way for a company to infect the blogosphere?

Link love! In other words, not seeing other bloggers as competitors but rather tools to make your site more enriching. Doing this also means that bloggers are more likely to link back to you and send readers your way. Everyone's a winner!

ABOUT JESSAMY

9. What are your biggest hobbies other than looking for Candy?

Globe-trotting, shopping and reading.

10. What is your background before Gadget Candy?

I studied journalism in South Africa and started my career as a sub-editor on a magazine title there. I then moved to London and spent a few years working outside of journalism in fashion actually. I worked for a major fashion house in London as sales consultant and then assistant manager for the ladies-wear department. Quite a change from news writing, but the experience did hone my communication skills and the discounts were great! Thereafter, I moved back into journalsim before snagging the fabulous role at GadgetCandy.

Thanks Jessamy!