Eight months' worth of weekly tech columns
Back in July, I was approached by an old friend to write a weekly tech column for his New Zealand startup site, theBit. David was half of...
ALAN MARTIN
Freelance writer, editor, reviewer and journalist
ABOUT ME
Hello. I'm Alan and I'm a freelance writer in London. To my knowledge, I'm the only person in the Venn diagram of people who've written for both The New Statesman and Nuts. My LinkedIn profile contains a false qualification, but it was for a feature exposing something silly about the site, so I think it's basically okay?
Beyond the aforementioned Venn diagram, I have bylines on Wired, CNET, Gizmodo UK (RIP), ShortList, NME, TechRadar, The i, The Independent, The Evening Standard, City Metric, Macworld, Pocket Gamer, Expert Reviews, Coach, The Inquirer (RIP), Rock Paper Shotgun, Tom's Guide, T3, PC Pro, IT Pro, Livingetc, Stuff, Business Insider, The Bit, Wareable and Trusted Reviews amongst others. Some of my words have been syndicated by The Mirror, Ars Technica, Metro, Stuff.co.nz and MSN. You can also hear my voice in an interview with Talk Radio if you really want.
Between 2015 and 2018, I worked exclusively for Alphr* at Dennis Publishing, working on over 1,800 articles – first as Science Editor, then News Editor, Deputy Editor and finally Acting Editor.
News stories with personality and wit; consumer product reviews; interesting and memorable interviews; funny, viral or serious lists; opinion pieces; in-depth analysis or long-form features. Whatever you need a freelance writer for, drop me a line – I'd love to hear from you.
*Important note: Alphr was crushingly abandoned and eventually sold off to another publisher after I left - so if you visit the site now, it doesn't bear much relation to my time in charge or, indeed, Dennis' original vision. In the most diplomatic way possible: don't judge me.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was recalled in 2016 due to a worryingly combustible battery, but some people refused to turn theirs in. I met a few for the now defunct Gizmodo UK with one question: "what the hell?"
2020's Covid lockdown was hard on everyone, but in this 'thank you note' to Crytek, I explain how one punishingly hard computer game kept my friends together, despite the punishing public health measures in place.
The spinners have their own deeply unsurprising opinions about who 'wins' political debates. But in 2015, for a true pulse of the apathetic majority, I got my apolitical girlfriend to watch the seven-party leaders debate and give her views for The New Statesman.
A column about the perils of trying to understand how younger people communicate over messaging apps when you're the wrong side of 30.
FREELANCE WRITING AND EDITING SERVICES
News coverage
I was promoted to news editor at Alphr because of my speed and accuracy with news stories.
Editing
I've been a senior editor, news editor, science editor, deputy editor and acting editor. In other words, I'm very comfortable proofing and editing.
Copywriting
Starting out my career in copywriting, I know how to use language in a compelling way to appeal to readers.
Reviews
I've reviewed phones, games, music, tablets, laptops, drones, wearables, pet products and gadgets of all flavours.
Interviews
Over numerous features I've interviewed industry figures, academics and celebrities for revealing quotes and expert insight.
SEO-friendly content
I've been practicing SEO techniques since my very first job when you still had to worry about Yahoo and Ask Jeeves...