It seems that there really is no escape from the fast-paced world of social media these days. Here at the Oakeley Arms we’ve embraced the world of Facebook, Blogging and Twitter and think it’s a great way to interact with our customers, guests and friends, but a recent news story shows that even the most traditional of industries is getting to grips with the modern way of communicating.

Gareth Wyn Jones is a farmer from Llanfairfechan who has become known as the “Tweeting Farmer”. During the recent weather crises and heavy snow that hit farmers across the country, Mr Jones turned to Twitter and Facebook to share his concerns, fears and actions with his followers. By shouting loud about the challenges he was facing, he soon became the farming industry’s spokesman about the disaster that was unfolding. Mr Jones’ plight was soon being championed by people around the world, and pleas for help from the authorities and the state were rallied. A YouTube film of Mr Jones rescuing his sheep from snow drifts has been viewed over half a million times!

Sheep farming on the hills of Snowdonia can be an unforgiving and lonely day’s work, but North Wales farmer Gareth Wyn Jones has found a new way to stay in touch with the world…. Image by OSmar01 on sxc.hu

Although the snow has melted and a semblance of calm has been restored to Mr Jones’ farm, he intends to carry on tweeting and engaging with his customers through using social media, and it’s a channel he highly recommends to other farmers across Wales and the UK.

You can read the full story here. And if you think that Facebook, Twitter and You Tube are just for the kids, then think again! This inspiring story shows that we can all reach out and use these exciting new challenges to our great advantage.

You can find the Tweeting Farmer @1GarethWynJones www.twitter.com