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Lauren Tormey

@ltormey.bsky.social
119 followers 142 following 33 posts

Senior Content Designer at University of Edinburgh. Runner. Immigrant (turned dual citizen) wanting to change the system. She/her. I write about life: ltormey.medium.com and running: laurunning.blogspot.com.

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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I didn't think I'd get married again, but I changed my mind. After my first marriage, I was adamant I would never legally and financially tie myself to anyone again. Here's the story of why I changed my mind and a little bit about the wedding day, too: bit.ly/married-again
bit.ly
I didn’t think I’d get married again, but I changed my mind
I was adamant I would never legally and financially tie myself to anyone again. But I came to see the value in legal recognition of my…
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
A great day down in Leeds for the first ever UCISA Web Services Community Day. Caught up with sector colleagues old and new. A great mix of sessions. Glorious sunshine. My 4 takeaways from yesterday’s conference: edin.ac/web-services-day26
edin.ac
4 takeaways from the UCISA Web Services Community Day – Future student online experiences
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Lauren Pope @lapope.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
I'm looking for some help with research into AI in charity content teams. I'm running two linked research studies on how AI is reshaping content work in the charity sector – one on how organisations are producing content with AI, and one on how it's changing the way content is found.
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Chris Boyd @paperghost.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
abolish the home office
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
We’re in the middle of a project to make it easier for prospective students to understand the likely cost of studying and living in Edinburgh. Over February, we did a variety of discovery activities to learn more about this topic. A recap of what we did and learned: edin.ac/study-costs-discovery
edin.ac
Discovery insights on cost of study in higher education – Future student online experiences
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
I’m declaring tomorrow, March 20, #ShortsFriday 2026. Will it be too cloudy in the end and I have gotten this all wrong? I hope not. This is set to be the earliest Shorts Friday yet.
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Jonathan Kingham @jonkingh.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
New immigration fees from 8 April 2026 just out. Most fees going up by 6 or 7%. Settlement (ILR) going up from £3,029 to £3,226 per applicant (so £12,904 for a family of 4). Cost to Home Office of deciding each application: £523 (£2,092 for a family of 4).
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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Just so we’re clear: ❌ Travelling clandestinely or in a small boat to seek asylum: wrong ❌ Travelling safely and regularly to seek asylum: also wrong
theguardian.com
UK puts emergency brake on study visas for four countries’ nationals
Shabana Mahmood says UK’s generosity abused as study visas halted for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan
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Migrant Voice @migrantvoice.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
This government's proposals, particularly if implemented retrospectively, will have a devastating impact on people who have built lives, work, have families, here. We already know the financial and emotional toll of the existing system. This makes it so much worse www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Treat us fairly’: skilled workers face having their dream of settling in UK snatched away
As government mulls doubling requirement to 10 years, the uncertainty is putting many who came to Britain to work under strain
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Lauren Pope @lapope.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I've been working on a big refresh on my resources on content audits. I first published these in 2022 - only 3 years ago - but my approach has evolved a fair bit in that time. Plus there's so many tools out there now saying that they can do the whole thing for you. lapope.com/2026/02/20/h...
lapope.com
How to do a website content audit | Lauren Pope: La Pope Ltd
A practical guide to website content audits. Choose your approach, measure quality, and turn findings into actionable improvements.
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
My team did some housekeeping at the end of last year to audit and rationalise the files in our SharePoint document library. Here’s a recap of how we did it and the new structure and approach we came up with for storing and maintaining team artefacts: edin.ac/sharepoint-audit
edin.ac
Auditing and restructuring our SharePoint document library – Future student online experiences
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E.M. Faulds / Beth or Taxes / Not em faulds @emfaulds.com · 12/02/2026
If you know anyone who's ever come to the UK to live alongside you, and you'd either miss them if they were gone, or at the very least reckon they deserve to be treated humanely, please put aside some time to fill this in.
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Caroline Jarrett @cjforms.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Done my bit by recording my opposition to the horrible British government proposals on immigration. Although it took me over an hour to do it due to the complexity of the questions and the need to compose 200-word answers, please try to find the time. www.gov.uk/government/c...
gov.uk
Earned settlement
The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.
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Heather Ray Milligan @hrmilligan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
the settlement process is already extremely complex, lengthy, and expensive; these proposals to make it even more difficult to settle in the UK are cruel please take the time to respond to the consultation, which closes tomorrow
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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Also: we really need to push back on this constant mantra that settlement (permanent residence) in the UK is a “privilege”. The very least people are entitled to after spending years here and/or developing family ties is that they shouldn’t have to worry about re-applying to stay every few years.
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 16/07/2025
chatgpt is much like an improv comedy group 1) you are the audience, giving it prompts 2) it produces things roughly shaped like your prompt 3) it is trained to respond with Yes, And 4) it has the factual accuracy of improv 5) it does not understand comedy
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Chris Boyd @paperghost.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
5 years is not "quite short". those 5 years cost us about fourteen grand, three horrendously stressful applications, and (for example) a full half decade where nobody would offer us a mortgage because my wife only had temporary residency, so we had to keep paying a fortune in rent instead
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
A 77% increase in immigration raids, 83% increase in arrests, coupled with undermining modern slavery protections and a call to remove basic ECHR rights from migrants. If you think what is happening with ICE in the US can't happen here I have a bridge to sell you. 1/ www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Illegal working raids reach highest level in UK history
Enforcement raids skyrocket by 77% since the government came to power leading to an 83% increase in arrests.
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Laura Kalbag @laurakalbag.com · 27/01/2026
My book, Accessibility For Everyone, is now free and online as a website. accessibilityforeveryone.site The book was first published by A Book Apart in 2017 but it holds up! It covers web accessibility for designers, developers, content folks, and really everyone who works in tech.
accessibilityforeveryone.site
Accessibility For Everyone by Laura Kalbag
Read the book online for free.
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Natalia Cecire @ncecire.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...
amnesty.org.uk
Guidance for responding to 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement' consultation
We are Amnesty International UK. We are ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights.
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
I started off 2026 with a pretty 10k trail run around Vogrie Country Park with my partner. Blog recap: bit.ly/vogrie-10k26
bit.ly
Scurry Around Vogrie Country Park 10k
I started off 2026 with a pretty 10k trail run around Vogrie Country Park with my partner. A jump to start 2026 racing. Why Scurry Around Vo...
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
We're recruiting an Editorial Assistant at @freemovement.bsky.social. Details here: freemovement.org.uk/job-ad-edito...
freemovement.org.uk
Job ad: Editorial Assistant at Free Movement - Free Movement
Free Movement is seeking an Editorial Assistant to join our small team. You’ll be working with the Editor (Jasmine Quiller-Doust) and Training Manager (Rachel
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
In 2025, I got back to running longer distances after a period of illness at the end of 2024. I also did the fewest number of races since I started running, and I'm okay with that. Running in 2025 recap: bit.ly/running-2025
bit.ly
Running in 2025
In 2025, I got back to running longer distances after a period of illness at the end of 2024. I also did the fewest number of races since I ...
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
My New Year’s resolution was to finish the first draft of my memoir about my immigration experience. At just over 98,000 words, it’s done and ready for editing. A recap of year 2 of writing: bit.ly/memoir-draft-done
bit.ly
I finished the first draft of my memoir
My New Year’s resolution was to finish the first draft of my memoir about my immigration experience. At just over 98,000 words, it’s done…
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
If you (or your university) is a UCISA member, then you can sign up for this panel on Web / Digital Services tomorrow. I'll be on it, talking about challenges in HE around money, governance, AI use and more. ucisa.ac.uk/Events/2025/...
ucisa.ac.uk
Web services hot topics - UCISA
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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Home Office #HostileEnvironment - seems nothing has changed www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
UK rejects visa for girl left destitute in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa
Lati-Yana Brown’s parents had asked for application to be expedited so she could join them in UK after house ruined
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Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · 26/11/2025
Honestly, I think the average British citizen might actually be shocked to hear how many visit visas are refused for things like births, graduations, funerals, weddings - things that they themselves would never stand for if it happened to their British families…
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
This x1000
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
I've written up the findings from our work with people and organisations who have used AI notetakers in meetings, identified 9 risks and a bunch of mitigation strategies. www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...
careful.industries
Nine risks caused by AI notetakers — Careful Industries
AI transcription tools are not currently mature or reliable enough to be regarded as an always on, single-source of truth for meeting notes. Nine common risks, and six possible mitigations.
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Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · 20/11/2025
Anyway, for immigrants directly impacted by the proposed changes or anyone who wants to prove they are, in fact, an ally to immigrants - please remember that you can respond to this consultation by the Home Office. ukhomeoffice.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
ukhomeoffice.qualtrics.com
Home Office Consultation on Earned Settlement
Home Office Consultation on Earned Settlement
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
If it's so smart, why do people have to be so good at "prompt engineering".
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András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Abolish the Home Office
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Izzy Jayasinghe @ijayas.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
🤖 If you use LinkedIn, please be aware that they automatically use your profile to train their GenAI. To turn off, go to Settings > Data Privacy > Data for Gen AI improvements.
Screenshot of LinkedIn’s menu: “How LinkedIn uses your data”. Near the bottom, is the option to turn off “Data for Generative AI improvement”, shown with a red arrow.
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Duncan Stephen @duncanstephen.net · 02/10/2025
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
duncanstephen.net
The forgotten purpose of agile — Empowered teams responding to change
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
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Jane Ruffino @janeruffino.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
I’m doing a talk at Button, a content design conference, where I’m going to talk about the high cost of tooling in the work we do. I’ve made a survey so I can capture some numbers. If you work in content/design/adjacent (yes, ESPECIALLY if you’re unemployed) this is for you (and thanks!)
form.typeform.com
Pay to play: content and design tooling landscape
Turn data collection into an experience with Typeform. Create beautiful online forms, surveys, quizzes, and so much more. Try it for FREE.
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
I ran my first ever race in Maryland at a vineyard with my mom. After a long stretch of hot weather, I appreciated getting a cooler morning for a run. Blog recap: bit.ly/bordeleau-5k25
bit.ly
Bordeleau Vineyards 5k
I ran my first ever race in Maryland at a vineyard with my mom. After a long stretch of hot weather, I appreciated getting a cooler morning ...
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Lizzie Cass-Maran @lizzie-cass-maran.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
A question for people in civil partnerships, (or maybe plan to be). Shares appreciated! How do you feel when you see the word 'spouse' in advice content? For example, do you feel excluded? Are you ever unsure whether it applies? Or do you feel it covers you and you don't really mind? Maybe a mix?
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Getting tinnitus terrified me at first, but I’ve learned to live with it. Here’s how I went from an anxiety-filled beginning to life sounding ‘normal’: bit.ly/life-with-tinnitus
bit.ly
Life with tinnitus
Getting tinnitus terrified me at first, but I’ve learned to live with it. Here’s how I went from an anxiety-filled beginning to life…
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Jerry Chen @jcsalterego.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
today's a great day to make sure "require alt text before posting" is enabled in your settings and to continue to make bluesky more accessible and inclusive bsky.app/settings/acc...
a screenshot of the Accessibility settings in bluesky.

The options shown are:

Alt text:
- Require alt text before posting
- Display larger alt text badges
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Duncan Stephen @duncanstephen.net · 26/06/2025
Services are verbs combined with nouns
duncanstephen.net
Services are verbs combined with nouns
Information architecture normally focuses on the objects that need to be represented in a system. Some human-centred practitioners focus instead on the tasks users need to do. These approaches are sometimes framed in opposition. But combining these techniques can make services and systems easier to use as well as more efficient to manage.
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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
The UK Home Office, always capable of an even more absurd decision than the previous one
theguardian.com
UK Home Office tells parents their children should return to Brazil alone
While Ana Luiza Cabral Gouveia and Hugo Barbosa can remain, letter says sons, 11 and eight, must go back to Brazil
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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
❝Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.❞ arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872
arxiv.org
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed thr...
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
I ran the Seven Hills of Edinburgh with @jr-wilson.bsky.social, and I feel shattered for it. A good challenge, but I don’t think I’ll run it again! Blog recap: bit.ly/7-hills25
bit.ly
Seven Hills of Edinburgh
I ran up to the top of all seven of Edinburgh's hills, and I feel shattered for it. Not a medal, but a coaster this race. Why Seven Hills o...
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David Raikow @david.raikow.online · 04/06/2025
I know this battle is lost, but: Can we stop calling it “hallucinating”? They’re not tripping, they’re doing what they’re designed to do: generate a series of statistically likely sentences. The technology doesn’t care whether the sentences are accurate, as long as they’re statistically likely.
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Chris Boyd @paperghost.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
also it is frankly *outrageous* that news articles are leading with "Lowering UK’s income requirement for family visas would increase net migration". family visas are like 3% of annual migration, oh no people married to british citizens might make it go up by 5% or whatever
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Migrant Voice @migrantvoice.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
It is not just the increase to the Minimum Income Requirement which needs scrapping, it is MIR in general. This is a policy which see families ripped apart, and people denied the ability to be with their loved ones, purely because of where one of them was born. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Lowering UK’s income requirement for family visas ‘would increase net migration’
Migration advisory committee sets out options and suggests scrapping Tory plan to raise threshold to £38,700
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
There's been a high-pitched ringing in my right ear for the last six months. Here's the story of the illness and ill-advised plane travel that led to me getting tinnitus: bit.ly/how-got-tinn... TL;DR Learn from my mistake, and do not ever fly if you cannot pop your ears.
bit.ly
How I got tinnitus
There’s been a high-pitched ringing in my right ear for the last six months. Here’s the story of the illness and ill-advised plane travel…
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Lauren Tormey @ltormey.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
“64% of CEOs told IBM that they are investing in AI without knowing what value it will bring. Unsurprisingly, it’s not bringing value. That same report says that 3 in 4 AI initiatives don’t justify the expense.” Recommended reading.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 02/06/2025
I got British citizenship via the five-year route. Labour’s new 10-year rule will cause untold pain | Nesrine Malik
theguardian.com
I got British citizenship via the five-year route. Labour’s new 10-year rule will cause untold pain | Nesrine Malik
Starmer claims to want integration. Yet denying people safety, belonging and the right to vote for a decade amounts to the exact opposite, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
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