PublicPolicy.ie
January 9, 2012 at 11:54 pm
It’s great when a project comes along that combines a worthy cause, the smartest minds, and a blank white page to begin from.
I’ve been working with the Irish Fiscal Policy Research Centre to create a website that will house the research and thinking that is sure to become the ‘goto’ place for Irish people when they want to get information. There is a lot of noise around the key economic and political issues of the day – that affect all of us. And it’s so important that we get accurate information if we are to understand and make our own opinions.
Perhaps the best explanation of what this is all about comes from the Chairman himself, Prof. Frank Convery.
In Ibsen’s A Doll’s House , Nora says: “I can’t be satisfied any longer with what most people say, and with what’s in books. I must think out things for myself and try to understand them.”
Our job at publicpolicy.ie is to make “thinking things out” as easy as possible.
Read the Irish Times article about publicpolicy.ie.
Sign up to receive an email alert when the site launches.
Tags: publicpolicy.ie
The More Things Change…
December 19, 2011 at 7:02 am
The more they stay the same!
Eye Tracking Facebook Pages
Eye Tracking Web Pages:
Get Ready For New Twitter : Your 5 Point Checklist
December 15, 2011 at 9:00 am
Twitter was all a-twitter last week about the launch of New Twitter design layout which will empower brands to get their message across in a much more visual way when it comes. New Twitter hasn’t reached our shores yet, but when it does you should be ready. Here are 5 things to start thinking about between now and D day:
- What kind of avatar are you going to use? I think something more exciting than a logo is good, as it’s the main asset that people will interact with. But make sure the image you use works in real tiny size.
- What tagline do we wish to display across the top? You’ll of course be limited in characters, but here is a great place to distil your key marketing message. (Purists will of course be appalled at the use of key marketing messages on their beloved Twitter!)
- The promoted Tweet – now you can also control the first tweet that people see when they land on your page, and it gets displayed in expanded (or open) mode. It’s a good idea to give people a flavour of what you’re really about on Twitter and don’t just fill this with an ad type video. There’s great scope to be really creative here – you could produce a short ‘why follow us on Twitter video’, or post a beautiful evocative image that will make people click follow… highlight your most engaging and important content and better connect with your target audience. Given that images and video are no longer going to diplay as links on Twitter, you might want to reconsider your post types for this platform. Try and incorporate at least 1 or 2 pics or vids a few times a week so you break up the right hand side visually.
- Design skin: there is still room for beautiful design on the left, use it!
- And finally - make sure you include links to all your other digital addresses: Facebook, YouTube, etc.
Facebook Accounts For 52% Of Sharing
December 14, 2011 at 12:48 pm
I love it when the round-ups of the year come out and this is the first I’ve seen for this year. Interesting points for me are:
- Facebook accounts for 52% of web sharing – they just make it so easy, and we’ve all learned how
- Mobile has exploded. Finally, after years of hype, it has happened.
- Chrome overtook Firefox in November. But lovers of Firefox, read this article about why it’s not doomed!
Basecamp Discount Code
November 23, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Actually I’ve always wanted an ipad… but was just a bit too tight to buy one! So lucky me yesterday when I found out I’d won one from the good people at 37Signals! They were pretty quick about sending it to me (got it today all the way from America!) and it’s lovely. And they put my pic up on their site too which I’m really chuffed out.
If you would like $10 off your first month’s subscription of the best project management tool around, use this code (and I could win 5k!)
http://try.37signals.com/234775
Tags: basecamp discount code, basecamp promotion code, promotions
Error on Major Insurer Website
November 19, 2011 at 9:57 pm
22222222… 1890… 2222222
yeah they spend loads on tv and radio ads, but there’s no-one with half a brain checking out the most essential part of their website – the request a quote form! I’m looking for travel insurance for me and a 17 month old, which button would you click out of the two options below?
Seeing is believing – check it out for yourself here!
And can someone from the insurer please get back to me re. a quote?
Is Facebook Playing A Game With Me?
November 17, 2011 at 9:28 am
OK I’ll confess – I tend to fail capcha tests on the first go. It doesn’t make me any less of a person, just makes me concentrate more on the second go. But since yesterday Facebook has either been playing a big joke on me, or it’s ‘add admin’ function is broken.
I’ve completed about 12 capcha tests and have ‘failed’ them all, but I haven’t (see below). The black box on the last one said to me ‘game over’.
Tags: capcha
Sing Don’t Shop!
October 16, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Flashmob Friday has moved to Sunday and now with local super-shopping centre power! Dundrum Town Centre today, “The Hallelujah Choruas”. Thanks to Miriam Joyce for sharing, she’s in here somewhere…
I recommend flicking to 2.30 to avoid the setting up bit!
More on Edgerank
October 14, 2011 at 9:29 am
I remember I used to have a sheet somewhere that had the top 10 words that resonated with people online, according to some Harvard Research. I wish I could find it. I’d like to say I’ve absorbed the information and use the words naturally, so I don’t need it. Now I’ve just come across a similar piece but for Facebook’s Edgerank. The top words that drive engagement (according to Buddymedia):
- where
- when
- would
- should
The word “would” drives the highest spike in ‘Likes’ due to fans using ‘like’ as a way to vote “yes” on the question rather than posting “yes” to a Wall.
Edgerank is what makes Facebook tick, and if you understand it, then you’re well on the way to making sure your posts get read. There’s nothing worse than writing posts for Facebook and getting zero reaction. This can happen because your posts just aren’t being shown. Edgerank is Facebook’s algorithim (formula) that helps it decide what posts to show and what posts not.
Things To Consider When Writing To Be Read:
- People like to show off their knowledge, so be sure to include a trivia / chitty chat component in your editorial planning. If I don’t know that much about your product, I can’t comment. But if you write about things that are happening generally – eg. Presidential Election, Hallowe’en, clocks changing then I am more likely to be able to have something to say (adding to your comments and upping your Edgerank score).
- Be sure to comment on comments as this will also up your score. Keep the conversation going. And if you’ve got someone who’s posting negatively on your wall, that’s OK because every interaction is pushing your Edgerank up.
- And the usual stuff we all know such as posting pics to drive comment, links, and of course ‘asking for the like’. Don’t be afraid to tell people what to do.
Tags: edgerank
Brilliant Ad
October 4, 2011 at 10:07 pm
From Blinder Commercials that has won many awards. Check out their channel (scroll past the awful tacky Club O ad) – they are the guys behind all the decent ads in this country!
