Free Wifi for Dublin
January 30, 2007 at 6:28 pm
According to reports this morning, Dublin City Council has put out a tender for consultants to offer advice regarding technological, regulatory and financial issues in relation to providing free wireless internet access in the tradition of San Francisco.
It would be great - perception wise. Read more of John Kennedy’s article.
Webbys looking for reviewers
January 29, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Closing date for Webbys is gone and we’re now looking for native English-speaking reviewers to take part in the judging process. This stage happens before entries are judged by our Academy - you can read more about this here.
This is a paid job and is a must for all you web enthusiasts and experts out there. We’re looking for developers, builders, information architects, information
designers, Web producers, user experience designers, Web editors, creative
directors, online filmmakers, interactive advertising creatives and
professionals and savvy users who depend on the Internet as an integral part
of their work day. Is this you? Then apply online to be a part of the 2007 Webbys.
All reviewers must have empathy for online content users
like. You must be able to contextualize strengths and flaws
Be creative and consider context. And if you’d like to know more about the pay and the process, you can contact me directly.
Getting to Grips with Blogging
January 26, 2007 at 4:22 pm
It’s interesting to read Ronnie Simpson’s views on blogging. As the Simpson in Simpson FTPR, an award winning financial and technology PR company, the man has a great way with words, and in my opinion makes an excellent candidate for a blog.
Last year when we looked at redesigning the Simpson FTPR site, we strongly suggested that they introduce a blog as a nod to the spirit of Web 2.0, allow for two-way conversations and not just one-way corporate information push. They took the idea, we set up their blog on Wordpress, gave them a few tips on blogging etiquette, and away they go. . .
Except for the fact that Mr S himself was a bit resistent to blogging! See his post on confessions of a (failed) blogger in which he makes the point that he’d rather go home and watch a movie, or learn Portugese, or start work on that novel rather than write his blog. He says “I only believe in blogging when I have something to say.”
We all have something to say, pretty much all of the time. When we begin blogging it’s just a question of reminding oneself to get that thought down - quick while it’s in there - doesn’t have to be long, just get it out there. I don’t mean publish any old random thought that comes into your head, do keep to the overall theme of what your blog is about.
For example this week, it was on my mind about Cuba - so I published a blog about that. I’ve still got that post-holiday buzz, so a little light post for email geeks, followed by a post on Monday that’s a call out from Webby’s. These are just things that come up day to day over the course of my work.
The really great news is that Ronnie Simpson has come back! His latest post Confessions of a (recovering) Blogger, sees him slightly more upbeat after reading Debbie Weil’s book on blogging. And he’s very positive about the impact of blogs on the PR industry. If you’d like to know more, read on here….
One for the Email Marketing Geeks. . .
January 25, 2007 at 2:21 pm
You know you’ve done too much email marketing if:
- you don’t end friendships or love affairs…you “opt-out” of them
- you can’t read any text wider than about 600 pixels
- you can think of 17 different ways to describe something as free without actually using the word “free”
- the shopping list you give your spouse has all the important items squeezed into the top lefthand corner of the piece of paper
- you look for the unsubscribe link in direct mail
- you reject birthday cards that don’t have the postal address of the sender printed on the reverse of the envelope
- you delete people from your address book if they fail to return your phone calls three times in a row
- when people accept your dinner invitations, you send out another invitation asking if they’re sure
- you send everyone two Christmas cards…one text-only, the other with images and colors
I picked that up off this site. Can you think of any more?
1st Cuban Client
January 24, 2007 at 10:13 am
We’re doing a site for a Cuban client! We’re very excited about this, but not half as much as the client is. This is because, in Cuba, it’s very difficult to get a website up. Why is this? Well, when you don’t have a credit card you can’t buy a domain name, nor can you set up hosting. As a Cuban citizen, you’re not entitled to pop into an internet cafe. And you can forget about having easy access to even the slowest PC.
During a recent visit to the lovely Caribbean island, I met many warm Cuban people. For many of them, life is quite a struggle. Not being able to have a credit card is the least of their worries. How about not being able to simply go down to your local passport office and get a passport for travel? How about earning a monthly salary of 12 pesos (24 pesos if you’re a doctor) - when prices all around are rising? I was travelling on a budget of 65 pesos per day. Huge difference there.
So I’m delighted to say that Brightspark is going to be doing a website for a Cuban family who live in the beautiful historic part of Havana and run a small B&B. “My mammy in Havana” who looked after me so well, arranged all my travel, and made me feel like I was coming home every time I stepped through the door. Watch this space.
