Read one Irish entrepreneur's blog as she operates a business in Dublin
An Post Strike
March 31, 2004
We're into the second week of the postal strike here in Ireland. In true optimistic Brightspark fashion, here are a few reasons why it's a good thing:
If it goes on much longer, businesses will be forced to switch to electronic funds transfer for payment which means an end to the 'cheque is in the post' school of doing business. That can only be good.
For an email marketer like Brightspark, it represents a great opportunity to really show the ease of communicating with an online medium.
And if it means that I don't get my credit card bill for quite some time, that can only be good.
Do you capitalise web?
March 27, 2004
A question that was put to me recently is whether or not to capitalise 'web'? Or indeed 'email' or 'intranet'.
I don't think so.
Using a capital denotes that it's a proper noun. It is the name of a place or a person or a thing. Lower case common nouns are used for general items. And at this stage, 10 years on since the world wide web first took off, the web and the sending of email are pretty generall things.
I think you can read a lot about a person's attitude to technology by their use of upper or lower case for nouns.
"I will respond to your request by E-Mail" - I see an older late adopter male who is new to email, probably an eircom.net user, possibly even remembers the good old days of having a secretary to dictate message
Class Reunion
March 16, 2004
Tomorrow is the festival of all things green and Irish and Brightspark will be closed. There are quite a few invites to various "do's" involving food and drink which is always a good thing.
On Thursday night however, I will be going to another drinks thing - this time it's a reunion for the BESS class of '93. It's not an officially organised thing, one of the girls who lives in NY has put the word out that she's home and would like to meet everyone and through the marvels of email and mobiles, I believe there will be quite a crowd.
It should be interesting to see what people have gone and done with their lives. I've kept in touch with some people and boy how they've changed. One particular group of socialist leftys made known their disgust as I kickstarted my career in a merchant bank in London. I was a capitalist and should be ashamed of myself, they said. Now their main protagonist is a writer for a very serious economics journal that is read by capitalists far and wide. Others in that group have even been known to work for certain stockbrokers around town.
The year we left college the Celtic Tiger hadn't yet hit. The IFSC was still just the Bank of Ireland and AIB's nice new offices. A lot of us left. For London, New York, San Francisco, Germany, France. Many stayed in those foreign places, putting down roots in their new homes. Unfortunately for me, my best friends are now such London girls they could never imagine life back in Ireland again.
But the good news is that many came back! Two of my good friends came back from London and opened their own gallery. It's doing very well and they have quite a name for finding very talented Irish artists. Another guy has a Belgian chocolate making factory in Kildare. Druid Chocolates, he doesn't have a website (so you can guess who'll be in his ear on Thursday!), but his choccy's are the best. Rich but not too heavy. And there are so many more.
Loads of movers and shakers from the worlds of finance and property and investments. A couple of mums and dads who probably work the hardest out of the lot of us. And more. I'll fill you in on Friday. Until then, have a happy St Patricks Day whether you're Irish or not, just make sure you salute the green!!
Save €20 on Theatre Tickets
March 10, 2004
My God it was busy today! Had to get the first Andrews Lane email out because it included an offer that expires on Monday. I'm taking Friday off, and am out of the office most of the day tomorrow, so it simply had to go.
It's a good offer. Mary McEvoy is performing in Shirley Valentine and you can buy 2 tickets for €25 for Monday 22nd March. That's a great price for top theatre.
But there were also lots of other bits and pieces that simply had to go as well today. It really was just one of those days where it was difficult to prioritise. I survived by talking to myself throughout the afternoon, poor Nicoleta must have thought I was acting very strange. But that is how I cope with pressure - I sing aimless tunes and talk aloud.
Next week I'm regarding as 'Mini Silly Season'. St Patricks Day falls on a Wednesday this year and while you might think that only means 1 day off, not in Dublin it doesn't. No serious work or meetings can take place on Thurday (sore heads) and you can expect raised eyebrows if you suggest Tuesday (long pre-Paddy's day lunches).
So it's hurray to the man who banished the snakes, and God bless Arthur Guinness! Me? I'm going to catch up on some nice rest!
Finder Seeker
March 08, 2004
Another listing site I've just come across is Finder Seeker, The Search Engine for Search Engines.
FinderSeeker
- The Search Engine for Search Engines
Are You Truly Original?
March 05, 2004
Well if you are, you should hurry and get listed in the Bull Market 2004. This will be a compendium of companies from around the world that can help you make things happen. It will highlight copywriters, brainstormers, newsletters, graphic designers, namers, logo designers, printers, jingle writers, and other people, teams, companies, and organisations that can help you be remarkable.
Whether you're a freelancer or you represent a company, if you think you're really special,apply now.
My View of the 'New' Economy
March 03, 2004
A good article from Fast Company about the New Economy and where it's at. If you scroll down to the girl's photo on the right, around there is where it really sums up my opinion of what the internet is all about...
And if you're in a hurry - that is: the internet is nothing more than an alternative distribution channel. It brings efficiencies to some businesses, such as book sellers who no longer need to stock obsolete books in all their stores. But it is not an efficient channel for all products, such as selling petfood direct to online consumers.
When I returned to Ireland from Australia in 2001, there was a very strong feeling that the internet and the dot com bomb were direct contributors to the demise of the Celtic Tiger. Why blame slipping competitiveness, spiralling wage costs, and lack of investment in infrastructure when you can blame a few entreprenuers out there who've just lost their socks?
I was working on a website in an institution where the view was very much 'ah sure the dot com thing is over, we don't need this oul website anymore'. My view back then was as it is now - that internet is simply a new channel, and you've got to be seen to be offering this to your clients whether you like it or not. Just as a free phone number is a must, so too a website.
Which brings me on to my latest client site from Momentum Business Coaches. Momentum is a new business that is getting things right from the start. Intelligent marketing and sales strategies, a well designed corporate brochure, and of course an excellent website.
To Momentum and others out there like it, I wish you well. You know that a website is a must in this day and age. And if you're going to do one, you may as well get a good one, from someone who knows what it's all about!
Respect for the worker
March 01, 2004
Brightspark is now 2. Yes I can now write about how 'we' do things around here and not just be referring to the royal we.
Last Monday, Nicoleta the hard working ambitous Romanian chick joined me. So the male female split in Brightspark is 100% female, and the staff is made up entirely of Europeans!
It's not the first time that a work experience person came to work for Brightspark, but Nicoleta's output and accuracy is the best yet. I had a couple of projects in mind that would keep her busy for a few weeks, it's day 1 of week 2 and she's almost completed them. I've got 2 mailshots prepped and completed as well as countless other reporting tasks that are time consuming but necessary.
Nicoleta came to Ireland 4 years ago with no English. Since then she has completed English language courses and has learned computers. The first project she worked on involved confirming a long list of Irish surnames and she handled it admirably. She's just headed off to her Spanish language course, that girl has an appetite for learning.
If anyone out there is looking for someone like Nicoleta to work in your company, why don't you contact us? In this special case, I'd be willing to waiver the Finders Fee!