Read one Irish entrepreneur's blog as she operates a business in Dublin
Dublin Under Snow
February 23, 2005
Take a stroll down Grafton or Henry Streets today, and through snowy windows, you can see what to wear for Spring 05. What do you fancy? A sheer, ultra light cotton mini skirt, wedge heeled sandals, and a flimsy top? Not in this weather, I don't think so.
This always happens. The shops show off their new spring collections. We all imagine 'a stretch in the evenings' because it's February, and then the snow/sleet comes. I pity the poor daffodils. But I also pity the bricks and mortar retailers whose sales will be affected by the current freezy climate.
Online is better. This morning, switched-on e-retailers could pull the spring collections off their home pages and load up something a little more suitable. Sell off some woollys that didn't go in the January sales perhaps. Visitors to the site will respond more positively because the content they are reading is relevant, up-to-date and matches their needs.
Meanwhile, the bikini department in BT's is quiet....
Seth Godin's Blog
February 18, 2005
I had a quick squizz at Seth Godin's blog yesterday. It was quite timely really. There seems to be some debate raging amongst the Americans about whether or not online shopping sites should have pulldowns for state or not. It seems to be a terrible inconvenience to have to spend the extra couple of seconds looking for your state...
I brought it to his attention the plight of the Irish and how we have to come up with wily ways of overcoming that '* required field' on state and postcode. I tend to choose the hickest most redneck state if I'm forced to choose one. In my own way, I hope I skew their stats of just who exactly is buying from them.
Only last Saturday The Irish Times barometer of what's hot and what's not included in the hot list the fact that we might be getting a postcode system soon....it will certainly make it easier for those online moments, but sad that we'll lose the recognition in an area that "Joe Blogs, Ardamine, Co Wexford" gives.
What's the absolute worst however is the annoying inclusion of state and postcode on Irish websites that are targeting Irish customers. How long would it take to actually customise the software and remove 2 fields? I ask ya!
Things That Fall Into Your Lap
February 17, 2005
Feel really good. And I try to give them a nice warm cushy landing! This has certainly been a week of lots of irons in the fire coming back to me.
Before I headed off to Australia I was running around this city like a mad thing having meetings about projects that were set to kick off in 05. Well they all seemed to come back to me this week! And that's a good thing.
While I've been consumed with delivering on work that's already booked, I've also been spending time and thought on buying a house. All of that has meant that the hunt for a new staff member has been put on hold. Well not any longer! I have to actively pursue that this week. So, Monday will kick off with a meeting with my business coach, John Harney. We will talk about the job spec and the type of person that will fit in well with this organisation. In my mind I see them as some bright individual who is currently working in a large corporate and finding themselves lost. Someone who gets excited about the thought of owning projects and being trusted to follow up and do meetings and keep the ever-growing number of Brightspark clients happy.
"Self starter. With initiative."
I think that's the recruitment speak for "in need of renovation", "boasts a full set of doors, walls and windows"....
RSS Explained
February 08, 2005
Over the last 12 months, I've become interested in RSS and what it means to me - a typical email user who is increasingly bombarded with annoying email about cialis, viagra, rolex watches, etc.
RSS is pretty much the future of news as we know it. But a lot of the articles are about getting your blog on an RSS feed and come from the perspective of the producer of the content.
Adhering to the Brightspark principle of web writing number 1, "it's all about me the user", I've decided to write today about how you can use RSS as a powerful tool to negotiate your way through the abundance of information that is available.
Before RSS, if I wanted to keep on top of what was going on in the areas that interest me, I had to visit news websites (remember to make it a favourite, then visit my favourites...but then one day, I lost all my favourites...). Or I could click the links in emails that brought me to stories of interest.
Now - using a nifty little tool called Net News Wire - I can keep on top of everything that interests me very easily.
How it works:
I have Net News Wire open along with Mozilla (my preferred internet browser), my email programme, Word, Excel, whatever else.
When I installed it, I took some time to browse through all the different newsfeeds on subject matter that took my fancy. So, for example, I like to cook, so I get to choose from a wide range of cooking sites - they could be recipe sites, or they could be blogs by famous chefs, or even blogs by ordinary folks who live in Singapore, Seattle, or Siberia.
So I have set up Net News Wire to take RSS feeds on a range of items. When I look down at the icon, I can see the number 235. That means that there are 235 new stories waiting to be read by me.
Obviously this can lead to increased stress in the kind of people who haven't yet realised that you don't have to read everything! We are indeed living beyond the Information Age - where the problem is too much information and how to handle it. Net News Wire is a handy way to solve that problem.
So when you look at this blog, you can see a little orange box to the left saying XML. That means - yes please, go ahead and syndicate this site - make the Brightspark blog be one of your news feeds that you choose to take into your nifty newsreader!
Note: that news reader is for mac's. There's also a whole load of ones for PC out there.
Room3's New Website
February 04, 2005
My friends at Room3 have just launched their new website. Check it out.
It's a great mix of well chosen images, intelligent headlines, and of course a nod to the Government sector with their Irish language version, it really was worth the wait!
Too many web designers go for the 'good looking man with laptop' image, or the 'go-getter woman with a mobile' shot. The lads at Room3 have chosen a tea-lady, a child with an ice-pop, and 3 young ones nudging for space in a mirror, to represent themselves.
Intelligent, smart, and good-looking. A nice piece of work!