Read one Irish entrepreneur's blog as she operates a business in Dublin
Skype Rocks
July 27, 2005
If you haven't gotten yourself a skype address yet, go and do it now! Nice website too.
What is Skype?
It's a free way of communicating with anyone in the world, that's what! It's an efficient way of working with people in India, California, UK and Ireland for no fee. It's a way to stick the 2 fingers at eircom because you don't have to pay them any money!
All you have to do is download skype to your computer, make sure you've got a mic, and away you go.
It couldn't be easier...
You simply type your contact's skype address in and press the big green call button. Then it makes this funky retro phone ringing sound, and if the person at the other end picks up you get to talk to them.
While you're at it, you can use the instant messaging to send files and messages, so you can look at documents and chat about them at the same time. Quicker than email. More personal too, so it's great for those times when you've simply got to talk.
You can choose which of your contacts will see when you're online, so you know who's about. Unlike email where you send a message and wait for a response, while your contact could be on the golf course!
Rather like Google which itself has become a verb, to skype someone means you're reaching someone in the newest way possible.
Go get yourself an account, then contact us by skype and tell us how briliant you think it is....
Nice Looking Website
This time of year sees a lot of completion for Brightspark - already mentioned the Wyeth intranet, and another one that has been keeping us busy is the Systems Union Ireland website.
Originally this client started out as Quantum Business Solutions and they provide a range of financial and accounting software. So successful at what they do, they were taken over the mega financial software group, Systems Union, and this has ramped up their distribution muscle mightily.
From a website point of view, we had started along one road in development terms and we had to learn a whole new set of corporate guidelines. We also had to create the site using the group's own content management system.
Head Office in the UK had just launched its own new look and feel - check it out - but we really believed we could take it one step further. If you have a browse through the Irish site I think you'll agree that the design is sharper, and the content is written in a more web friendly way. The Irish showing the rest of the world how it's done!
Now we're focussing on securing a nice high ranking on global search engines for this site. We're about half way through that process now and soon you will find Systems Union Ireland appearing on Google and Yahoo! if you are searching for accounting and financial management software. One of the reasons I'm putting all of this onto the blog is because Google visits regularly and I want to point it in the right direction to find Systems Union Ireland. So thank you for reading, and thank you Google for sending your spiders to visit so often.
Arachnaphobia? In an online world, most definitely NOT!
It's All Go
July 26, 2005
I was blogging a while ago about summer and it being quiet and all that - well I'd like to take that back! It's not quiet for internet businesses.
I think lots of people spend time in July and August to 'mending their nets' and that entails reviewing their websites and their online marketing strategies. As a result, not only have I been really busy attending meetings, etc. But I've been really elated as every day sees another client win!! It's great. Yesterday was a particularly good day - officially closed the Wyeth Intranet project and kicked off the Bank of Ireland Global Markets one.
And er....that's all part of the reason why the Brightspark new site still hasn't landed.
Second Time Round
July 19, 2005
I'm not one to read books a second time, or watch a film twice - hey, life's too short to be going back over old ground! But recently a book I read back in 1997 seemed to be presenting itself all over, so I decided to dust it down and give it another go. Unfortunately the book is a little disappointing on the second time round.
Rather than being captivated by the writer's imagination and literary style, I am reading it in the context of his comments about communist society and his covert chidings at the situation of have's and have not's.
Luckily that is not the case in the world of websites!
Last week I got called out to visit my first ever client - CollierBroderick Management Consultants. Their site is now 2+ years old and really, it hasn't dated and still looks better than many competing ones (even if I do say so myself!).
The thing is - their business has evolved in that time and now they have lots of new services and tools that they wish to share with clients and visitors alike. Soon work will begin on a new website, and unlike the case of the Russian writer it's sure to better second time round!
Watch this space
Shake-Up in 2nd Hand Sales
July 13, 2005
Lately I've been feeling a bit sorry for Irish site, Buy & Sell. Ebay has entered the Irish market and with its strong brand and let's face it, user friendly technology driven site, and it's sure to win lots of customers from Buy & Sell. That site has been referring lately to its new look and functions - as a very new visitor - I'm stunned. The look is pure 1999 and the functionality? Er, I can't get the saving searches or clip ads to work.
On the other hand, check this out - Fundable - a peer-to-peer service that lets people pool money to buy objects. Similar to an online auction, a group action has its own page, describing how much money will be collected and what the money will do. It has only been in business since May, but so far, Fundable seems to attract a mix of fundraisers and tech savvy group buyers (for example, 10 people just completed a group buy for a USD 1,100 HP server; each person ponied up USD 110, for which they will receive 10GB of server space, 1GB bandwidth per month, and at least 1 year of hosting. The deal was initiated by 'Louie').
Maybe Fundable will give eBay a run for its money.
By the way, happy birthday to Amazon. It's 10 years old today. Hurray!