Read one Irish entrepreneur's blog as she operates a business in Dublin
New Site Is Live!
September 16, 2005
It's been a long time coming, but at last, the new Brightspark site is live! Clients always come first, so this has been fit in amidst a flurry of activity - websites, search engine optimisation, pay per click, html emails and a very large intranet.
Just like the names Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Armani, MX5 are synonymous with good design, so too is the name Stewart Curry! He's the hot designer that designed the new Brightspark site. Slick and cool, carrying the Brightspark values over into the website, that's what he has done for us, and we are very happy.
The blog has been raised to home page status rather than just a link. That's because of its popularity - yes, skanger, 80's fashion, and live8 are still top keywords on the site, alongside internet marketing, online marketing, and other keywords relating to the business.
Sporting a trendy right hand navigation, and with case studies relating to content, the new site not only looks good but is high on the usability stakes too. Keenly crafted content with not as much alliteration as we allow ourselves to pepper the blog with, it's definitely a site we can live with for another couple of years.
Please send us your feedback - we'd love to know your thoughts on it. Just hit the contact us button and drop us a line.
Marketers Advantage
September 14, 2005
Came across a good site with lots of marketing articles and services. Plus valuable reciprocal links as well.Network Marketing Articles - Marketers Advantage
Beat The Traffic
September 13, 2005
In recent weeks, I've been commuting to work. Sitting in traffic as I go from one side of the city to the other. Staring out the window and playing mind games with the traffic lights....if this goes now, then I'll have a run straight through to the next set of lights....
It is killing me.
What I hate most is the fact that I am losing 2 hours of my life every day to traffic. While I'm only doing this commute as a temporary measure while eircom chooses to relinquish me from their grasp and allow me to have broadband from another provider, I feel sorry for those who have to do it every day. That said, I do think that the M50 does get rather a lot of media coverage. I think the Dorset Street/Gardiner Street/South Quays is worse.
Anyway, in an effort to not waste hours of my life, and try and keep a semblane of good mood, today I took the first step in my new regime - Beat The Traffic! I set my clock for 2 hours earlier and left the house at 6.40am!! It's great:
- You get to drive in the bus-lanes - legally
- The average speed is a good 60 kph faster
- You get to see the sun rise over this beautiful city
Downsides:
- My favourite coffee shop wasn't open by the time I got to the office
- I will probably fade badly around 3pm
- Bed early tonight
All in all though, I think it's a good strategy. I will continue with it, at least until eircom sort me out and grant me broadband (it's only been 5 weeks wait now - yes for overseas readers, this is the TRUE picture of techno Ireland...).
Stop Spammers Harvesting Your Email
September 12, 2005
Just putting the finishing touches to the new Brightspark website today. I posted something on the blog a long time ago about a piece of code you can add to your email address if you're putting it on your site that stops email harvesters from sucking your email address off your site.
Now there's an even easier tool to use. Read the text on top if you will, if you're in a hurry, just scroll down to the form at the bottom. It really works!
This handy link was provided to me by Stuart Curry, who has designed the new Brightspark site. Nothing but the best for Brightspark.
I don't like Amazon anymore
September 07, 2005
The site is great, the navigation intuitive, as a company they must be applauded for their sustained growth and share price rises - BUT - their Irish distribution is appalling. And they don't care. Obviously we're just that small part of the UK that doesn't really matter, but it's the 2nd time now that I've had parcels not delivered.
Quite a while ago, a friend sent me a birthday present through Amazon and it never got to me. She thought I was being really rude for not saying thank you. I thought she'd forgotten my birthday. Once we discovered what was going on, I got on to the Irish distribution arm of Amazon, which is SDS, and they said that since a month had past, it was 'too late' for me to get the gift. Anyway, emails and phone calls aplenty and I gave up on it. No present for me. And my friend forked out for nothing.
The other week I ordered a couple of business books from Amazon and received the many emails informing me of my order - it's getting ready to be delivered - Kumar from packing and distribution has just put the sellotape on it - it's being stamped by Shen in our Leeds office. . . etc etc.
I received one of the books. When I went on to the site to track my order it simply said that it had been sent and I had to follow up with my postal company. Now much as I find An Post regular mail slow, they at least always leave one of those cards to tell you they'd been there. I haven't got one of them, so now I'm faced with telephoning SDS whose customer service is number 8 on their list of extensions to dial, and trying to locate my package.
Why should I? I've paid for my books, it is their responsibility to get them to me. So it is for this very reason that I have decided I don't like Amazon and in future I'm going to buy all my books in Hoggis Figgis which is a great shop.