Author Archive

Congrats business journalists and mucho congrats Adrian Weckler – UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

Adrian won the Business Technology journalist award from the UCD Smurfit School, congrats man! Also, well done to John Kennedy from Silicon Republic for being shortlisted.

In the yoof grouping, Mark Paul from the Sunday Times won the Young Journalist of the Year with Ian Kehoe from the Business Post and Laura Noonan from the Indo getting shortlisted.

Also well done to Ally Donnelly from the Evening Echo for winning Regional Business Journalist.

Other winners:

Business News
Winner: Kathleen Barrington, Sunday Business Post
Shortlisted: Nick Webb, Sunday Independent and Aine Coffey, Sunday Times

Business Comment
Winner: Brian Carey, Sunday Times
Shortlisted: Ciaran Hancock, Irish Times and Arthur Beesley, Irish Times

Business Feature
Winner: Arthur Beesely, Irish Times
Shortlisted: Aine Coffey, Sunday Times and Mark Paul, Sunday Times

Business Broadcast
Winner: John Murray, RTE Radio One, The Business
Shortlisted: Emma Mc Namara, RTE and Diarmaid Fleming, BBC Dublin

Specialist Business Reporting (marketing, personal finance and recruitment)
Winner: Niall Brady, Sunday Times
Shortlisted: Bill Tyson, Sunday Tribune and Laura Slattery, Irish Times

Guest Post by John Reynolds from 4Basra

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

John Reynolds runs 4Basra which aims to get aid to a childrend Hospital in the bruised and bloody country that Iraq now is. This is his guest post:

“There are so many needy causes out there and I prefer to support the ones that do more than just ask for donations.”

Ouch. That has been the only negative response I’ve had so far. Iraq has edged out of the media spotlight, as Brian Cathcart in the New Statesman pointed out last week, but thankfully there are people willing to support a cause there. Initially I’d hoped 4Basra would somehow find an idea for a social business – like Heart of Africa, for example – that meets the following aims:

  • Provides a return to an investor or existing business (on which we might piggy-back to minimise start-up costs)
  • While also generating a profit that can be used to help provide medicines and supplies for a children’s hospital
  • Has some connection to one, some or all of the key themes of supporting a children’s hospital in Basra: children, medicine and Iraq

Many readers of this blog are good with ideas…do get in touch if you have any. In the meantime, I’ve been lucky enough to have some kind help from the following people:

I’d love to be able to say that I’ve come up with a social business model that means I won’t have to ask people for any more donations or support. The reality is that I haven’t. The only way we can help at the moment is by fundraising, to help pay for vital medicines and supplies. So we’re also hoping to get enough doctors – here in Ireland, in Britain, and possibly in Switzerland and Austria – to sign an appeal. If we have enough support, we stand a chance of getting back in the media spotlight – if even only briefly – as the two doctors who are helping me did in the London Independent, on 19 January this year. If you’d like to support us, or make a donation, or have a chance of winning that case of whiskey, and a number of books I’m hoping will be donated shortly, please email me on john at 4basra.org

Pass the spin please – Another Green gets handed the baton-o-FUD

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

Neilformer – Commie in disguise (he of the Che loving, Coke hating Labour Kids) takes a few shots at Roderic O’Gorman and his nonsense post about the Green Party and their backturning on equality. Neil makes very salient points and also points to Ciarán Cuffe and another blog post on his view of the past week. I don’t for a second believe what he said last week in the press but once again a blog post from Ciarán gives me some hope that the Greens have some morals. What good are morals though if you never take a stand? Anyway, contrast Ciarán’s blog post with Roderic‘s. I know which one is more transparent. As Neil also points out, I think it very poor form to use the names of Katherine Zappone and Anne-Louise Gilligan to try and copperfasten what the Green Party did last week. It’s pretty low in my books.

Speaking of low, while cheap to laugh at a typo, I find it funny that Roderic talks about getting passed the spin, (I think he meant getting past the spin) as if he was the next baton holder in the Green Party FUDathon. It seems indeed that Roderic picked up the baton and performed well enough, if spin and buck passing is the game. Screencap of the blog post title before it is changed on Rodder’s blog.

Green Party Spin

I wonder will I get dressed down privately now because of what I said about the Greens? I hear that’s the new fashion these days.

Bonus link to Una’s piece last Sunday on Ciarán.

Fluffy Links – Tuesday November 6th 2007

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

Dude, just stick up the article now.

Someone doesn’t like Fianna Fáil.

Hugh riffs on Social Gestures and Social Objects.

iPhone done to powers of ten.

When an Irish Times journo likens you to this badass, your face automatically reddens. My fav show in a long while and a bloody great character from it too. I might not look good in a bow-tie but other than that, I can be him.

Listen at this LOUD. Via Michael

via Airstrip One, Jape – Floating

Via You Ain’t No Picasso Of Montreal cover Purple Rain (no doubt Prince will demand this to be removed)

Ever notice American audiences are so annoyingly fucking ignorant at concerts and talk through songs?

Bebo releases Bebo Nation – Million Dollar homepage esque idea

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Congrats to Adam for his work on Bebo Nation. The Max Bebo can make from selling the 10×10 pixel slots is €25k so I assume there’ll be more island a la Second Life.

Tribune Business Editor fired for … quoting a blogger?

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Richard Delevan is no longer Business Editor of the Sunday Tribune after being fired this morning. Rumours were going around today that staff in le Trib were told he was kicked out. Allegedly he was told sling his er hook over an an article he wrote about an auctioneer who couldn’t sell his own gaff. It’s all the fault of A Randow Walk. 🙂 (The post I linked to is gone now. Ooops) Also mentioned on Property Pin. (Being clear, I’m not actually blaming A Random Walk or Property Pin, I was being sarcy.)

Of course I’m biased on this. Richard gave me a job in the Tribune in January this year doing what I do on this blog, writing about things that interest me. I’ve never enjoyed myself more. Easiest person I’ve ever worked for and he’s encouraged me so much and helped me improve how I write about things. It’s a shame I won’t be working with him as much because everytime we chat I’m more enthusiastic than ever about technology. At least he can go back to writing his blog and book.

Real Men

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Heard this cover sung by Tori on Phantom yesterday evening:

This is the original from Joe Jackson, the vid is cringeworthy:

Lyrics.

Why I should win the Golden Spiders

Monday, November 5th, 2007

So I, along with some very worthy people (Deborah, Grandad, the wonderful ladies of Beaut.ie and the fabulous Denise) are nominated in Best Blog category at the Golden Spiders. I’m sure some Golden Spider judges might be reading this site and wondering why I should get the award above the others.

Well, if you choose me, I’ll probably make an entertaining thank you speech. Entertaining for me, not the Golden Spiders people. I’ll probably say that paying to enter awards is an awful way of doing things. I might also call on the awards next time to be more transparent in their judging and I’ll probably ask that sponsors recuse themselves from being nominated and make reference to this blog post. I’d also probably be bold enough to mention that I’ll be running an Awards show in April that will directly compete with them. That’s just the speech.

So gwan, choose me 🙂 and vote for me too, here.

Edit: It was pointed out to me that the way I worded one of the sentences sounded like I was snubbing Denise. Sorry if it appeared that way, not intentional. Denise is a great person and runs the amazing IrishAnimals.com website. The website alone has probably saved the lives of many a doggy and moggy.

Business Blogging Training Course in Wicklow

Monday, November 5th, 2007

I’m giving a training course on Friday in association with Wicklow County Enterprise Board. The training course is for businesses who want to start a blog or have one and want to improve their blogging skills. There are still a few places left for the course. Full details here.

This is a rough overview of what I’ll be doing but will probably change on the day to suit the needs of those attending:

Module 1
Aim: Introduction to Blogging
1. What is blogging? Why is it good for business?
2. Search Engines and blogs: Why blogs are a natural fit.
3. What are blogs to model yours on? What are the good Irish blogs?
4. Community Building: Blogs have human qualities.
5. Is it worth the time and effort? Why spend more time on another tool?

Module 2
Aim: Setting up a Blog and going live by the end of the day
1. Getting started: Choosing a blogging platform
2. Blog installed, now what? What makes a good blog post?
3. Copywriting for blogs: Titles, wording, formatting, linking

The Science bit: URLs, links, trackbacks, spam, what are these things?
4. Getting noticed: Links, comments, mail shots.
5. Interacting with your new audience: How followers can build your company for free.
6. Nosy neighbours: Who’s talking about me and my blog?
7. Live, from this room: Going live.

Fluffy Links – Monday November 5th 2007

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Firefox plugin that randomly adds obscenities to the page.

Advertising costs in New York.

Using Facebook as an authentication gateway for WiFi.

A backshaver for men. Ugh.

Surprised the ISPs don’t do the dns redirect trick here.

This handy Yahoo! pipes application allows you to turn your Amazon wishlist into a nice RSS feed. The Amazon one that’s provided is a little iffy.

So a soldier gives a 17 year old HIV and only gets charged with assault and gets 3 1/2 years? I remember cases where people practically got life for this.

Some new Irish blogs. Post Darwin and Sam Kidd and Hairy Fish.

A clock that works really slowly over time. As in 1000 years. Uses trees to chart the time.

Via Conor, a nice road safety ad from Australia

Operator Please – Leave it alone