Archive for the ‘irishblogs’ Category

Show and Tell Event: Bloggers play with tech

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Summary: Tech Meet and Greets for bloggers.

I’ve been getting a heck of a lot of invites from PR companies of late to attend various events but when I suggest to them that they ask/invite other bloggers, some freeze or shut down. That’s a step too far. So I’ve started to decline invites to all events unless they were catering to other bloggers at these events too. Yes, that might mean providing wifi too. *shock*

Collision Course, the Fianna Fáil and Green Party conferences, the Bord Gais launch and other events are starting to show that bloggers will come along if you provide them with something interesting, be it giving them the scoop before others, giving them access to people they might not have been able to reach by themselves or good data.

Via Mulley Communications I’m going to start running some events run for bloggers where tech companies or tech distributors can show off their wares in an environment designed for bloggers. Traditional tech press briefing events are mind numbingly boring. We bloggers don’t give a care about your third quarter projections. Don’t speak from a lectern and from a script. Converse with us. Let us fiddle with your stuff. Oooer.

retroradio01_f5
Photo owned by Shi Yali (cc)

What’s in it for bloggers?
We get to see new products and play with them on the evening and use trial gear for a few weeks. We get more content that we can write about and inform our readers with new information and it also means we are a bit more educated on what’s available in the market. It also means meeting as a group in person when we generally just converse over blogs and twitter these days.

What’s in it for the tech companies?
Coverage. Right now coverage is limited to the Business Post, PC Live and Gadget Republic when it comes to tech reviews. However, online coverage is all well and good but a possibly more important point is these bloggers and Twitterers are the communications hub of their networks both online and off. We are the ones that get asked for mobile phone recommendations building up to birthdays and Christmas, we are the ones asked about laptops and what are the best ones to get, we’re the ones who are asked for recommendations.

Very importantly, you get honest, non-pressured feedback from people who will call a spade a spade and who are telling all their friends this anyway about products that they like and don’t like. Ignore this feedback at your peril.

Think about the average person that Googles for information, they’ll still ask those in their peer group and those in their peer grop are the ones who’ll influence them more. A more educated bunch these are, the better they can inform. The only risk is that your stuff isn’t godawful.

I know for a fact that some companies will weigh up the cost of giving loaner gear to blogger and will think it’s not worth it despite the fact that having an informed group of influencers will seriously impact sales. However for every tech company that declines, an edgier one will take your place and they’ll reap the rewards. There actually is the case in Ireland where billion euro companies give out a single piece of kit that’s the village bicycle of tech: every journalist gets to have a bash for two weeks before it’s passed to someone else. Yeah, no. This is not the event you are looking for.

Reboot 2
Photo owned by gfscott (cc)

What’s in it for me?
Mulley Communications will have more case studies that this lark actually works and experience doing it. Unfortunately in Ireland we lack a hell of a lot of case studies on blogging, online marketing and social networking engagements.

How do you sign up?
If you’re a blogger leave a comment, link to a blog post where you’ve talked tech (if you have), say where you are as these are not just going to be in Dublin and tell us what your favourite piece of tech is. Bonus points if you go really retro!

If you’re a PR firm, tech company/manufacturer/distributor then email damien < at > mulley.ie for what the requirements are to take part

Fluffy Links – Thursday March 12th 2009

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Peninsula Ireland, come on down.

New blog, Adrian Russell.

Daragh Lally has a new site, how’d I miss that?

Treasa is making a map of shipwrecks to photo.

The Golez Guide to Snakeoiling.

The Lives of Others c’est ar ais.

Calvin is doing Photographic Wedding Invitations.

Good post from Adrian asking should Irish Tech Startups get grants.

Pay per performance advertising is here.

Google ups their online stalking of us.

Bebo get all mobiley.

Via Cian, Clinton Docu – The War Room:

Enigma – Return to Innocence (Naruto vid version)

Fluffy Links – Tuesday March 10th 2009

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

€10,000 web App business plan. No equity wanted.

Blogger beers in Cork on Friday. Twitter beers too.

Dear U2, a message from Dublin, mainly to you Bono.

CheapEats talks about MummyMaps. Maps.

Thomas the Tank Engine hiphop mashups

Text pieces, an exhibit.

Cigars.ie, a blog on things Bill Clinton smoked and poked.

Robert Holmes. BBC NI session.

Via Lauren: National napping day? Yes please.

Using crowdsourcing to fight censorship.

No Doubt: Buy a concert ticket, download our tunes for free.

Thanks to the wonder of all things Internet, you too can be on the bus going to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fhéis, right from your desk. Wait, I can get this:

Via Crooked Timber: Timber by Coldcut and Hexstatic

San Francisco here I come

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Off to San Francisco this weekend for a few days, a mixture of work stuff and holiday. I know the work stuff will happen anyway. I’m also attending a workshop by Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte and going to be at the Y Combinator Demo Day.

where the rainbow rules
Photo owned by pimpexposure (cc)

Course I’ll try and get to the MOMA too. And some island or other that Nic Cage made famous. Any other suggestions?

Places that do good or weird food too please!

Fluffy Links – Monday March 9th 2009

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Use your iPhone to take better photos.

New blogs:
Ian Walsh

Kevin Coleman.

Margaret Ward.

Irish Credit Union Voice.

Ooooh, cute puppy blog from Lette

And then she does this video of sexual terms in sign language!

Seán draws Obama.

I’m away for this but the Deciphering Trust event sounds great.

Some nice tips from Seamus on buying ads on radio. Nice to know listeners pay more attention to the ads at night.

How to give presentations when the room is on Twitter, interacting.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone play Cork soon. Woo.

Russians. Crazy motherfuckers.

Via Fred: iBand! Playing music using iPhones and iPods!

And no hand in destiny

Saturday, March 7th, 2009

Fluffy Links – Friday March 6th 2009 (Watchmen Day!)

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Congrats to the Internet’s Ben McRedmond on his Picomarks social bookmarks service.

Joe Ryan from Labour has a neat but depressing feature on his blog. It shows the increase in youth unemployment in Wexford. 700 in April to 1200 this month.

I only saw this now (hey I was busy dynamiting Building 7) but this is a lovely post from Lottie.

Lee Munroe is running a marathon for a kids’ charity. He has a sponsor site up.

New blog: Not Ruairi is a naive young man in Dublin. He sits in a room recording music all day, occasionally channelling the spirit of Cary Grant.

HB now have a fun Facebook Page. Brilliant videos from a bygone era on TV. Zig and Zag pre-Dustin with Ray D’Arcy with a fine head of black hair.

Adam Douglas now has a campaign site. Congrats. Just in time for the Green Party Conference.

Eolai’s paintings are still for sale at a discounted rate.

Michael O’Leary rocks. At times. Other times, no.

How to find hope in the recession.

‘’Possibility 2009+ Seminar’’ is happening on March 12th in Cork.

Possibility 2009 is a joint initiative of both South Cork and Cork City Enterprise Boards. For further information and online booking please visit www.sceb.ie/online-booking. This seminar is highly subsidized at €30 per participant

In April Johnnie Moore and Kay Scorah will run a workshop called a “A Day of Noticing“. Was at an adhoc workshop over lunchtime Johnnie did in the Guardian Offices a while back where we were throwing imaginary balls at each other that made odd sounds. It was fun and refreshing.

Video for JJ – Playground. Directed by Thomas Hefferon & Kay Madsen, a friend of a friend. Very stylish video and great song.

Look at the National Debt clock go!

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Luke Leslie made a wee video with Prodigy Music:

Blackout Ireland Day – ISP Association of Ireland yet to say a thing

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Why has there been silence from the representative group of Irish ISPs? The ISPAI has yet to say a thing about the eircom/IRMA deal. Does this mean they are not against it? Others have been very vocal about this horrible deal. Silence does nothing. Silence in times of adversity is bad. Speak up and speak out ISPAI, you are quick enough to ring the bells when it comes to the Data Retention laws and get coverage from your friends in the Irish Times.

More on Blackout Ireland.

Photoshop moment

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Martin Cullen references are optional.

Minister Martin shares his technique

See original pic here.

Noel Dempsey no likey fearless leader.

Noel says so