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Get an eyeful of this
One of our members, Spectacle Parade, have recently launched their website which is cool and clean and more importantly includes lots of promotional offers. Being a glasses wearer myself I am always keen to hear about special offers. I also noted that Spectacle Parade are making the most of their attendance at IIA events and have included BrowseAloud on their site which was highlighted at our Accessibility event last April. This is the perfect application for this technology as it is very likely that some of Spectacle Parade’s customers might need a little help.
If you are a member of the IIA and you are launching new product or service, post it to our extranet by logging in or email members@iia.ie and talk to me, Roseanne about writing a guest blog about your experiences.
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Online on the Box
Maeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair, presents a website review slot on TV3’s Irelandam. Below is a list of her most recent website selection.
Also available on her company’s site Elucidate.ie.
www.ecocho.eu
A search engine that gives something back to the environment. For every 1000 searches you make using Ecocho, two trees will be planted funded through the proceeds from advertising. Trees are grown via official Government-accredited projects.
KPMG will run quarterly and final year-end audits on the amount of carbon credits purchased and “retired” by ecocho. It’s a win, win option for searching the net.
www.google.com/health
Let’s start by saying if you have a health concern you need to consult a qualified doctor and not rely on the Internet to self-diagnose. Can you imagine if you got it wrong! On the other hand, it is always good to feel confident enough to ask more questions rather than feel powerless over your own health. If you want to find a good source of health information check out www.google.com/health Hopefully, Google’s highly effective page ranking system will weed out the less reliable sources in favour of the truth.
www.minclip.com
It’s summer and we are looking forward to all the kids playing outside in the sunshine with their friends. Inventing games and obstacle courses and then falling into a warm bath and bed exhausted at the end of the day. But this is Ireland and the chances are it is going to rain at least some of the time! So if you are ready to lock yourself in the shed at the end of the garden to escape your little darlings, then introduce them to a few really good websites with great games for kids. www.miniclip.com has a huge variety of really good games for kids and also shows at the top of the homepage the most popular games. It’s very easy to use and the games are excellent but you will need a fairly fast connection to enjoy the games properly.
www.stardoll.com
Another website full of interactive fun, but much more focused on girls and, to be honest the girl in us adults, is www.stardoll.com. Here you design your dolls outfit with the latest in fashion, as well as being able to pick your own celebrity and dress them to your taste. It’s a bit like the high tech version of those felt material dolls we used to make before the arrival of the Internet. But be careful, it is addictive!
http://www.jazz-clubs-worldwide.com
This is a great website for finding jazz venues across Europe and the rest of the world. You can also enjoy some video’s of artists live in those venues. Very easy to use, perhaps a bit hard to see as the type size is tiny on the homepage, but a real peep-hole into the global jazz scene. Nice source of information if you fancy some good jazz when you take off during the summer or plan a city break.
Membership
Bags of possible titles
A big IIA welcome to our second new member today BagTrader.ie. If you want any kind of promotional bag, BagTrader.ie will have it. They also have a clever new offering for pharmaceutical, medical, health and hospital customers in the shape of a hospital tote bag.
Membership
A Design for Life
It’s beginning to look like I’ve been making my way through a directory of acronymised organisations in Ireland, what with IEG Design and the IIEA joining last week. And now this week a warm welcome to the Institute of Designers in Ireland who joined the IIA today. The IDI has a mission to promote design excellence and to represent designers from all disciplines in Ireland. Both myself and my counterpart in the IDI, Rachel Murtagh, are hoping for some cross-pollination of members so if you would class yourself as a designer do contact her about joining the IDI. However if like me you don’t cut the mustard, design-wise, but you are a bit of a design wannabee (yes that would be me too) and you use Facebook, you can join the IDI’s group there. The IIA are making a special offer on 2008 membership to IDI members to celebrate the IDI’s new membership so if you are a member of the IDI and not of the IIA, please email me at members at iia dot ie and avail of this special offer.
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Work, work, work, and some play
The various working groups in the IIA are keeping busy and keeping me busy too! Our most recent addition to our Working Group Stable is the Social Media Working Group which, naturally, has been receiving some love from some of our blogging members.
Keith Shirley of Shercom is one of our members who has volunteered to participate in the Social Media Working Group. He has been writing about our upcoming meeting and I think he encapsulates the attitudes of business to social media in his post on the topic:
“During the startup phase it can seem impossible for a new business owner to manage to get everything done. Social media can be really helpful at this stage – not only does it provide a mechanism for people to get their name publicised but it can provide a great support community during what is often a very lonely time.
“Of course the other side of the coin are the costs to a business when people spend hours on social media sites.”
Keith also invites all comers to share their views about Social Media with him so that he can feed, funnel and filter these memes into the SMWG’s work.
Krishna De, another member of the IIA, has also not only been blogging about the SMWG but microblogging too which is where I first noticed her posts. She has also established a room on FriendFeed devoted to Social Media in Ireland. FriendFeed is among the new web apps which allows lifestreaming of user-generated content from registered users. This is mine. Would it be too much for me to describe Krishna De as a social media evangelist?
Chairman of the Working Group, NoNonsense.ie‘s Brendan Hughes flattered me into participation commenting on my blogging. Well I get in on longevity if nothing else!
On Thursday I’m going to be attending the IIA Search Engine Optimisation course which I am really looking forward to in order to get to grips with AdWords in particular. I look forward to meeting some of you there. If you are not already a member of the IIA this will be a great chance for you to talk to me about the benefits of changing that situation right now!
And some play, I will no doubt be seeing some of you at the Firefox 3 Launch party on Thursday evening. Registrations closed today so contrary to what my friends and family think I am not the only nerd in Dublin! Those nerds though any excuse for a party!
Next week I’m hoping to make it along to one or two of the Darklight symposia. More about that next week though!
Membership
Paraskavedekatriaphobic me?* Not a chance
Friday the 13th June has been a great day for the IIA. I go home happy (keep your eyes peeled around the Digital Hub for a smiley-faced cyclist) on a day when one new member joins the IIA. I’ll be cartwheeling home today because the Institute of International and European Affairs have become our third new member today and it’s not even lunch time! Every new member means that we can improve our services, benefits and discounts for all members so keep on joining.
I first became aware of the IIEA when Fergal O’Byrne, our CEO, passed on an invitation to their recent event Perspectives on Privacy in the Information Age at which Peter Fleisher, Google’s Privacy Counsel and Billy Hawkes, Data Privacy Commissioner spoke. I blogged about it at the time.
The IIEA is in their own words “is a policy research think-tank and forum based in Dublin. It provides members with early warning of EU policy developments and in-depth analysis of their implications for Ireland and Europe and flag key policy issues that shape the business environment.” One of their current research projects which would interest some IIA members is their Digital Future Project. They are seeking contributions in relation to a number of strategic questions for Ireland’s Digital Future.
*Paraskavedekatriaphobic? I had to say that on radio once. Multitalented me.
Uncategorized, Membership
Bank on us
The Irish Internet Association is delighted to welcome our second new member today: PostBank. PostBank are a relatively new player in the banking field built “on a commitment to make banking more accessible throughout Ireland, Postbank can be found in Post Offices, providing a friendly service in an atmosphere you know and trust.” They also have great plans for future products including a range of account types and credit cards. Although they have a fab looking site with charming illustrations methinks they have great plans to boost their internet activity, kicking off with joining the IIA. So welcome!
Membership
IEG join the IIA
A big welcome to IEGDesign.com who just joined the IIA this morning. Some of you based in Limerick probably know IEG well: they designed and developed the Limerick County Enterprise Board site. They also write a regular column for Business Limerick and this month’s is a commentary on the use of video online.
IEGDesign.com describe themselves as “Web Design, Marketing & Software reseller” and it is clear from their portfolio that they have dealt with some complex customer needs. I’m only sorry I didn’t see their Irish Hurleys site before we bought ár bpéire camán at the weekend!
IIA website
Bring it on!
I’ve been with the IIA two months now (so I should really stop saying I’ve been working here six weeks) and what do I have to show for myself? Well there’s a rake of new members and anyone who had a gander at the original Membership, Marketing and Communications Manager job spec will know that I will be buying each and everyone of those a drink when I DO meet them. Please form an orderly queue. If you would also like to get a free drink from me join the IIA, you can apply online in four easy steps.
One of my other priorities has been some improvements to our site and while I know what I would like changed or added, it might not be the very thing that you would like changed or added. I have been getting some helpful comments from some of my twittering friends (Hello what? Twitter???) and as you can see they are no holds barred and I’m still standing. So c’mon IIA members – bring it on! You have probably been using the site longer than I so please tell me what you want to change, what you love, what you hate. Get it off your chest. Better out than in and all that.
The cartoon above is purely for comical affect: I will accept all comments and suggestions graciously. Please add them via comments below or email them to members@iia.ie.
I’ve also been inviting myself to the odd do here and there. I am looking forward to the Firefox 3 Launch party. Firefox are hoping to get into the Guinness Book of Records by having the most people downloading a piece of software at the same time. Now what would Roy make of that?
Uncategorized, Membership
Secretarial.ie: The Trinny and Susannah of the workplace
Are you always on the move? Do you miss important phonecalls while in meetings? Would you love an assistant but can’t afford to take on a full-time employee? Or do you just need someone to handle your admin while you are on holidays? Well then our newest member Secretarial & Complete Management Solutions is the answer to your prayers. They do it all: from day to day administration like meeting scheduling, accounts, correspondence; right up to preparing proposals, quotations and estimates and event management. And they joined the IIA while we were on the phone so they are smart cookies too! Welcome!
Joanne Byrne of Secretarial & Complete Management Solutions is out of the starting blocks like Zola Budd on Sunny D with an opening offer to IIA members. Read all about it on the IIA website.