Irish Hackerspaces Week

Is being run by 091Labs from August 15th – 22nd. They’ve got lots of events on every day (I’m hoping to make the Ruby workshop) – you can find out more on the 091Labs site, and see the full listing of events on their Events & Workshops page.

BlogTalk 2010

This looks like a really interesting conference; they’ve got some very big names coming on the 26 & 27th of August. Here’s a sample of who’s lined up:

• Dan Gillmor (director, Knight Center): Activist consumers and responsible media creators in a networked age
• Stowe Boyd (social tools authority): Social media blur: blogs, networks are turning into real-time streams
• Don Thibeau (director, OpenID): Open identity for open government
• Charles Dowd, Sonia Flynn (Facebook): The Facebook Platform
• Ade Oshineye (Google): Social networks versus conversational networks
• Blaine Cook (BT, ex-Twitter lead developer): Webfinger: using your email for portable identity on the Web
• Fergus Hurley (founder/CEO, Clixtr): From Galway to Silicon Valley: Building a consumer Internet startup
• Ted Vickey (former director of the White House athletic center): Social media and LinkedIn for business
• Werner Breitfuss (Hypios) – The impact of social media on expert finding strategies
• Laurent Walter Goix (Telecom Italia) – Context-aware mobile social web
• Declan Elliott (091 Labs) – Open community labs, creative spaces and DoOcracy
• Darragh Doyle (boards.ie) – boards.ie: who are we, what do we do, and where are we going?

There are 1 day and two-day tickets available – I’ve got my eye on the Thursday sessions. Find out more on the BlogTalk site.

IgniteTheWest

IgniteTheWest is coming to 091Labs on the 10th of September, so it’ll be a nice warm-up for anyone that’s coming to Galway for the weekend (Bizcamp Galway is on the next day).

I wasn’t familiar with the Ignite setup – the background to it is:

Fast-paced, fun, thought-provoking, social, local, global—Ignite is all of these and more. It’s a high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have an idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd. Run by local volunteers who are connected through the global Ignite network, Ignite is a force for raising the collective IQ and building connections in each city. And, via streaming and archived videos of local talks, local Ignites share all that knowledge and passion with the world

They have a registration page for people that want to sign up for talks.

Bizcamp Galway

There are still tickets available for Bizcamp on Saturday September 11th. They’ve been going surprisingly fast, so if you’re interested, get your name down. There are also still slots available for people to sign up to speak.

Enjoy!

I’ve been to those run in Dublin and Limerick in the past, and they’ve been a worthwhile trip. It can be a great place to meet mix of like-minded people – from those who have been through the mill of setting up their own businesses, to those who are thinking about taking the first jump.

The idea behind BizCamp is that it’s a user-generated conference – that means that there are no expensive invited speakers, it’s a free conference, and it’s up to those attending to share what they know with the audience (not sales pitches). You can sign up for a talk on the Speaker Registration page (it’s as easy as entering your name, email, and a title & short description of your talk).

If you’re not sure about giving a talk, you can still register to attend over on the Bizcamp Galway site. This  is also one of those times when letting people you know that it’s coming would be great – there’s a lot of empty registration forms to fill, but they won’t be empty for long.

See you there.

This is a one-year programme providing entrepreneurs with business skills, networks, facilities and supports necessary to navigate and execute the business start-up process….The MWEP provides participants with business acumen, office desk space, mentoring, networking, facilities, and supports necessary to help them in establishing and running their own businesses. Participants should have a business idea with growth and export potential.

There’s some more information on the programme brochure [pdf] (including profiles of two recent companies that came through it two years ago – eMedia and Active Mind).

Ambient Age has been one of the participants in the 2009 programme which is coming to an end in the next couple of months, and if you have an idea for a business, the MWEP is a good way of helping you to get it off the ground.

There are active Open Coffee Clubs happening regularly in Limerick, Mayo, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, and Belfast. While there are lots of technology companies based in Galway, it doesn’t seem to have the same level of community as has been developed in Cork and Dublin. In other cities, there are frequent meetings for Tech folk to meet up and have a chat about what’s going on in – bringing back the Open Coffee Club to Galway is a step towards this.

So, if you, or others in your company, are involved in the tech scene in Galway and fancy meeting up with others working in the area, come along for a coffee and an informal chat.

You can find out more on the shiny new Galway Open Coffee website.

I found the Bizcamp in Dublin really useful – there were some great talks, and I met with some very interesting people. What I found most different to the BarCamp events I’ve attended in the past was the mix of people; it wasn’t confined to only a “techy” audience, there were people there from lots of industries which gave it a bit more balance. In particular, I found the contributions by Enterprise Ireland really useful (both the panel discussion by people who have recently secured funding, and EI presentation that followed). For me, these talks brought some transparency to the process EI works with. I also thought that hearing first-hand from people who have been through the process of securing both private & EI funding was also a great help, and that alone was worth attending the event.

So, if you are thinking about starting a business, have recently started out, or are interested in sharing your experiences in business, I’d highly recommend registering for Bizcamp in Limerick…..even though it clashes with the last day of the Six Nations rugby

The latest addition to the *camp family in Ireland is Bizcamp. Bizcamp is a free conference that takes place in the Digital Hub on Thomas St., Dublin on March 7th. The idea behind Bizcamp is giving:

…a chance for us all to lift ourselves out of the gloom of the endless bad news stories. It’s based on the fact that each of us as entrepreneurs have loads to learn from our peers. And we have a lot to share with them as well. There are a lot of great things happening in the Irish Economy – especially in small and medium businesses and this day will be a celebration of those. And a great place to come for people who have lost their jobs and are actively looking at starting up.

I’ve been to Barcamps in both Galway and Cork (and both have been great), but the focus is more on the technology side of things; this is where Bizcamp differs. It’s focus is on learning from the business experience of those who have been through starting up before, and finding out more about those who are starting out now.  Its audience comes from both the technology & non-tech sectors.

So far there are over 150 people registered to attend, and a large number have already volunteered to give talks. They’ve also just confirmed the first panel at the event: “Successful Fundraising - a panel of non-tech and tech entrepreneurs share their experience of having closed funding rounds in the last 6 to 9 months”.

So, if you’re not sure if you should be going, the organisers say that the the conference is:

…an opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators to come together, share experiences, and possibly create new value out of the day. It’ll be a chance to meet up with people who’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt – members of the business community, VCs and investors, and representatives from the relevant state agencies. Lost your job recently? Well, FTR! – come along to BizCamp, who knows what new opportunities might present themselves?

Convinced? You can sign up to attend (and talk) at the Bizcamp registration page.

When I started out, I spent quite a bit of time looking into the applications & services people were using. I tried out lots to manage different parts of the business; here are some of the ones I settled on:

Communications

There are lots of web-based technologies for staying in touch. Some I’ve found most useful are:

1. Google’s Gmail, which lets you manage a number of different email accounts and has Instant Messaging to others with Gmail accounts. Google Talk is a desktop application that gives you the same messaging options, with the ability to talk to contacts over the web.
2. Skype – while not web-based, it offers a handy service for messaging  & talking over the web. It also provides voicemail & lets you buy local telephone numbers.
3. Fring -again, not web-based, but it gives you access to Skype, MSN & Google Talk, Twitter and more from your mobile; handy if you’re away from your computer.

Project Management

After using the open source version of ActiveCollab for a while (which has now moved to a paid version), I’ve since settled into using BaseCamp. It’s a well designed, easy to use web app that makes managing a project (everything from setting up milestones & to-do lists, to collaborating with others) really easy. For times when tracking the amount of time spent on different parts of a project are needed I’ve used 1time online time tracking; it’s a handy Irish web app that I’ve talked about before as part of the Tuesday Push. Google Docs is also something I’ve been using from time to time when shared or remote-access to word-processing & spreadsheets is needed.

Web Stats

For analysing performance of websites, another Google product, Analytics, features. It’s free and has a wide range of reports available, with the option to schedule sending reports by email – a feature I’ve found really helpful for certain clients.  Another alternative to Analytics that I’ve been using recently is Irish-based StatCounter. I’ve found the level of detail in some of the reports to be great, although it doesn’t look as nice as Analytics, there is a paid version available for access to more information.

Code Management

I spent quite a while developing code on a local machine (while keeping an automated backup…always keep backups!). That was until I picked up on code versioning with Subversion and Springloops. Springloops is a web-based tool that allows you to manage your source code as you work on it, collaborate with others, and deploy it to servers when the time comes. It has made a huge difference to workflow when developing bigger web applications.

Client Management

When trying to keep track of who’s who and what needs to be done for them (CRM – Customer Relationship Management), I’ve been using another web app by 37signals, Highrise. As with Basecamp, it’s a simple & easy to use service that lets you manage contacts, tasks etc. I’ve found it an easy way of keeping on top of what I should be doing for everyone.

Staying in Touch

While not directly related to the day-to-day work, there are lots of other web-based services that are useful for keeping in touch with what’s going on. Doing so helps stay on top of trends, industry & competitor news, helps with learning new skills, and gives a way to plug into the various communies out there. Some of the most useful I’ve found are tools like Google Alerts, Google Reader, Twitter and LinkedIn .

Lots of Options

That gives a small picture of some of the web-based tools available for managing business. Some are most useful to web designers & developers, but many will be helpful to lots of others (and if you’re in the beauty sector, be sure to check out our newest app!). If you’re a linkedIn user you can also connect through LinkedIn.

The centre is split between the Galway & Castlebar campuses (I’ll be based in the Galway one).  It has two objectives: to support and facilitate the emergence of new market-led and knowledge-based companies in the region and, forge strategic links between the college and the world of industry and commerce. Their aims are to:

• Increase number of high potential start-ups
• Improve early stage survival rates
• Accelerate company / job growth
• Enhance links with GMIT and SMEs / MNCs

Being back on the GMIT Campus will no doubt be a great experience; it’s been some time since I did my Degree in Business here, and a lot has changed with a very nicely redeveloped campus since then.

It’s a huge step in the right direction for Ambient Age.

As someone who works on the web a lot, I use quite a number of web-based services. For some, and particularly those that are getting established, if I spot a problem I’ll often send an email or leave a comment so that they can fix it. As someone developing web applications, I know that I would appreciate someone taking the time to point out a problem that I had missed. In the end, I know it will result in a better service for me, and in them being able to offer their customers something that works better.

Having done this a number of times I’ve noticed three levels of response:

1. A Personal Response

This could be someone replying to a mail or a blog comment, and maybe look for more information about the problem, or just saying thank you for pointing it out.

2. An Automated Response

Often when you send a mail to support channels, you will get an automated response saying the message has been received, and is being routed to someone to be dealt with. It has not fallen into a dark black hole somewhere. In many companies, that have lots of customers and support requests, a huge amount of time could be spent personally responding to individual users. Obviously, this time could be more productively used any fixing problems that are identified.

3. The Deathly Sound of Silence

I’ve found that the majority of cases are met with no response at all. This may be because they are feverishly working to fix the problem that’s been spotted, or that the message fell between the cracks never to be seen again. Who knows.

It’s about relationships

I was reading an article on Empathy & Social Media, about developing relationships with customers by establishing trust. In the article, the argument is that Conversation + Sincerity + Empathy = Trust; the idea being that without trust, you will have no customers. It is the first part of that equation that I’m interested in: conversation. If a user of your product or service starts a conversation with you, engaging with them is a useful step. Without doing so, how can there be a basis for a relationship, or any trust?

By way of an example, I recently started using a web-based service provided by an Irish company. When I went to access the service one day, I found it wasn’t working, so I sent in a support request to find out if it was a problem on my end, or theirs. And got no response. When trying to figure it out, I found two more (unrelated) problems, and sent them a mail to let them know. And got no response. I know that this company will eventually be charging for their service, and I also know I won’t be one of their customers. If there is no relationship there, why would I trust (and pay) them to run the service in the future?

Users have options when it comes to many services offered on the web. Establishing a relationship with them is one means of creating emotional switching costs. Doing so makes them less likely to abandon your service for your competitors

The other side of this are companies that proactively look to engage with their customers. By doing so, they develop relationships, find new ideas and get feedback on their services. A recent trend is connecting direclty with customers using Twitter (a service to connect with people and broadcast & receive short messages on the web). There are examples of companies, both in Ireland and Internationally, using this method to interact with their customers. But this is not the only way. Sometimes it’s as easy as responding to an email.

In certain areas, for example academic research, constructive criticism through the reviews of others working in the same area is how work is evaluated. Doing so allows those involved to improve their work based on the input of fresh ideas and perspectives. Weaknesses are identified, and in doing so, those producing the work (and those using it afterward) benefit.

I am often involved in offering advice on the redesign of existing websites. In such cases, and particularly when the site or content has been developed in-house, there can be the reaction like that you would expect if (not when!) you were to tell someone they have an ugly baby. Immediately adopting a defensive position in such cases is not always the most productive approach (when talking about websites, not babies, in which case it may be justified!).

Feedback is a good thing – use it wisely

It can often be difficult to get honest feedback on your website, or any aspect of your business for that matter. In cases where it is offered, it is often worthwhile to consider it. This is particularly true when it is unbiased or unsolicited, for example, through feedback from customers, discussion on unrelated websites (for example, message boards, etc.). There are numerous examples of discussion forums frequented by designers & developers (for example, in Ireland Creative Ireland, Irish Webmaster Forum). These forums provide access to experienced professionals who freely offer their time and opinions on new websites. Such objective feedback can often appear to be harsh, but it is rarely wantonly so. Taking such opinions on board can allow subtle changes to new sites leading to their improvement before a wider public launch.

Look at feedback objectively

Looking at the feedback you get objectively, and not taking it personally, are important steps in keeping your sanity. While a lot of time, money and effort may have been spent before you get suggestions, even small changes may be beneficial.

In situations where you are using external consultants, designers or developers, taking on board their opinions is important. While you understand your business in more depth than they will, they should understand their business better than you do. That is not to say that all advice should be followed without question, there should be a reason, and a business case, for all suggestions. In such situations, it is far worse to get no opinion than one with which you disagree. By looking objectively at the alternatives, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision.

Evaluate the Source – Wisdom of crowds?

While feedback can be found from many sources evaluating those providing it is important. The “wisdom of crowds” or “crowdsourcing” has gained traction in recent times with the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies. The idea behind this is that leveraging the knowledge of large numbers of people will provide more useful information than a small number of consultants.  While this may be true, and in many cases extremely useful, realising that not everyone is an expert should be considered.

Lessons

The availability of feedback on new web design and development projects can be of huge benefit to both small and large businesses.  By welcoming a fresh perspective improvements can be achieved before a wider public release of any site.  In accepting feedback it is important however, to look at the feedback objectively and to evaluate the source before accepting suggestions at face-value. It may just help your baby grow into something more beautiful!