Inis Communications BlogBloghttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012-05-11T08:24:28ZSquarespaceDerry coderdojo starts Sat 19th May 2-4pm, The Nerve Centrehttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/5/11/derry-coderdojo-starts-sat-19th-may-2-4pm-the-nerve-centre.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-05-11T08:05:38Z2012-05-11T08:05:38ZA new coderdojo club opens in Derry on Saturday 19th May, and is open to all those interested from Derry city and nearby districts such as Strabane and East Donegal, including Inishowen.  Coderdojo is part of a global network of free computer coding clubs for 11-18 year olds and was set up in Ireland by co-founders Bill Liao and James Whelton.

CoderDojo has been developed as a movement orientated around running free not-for-profit coding clubs and regular sessions for young people.

At a CoderDojo, young people learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and more. Dojos are set up, run by and taught by volunteers. Dojos organise tours of technology companies, bring in guest speakers to talk about their career and what they do, and organise events. In addition to learning to code, members meet like minded people, show off what they’ve been working on and so on. CoderDojo makes development and learning to code a fun, sociable, kick ass experience. CoderDojo also puts a strong emphasis on open source and free software, and has a strong network of members and volunteers globally.

I've been involved in setting it up - largely due to my 11-year-old's enthusiasm - and have been working alongside Rosa McLaughlin from Foyle Learning and Mark Nagurski of Digital Derry. 

We've had great support from co-founder Bill Liao, from Coderdojo Arainn Mhór and from other coding clubs across the island.  To date, mentors who have come forward to volunteer to work with the club include Inishowen web and app developer Michael Flanagan and Strabane teacher and ICT co-ordinator Damien McHugh.

The Nerve Centre have kindly offered a studio for us to meet in and so we are ready to go!

I got involved after my youngest son set up his own blog and website, all from his interest in online construction game Minecraft, and developing “mods” or modifications for this game.  Now he wants to learn more, and is talking about learning to develop his own apps.  Other young people may already be experimenting with coding or just have an interest in it but need more skills - the club is open to all! 

If you want to register your child, offer to mentor or help in any way with Coderdojo Derry then please contact me at trish@iniscommunications.com or call me on +35386 1740057.  Please note: Parents of children aged 12 or under must accompany their children throughout coderdojo sessions. 

We have also set up a Google Group: coderdojoderry@googlegroups.com

If you are interested in setting up a coderdojo in your own area just check out www.coderdojo.com - there is a great outline there of how to go about it.

]]>Hugh Oram launches quirky guide to Parishttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/4/24/hugh-oram-launches-quirky-guide-to-paris.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-04-24T10:18:43Z2012-04-24T10:18:43ZWhat I personally like most about Hugh Oram's quirky new guide to Paris, is that it offers even the first time visitor the opportunity to savour some of the French capital's more secret places....

 

I first visited the city at the tender age of 16 to stay with an elder sister who was working there.  Neither of us had much money at the time, and we did a lot of walking, which meant two things: I didn't have a regular tourist "hit the highlights" of Paris experience but I did get to see a lot of the lesser known places - the kinds of places that feature in Hugh's guide.

Offbeat Paris takes you round the 20 arrondissements which wind around the heart of Paris, and gives you addresses and Métro stations for all his featured museums, churches, famous hotels, galleries, restaurants, gardens, and parks.  

But the e-Guide also includes sights like old passageways, markets, antique shops, bookshops, and weird and wonderful museums. The historic passageways - known locally as Galeries or Passages - are well worth checking out.  A few have been restored - like Passage du Grand Cerf - described as “the most stylish of all the tiny thoroughfares” by the author.

Hugh Oram is an author, journalist and broadcaster living and working in Dublin, and I have had the pleasure of working with him on many occasions.  He has written many travel, historical and documentary books, and has contributed extensively to such international travel editions as Berlitz, Fodor's and Michelin.  He has written extensively about almost every region of France and many aspects of French life and has been a frequent visitor to Paris over the past 30 years.  Hugh has also broadcast on many diverse subjects for RTÉ Radio 1, and the BBC in Belfast.  Read more here or to buy his latest book, just click on: Offbeat Paris

]]>B&B Ireland make most of international travel trade workshophttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/4/19/bb-ireland-make-most-of-international-travel-trade-workshop.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-04-19T14:08:14Z2012-04-19T14:08:14ZB&B Ireland put their best foot forward for the 2-day international travel trade workshop - Meitheal - in Dublin this week, and Inis Communications was delighted to be working with them again on this occasion.  A 12-strong B&B Ireland team travelled to the RDS in Dublin for the event to meet up to 300 international travel and tour operators from 23 countries.

 

Their aim was to showcase the food, welcome and hospitality given to customers when they stay in a bed and breakfast.  And the B&B sector is of vital importance not just to the tourism sector as a whole, but also to regional and rural economies, because it is so popular with overseas visitors.  They place a high value on the authentic Irish hospitality and the local knowledge you get from a B&B here.

 

Meitheal - one of the biggest trade events in the Irish tourism calendar - is organised by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Tourism Ireland. The event is open to Fáilte Ireland approved operators, such as owners of approved B&Bs. B&B Ireland, the largest promotional organisation for the B&B sector in Ireland, represented its 1,000 members at the event.  “Members from Donegal, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Westmeath, Dublin, Kerry and Cork came to Meitheal to give a warm Irish B&B welcome to the travel trade,” says B&B Ireland chief executive Helena Healy.

 

“Over the last 18 months, more and more Irish B&Bs have gone through the new Failte Ireland rating system to be registered as Approved or as 3, 4 or 5 Star accommodation. It gives customers the assurance of quality and service when they stay in a bed and breakfast,” she adds.

 

“B&Bs are now offering a wider range of activity holidays, such as walking, golf, adventure, Gaeltacht, farmstay, food lovers, angling and eco-breaks.  This allows customers to stay in rural Ireland when they take part in their chosen activity.”  See www.bandbireland.com for details and bookings.

]]>Making the most of our maritime resourceshttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/3/29/making-the-most-of-our-maritime-resources.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-03-29T10:18:05Z2012-03-29T10:18:05ZThis week, we have been delighted to work on the official launch of Blue Boat Tours - a new boat trip service for the Foyle.  The new service is a great way to harness the benefit of our superb maritime resources, and will operate on the River Foyle at Derry, right up to the mouth of Lough Foyle at Greencastle.

We are based on Lough Foyle, which is such a great place to be, but like so many people round here, I rarely get a chance to actually get out on the water.  I do use the Foyle Ferry fairly regularly when it is in operation but this new service offers a completely different experience of the water for local people, families and visitors alike. 

The previous service from the Toucan One was innovative for the Foyle at the time, but in reality the vessel was far too large to cater for the smaller numbers of people who could have been more regularly using it. 

 

Blue Boat Tours are offering scheduled services of trips from the city quays to Culmore Point, and longer trips to Greencastle. They are also running children's pirate trips.  And they insist that scheduled tours will run even if its just for a handful of people. They will also take private group bookings at £10 a head per hour, (minimum charge £50), which would make a great birthday or special occasion treat and is definitely on my list of things to do with the kids.

Congratulations to Julie Bryson and Blue Boat Tours for getting this new water-based activity off the ground - it will be a real boost to local tourism!

]]>My Top 3 Time Saving Toolshttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/3/14/my-top-3-time-saving-tools.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-03-14T19:26:31Z2012-03-14T19:26:31ZLike most small business owners, I'm always looking at ways to save time and improve efficiency.  These are my current top three:

 1. Netsso - I've been doing some work with the developers of this product,  and it is my top time saver.  Netsso is an Irish product, and it’s preparing to launch its BETA phase so this is a sneak preview really.  When I am in the office, I spend most of my time online using a wide range of web sources and regularly having to log in and out of social media accounts and websites for clients and for ourselves.  A password manager can cut out the login time and favourites will save your regular sites but NETSSO's "single sign on" system does both much better. It stores all my logins and passwords and saves any URL I record onto it (including Dropbox file links), but - best of all - I can lay out all these links into "desktops" for each area of work or client, so all the links are together in the one place when I need them.   For example, I have a clients “desktop” or page, divided into sections with each client’s name at the top and all the relevant links underneath, such as their website and social media – essential for doing blogs, news and daily posts.  I have an internal Inis Communications page of links with our website (including the administrator logged in version), our Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, email, bitly, Hootsuite, Dropbox, Google Docs, phone, mobile, utilities, media sources, financial sites etc on it. My personal one has leisure, kids stuff, school and educational sites, personal mobile and social media links on it. It's my top time saver and I can also use it from any PC or laptop.  Check it out on www.netsso.com

2. Hootsuite - before I had NETSSO, this was what saved me most time because it cut out so much logging in and out of both our own and our clients’ social media accounts and websites, as well as other key sites.  It's my number two now because it allows you to schedule posts in advance to any or all of your social media accounts and to track your past posts together at one glance.  You can also set up Hootsuite accounts for each client or set of social media accounts – essential for us because we offer Website and Social Media packages for clients, which includes regular updating of all their social media.  Even the free level is superb (I briefly upgraded to use the bulk scheduler but found it unwieldy and not really worth the effort in the end). If you have more than one social media account, I would highly recommend it:  www.hootsuite.com

3. My Work Time - another Irish product, by app developers Tús Nua Designs. I have the iPhone app and it basically allows me to track client projects and tasks wherever I am and to record the time spent on each one.   It works by adding clients, projects and tasks and using a start/stop button on each task.  You would be surprised what a difference it makes when you add in every phone call or email….  The app also has a fee calculator and you can export the files weekly or monthly, which really helps speed up your billing process.  These files also give you an overview of the exact proportion of your working hours which is spent on revenue-generating activity – and whether you need to review this!  Check Tús Nua out on www.tusnuadesigns.net or just get the MyWorkTime app.  

]]>5 top tips for creating quality social media contenthttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/2/9/5-top-tips-for-creating-quality-social-media-content.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-02-09T16:32:05Z2012-02-09T16:32:05ZSo you have your finger on the pulse of online marketing and you know social media is a vital part of the mix..... Your problem is that you struggle to create fresh and lively content that people want to read.  Don't panic - help is at hand with these top tips:

 

1.  Define the reasons why you want to use social media:  You may not need a 50-page strategy document but you do need a strategic approach.  Do you want to use social media mainly to direct more traffic to your website or to specific pages on your site e.g. to your online sales, to booking forms, to an email enquiry form, to your services page? Do you just want people to call you?  Perhaps you don't have a website and just want them to come to your Facebook page? Set your priorities now and then make sure that social media posts link your audience to the right destination.

 2.  Use your specialist skills and expertise: Your customers value more than your product or services - they value your expertise and knowledge. So start sharing this online in, for example, blogs, e-guides, short videos.... using social media posts to link people back to them.

 3.  What do your customers talk to you about?  On top of your specialist skills, you and your customers share many common interests in your field of work.  These interests could range from business planning, marketing and networking to finding the cheapest printers, conference venues, suppliers and more.  Wherever you normally go to find information on such issues, next time you go there, share this information on-line. If you are seeking it out, countless others will be too and you may have saved them some valuable time.

 4.  What news stories do you follow?  Do you follow news about your community and your region, your business sector, your sporting and leisure interests? Then share these by posting links to news and feature pieces online - taking care to only share the freshest news!

 5.  Variety - mix it up.... Don't post 5 business news stories in a row, particularly if they are all bad news!  Get a good mix of light and hard news stories, and try to cover a range of issues. Also make sure that you break up your own selling messages with other news and content. And don't forget variety in scheduling - post at different times of the day.

 

If you feel you need more support or training to help you with your online content creation, then contact us any time: info@iniscommunications.com We offer website and social media packages and in-house digital content training.

 

Happy Posting!

]]>Paul Davis' new book - EVOLVE - raises issues of business leadershiphttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/1/18/paul-davis-new-book-evolve-raises-issues-of-business-leaders.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-01-18T10:13:47Z2012-01-18T10:13:47ZPatricia Call (SFA), Paul Davis and Senator Feargal Quinn at the launcH of EVOLVEJust back from Dublin after the highly successful launch by Senator Feargal Quinn of Paul Davis' new Irish business book EVOLVE.  It was held at The Cliff Town House on St Stephen's Green - a perfect venue for the occasion, which was a warm, friendly celebration of Paul's achievement.

In EVOLVE, Paul outlines how we can change the way we do business by using our own vision and values as the driving force behind our business. And he has struck a chord.... Senator Quinn gave a glowing review of the book and quoted numerous examples of how many good and decent people create hugely successful enterprises by embedding their core values and beliefs in their business culture and methods.

It's a far cry from the kind of business leadership which dominated the Celtic Tiger economy - which in itself is enough to emphasise that it is time for change!  The book highlights that if you develop your business with your own values and beliefs at the core - whatever ideology, culture or religion your beliefs are based on - then this is what leads to business success.  

So what does this mean for me?  It means that yes, it is OK to believe that providing a quality service to customers with integrity, passion and commitment is more important than developing a "killer" business instinct which aims to "blow my competitors out of the water."  It means it is legitimate to use the values of truth and accuracy upon which my journalism career was built and apply them to the practice of PR.  It means its fine to run my business in a way which allows me and my colleagues flexibility around family commitments. And it means I can continue to ensure that my business makes a contribution to the local economy and community by using my skills to create a level playing field for clients and by 'doing our bit' on a voluntary basis.

So why not take a look at how you run your business? Do you feel under pressure to run things in ways which make you uncomfortable?  Do you park your personal beliefs at the office door? Could you create a happier workplace and develop a more successful business in the long run?  Check out EVOLVE by Paul Davis on http://amzn.to/xTQORe (paperback) or http://amzn.to/xdnVZN (Kindle version)

 

]]>B&B Ireland appoint former Donegal Co Manager Michael McLoone to boardhttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2012/1/4/bb-ireland-appoint-former-donegal-co-manager-michael-mcloone.htmlTrish Hegarty2012-01-04T18:06:03Z2012-01-04T18:06:03ZI've been working this week with B&B Ireland on the PR around the appointment of new board member - former Donegal Co Manager Michael McLoone .  The announcement attracted local newspaper and online coverage and Ballyshannon man did a piece for Ocean FM News today and will be interviewed on Ocean FM's North West Today at 9.30am tomorrow morning.  He's also lined up to the newspaper review for the Shaun Doherty Show on Highland Radio at 10am this Friday, so we're keeping him seriously busy! See details of his appointment on our News page

]]>Online and Social Media Content Traininghttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2011/12/9/online-and-social-media-content-training.htmlTrish Hegarty2011-12-09T12:07:30Z2011-12-09T12:07:30ZWe have been delivering some training to the B&B sector this week under the Donegal Skillnet programme.  We looked at taking a strategic approach to online content, covering website content and social media platforms and profiles. 

The emphasis of the event was on hands-on practical training and advice so we worked through ways to create quality content for websites and social media covering the following issues:

  • Creating news stories
  • Writing blogs
  • The best writing styles for online content
  • Using and promoting your in-house expertise
  • Following trends

As part of our practical approach, we worked with the trainees to create an online content template of issues, stories and areas of content which were directly relevant to them and which would supply them with more than enough material for regular, fresh and up-to-date blogs and social media posts.

Then we put all that had been learned from the day into a one-year Online PR Plan, which would guide them through 2012 in a structured and strategic manner, focussing on their key messages and target audiences.

 

Really enjoyed the training event and delighted with the positive feedback we received!

]]>Legal rights of children with disabilities - new online discussion kicks offhttp://www.iniscommunications.com/blog/2011/11/24/legal-rights-of-children-with-disabilities-new-online-discus.htmlTrish Hegarty2011-11-24T16:30:18Z2011-11-24T16:30:18ZFamily and Child law expert Deirdre Burke, herself the mother of a child with disabilities, has started her own series of blogs on the legal rights of children with disabilities in Ireland. Deirdre says there are core legal rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Ireland has agreed to uphold, but that seeking to exercise these rights can be quite a different matter and can cover a complex range of issues.  Deirdre says she wants "to raise awareness and discussion on issues such as  HSE assessments, access to education (pre-school, and beyond), the Special Education Act, the Disability Act, regional services and the gaps in provision."  She's hoping that the new blogs will create an online conversation so parents can "share what we know and hopefully also work together to give our children the chances and opportunities they deserve."   Check out the full blog on:

http://ow.ly/7Ebw7

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