Leitrim Business Network » Discussion

We welcome your feedback

Johnny Beirne — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:15:16 +0000

As we prepare for the September Meeting, we would like to get some feedback about the Network from members and non-members alike.

A short survey has been published here and we would be grateful if you could take just a few minutes to complete it.

New Discussion Feature on LinkedIn

Johnny Beirne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:06:05 +0000

LinkedIn have just launched a ‘Discussions‘ feature. Feel free to take part.

IT & Technology Discussion Forum

Johnny Beirne — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:46:40 +0000

Leon from Reverb Studios has set up a discussion forum at reverbstudios.ie/discuss

Here you can ask questions and discuss a range of topics including search engine optimization, blogging, eBay to name but a few. I suggest you check it out.

Details from July Network Meeting

Johnny Beirne — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:58:18 +0000

18 businesses attended our July network meeting. Campbell Scott from IGOpeople.com gave an informative presentation on future trends in marketing on the Internet. He discussed how adverting alone does not realise the full potential of the “two-way” nature of the Internet. In essence, the future is “to to create a conversation with your customers”.

If you wish to receive the slides from this presentation or would like more information on IGOpeople.com, please email info@leitrimbusinessnetwork.com.

Last weeks network meeting.

Johnny Beirne — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:17:39 +0000

Philip Martin from Cora Systems gave an honest and informative presentation our last weeks meeting.

He highlighted the importance of cash flow, netwroking and customer referrals. He also mentioned the benefits of using the services on offer from the County Enterprise Board, Enterprise Ireland & The Western Development Commission.

Again, I would like to thank Philip for his time.

As you may know, our network meetings now take place on the first Tuesday of the month from 6pm to 7pm.

Therefore, our next network meeting will take place on Tuesday July 1st in the The Ramada Lough Allen Hotel, Drumshanbo

RTE’s Prime Time to field Lisbon questions via YouTube

Johnny Beirne — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:42:54 +0000

Via Damien.

Prime Time will be taking questions from folks about the Lisbon Treaty via YouTube. They will play the best ones for a high-profile EU politician (to be confirmed tomorrow morning) and have him/her answer those questions.

The special ‘interactive’ segment will air on next Tuesday’s Prime Time (June 10th) and the full version will be posted on RTÉ.ie/Lisbon.

Zoho.com

Johnny Beirne — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:22:14 +0000

Enda just introduced me to zoho.com

What they say:

“Zoho offers a suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration”

This should be very useful for small businesses.

Please let me know if you have used it by leaving a comment below.

I’m on LinkedIn, Now What

Johnny Beirne — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:33:49 +0000

As you may already know, we encourage people to use LinkedIn.com when joining Leitrim Business Network.

Firstly:

81 Leitrim Businesses have now joined through LinkedIn and so it is becoming a real ‘live’ business network/directory for Leitrim.

Not only that, but each network member brings other contacts outside of Leitrim to the table, increasing the possibility of meeting new contacts and potential clients/customers. This is one of the key advantages of LinkedIn over traditional business directories.

The network now has over 900 ‘connections’ combined. On Friday last, an INNOVATE client in Omagh asked me for an introduction to 4 different companies he seen on my contact list. YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME – JUST ASK ME. If it is appropriate, then I will make the introduction.

People cannot introduce/recommend you/your business if they don’t know you.

Secondly:

LinkedIn have upgraded their site with some new features and improved usability. Of course the same reasons for using it still apply:

- When you create a profile on LinkedIn (which is FREE), link to your website, it is another qualified link to help improve your Google search results.

- When you add a new connection, others see that you have – it keeps your name out there.

- People tend to have a browse around and look at their connections’ connections so to speak.

You may also find this blog useful – ‘I’m on LinkedIn, Now What?’ .

Please contact me if you have any questions.

When is the best time to meet?

Johnny Beirne — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:54:24 +0000

At our last network meeting, it was suggested that we fix a regular day/time for network meetings.

I would be grateful if you could provide feedback by ticking some options below.

You may choose more than 1.

Creativity and Innovation Blog

Johnny Beirne — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:44:14 +0000

This is a great blog with useful information on Creativity and Innovation.

SMEs unhappy with web design experience

Johnny Beirne — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:39:55 +0000

Irish SMEs feel they aren’t getting enough benefit out of their websites, according to a new study from the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association. ISME’s e-Business survey 2008 found that 26 percent of SMEs have no website and of those that do, 49 percent are unhappy with it. “Many small and medium-sized businesses would have been sold email and website packages as a sales tool but they haven’t utilised it as such,” said Mark Fielding, ISME chief executive. He said these businesses were misled in the past by web designers and that this had left a sour taste in their mouths. This view was backed up by survey responses: 44 percent of businesses found commissioning a website to be a frustrating or confusing experience, while 41 percent thought web designers tried to baffle them with jargon. The road to bringing these businesses online is a two-way street, according to Fielding, who said that managers and staff in SMEs will have to be trained up in order to be able to reap the benefits of websites, while designers will in turn have to pay closer heed to what clients ask of them. For more on this story see ENN.ie. (See Issues 183 and 184 for tips on web design and development.)

Leitrim Business Survey – Economy slow down?

Johnny Beirne — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:08:41 +0000

There has been plenty of varying reports with regard to our economy and whether or not it is slowing down. I would like your opinion from a Leitrim business perspective.

UPDATE:

Yes 37% (15 votes) – No 63% (26 votes) – Total Votes:41

SPAM email is a hot topic

Johnny Beirne — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:40:16 +0000

Yesterday was the busiest day this blog has seen since it started on December 19th. With 107 visits, it is quite apparent that SPAM is a major problem. (Average daily rate – 45 visits).

Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion. I may organise an Innovation Evening on the subject.

Dealing with SPAM Email

Johnny Beirne — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:33:18 +0000

Spam email is a huge problem. I would like to discuss some solutions here and get some opinions from our ICT Network members.

This discussion was initiated by Dan Hillman of hobbyhorsetoys.com

This is a copy of Dan’s email.

=======================================

Hi Johnny

I have a slightly technical question that you may be able to supply a quick answer to. Due to the fact that my email address is stated openly and accurately on my website I have been receiving an increasing amount of spam. I have seen some people’s sites giving email addresses of the form “danhobbyhorsetoys.com” to throw the spambots off the scent, but I don’t want to confuse potential customers who aren’t au-fait with this.

I suppose the spambots are capable of recognising any proper email address contained in the code for a webpage, but is there any way of hiding it from them?

Thanks for your attention,

Dan Hillman

Thoughts please

Johnny Beirne — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:10:32 +0000

Feel free to use the comment section to start discussion.