Connector Clinic Social Media Consultations

by Dave Dungan on May 17th, 2010

As part of the Irish Internet Association’s ‘Digitize the Nation’ campaign, Conor will be giving free consultations on Friday 21st of May between 2 and 6pm. Friday is the designated Social Media Day and conor is the current Chair of the iia Social Media Working Group.

We will be helping our guests to diagnose digital marketing problems and prescribe solutions based on the Connector 10C’s strategy.  Regardless of the size of your business we will decide a tailor made action plan to suit your need based on your business and budget.  Please email training [at] connector.ie to make your appointment.

Review of iia Audio Video Culture Event

by Nicola OReilly on April 27th, 2010

On the 22^nd April 2010 the IIAs Social Media Working Group held an event entitled Audio Video Culture: Behind the scenes of audio & video content online.  Conor the current Chair of Social Media Working Group at the IIA was the chariman for this event.

Speakers from RTE, RaboDirect, Channelship, Mason Hayes and Curran, CEUD NDA, Google Ireland and YouTube all spoke at the event and helped to make it a great success.  Pictured is Sebastian Missoffe from YouTube in action from Conor at the top table!

There was very positive feedback with most feeling they learned a great deal about  audio and video content online.

New Connector Training Video

by Dave Dungan on April 21st, 2010

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve  added a new Connector Training Video to the training page of our website. The video introduces Connector Training in digital & social media.

Produced by Progressive Productions, the short video features some nice effects and innovative use of graphics, text and footage, not to mention an appearance by Conor Lynch himself who narrates with class and style!

Connections @ JOE.ie

by Connector on April 21st, 2010

Connector was invited down to the great launch of JOE.ie today in the Morgan Hotel penthouse suite.  I got to make a bunch of new connections from JOE.ie, the parent company, Impact Media, FHS and the Brand Army girls. Some of the stars of the web site out in force were Jerry Flannery (See Video), Gerald Keane, Ciaran Whelan, Ray Foley and the Hardy Bucks!

Connector is delighted to be one of the  featured startups on the site’s business section, check it out there >>

Connect with Weedle

by connector on April 14th, 2010

After being involved in Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start Up programme, Weedle seemed to have a very promising future.  Then to top that, it also received funding, announced via Brian Cowen totalling US $4 Million to expand the Weedle social platform in the U.S and other global regions.

Weedle was founded by Iain McDonald, who successfully sold his previous company Perlico to Vodafone in 2007, and Michael Gallagher previously CIO of Perlico, Weedle is set to grow from the 16 handpicked employees who began developing Weedle last August.

Also among these is Brendan Hughes, Director of Community, with whom I had the pleasure of talking to a few weeks ago. Brendan has previously worked as  e-Commerce Manager at FBD and as e-Business Manager at Vhi Healthcare.  When he stepped down as Chair of Social Media Working Group at Irish Internet Association in 2009, it was Connector’s Conor Lynch stepped up to  take Brendan’s place.  Small world!

Six degrees of separation

There’s a theory that states that “if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth.” This is known as the Six Degrees of Separation theory. Whether you actually believe this theory or not, it is an interesting concept and one that is “core to what Weedle is about.” according to Brendan.

Weedle works on powerful connections and the idea that you can recommend someone and word of mouth recommendations are the strongest persuasions.  It was through word of mouth from Brendan that the launch plans were conceived.

Weedle Launch

Weedle had a soft launch, preferring to launch and showcase the product the night before the official launch to a select few connected online experts including that guy Conor Lynch yet again!

The social networking site officially went live on Thursday and it was already named in 5 blog posts and on Friday the site had hit the Irish Times. In the first 24 hours Weedle had as many people signed up as they had anticipated in the first month and had a surprising flurry of activity from as far away as Holland.

The more people who sign up for Weedle the more powerful the social network will become and for Weedle to realize its vision it needs to become global.

Best of luck!

Obviously Connector is a big fan of connections, Conor is excited about using this new platform. Thanks to Brendan for his time and best of luck to all the Weedle team!

Nicola O’Reilly

Connect with The Board

by Conor on April 9th, 2010

Since I am now working at Connector full time since February, I have been looking at ways to get the support & advice I need from mentors and peers.  Invited originally by my mate Iarfhlaith Kelly, I have now been at 2 meetings of The Board and it is worth checking out for any business owners out there.  Here’s how they describe it in their own words, see what you think -

The Board is an exclusive support structure for your business delivered in the form of monthly board meetings. These meeting are chaired by a trained facilitator who controls the meeting, ensuring that everyone gets a fair share of the allocated time.

This is an exclusive club. So it’s not for everyone. We want entrepreneurs, innovators, natural sales people, people with boat loads of experience. We want the very best people, so the advice they give is of the very best quality. If this sounds like you, then The Board needs you.

To find out more, visit The Board and apply for an information pack or you can visit us on Facebook.

More

Learn how to promote your business @ iia Online Video & Podcasting Event

by Conor on April 4th, 2010

The Irish Internet Association (iia) is running an event in Dublin for those interested in learning more about how to promote their business using Online Video & Podcasting.  The event features a fantastic lineup of expert speakers from RTE, YouTube, Rabodirect, Mason Hayes & Curran and Channelship.

The event is organised by the iia Social Media Working Group (SMWG) and as the current Chair of the SMWG, I will be there on the day helping out and available to answer any questions you might have. The SMWG is a group of social media professionals who will also be on hand to ensure this is an excellent event for you to learn more about digital content.  We will also have some cool prizes to giveaway and an opportunity to network during the event and maybe afterwards too.

Event Details

Event Date : 22 Apr 2010
Time : 1.30pm – 5pm
Location : Clarion Hotel IFSC, Dublin
Price per person : €75.00
iia Members price per person : €45.00

Speakers and Agenda

Speakers will include a mix of case studies and strategic advice and include:

13:00 – Registrations

13.30 – Welcome & Introductions – Conor Lynch, Connector.ie

13:40 – Lucy Campbell, Marketing Manager, RTE Player

14:10 – Aoife Mahon & Gina McCrudden, RaboDirect

14:40 – Online Video on a Budget – Fred Caballero, Channelship

15:10 – BREAK

15:40 – Digital Content and the law: Points to consider – Peter O’Neill, Mason Hayes+Curran

16:10 – Sebastien Missoffe, YouTube

16:40 – Panel Q&A

17:00 – Close

IIA members should log into the site to avail of the member price.  For more info on bookings of tickets please click here>>

Connector Training – Course No.1!!

by Sarai Fernandez on April 1st, 2010

Connector has gathered together a diverse group of people keen to learn the basics of social media marketing and how to get the most of it.  Today Connector is running its first training course, called “Introduction to Social Media Marketing” at Cassidy’s Hotel in Dublin 1.

We are looking at the Connector blog,  Conor’s Facebook profile, the Connector Facebook Fan Page, and friends of the Facebook Group; Conor’s LinkedIn profile, where we joined the Connector LinkedIn Group, Connector Twitter and Wordpress.

Two of the attendees, Nessa O’Hara and David Curry, were the lucky winners of 2 free seats. Connector is still giving your the opportunity to win 2 free seats in the next 3 courses which are being held in April. To find out more about the contest, click here.

Connector Weekly – 1st Feb 2010

by Sarai Fernandez on February 1st, 2010

This week at Connector … We are about to launch Connector Training Courses, to get more info click here.

Connector @ Events

Last week was great for Connector too! We had the Speed Connector, and we fundraised to support our pal Adrian Garry’s volunteering trip to Haiti. And now we’re looking for Tribes to parcitipate in our next event “Connector Tribal Love” on the 25th Feb at the Science Gallery

Conor was a guest for the Bootcamp at Stillorgan, the show run by the SFA which helps business to become more professional, more productive and more profitable, check their next venues on the website.We are going to the

ESB Des Bishop’s Gig at the Button Factory this Wednesday with 10 winners from Connector.

The second edition of the Dublín Web Summit will be on thursday, and besides high profile speakers, Connector will organise the networking party after the workshops.

Cool things are happening in Dublin the next days: The Irish Film Institute is having a free movies day on January 8th,  the Postgrad Fair on the 16th and the Dublin Central Library will host a  free workshop for jobseekers on the 25th.

Connector Links

Some links we like on the Internet… : Business Chamber, a free tool for local networking; Sagespark, a platform with lots of tools and services for small business; Bump Technologies an application for your mobile to share contact details, and 2night a website and a magazine to help you decide where the fun is going to start.

Social Media

And some news about the Social Media: A special report on Social Networking by The Economist, new data about time spent in social networking sites and a webinar run by the Irish Internet Association.

Have a look at the latest appearances on the media: On Thursday, The Irish Independent published an interview with Conor and The Sunday Times tackled Social Networking with the Conor highlighting the issue. Besides that , Conor wrote his regular column in The Digital Times and we have sent out the January eNews.

Social networking for business

by Izabela Zelazna on December 15th, 2009

Once you think you know all about the social networking sites, sure enough, there will be somebody to prove you wrong.

Not that I would ever make such a bold statement, however I thought that I am quite well informed due to my vivid interest in social networking & media and efforts to continuously learn more and keep finger on the pulse.  Thus, I joined numerous groups on LinkedIn and every few days I receive an e-zine with the overview of the discussions and activities within each group.

This week, I came across very interesting post by Praveen Singh, who gave heads up on the new sites to grow social network. He listed top eight sites, which in his opinion are the best for more specific purposes or narrower audiences. As I have never heard about them before, I decided to share and RT @ … or shall I say “RePost” it for educational purposes of the readers.

APSense is a business social network where people get paid to come together to share their business.

USP: potential revenue stream

Biznik is a community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed.

USP: local angle

Entrepreneur Connect is the social network where small-business owners can create a profile, explore the community, share ideas and make connections.

USP: exchange of real advice

FastPitchNetworking is a one-stop shop for a business professional to network and market their business.

USP: e-mail marketing & virtual trade shows

GoBigNetwork is for start up investors.

USP: fund finding

Konnects is the only social media platform designed for local newspapers.

USP: local media support

Marzar helps to connect with business owners and showcase products and services.

USP: marketplace application

Xing, is yet another social platform for enabling a small world network for professionals.

USP: useful especially on German&Spanish markets

Are there any more interesting and worthwhile platforms for professionals looking for networking and business opportunities?