Category: Irish Blogs

So, with the Irish Blog Awards voting now officially open, I guess it is time to start electioneering. Unlike other bloggers doing the rounds, I don’t have anything to offer at this stage in an attempt to win a vote! I am hoping, however, that if you genuinely think that this blog, or any of the below listed blogs deserve a vote that you would take the time to cast one (then tell all your friends, family, enemies, long lost cousins, neighbours, colleagues etc to do the same 🙂 )

If this post is right, then there should also be a new button at the top of the sidebar (visit the blog to see it) helping you start the process.

I’m actually running against myself as well in the Technology category…

• Best Technology Blog – Creative Imagination
• Best Technology Blog – Mobileblogr
• Best Blog Design – Creative Imagination
• Best Sports Blog – Liverpool Access
• Best Music Blog – KilkennyMusic.com Blog

I think I was in there once last year but to have four blogs listed across five categories so far I think is a pretty nice achievement for a years work. As it stands, kenmc.com has been nominated in Best Technology Blog and Best Designed Blog (quite pleased about that one, thanks to whoever put this one forward), LiverpoolAccess.com goes into Best Sports Blog, Mobileblogr.com got a mention for Best Technology Blog as well and the recently launched KilkennyMusic.com blog got put forward for best music blog – all of which I’m well chuffed about and some of which I’m surprised about.

I guess the whole electioneering thing starts now, so, if anyone would like to agree with the choices that have been made and put me forward for selection I’d be most appreciative. I won’t try and bribe you like Eoghan McCabe (sorry Eoghan 😉 )but you know what I mean!

Nice to see other local bloggers in there as well 🙂

Heads up…. get yourself near a computer tonight, the Irish Blog Awards long list and voting is just about here…

Kudos to those long-listed for the podcast, some nice entries in there.

Well I feckin’ never.

Seems the gloves are well and truely off as Eoghan McCabe has offered 2 grands worth of design work to a lucky feed subscriber or blog reader sometime between now and the Blog Awards. All you’ve to do is subscribe to his blog. Would it be really mean to substitute your own link in for others feeds? 😉

I was happy with my pint from winning round one but this is taking things to a whole new level….

It sounds like lots but still, every pint counts. Round two of the ‘free beer at the Irish Blog awards’ or call it what you will looks like it will be cemented (figure-wise) tomorrow and I’d say you’re still in with a chance. All you’ve got to do is give details on your current FeedBurner subscription figures (subscribe to mine here) now and again just before the blog awards. The free beer goes to the person with the biggest percentage increase in subscribers over the month.

Its a fair competition and a good way at getting yourself to look at your subscribers and the way you approach your blog. (At least for us blog minnows anyway)!

For anyone interested, John featured on RTE‘s Drivetime show on Friday last, February 2nd. The segment of the show is archived on RTE and available here (just sroll down to ‘Road Deaths concern prompted by local designer’.

The overall segment really hits home in terms of deaths on the roads and it should be listened to by everyone. Delighted my own father didn’t wind up on the list recently, effectively writing off his jeep in a dangerous-weather collision with a tree recently after over 25 years free of accidents. Lucky to walk away without a scratch despite the massive damage to the jeep – other people simply aren’t, whether it comes down to causes of nature, speeding, or being a pedestrian in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jacqui Corcoran (reporter) actually speaks to some of the families as well who have found some comfort in RoadDeaths.ie itself so if you’ve got five minutes to spare and have Real Player installed, give it a listen.

105 Subscribers

Originally uploaded by kenmc.

Thought we were going to be in for a blood bath in the race to 100 FeedBurner subscribers, yesterday seeing Paul Browne on 83 and myself on 86. Wake up this morning and the counter says 105. Just waiting on the FeedBurner dashboard to catch up – maybe I’ve spoke too soon! As it happens, Paul has a table up in the original post now.

Once the dashboard picks up I’ll give you that one too 🙂 Actually… come to think of it, this is the first time across any of my blogs I think that I’ve passed 100 subscribers. In fact, I’d say that it is. Maybe Saturday will be a good day so, little blogging milestone for myself 🙂

Paul Browne has thrown down the gauntlet in a race to 100 subscribers. Now, I’ve never been one to gloat about how many people read the blog – or even pass any comment in my desire to increase readership via FeedBurner – but the chance of a free pint in Dublin at the blog awards in March is good 🙂

Loser buys the winner a pint.

Of course, if there’s other people getting in it could be loser forks out a hundred quid for a round but I’m game for the pint anyway! Must actually check out about accommodation, its not that far to March and a good night out in Dublin…

Mine’s a Heineken if I beat you to it. Think you could spring for a packet of salted nuts as well?

Roll up, roll up, there’s free curry in Dublin. Well maybe not “free” but there’s a chance of a meetup over a fine plate of food in Dublin tomorrow night in the company of Paul Walsh and anyone else who wants to attend. Its going down in Jaipur on South Great George’s St. in Dublin tomorrow evening at seven and usual ‘scruffy start-up attire’ is the dress code 🙂

Check out the Web 2.0 Ireland blog and Jaipur (damn… I love Indian food and all – do you deliver to Kilkenny at all?).

Our Christmas podcast was actually recorded sitting around an Indian takeaway and a few bottles of Cobra… perfect ammunition for podcasting!

It’s 1AM, I’m just in the door from a gig, the blog tells me it took 62.38 second to load the page to write a post but all of that is besides the point people!

The real point is that there is less than 24 hours to get your nominations in for the 2007 Irish Blog Awards. There are 21 categories in total, you don’t have to nominate someone for every category but if you feel a blog – any blog – is deserving of a nomination then do your bit for the Irish blogosphere and nominate them.

Don’t forget, this is still the nominations stage. The shortlisting and voting is yet to kick off – and thats another story altogether!

An alternative nod for best designed blog eh? Nice to see in the afternoon 🙂 Thanks to Paul for that, and go check out the post in full for some interesting alternative nominations for the 2007 blog awards.

Whatever about nominations I think its just nice when someone mentions your work or you do a little something to get noticed. Paul is right though, I don’t do much at all in the line of freelance WordPress work though, but over the last year I’ve managed to amass 12-13 themes that I would be happy to use across my blogs and have used in the past – all of which I do intend to release in the near future. My latest will be a new look for TheFootballTimes.com yet I don’t expect to have it completed for another few weeks given most of my WordPress work is done between 1 and 4am on those sleepless nights or if I get a crazy brainwave on a Sunday morning. Alas, sleep in January gets a bit of a priority given there’s a lot happening in the real world!

If you’re looking to make one (either for myself or anyone else) then get clicking over to the nomination form. You’ve got until just before midnight on January 26th to get your nominations in before the shortlist is announced.

The IIA’s blog saw a nice bit of activity in the run up to the weekend. If you missed it, they’re launching a guest blogger series with first in the queue being Doop’s Brian Greene. If you want to throw your name in the hat to contribute a post, check out the link above or read the IIA blog.

Picked up an incoming link this morning on the ole WordPress Dashboard and by the looks of it everyone attending Bar Camp, who is blogging, has been aggregated into the one blog courtesy of Michele Neylon.

Handy to get everyone in the one feed I guess…

As a treat for that special blogger in your life, why not nominate them before Valentine’s day at the Irish Blog Awards (to be held in Dublin early March). By all that of course I mean that the nominations are now open and you can put yourself or someone else forward for a blog award category. The nomination form will also change shortly so you can do multiple nominations at the one time.

If anyone feels like nominating KENMC.com you’re most welcome, I’ll just move aside this Emmy here, dust off this little Oscar I picked up and make some room for the real awards….

Does anyone going to the Bar Camp meet in Waterford on the 20th know any Italian? With the AV setup available in the RAIC Centre, what are the odds of being able to create a link at somestage during the day between Waterford and Bar Camp Rome, which kicks off around the same time as the Waterford session?

From their wiki they’ve got 71 people in attendance, 8 people blogging the event (which is something I hadn’t considered – will there be wireless access in Waterford?) Talks include one on Net TV, OpenID, Web 2.0 Business Models, Digital Business Ecosystems and more.

Bar Camp Stockholm is supposed to be happening but alas the wiki is fairly empty…

Of course I meant to headline that the Irish Blog Awards are likely to be held in Dublin on Saturday, March 3rd this year. Sponsorship slots are nicely filling up, there’s a new Best Irish Bebo Profile (see mine – just as a link mind you) award and 21 lip-smackingly good categories which you’ll be able to enter and vote upon.

Anyway, the other categories in can be found right here…

Meanwhile… any word on any entertainment Damien?

With more categories than last year’s first annual blog awards for the Irish blog scene, Damien has some early details on the 2007 event including how you might sponsor a category this year…

Are winners from the previous year allowed enter the same category this year? (a la Net Visionaries where its not done). How about last year’s winners being there to hand over the accolades for this year (apart from the new categories)? Passing of the torch and all that lark…

Looks like IrishRail.ie had a bit of a webchat yesterday, taking questions on the development of the rail network, future investment etc. under the Transport 21 umbrella.

We’ve had hundreds of e-mails across a wide range of investment plans and issues, and we’ll try to address as many of them as possible. We hope, if your own question isn’t specifically addressed, that the general topic is covered.

Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann Dick Fearn and Transport 21 Manager for Iarnród Éireann Tom Finn, are ready and waiting so lets kick off.

If you’re interested, the transcripts are here.