Ken McGuire

Tag: Twitter

  • Photosharing Service For Twitter

    Twitter introduce their new photo sharing service, bringing it all back home. There has been some recent controversy and backlash around Twitpic’s changes in terms of service allowing the sale of images uploaded via their sharing service so it will be interesting to see if this direct contribution to Twitter sparks another revenue stream for the company.

    If anything, it’s going to make searching for images and videos a real treat when it comes to event coverage (says he with one eye on Kilkenny Arts Festival this coming August).

    The Blurb

    Twitter brings the most meaningful information in the world right to your pocket. And, it’s never been easier to get a sense of what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world, or to share what’s happening in your world. Twitter search now delivers more relevant search results, alongside related photos and videos. And, you will soon be able to upload a photo and attach it to your Tweet directly from http://twitter.com.

    Video by: @briggles, @jennadawn & @jbuckhouse
    Special thanks: @wikiweeks, @mail, @whatsonjatweets, @TorinSimpson & Ben Moon

    Music: “Sydney (I’ll Come Running)” by @brettdennen courtesy of @DualtoneRecords.

  • Let The Tech Investments Roll

    Just Some of the Social Networks SocialGrow Loves
    Creative Commons License photo credit: SocialGrow

    PayPal. eBay. Facebook. LinkedIn and, now, IBM. Between them in recent months they’ve announced hundreds of new jobs.

    PayPal had announced recently that they were adding 200 to their Dublin base, Brian Cowen had a smile on his face when he let the news out that eBay would be creating up to 150 jobs, Facebook had announced they would double their Irish-based workforce from 70 to 140 after only one year here while LinkedIn announced yesterday that they were setting up their European HQ in Dublin to link up with new offices in London and the Netherlands. This morning saw The Irish Times carry a story on IBM creating up to 200 new jobs in Dublin.

    When I started in college in 2001 we were told we’d be lucky to get any kind of a job in the technology sector. Particularly anything to do with the internet.

    If I was sitting back in the canteen in WIT reading the business section of this morning’s national papers I reckon I’d be doing so with a smile on my face. If the big hitters keep investing and reinvesting, something has to be going right somewhere, yes? That said, those hoping to apply for new positions created by the companies would do well to register for their services and brush up on how everything works.

    I would be interested to see the figures on LinkedIn’s plans for job creation or its expansion into Ireland but if the big companies keep on coming, how many more from the picture above will we see open doors here? Anyone taking odds on a Dublin-based European HQ for Twitter?

  • Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! (With Added WiFi)

    Can't Pay? Won't Pay!

    CAN’T PAY? WON’T PAY! opened last night at Set Theatre in Kilkenny, the latest offering from The Devious Theatre Company. While I can be seen on stage for the 95 minutes or so of performance, I’ve been working as a producer on the show as well for the past few months so there’s a bit of a bonus feeling of excitement there when you see the fruits of your labour (and those around you of course) take to a stage in full technicolour detail.

    (By the way, you can win tickets to Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! here)

    As a group this year (and over the last four years) we’ve really tried to grow our online presence, exploring all avenues social. Delighted we are in that people who come to the shows then return their feedback via Twitter, or Facebook. Hell, some people will even email in their thoughts post-show. However the feedback arrives, it’s made all the more possible, accessible, and real time thanks to the embracing of said social tools, tools that have not so much changed how we operate as a theatre company but have certainly shaped how we operate.

    On the back of WordCamp, the wifi setup that was created for last weekend’s conference (part of which was held in Set Theatre) is still in place, thus you can access WiFi during the show. No, we wouldn’t want you checking your email or getting lost browsing the web, but with Twitter, Facebook and more at your fingertips (or in your pocket), we’d love to hear the feedback on the night, good or bad, public or private. If you’re sitting in the audience tweeting about the show, why not use the hashtag #cpwp? Feel free to take photos of the performers in action on the stage (just switch the flash off if you don’t mind) and tag them accordingly. Adopting a more open approach last year, we wound up with some fantastic audience photos that were shared via email, Picasa, Facebook and more.

    John Morton has been talking about the ingredients of Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! over on the DeviousTheatre.com blog, and now it has added WiFi, so if you’re coming along, don’t be shy, let us know what you think.

    Order tickets online for Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

  • Digital Ideas at The Digital Festival

    Shel Israel Speaking at BlogOrlando
    Creative Commons License photo credit: whiteafrican

    DIGITAL IDEAS should be in plentiful supply in Dublin this Wednesday with The Digital Festival taking place in the Berkeley Court Hotel in Ballsbridge. Early bird tickets are long gone but there’s still the possibility of buying a full-price ticket for €375 (plus VAT) before Wednesday.

    What does the €375 get you?

    How about a day with the following speakers –

    • Peter Kim, MD of the Dachis Group, speaking on “Social Networking & Social Business Design in 2010 and beyond”
    • Tim Duggan, Founder & Director at Mercury Girl Inc speaking on the revolution of Apps and how the explosion of production, engagement with and use of apps alter the communications landscape.
    • Shel Israel, speaking about real world stories of how Twitter has dramatically helped companiesgrow, provide greater customer service and changed the dynamic of the human conversation
    • Martin Bailie, Planning Director at Glue London speaking on digital consumer insights.
    • Russell Davies, The Open Intellegence Agency, speaking on blogging and business in a connected world.
    • Brent Hoberman, co-founder of LastMinute.com, delivering keynote talk on “Digital Growth – Opportunities for the future and some lessons from the past.”

    You can download the full running of the day (PDF) here.

    Speaker list does look quite good, with each allocated 50 minutes on stage, three talks in the morning and three in the afternoon, sandwiching an hour for lunch and wrapping with an open panel discussion with all speakers. Those interested in getting more details about tickets can check the site or phone +353 1 284 6096.

  • Even The Sheikhs Are Tweeting

    Sheiks on Twitter

    How do you, as ruler of Dubai, send your congratulations on the launch of an e-library? By tweeting, of course.

    His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai (very long title) is keeping people updated on government issues, business issues, a recently taken photo of Dubai from NASA, videos of the Dubai metro launch (was under construction the last time I was here but has opened as of last month), which are also available on his Facebook account.

    I’m impressed.

    “The Istanbul-based Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), which is affiliated with the Organistaion of Islamic Conference (OIC), has one of the most valuable references on the Islamic civilisation. This includes 65,000 rare reference books and 200,000 historic documents and images on the Islamic civilisation dating back to many centuries.

    The project which was launched in 2008, aims to digitise all of the library’s contents, making its valuable resources available to the public through a multi-lingual portal.”

    The turning of the library into a full e-library is being made possible with a grant from the Sheikh. (via Gulf News)

  • Up Close With a Twitter Mosaic Mug

    My Twitter Mosaic mug arrived in the post yesterday evening. If you’ve not yet seen one and wondering what the buzz floating around the Irish Twitosphere was in the past week or two, check the video or read my last Tuesday Push post.

    Update: Neville Hobson (@jangles) has another video review here.

  • Tuesday Push: Twitter Mosaic

    Twitter. It’s a mug’s game. Or it’s just become one thanks to Twitter Mosaic.

    Walter Higgins at Sxoop Technologies is making great great use of Twitter’s open API and is now combining it with Zazzle to create Twitter Mosaic to offer personalised goods based on avatars of your Twitter friends or followers.

    For the end user, the process is a simple one.

    1. Go to sxoop.com/twitter and enter your username.
    2. Select the avatars you want to display on your product (clicking them will remove them)
    3. Select the type of product you want (bag, mug, tshirt, cards)
    4. Customise your final product and make a payment at the Zazzle store.

    In my case, I’ve gone ahead and bought a Twitter Mosaic Mug, picking the slightly larger sized mug to help fuel my tea fix in the office during the day. In doing so I’ll have a hundred or so faces looking back at me as I enjoy every drop, with my @kenmcguire handle printed across the middle. The perk for me in the order is that I also won a £10 voucher Walter was giving away on Twitter yesterday. On the payment front you can use your credit / debit card or go down the PayPal route.

    From what was seemingly just an idea in recent weeks, Walter and Sxoop have made another great step forward in generating revenue via Twitter.

    While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out Pixenate, also from Sxoop.

    You can also follow me on Twitter.

  • A Strategic Approach To Using Twitter

    Twitter PR Strategy
    Creative Commons License photo credit: ogilvyprworldwide

    Came across this one last night, released under creative commons by Ogilvy PR (360 digital influence).

  • Lending A Hand, It’s What We’re Good At


    Pic via

    Job losses.

    Everyone’s talking about them.

    You can sit around all day and talk, but until you do action the talking, that’s all it will be – talk. The chains are closing down. Zavvi. Land of Leather. Woolworths. I heard M&S was in trouble recently. Retail is taking a hit.

    Crafts and technology are taking a hit too. Dell are on the way out. 1,900 job losses announced to be phased up to January 2010 then it’s off to Poland with them. Waterford Wedgewood are going, going, gone.

    For some people, it’s the end of a working life. Maybe redundancy is an option, early retirement. Some people simply have to work. Mortgages to pay off, pension funds to keep up, children to put through school, families to feed.

    We’re great at coming up with ideas. We’re an entrepreneurial nation. We’re also great at lending a hand when times get tough. Through Open Coffee Club Limerick, Evert Bopp has followed a lead from Chris Byrne and is offering free startup advice to those impacted by the recent job losses at Dell. While a redundancy payment might help with the bills, when the money runs out, what does one do? More specifically, what does one do with the skills, knowledge and training they now have? One option, is to look towards going into business for yourself and indeed, turning a bad thing around.

    BarCamps, CreativeCamps, PodCamps, Open Coffee Club mornings, meetups, tweetups and more. All of these free-to-attend events boast an incredible number of people who are giving up their time, their knowledge, their expertise for the benefit of others. We’ve recently set about getting Kilkenny Open Coffee off the ground as well, something that we hope will grow over time and again increase the knowledge sharing. The offer from Evert to those who have recently lost their jobs from Dell (or are about to) to attend Open Coffee Limerick and connected with those who can provide you with startup advice and support is one that should strongly be considered.

    But, as I said, we’re good at lending a hand when it counts and so conversation on Wednesday morning turned to what each of us would or could do for people in that position.

    Krishna announced recently that she’s going to give over six hours of her time between now and the end of February, three to the US and three to Irish people (one hour for each person). That time can be used for career coaching and job search support. You can look at your resumé, your online profile, your networking strategy – anything you want – on a one hour call via Skype or landline.

    Bernie, in conjunction with Tipperary Institute will look at LinkedIn.com enhancements for your online profile and networking opportunities.

    When quizzed on what I would consider doing myself I also looked to the web. For those considering starting their own business I’m happy to discuss options and provide assistance in getting you up and running online. Let’s get your logo in place, lets get you up and running with a website or blog (or both) and lets get you seen and heard. I’ve gone through the startup process myself for a number of different ventures over the past 3-4 years, all of which are currently active and currently generating income. All of which rely on the web and the visibility it can provide in order to succeed.

    I’m sure too that these aren’t the only offers on the table to people. Everyone is feeling a pinch at the moment but that doesn’t mean you sit down and do nothing. You stand up, work your way through it and if you can, you lend a hand to those around you at the same time.

    If you want to get connected, you can also join me at LinkedIn here. Come meet me and the network of people I’m connected to. Maybe they can help as well.

  • Is Your Personal Name Or Business Name Taken Online?

    Weird News — No. 4
    Creative Commons License photo credit: Caveman 92223

    Just off the latest PodCamp Ireland podcast on Blogtalk Radio where, when looking over activities of the past week, we got around to talking about protecting your username, personal name or business name online when it comes to web services.

    This stems from a blog post Pat Phelan published recently about brands and their use of Twitter and the check comes, possibly, from a tweet by Tom Raftery.

    UsernameCheck.com is a service which allows you to see if your preferred username for your person, business or brand is available on a multitude of webservices. You don’t need to enter a password, just your chosen username and the site will check whether or not the name is available on everywhere from 12seconds.tv to Digg, eBay, Flickr, Last.fm, Typepad, Twitter, Youtube and a whole host more.

    Given that “93 of top 100 brands don’t control their Twitter name” (taken from Pat’s post) if you’re worried about control of your brand name on the web, whether Twitter or elsewhere, I’d get checking via UsernameCheck.com sooner rather than later.

  • A Beginner At The Irish Blog Awards

    IMG_3673.JPG
    Creative Commons License photo credit: harry-m

    They know what a blog is. They’ve read blogs as references. They might have even given thought to starting a blog at some stage, if they had time to do it. They know that podcasts exist. They know the power of the web.

    They don’t blog. They’ve not really heard of, seen or used Twitter. Online video is another world away, but there is a realisation that it works.

    They’re not on Facebook. They’re not on MySpace.

    It’s their first time going to the Irish Blog Awards or any award ceremony that recognises those working with blogs or the wider world of the internet in Ireland.

    I’ve spoken to people at the Irish Blog Awards over the last two years who were in the same situation. Some of them have gone mad altogether.

    What advice would you give such a person?

  • Tracking The Apple WWDC

    A quick spy on TechCrunch this morning shows that Twitter have partnered with Summize to provide tracking of the Apple WWDC running in San Francisco until this Friday.

    If you’re interested, you can follow the Summize output for ‘WWDC’ by clicking here or get the all encompassing feed of ‘WWDC, Apple, iPhone and Steve Jobs’ by clicking here.

    The Australian Macintosh Community has live coverage available on MacTalk Australia while you can also track Macworld’s coverage here.

    Though the event was sold out well in advance, Apple will be publishing sessions videos from across the week for purchase via iTunes. You can of course check the official Apple Developer Connection site for more on the WWDC.

  • Social Linking – Where Am I?

    I’m not featured on pBase or hiding out as a photographer in the Caribbean but I am lurking in various social networks on the web, and this is where you’ll find me.

    • MySpace
      MySpace is mainly used through KilkennyMusic.com and my constant contact with bands. More and more I see the gigs being organised via MySpace (people preferring that to taking my email or phone number which are published online), requests for information, booking information, podcast submissions. If bands want to add me, I’m open to it though I don’t go friend-hunting on it.
    • Bebo
      Bebo is pretty much a friend-to-friend thing. If I don’t know you, I don’t want to know you. I’ve used it to keep up with college friends now dotted around the country and around the world and thats what I expect to keep doing with it. Much prefer their photo album service to that of MySpace. It also allows me the opportunity to pimp out KilkennyMusic.com to the younger generation that are ‘beboers’. (younger than myself anyway).
    • Twitter
      My train of thoughts and random comments from during the day. I also republish these back to a WordPress blog for myself to look back over certain days at a glance. 140 characters more liberating than restricting I feel. Twitter certainly has had an impact on the Irish blogosphere, turning bloggers into impulse shoppers now with the recent Nokia N770 tweet and the pure drain of stock from Expansys as a result.
    • Jaiku
      I’ve been meaning to dip into Jaiku as a Twitter alternative but only registered myself yesterday as it is being used as a back channel for PodCamp Ireland between the organisers. Instantly prefer the interface over Twitter but yet to get the full feel of the service.
    • Facebook
      Love it or hate, Facebook provides a lot of facilities for networking and social interaction along with integration of some of your favourite online haunts (eBay, Twitter, Flickr etc.). Since FB was opened up to the global population it’s use has soared and along with it the number of widgets and apps available to integrate into your homepage. I’ve only started using FB recently but given the amazing popularity of it in the US I’ve had no problem connecting with and finding family who wouldn’t touch MySpace or have heard of Bebo, especially those who prefer the professional look and feel of FB.

    If you feel the need to link up with me on anything or want to reach out and say hello – don’t be a stranger. Each of the links above will have the option to subscribe, or add a friend etc. – if you use any of the above you’ll know yourself how to hook up with someone anyway. I’m sure I’ve a ‘linked-in’ profile going that is about 80% complete but when FB affords you the same opportunities and more it will be a while before the remaining 20% gets filled out.

    Don’t be a stranger…

    Note – the idea here stems from Krishna De’s recent post on which social network you should choose.