We are delighted sponsor Connector’s Christmas Party event in Lillie’s Bordello which will incorporate the Tribe Awards 2009.  The event takes place on Thursday 10th December, and is sponsored by Perroni Beer.  As the event is free (including entrance into Lillie’s Bordello nightclub) donations of €5 will be sought in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

Register for this event on Facebook Events (or if you don’t have a Facebook account, Register Here >>)

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So, Google Wave is billed as Google’s new Real-Time Communication and Collaboration Platform, and its causing some ripples among the growing number of users who have been invited to join it in its current, beta-testing incarnation.  People are clamouring for invites and SAP are said to be planning a rival application called Constellation in the near future…  At this stage, Google are limiting the number of users and increasing the amount gradually as they test the site’s functionality, but more and more  invites seem to be becoming available in the last few weeks.

Some people are still scratching their heads trying to figure out the real value of Google Wave, while some are persevering with their quest to use it for business and networking needs, while others still are using it purely for fun, as an alternative to Facebook or Twitter.  One novel use which might provide a taste of the varied future of Google Wave is the Seattle Times’ wave set up to try and track down a four-time killer. The reaction was mixed, with some participants and viewers impressed by the real-time instantaneous-ness and excitement, while some found it to be over-whelming and difficult to follow.

TheHarmonyGuy has highlighted what he believes to be some serious security gaps which could lead to social hacking or spamming becoming a problem for Google Wave users.

Many users are also finding it really difficult to get to grips with, spreading this adage around Twitter: ‘Google Wave was a program built to show younger people how older people feel when they attempt to use the interment’.

However Google are using this time to make changes to Google Wave with these test users, so presumably the usability and security, as well as info about how and why to use the site, should be improving all the time.

Some Tips For New Users:

The first issue most people have is that they can’t see anything happening when they first log in – they have no buddys and therefore aren’t included in any waves…  There are two solutions to this:

1. Enter ‘with:public’ in the search box, and you will suddenly threads which are accessible by all and to which you can contribute

2. Use your other social networks to search for existing contacts who are also using Google Wave – a quick tweet or facebook update will let your friends and colleagues know that you wish to connect – they might be looking for Wave buddies too.

You might also get invitations from Google Wave to send to your own network of selected contacts, but this might take a while so do take the above steps to get connected in the meantime.

When you do get some contacts and start to communicate:

3. Search for “onlyto:me, is:unread:” and this will isolate the private messages you have not yet seen, kinda like your email inbox…

4. Likewise “creator:me” will bring up waves you wrote/started, like the sent box in your email

To go more in-depth:

5. Explore more search terms to get more out of Google Wave, e.g. “onlywith:”, “dfrom:”, “before:”…

Have fun

More Information on Google Wave is available here…

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Following on from Part 1 of our Facebook-As-Gaeilge Cheatsheet, in which we covered the basics that business or personal users of Facebook will need to know…more Irish phrases explained: this time focusing on your Facebook profile page.

Stadás Caidrimh = Relationship Status

I gCaidreamh = In A Relationship

Singil = Single

Tá Sé Casta = It’s Complicated

Pósta = Married

Geallta = Engaged

Tuairimí Polaitiúla = Political Views

Líonraí = Networks

Céimí = Graduate

Cuir Bosca in Eagar = Put Boxes In Order

Breithlá = Birthday

Cathair Reatha = Current City

Déan trácht = Make A Comment

Scríobh Trácht Anseo = Write Message Here

Glan = Clear

Ceadaigh = Allow

Cealaigh = Cancel

Is Maith Liom É Seo = I Like This

Cruthaithe Thart ar 5 mí ó shin = Created About 5 Months Ago

45 Nóiméad Ó Shin = 45 Minutes Ago

Féach Uile = See All

Féach ar an Albam = View All

Scagairí = Filters

Scagaire = Filter

More coming soon – Feel free to let me know any particulars you would like covered… In the meantime, don’t forget to use the following resources if you get stuck: http://www.focal.ie http://www.irishdictionary.org http://www.englishirishdictionary.com & http://www.irishdictionary.ie

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I recently changed my Facebook account settings to show the interface in Irish, and with more people using facebook each week for both personal and business use, I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling a wee bit with the screenful of Irish words that I’m sure I never learnt in school!  So I decided to gather a bit of info that should make the transition easier for those who, like me, need a little help getting on the Facebook-As-Gaeilge track.

So, you’ve logged in and changed your account to Irish.  What next? Some of the  terms you’ll see will be familiar to those with a junior or leaving cert in Irish, even if it was in the distant past .  For example:

Baile = Home

Cairde = Friends

Boscaí = Boxes

Notaí = Notes

Eolas = Information

Some terms you may not have come across before but I hazard a guess they won’t cause too many problems, because of their similarity to English (regular facebook users will be at an advantage as they will be familiar with the homepage terms and their position on the webpage).  These include:

Logáil Amach:  Log Out

Próifíl = Profile

Inbhosca = Inbox

Blocáil = Block

Then again there were some terms that were extra-deacair and caused me major confusion! Like…

Iarratas = Request/Demand

Trácht = Comment

Socruithe = Options

Fotha = Feed

Nasc = Link

Teachtaireacht = Message

Athraigh = Change

Cealaigh = Cancel

Cuireadh = Invitation

Déan Cairdeas = Add To Friends

Foinse = Source

Tabhair Sonc do… = Poke

Thankfully there were some resources on the web which are invaluable: Essential Facebook -As-Gaeilge  Flashcard Practice & various online English-Irish Dictionaries: http://www.focal.ie http://www.irishdictionary.org http://www.englishirishdictionary.com & http://www.irishdictionary.ie

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In the latest in our series of informative guest blogs, Joy Redmond, co-founder of flexitimers.com, fills us in on the work being done by the Social Media Working Group to promote and encourage the use of social media marketing by Irish businesses.

There are as many resources on how to do social marketing, as there are networks so rather than provide a whistle stop tour of the social web in 2009, I’ve elected to introduce you to the Irish Internet Association’s Social Media Working Group and the sterling work they’ve been doing over the past twelve months.
The Social Media Working Group seeks to support businesses in the development of strategies for engaging with social media, including blogging, social networking, community sites, RSS, tagging, and podcasts. IIA 2008

The committee members consist of a diverse range of skills and disciplines ranging from social media, web development, marketing, to PR and education.

Although their main output: Guides to Social Media for Business are restricted to members of the Irish Internet Association, they also have plenty of tips and advice available to the general public and one I’d like to particularly highlight are the weekly blog posts containing Social Media case studies.
Each week a committee member writes a case study on a particular area of social media that has caught their attention, the tone is ‘how to’ providing the reader with step by step descriptions of how a particular campaign was designed, implemented and measured – certainly a must read for anyone thinking of dipping their feet in social media in Ireland today.

However, the Working Group’s formal output is not the only rich content on offer as many of the members provide valuable resources themselves.
For example, Eoin Kennedy from Slattery Communications writes an excellent PR blog entitled ‘Thoughts on Communications in Ireland’ and here you’ll find many tips and checklists on how to go about raising your profile online.
Bernie Goldbach from Tipperary Institute does an interesting video round up of tech news in the Sunday papers on Qik.com which is also syndicated on fellow committee member Campbell Scott’s now global social network IGOpeople.
Krishna De aka Ireland’s social media ambassador is also a member of the working group, she’s on every network and if you’ve ever seen her present at her many speaking engagements, you’ll agree her passion for social media is infectious and her many resources are definitely worth a browse.
Last but not least, I’d like to mention the IIA’s Roseanne Smith who is always online and at hand to help with your every social media whim.

Joy Redmond is the co-founder of Flexitimers.

Joy started her career in 1996 as Marketing Director of Newmedia, one of Ireland’s first web design companies. She remained agency side working with Zartis.com and Campaign HTDS before moving client side to become online marketing manager of IngredientsNet.com (a joint venture between Fyffes and Glanbia). Before setting up Flexitimers with Dervla Cunningham, Joy was a lecturer in E-business, research and marketing in the Dublin Institute of Technology and was Course Director of the Masters in Business & Entrepreneurship. She is a mentor on the Wexford County Enterprise Board and a member of the Irish Internet Association Social Media Working Group.

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