Tag: iba09

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Cuir ceist agus tosnóidh comhrá

I was recently commissioned to take on the Technology section in the Irish Language Lifestyle Magazine Website, Beo. Here is my first article which was originally published in Beo.

Ag teacht abhaile dom ó Gradaim na mBlag i gCorcaigh, pócaí go breá ach cloigeann tinn orm, d’éirigh liom roinnt machnaimh a dhéanamh ar blagadóireacht agus cúrsaí ghnó. Ba spéisiúil éabhlóid an gradaim ghnó i measc na ngradam ó gur thosaigh sé mar Ghradam don Bhlagadóir Ghnó is Fearr ach i mbliana d’athraigh an teideal go dtí An Blag Comhlachta is Fearr. Is léargas ar leith é seo ar borradh na mblag comhlachta in Éireann fiú le bliain anuas. Is é sin le rá tá borradh tagtha ar na comhlachtaí atá ag úsáid blaganna mar lárchuid dá stráitéis ghnó.

Chun an fhírinne a scríobh ní ró-mhinic a bhíonn an t-ábhar sin i bhfad ó bharr mo chloigeann, tinn nó eile! Táim faoi láthair ag obair do chumann gnó Éireannach agus machnamh á dhéanamh agam chuile lá ar na bealaí is féidir an t-idirlíon a úsáid mar uirlis ghnó. Táim ag obair ní ach go háirithe le grúpa oibre ar an meáin sóisialta agus machnaimh, plé, ceardlainne agus tuairiscí á dhéanamh againn ar an gcás ghnó do na meáin soisialta. An feiniméan is mó spéise liom faoi dul chun cinn an ghreasáin ó thaobh gnó de ná don chuid is mó is iad na tomhaltóirí atá chun tosaigh ar na gnólachtaí. Tá corporáidí móra ag tabhairt cuirithe do bhlagadóirí, líonroirí soisialta agus fiú giolchairí (“tweeters”) teacht chun labhairt leo faoina bproifíl ar líne, na huirlisí a úsáideann siad, an méad ama a chaitheann siad agus conas ar thóg siad a líonra. Tá na corporáidí proifisiúnta ag labhairt leis na saineolaí “amaitéaracha” seo chun tuiscint níos mine a fháil ar an réabhlóid cumarsáide seo. Cúpla bliain ó shin ba leor suíomh greasáin cúpla leathanach nach mór cosúil leis an ábhar margaíochta clóite a bhí ag an ngnó cheana. Ach anois tá domhain nua ann ar line, áit a bhfuil an-chuid le tuilleamh ag an té atá cróga.

Is é cumarsáid atá mar bhunús an domhain nua cróga seo. Leis an ábhar margaíochta clóite bhíodh an cumarsáid ag gabháil treo amháin i gcónaí. Do mhórmhór comhlachtaí in Éireann, cuma cé chomh mór is atá siad, creidtear gur mar seo a leanann cúrsaí. Ach ní gá ach cuardach a dhéanamh ar Google, Facebook, Bebo nó IGOPeople agus gheobhaidh úinéirí na ngnólachtaí seo amach go bhfuil comhrá ar siúl cheana faoina dtairgí agus seirbhísí, agus maith nó olc, leanfaidh an comhrá sin cuma má tá inchur acu ann nó muna bhfuil. Nó b’fheidir go bhfaighfidh siad amach nach bhfuil oiread is focal amháin scríofa futhú ar líne agus is measa sin i bhfad fiú ná gearáin. Dóibh siúd ar a dtugtar anois dúchasaigh digiteacha, daoine idir aois 15 agus 25, is é an t-idirlíon an chead pointe eolais agus teagmhála dóibh. Muna bhfuil daoine ag scríobh faoi do chomhlacht agus dá bharr ag nascadh chuig do chomhlacht ar líne teipfidh ort nuair a déanann saoránaigh an domhain úr cróga cuardach ort ar líne. Titfidh an comhlacht síos, síos an rangú agus ardófar iad siúd atá ag plé an comhlacht céanna ar a mblaganna maith nó, dia ár shábháil, olc. In Éireann, toisc braiteoreacht ghnólachtaí léimt isteach san uisce fiorúil agus an rud go bhfuil torthaí logánaithe ag Google ní ach go háirithe tá an contúirt seo méadaithe.

Dar liomsa sin ceann de na difríochtaí is mó atá ann idir an ghreasáin agus aon meáin eile a chuaigh roimhe. Tá cumarsáid mar bhunús ann ní ach go háirithe le seacht mbliain anuas. Agus tosnaíonn an cumarsáid sin go minic le ceist agus cuirtear an cheist sin le Google (I mí na Samhna 2008 thosnaigh 70.8% de na cuardach idirlíne ar Google). Muna bhfuil do chomhlacht le feiceáil mar fhreagra ar an gceist sin, caillfidh an chomhlacht amach. Rachaidh an easpa láithreachta i bhfeidhm níos mó is níos mó mar is é seo domhain na ndúchasach digiteacha áit nach mbeidh leathanaigh buí le fáil amach anseo.

Fiú an t-ábhar a diúltaíonn cumarsáid tógtar anois é agus déantar meascán nó “mash-up” an Bhéarla dhó fud fad an ghreasáin. Ar líne tá cearta freagartha ag an té a breathnaíonn ar aon suíomh, físeáin, cód fuaime, ábhar, íomhá, learáid gur fiú é. Níl tada digiteach ar domhain go bhféadfaí a chur ar fáil mar rud uathúil, mar aonad ann féin. Fiú má déantar iarracht acmhainní ganna a dhéanamh de acmhainn digiteach agus é a chosaint ó dháileadh agus athrú tá daoine ar líne agus níl faic níos gaire dá gcroíthe ach cosant na hacmhainne sin a bhris agus an acmhainn a scaipeadh fud fad an ghreasáin má’s féidir. Is cuma cad a cheaptar faoi dleathachas an ghnímh, is cumarsáid atá ansin freisin. Cumarsáid idir corporáidí agus a dtomhaltóirí.

Ach ní hacker mise, fiú níl aon spéis agam ann. Ligeann an ghreasáin dom mo shrutha cumarsáide a leathnú amach thar a mar a d’fhéadfainn riamh roimhe seo. Mar sin agus mé ag scríobh don iris seo don chéad uair ba mhaith liom cuireadh a thabhairt daoibh a léitheoirí. Níl i mo chuid alt anseo ach tús comhrá. Má tá fonn oraibh é a leanúint liom ar líne is féidir teacht orm ar mo bhlag, ar Twitter, ar LinkedIn, ar IGOPeople, nó ar FriendFeed. Agus cuirim fáilte riamh comhrá i nGaeilge ar ndóigh!

Foilsíodh an t-alt seo ar dtús i mBeo Márta 2009.

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My Blog Awards thank you speech

I finally made it to the Blog Awards. After years of trying but never managing to avoid the clash with An Tóstal or my own birthday plans I finally made it. I’m hoping that the fact that I trekked from Dublin to Cork will make me seem less of a blogger wannabe.

I also took a more active role this year even though I had previously offered to help judge the Irish Language category in particular. This year, after a gruelling vetting process (ahem!) I was accepted as a judge of the 2009 Irish Blog Awards. Maybe there should be a gruelling vetting process because it’s a gruelling judging process. I think I’m too nice to be a judge. I was inclined to think, “Ah sure you made the effort.” Okay I was inclined to think that for the first five. Then I turned into a vicious bitch and by blog number 18 I was thinking, “Call that blogging? Yer ma!” and then I went back and recalculated the first five in that mood. And that was just round 1 and I abstained from judging two blogs because I do not speaky the soccer. However the second round was, in a way, easier because I had two categories so I was able to focus more. Overall however I was very impressed with the quality of the blogs and enjoyed discovering new blogs that I don’t already read. One of the criteria for judging the blogs is community which I judged based on the interaction with commenters. As a result I have decided that I am going to email all my family and friends and have at them for not following and commenting on this blog which I create with them in mind. Why else would I include the “subscribe by email” option except for that bunch of luddites? (See my cunning tactic there?)

Off I tripped to Cork on the 7pm train to stay with my good friend the Corkonian Architect in her beautiful home (pictured right). Big thanks to her for putting me up and for coming along for the best Saturday night out I’ve had in a long time. (The MBA zombie and two snot nosed brats aren’t much competition to be fair.) As mentioned in the previous post we went for a walk and then back home to get ready for the Ladies Cocktail Party at the bizarrely yet attractively appointed Cork International Airport Hotel. A big thank you to the hostess with the mostest, Sabrina Dent for the lovely afternoon in the genteel company of some lovely ladies. (What happens at the tea party and all that…). Big ups to the chaps in Curious Wines who I subsequently had very interesting chats with – thanks guys: if I was babbling it was because you gave Sabrina too much wine. It would have been rude not to drink it. However there was plenty to eat as well and I shnarfed a couple of divine muffins from Píosa Cake (I particularly like these creations although they were surprisingly not present on Saturday…) Thanks also to Ciara from FindaConferenceVenue.com for the cool “I refuse to participate in a recesssion” badge!

Then onto the main event which was, put simply, a really fun night. I was even asked to pose by the photographer from the Evening Echo. However I lessened the likelihood of imminent Cork celebrity (even though I had a real Corkonian beside me) by bickering with the photographer about the total demerits of my leaning against the car to have my photo taken. (I mentioned the bizarre interior, didn’t I?) He didn’t understand my issue (what kind of a photographer man has never seen a Pirelli calendar?) but demurred and moved us elsewhere.

The thing I loved the most about the Blog Awards was the diversity of people in attendance: young, old, from all walks of life and areas of interest. This is a reflection of the diversity of the blogs out there and I would imagine over the coming few months, as people are laid off or their hours are cut down, we could see an explosion of blogs. I like to think that the sense of community that these people will gain from this hobby will sustain them and possibly spawn plenty of new ways of living.

We got goodies on the night too including polystyrene speech bubbles from Made In Hollywood and an invitation to enter a competition. Here’s my attempt to win EUR150. I promise I’ll give the child a tenner if I win.

My entry for the Made in Hollywood competition
My entry for the Made in Hollywood competition

And lastly thanks to Damien and all his crew for all the hard work they put in – not least in the intros to each award.

And of course you know who I forgot in my thank you speech? My darling husband, Himself, for doing the single dad thing for the weekend.