to c O
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issue no. 3
Biz in Biz o u t
Welcome to Bizin-Bizout
Bizin-Bizout is a new kind of advertising service to new and existing businesses. It is designed to assist new businesses to advertise their products and services through the media and the internet.
Featured Companies opencollege.ie venueshop.ie go2mobile.com noobru.com
chinesepod.com/ireland
Inside:
• •
€20,000 Start Up Package Giveaway for Wexford’s Newest Entrepreneur Pg3 Tenders Pg9
live online classes Our Teaching Style
been s a h e c perien ed my x w e o h e s h “T When I . c i asses t l s c a t e n v fa the li s .” e u g a amazed e colle r e w , they e n i on l n o , Lond
The Open College of Ireland specialises in the use of live online classes, which is a version of the well tried and trusted traditional classroom based teaching, modified to suit online delivery. This approach allows trainers to broadcast video, audio, whiteboard and slides live as well as allowing remote learners to ask questions both during and between classes. For learners who miss classes or wish to revise materials, classes can be recorded. Learners can be given access to materials for access between live classes and also have access to communication tools to interact with their trainer and fellow learners.
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The advantages to students is that they are very comfortable with the teaching method and are reassured by the facility of getting support from a real trainer at any time. The advantages to trainers is that they have to learn very few new skills and can put their courses online with a very low level of investment. If you would like to discuss this with us in more detail, please feel free to contact us. Sligo, Ireland Phone: +353 (0) 71 9145813 Fax: 1 800 123 5342 email: info@opencollege.ie
“This on line cou rse was want I n just eeded. I w ork late and trav el a lot . With o learning nline I can at t e n d c l a ss live whe es n I'm on t h e road o at a lat r er time t h a t suits me.” Sarah Mc Gloin, L imerick
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Ireland’s One Stop Shop for Every Occasion
M
ilford based Dubliner Jennie Byrne is in the process of launching The Venue Shop.ie, the country’s ultimate venue finding website. The website will list venues across Ireland for all occasions, from Wedding & Conference Venues to Party & Family Venues, Hen & Stag ideas to Restaurant & Nightclub
Venues
The website will launch end of September 2009 and will have many unique features such as:
The venueshop.ie will be a useful website for everyone organising an event.
• An event guide • A venue shopping bag for short listing venues, email them to a friend or use for comparison purposes
According to Jennie Byrne, Owner of The Venue Shop.ie, “Before when people where looking for or researching a venue they had to jump from website to website, all I have done is made it simple and easy for them by providing all the information necessary to arrange their perfect event for every occasion under one roof”
• Discussion forums and • Customer review section. In addition to listing venues for all occasions The venueshop.ie will provide listings of suppliers located near venues, suppliers will consist of Hairdressers, Bridal Wear, Photographers, Florists, Party Accessories and much more, along with full listings of “Things to do” in the area.
An added extra special feature which adds to the uniqueness of The Venue Shop.ie is a Local Information Point where each town in Ireland will have its own dedicated section on the site where customers can find out information on their chosen venue location, listing the areas full amenities, maps, public transport facilities and much more.
The Venue Shop will also feature “Your Home” as a possible venue for an event, featuring full listings of marquees, caters, tips and ideas for using your home as a party venue. For further information on getting your business listed please email info@thevenueshop.com
“The location and local amenities of the venue is one of the most fundamental elements when the customer is choosing a venue, they should compliment and sell each other. The Venue Shop.ie aims to promote both venues and locations across Ireland providing a very useful and informative tool for both national and international consumers” Said Jennie.
Jennie Byrne is a Dublin native and a first class honour degree student from the Limerick Institute of Technology (BBS Marketing). Jennie is a marketing specialist with a wealth of experience in
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media, publishing, hospitality, tourism and information technology. Jennie relocated to Donegal two years ago with partner Donegal man Shaun Peoples and has been developing The venueshop.ie for the last couple of months.
that integrated all occasions, here Jennie saw a gap in the market for such a site and has been developing her idea and creation, The Venue Shop ever since. The venueshop.ie Forquar, Milford, Co Donegal Tel: 086 7373235 email: Jennie@thevenueshop.ie
The idea for The Venue Shop came about when Jennie was working in the hospitality industry. With loads of excellent sites dedicated to wedding venues, conference venues etc there wasn’t a site
Go2mobile Solutions Launch SMS Weather
T
his service is available to anybody wishing to report the weather in their area via SMS, so others travelling there can be alerted to it. Very useful for the likes of people organising outside events, activities etc.
to find there was pockets of rain along Valentia. So, we are providing a web portal at no cost for all Irish people to generate and report the weather from their local areas. People can then search weather updates within the web portal using Smart Phones, Net books,Laptops etc.
Go2mobile Solutions Launch SMSWeather- An Irish First: User Generated Localised Weather Reporting System using Mobile Technology Go2mobile aims to build a daily picture of weather in every area of Ireland for real-time user generated forecasting using SMS, MMS and SmartPhone technology. This system will be free to use, just the cost of sending a SMS from the recipient’s network provider.
Everybody in Ireland talks about the weather. This just allows them to reach a wider forum! It is very simple to do
The benefits are varied such as:
Send Weather Updates To 353866055506 Include
• Safety
In SMS “SMSWEATHER” and your Area
• Journey Planning
eg. SMSWEATHER Sun shining, 1.1 swells,gentle breeze- Fenit.
• Event planning For example, how many times have you thought about going to the beach that is 40 minutes away, because the sun is shining where you live but on arrival you find that it has being raining there all day?
To avail of this system, please use the following link: http://post4.go2mobile.com/weather/ For more information about the service: www.go2mobile.com/weather More Information: John Ahern, Managing Director Contact: 353 61 305 300 email: johnahern@mail.go2mobile.com Website: www.go2mobile.com
Have you planned picnics, rambling events only to be thwarted when you get there by weather that just wasn’t reported? You saw a large sun over Kerry on the weather forecast so off you went, only 3
new website connects homebrewers nationwide
T
he deepening recession has seen a surge of newcomers and the return of old hobbyists to the world of home brewing. NooBru.com intends to help connect them all, in the name of great beer!
The site has attracted much attention since its launch, appearing on TV3’s Ireland AM and gathering a following on sites such as Facebook and Stumbleupon. It takes an average of 3 weeks to brew a 40 pint batch of beer and with prices starting as low as 25 cents per pint it’s not surprising to learn that homebrewing has seen a surge in interest due to the recession since the start of the year. Says Eugene of the hobby: “Home brewing is a craft and a constant learning process. There are so many factors that affect the final taste of your home brew yet it’s not a difficult process to understand. A lot of my customers are new to the hobby and have told me that they are in love with it already. The fact that you have to wait for the brew to ferment builds your anticipation and makes the first mouthful all that more enjoyable.”
In a time where purse strings are tight and a trip to the pub can burn a hole in your pocket faster than ever, Galwegian Eugene Burke is bringing the pub to the people, in the name of homemade beer, with the launch of NooBru.com. Intended as a social community-based website where home brewers of all levels of expertise, including beginners, can seek and give advice, organise gatherings, read articles and discuss all things home brew related, the website as boasts an online store, blog and information centre. The idea came to the 24-year old engineering graduate when he saw that many of his friends wanted to brew beer, but were put off by the lack of support available. “Brewing beer can be a dumbfounding process when you first try it out, so it’s important to have good support and clear direction from the beginning in order to save yourself time and effort.”, says Eugene. “NooBru.com does just that by filtering information, connecting brewers together and providing an online social space for them to interact, encourage and share with each other, regardless of their experience.”
“Ultimately though”, says NooBru’s founder, “I just want to help people learn a little about the origins and craft involved in the production of the worlds oldest alcoholic drink, a drink which is too often taken for granted. If my website can play some small part in addressing that problem, whilst producing great tasting beer at the same time, I’ll be happy.” As part of their launch, NooBru is offering a 10% reduction on all orders for the first 100 customers. For more information on how you can brew your own beer at home, visit www.noobru.com.
“Brewing your own beer is very rewarding. It’s a great conversation starter and there’s something very wholesome about drinking homemade brew. The bragging rights that come with being a home brewer don’t do any harm either! ” As well as the online community NooBru.com also boasts a store, a blog and an information centre, containing articles on all things homebrew related. Members can look for home brew gatherings in their area, advertise their own gathering, or even organise group tours of local breweries.
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All ROI Residents to Learn Chinese Free Irish Entrepreneur’s Education Stimulus Package
chinesepod.com, the leading online destination for Mandarin Chinese learners, announced today that it will offer its award-winning service free of charge to all residents of Ireland, from 1 September 2009 to 1 May 2010, when the Shanghai World EXPO opens.
from 1 September 2009 to 1 May 2010, when the Shanghai World EXPO opens. The ‘Learn Chinese in Ireland’ campaign www.chinesepod.com/ireland, led by ChinesePod’s Irish co-founder Ken Carroll, offers to Ireland’s four million residents access to ChinesePod’s audio and video lessons, mobile study tools, and online teacher support. Subscription usually costs between US$9 and $199.
chinesepod.com, the leading online destination for Mandarin Chinese learners, announced today that it will offer its award-winning service free of charge to all residents of Ireland,
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“We are offering an introduction to Chinese for everyone in Ireland who might be interested”, explained Carroll. “The service has been designed to cater for absolute beginners of the language, and literally anyone in the country can try it out for free. Lessons are short and lighthearted, and can be consumed using a computer, iPod, or smartphone (iPhone etc.).
About Ken Carroll Ken Carroll is originally from Dublin, Ireland, but has lived in China since 1996. He speaks Chinese plus four other languages. As well as Co-founding ChinesePod, Ken hosts ChinesePod’s Newbie and Elementary podcast lessons with Jenny Zhu, his native Chinese co-host. He also runs Kai En, a leading chain of Shanghai-based English language schools.
“We believe this is a good time to raise awareness in Ireland of the rich possibilities that China presents – economically, linguistically, and culturally. Hopefully, too, it will contribute to the discussion on how innovation can assist recovery from the current global economic downturn. It also dovetails with the 30th anniversary of Sino-Irish diplomatic relations.” Anyone living in Ireland can activate their free ChinesePod subscription. To do so, simply text ‘ChinesePod’ to 57199 from an Irish phone to receive a voucher code (texts cost €1 each), then visit www.chinesepod.com/ireland to complete the sign-up process. Offer ends October 31st 2009.
Ken has been invited to Dublin in September to attend the Global Economic Forum at Farmleigh in Ireland, where business leaders from around the world will discuss ways to assist in the economic recovery.
With full support from the Irish Ambassador to China, Declan Kelleher, and Xu Lin, Director of HanBan (affiliated to the Ministry of Education of China), ChinesePod is hoping to highlight this as a great chance for Irish residents to learn more about China.
About HanBan Hanban is the executive body of the Chinese Language Council International, (http://english.hanban.edu.cn/hbsm.phpa) nongovernmental and non-profit organization affiliated to the Ministry of Education of China.
About Learn Chinese in Ireland Details of the campaign can be found at www.chinesepod.com/ireland
Hanban is committed to making the Chinese language and culture teaching resources and services available to the world, to meeting the demands of overseas Chinese learners to the utmost, to contributing to the formation of a world of cultural diversity and harmony.
About ChinesePod Based in Shanghai, ChinesePod.com was founded in 2005 and was the first language learning product launched by Praxis Language Ltd. The first website to teach Mandarin Chinese through podcasting, ChinesePod now has over 250,000 users globally and an unrivalled archive of 1200+ online lessons. A free 7-day trial is available for non-Irish learners on www.chinesepod.com/ireland Further details can be found at praxislanguage.com
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ck to basics a b t e g s r e m irish consu
r e m u s n o c o t g accordin e i . b o b w e f a e v a s website
C
• Half the population claim to be clothes shopping less often than they were at the same time last
onsumer website, saveafewbob.ie, has revealed that consumer behaviour has altered significantly within the past year. The Vices and Indulgences survey, conducted by RED C, details how consumers have re-examined their spending habits and cut back on non-essential items.
year. 55% of women and 44% of men are clothes shopping less frequently. • One-third of survey participants claim to visit the hairdresser less often than this time last year, with this increasing to over 4 in 10 (43%) for females.
Many Irish consumers are no longer able to financially support ‘life’s little luxuries’ such as playing the Lotto, clothes shopping, eating out, drinking alcohol or buying take away coffee, amongst others.
• 40% claim to purchase take away coffee less often than at the same time last year. For under 35’s the decrease is most evident, at 45%. • 1 in 3 claim to have decreased frequency of either gambling/betting or playing Lotto compared to the same time last year.
Commenting on the survey findings, Niall Mc Henry, Founder of SaveAFewBob.ie says:
Notably, eating out and clothes shopping are the areas of personal expenditure that have been most affected. Interestingly, a substantial number of survey participants continue to play the Lotto. In fact, 12% are playing the Lotto more often than the same time period last year. The survey results also highlight what purchases the consumer views as
Today’s consumers are motivated to obtain value for money and if they don’t believe that they are receiving value they are voting with their feet’. The Vices and Indulgences survey reveals that 87% of survey participants indicated that they have reduced the frequency of at least one of the listed activities, while more than one-third of survey participants have reduced the frequency for at least 4 out of the 8 activities listed. Some key findings include:
either a luxury or a necessity. While gross consumption appears to have fallen by the weigh side, addictive habits such as smoking are apparently harder to kick. Research was conducted by independent market research agency, RED C Research. Results are based on a nationally representative sample of 1,005 adults, with research conducted via telephone omnibus between 5th & 7th September 2009.
• 53% of participants claim to be eating out less. This decrease in activity is especially prevalent among those aged 25-54, at 62%. • 40% claim to be drinking alcohol less often. The decrease frequency is highest among the 35-54 age category with 46% claiming to drink less often.
To view the survey results in greater detail, visit www.saveafewbob.ie
• 16% claim to be smoking less. The number of individuals who claimed to smoke less often was higher among those under 35 (23%) and lower among those over 55 (7%).
For further information, please contact Niall Mc Henry, Managing Director or Grace Carroll, Comm Officer at: email: niall@saveafewbob.ie or grace@saveafewbob.ie Tel: 01 415 1253
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Local Businesses Encouraged to Sign up for Free to Receive More Custom!
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he answer to the country’s economic woes may be over with the help of a soon to be launched localised discount card which will promote local businesses to natives and tourists alike all over Ireland. localdiscounts.ie, the brainchild of Cork woman Gr·inne Sherlock will allow businesses in towns all over the country to advertise for FREE OF CHARGE when they offer a discount on their product or service to prospective customers. LocalDiscounts.ie offers is a discount card that consumers can use to save money off all local services and shops with discounts ranging from 10 % to 20 %. Each participating store will be supplied with a special stamp so they are identifiable to card holders so all the customer has to do is look out for the stamp to avail of discounts in their local shops, restaurants, hotels and other service providers.
doubt, generate new business for all participants and reintroduce old customers back to their local shops. Everyone loves a bargain and now you can achieve lots for just €10! We will also be donating a percentage of the card sales to local charities nominated by participated businesses.”
The cost of the card is a bargain €10 and will be valid for 12 months from date of purchase. A special card for online shops can also be purchased on the website by means of a code for just €5.
The Local Discounts card will be rolled out across towns throughout the country in the next 8 to 12 months and all participants will be listed on the website, making it easy for locals to see where they can receive their discounts. www.localdiscounts.ie
Speaking of the venture, Grainne Sherlock said “Now more than ever keeping business local is vital. I believe that local businesses can be at the heart of reviving the economy but people need the encouragement to shop local again and the discount card promotes this. This card will, without
Grainne Sherlock Mobile: 086 2119326 www.localdiscounts.ie
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Digital Media Awards Ireland now open L
et the battle begin! Nominations and voting open for the Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards 2010
Design/Development Agency, Best in Media and Mobile Internet Innovation. Also open to public nomination, and back by popular demand, is the Best in Blogging Award, to recognise Ireland’s most informative and entertaining bloggers.
Ashville Media Group is delighted to announce the launch of the Digital Media Awards 2010, and officially welcome its new headline partner Satellite Broadband Ireland.
In July this year, Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and Conor Lenihan, Minister of State for the Information Society, unveiled the Government’s plan to create 30,000 jobs over the next 10 years in the Irish digital media industry, in order to encourage Ireland’s economic recovery and job creation. Given the challenges currently facing industry in Ireland, these plans further highlight the importance of the Digital Media Awards in promoting and honouring the new and innovative digital media technologies and industries in Ireland.
The Awards, now in their 8th year, recognise and reward the most stylish, creative, and pioneering work within the digital media industry in Ireland. For 2010, there are 21 categories awarding the innovation and talent of individuals and companies in areas including viral marketing, web design, financial services, animation, digital advertising, ebusiness and pod casting. Commenting on their partnership with the Digital Media Awards 2010, Kevin Ryan, CEO, from Satellite Broadband Ireland said, “The Digital Media Awards is a great opportunity for new and established companies within the Digital Telecommunications sector to get recognition for their hard work and commitment. Choosing to sponsor the awards was an easy one for us. As a new company we were profiled at last year’s awards, so we know first hand just how important these awards are in rewarding and recognising the amazing work that takes place within the industry.”
For further information on the Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards 2010, and to nominate, please visit the brand new website www.digitalmedia.ie. Winners will be unveiled at a black-tie gala event, hosted by Radio DJ, Ian Dempsey, on 25th February 2010 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. The Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards 2010 are also supported by Blueface, Connect-World, Enterprise Ireland, Eset, Lightbox, NewsAccess, Sony Ericsson, The Digital Hub and the Irish Times.
For 2010, four new categories have been added to reflect changes and new trends in digital media. These are Best Viral Event, which will reward the best viral campaign of 2009 as nominated by members of the public, Best Web
Hannah Bates Events Executive, Digital Media Awards 2010 hannah.bates@ashville.com or 01-4322205.
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Tenders By InterTradelreland Document Type: Invitation to tender
Redevelopment of IHRC Website Ref: 16/09/2009, Deadline:07/10/2009 By the Irish Human Rights Commission Document Type: Invitation to Tender
Web Content Filtering & Reporting Solution (WFS) for HSE Ref: 21/08/2009, Deadline: 14/09/2009 By Health Service Executive Document Type: Contract Notice
Interactive household expenditure tool Ref: 15/09/2009, Deadline: 05/10/2009 By The National Consumer Agency (NCA) Document Type: Invitation to Tender
Press Clippings Service Ref: 10/09/2009, Deadline: 09/10/2009 By The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Document Type: Invitation to Tender
I.T. Hardware Support Services Ref: 15/09/2009, Deadline: 12/10/2009 By Office of the Ombudsman Document Type: Invitation to Tender
RFT for Supply, Installation and Maintenance of Duplex Printing System Ref: 28/08/2009, Deadline: 13/10/2009 By Office of the Revenue Commissioners Document Type: Contract Notice
Oracle Database Administration Assistance Ref: 03/09/2009, Deadline: 16/10/2009 By Department of Education & Science Document Type: Contract Notice Tender for website and intranet development and maintenance Ref: 10/09/2009, Deadline: 02/10/2009
Tender for website and intranet development and maintenance Interactive household expenditure tool Press Clippings Service Redevelopment of IHRC Website I.T. Hardware Support Services Web Content Filtering & Reporting Solution (WFS) for HSE RFT for Supply, Installation and Maintenance of Duplex Printing System Oracle Database Administration Assistance
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Directory opencollege.ie Sligo, Ireland Phone: +353 (0) 71 9145813 Fax: 1 800 123 5342 email: info@opencollege.ie venueshop.ie Forquar, Milford, Co Donegal Tel: 086 7373235 email: Jennie@thevenueshop.ie go2mobile.com John Ahern, Managing Director Contact: 353 61 305 300 email: johnahern@mail.go2mobile.com
jdldigital Photography John Lowes Tel: 087 9456446 Email: info@jdldigital.com. chinesepod.com/ireland saveafewbob.ie Henry, Managing Director or Grace Carroll, at: email: niall@saveafewbob.ie or grace@saveafewbob.ie Tel: 01 415 1253 www.localdiscounts.ie Grainne Sherlock Mobile: 086 2119326
www.noobru.com NooBru Supplies Cregville Hazelwood Castlegar Co. Galway
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