http://intersections2011.com/

Intersections, titled – re-designing the future of business spanned two whole days and required quite the commitment from it’s delegates especially those special few that stayed the night in the ‘Shelterbox Hotel’ (loosely described as an open air tent pitched in the Mediterranean biome – key aim, to raise awareness & all important cash for incredibly worthy & home-grown* charity Shelterbox more on that later). *Home for me being Cornwal I might add

The key aim of said event & the general thrust was to explored the emerging trends currently driving business change and where that creates new opportunities for design practice. Sadly we couldn’t all make the whole event thus is the nature of business but I did manage to see the large majority & found the event extremely invigorating & thought provoking from a designers persective.

Essentially Intersections like all good design summits was all about discussion, both from the 45+ experts, mavericks, entrepreneurs and thought leaders imparting their worldly wisdom to the delegates but more importantly between the delegates themselves & there were certainly some ‘lively’ discussions usually towards the end of the night once the bar opened coincidentally..

For those that missed it all the talks were filmed for posterity, you can view them here:

http://vimeo.com/user3737743/videos

The real test going forward from an event such as this will be to put some of the theories, themes & lofty ideals raised over the two days into actual design practice, enough discusion now is the time for action.

Matt

For this months marketing insight I wanted to share with you a very simple way of maximising your exposure online, using blogs. As most people are now aware, a blog is a great way to share information and news with your audience.  Also, blogs are loved by search engines and a well visited blog can garner some very suspiring search engine results.

For example, a while ago, we ran a competition via our blog to win an iPod. The title of the blog was ‘Prize Draw – win an iPod shuffle’. Within minutes of publishing the post, if you did a search in Google for ‘win an iPod’ the post was at number 1. That’s right, number 1 in just a few minutes!

This has some great potential in it’s own right, as a blog post can contain good quality (and contextual) links to your site, aiding your online marketing even more.

But here is a special tip that can help you push out the post to the plethora of social media out there.

Link your blog to ping.fm.

Ping.fm is a site which allows you to post to all your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and lots of smaller lesser known ones too) at the same time, througha single interface. All it takes is a bit of getting all your account details into ping, and some jiggery pokery with your blog so that every time you update your blog, all your social networks get an update at the same time.

Not only does this save precious time which can be better spent doing other things, it has loads of marketing goodness for built in. You could even take it a step further (like we have done) and link your newsletter to you blog and then link that to your social media accounts…bang! Time saving, link building and social media sorted. That’s a lot of boxes ticked, and when times are tough, making the most of your resources is always a wise move.

If you are interested in finding out more, or want your own blog to work like this, get in touch.  We can get you a blog up and running, sort out your social media stuff and even do your newsletters.

I was in a meeting recently with someone who was thinking of starting their own business, but they were unsure of whether they should. They were restricted in their existing job, but didn’t like the fact that if they struck out on their own in a different career doing what they really wanted to do they wouldn’t have any security, didn’t know if it would work, and didn’t like the risk that it represented. As a result they didn’t do anything about it.

We discussed this for a while and the conversation kept coming back to the person’s fear of change, and I pointed out something which I found useful when we were setting up Slightly Different, which was ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’.  The possibility of losing their house was discussed, but that doesn’t happen overnight, and I pointed out that with the person’s skills they could get another job fairly easily if it all started to go really pear shaped, so there was a safety net already in place. They would in effect be betting on themselves, and if they were as good as they knew they were, betting on themselves would be the safest bet in the world. The person left my office suitably inspired, hopefully about to embark on a new venture, and a new direction in life.

The conversation reminded me of the story of ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ by Spencer Johnson, in which two mice and two ‘little people’ live in a world where there is a maze containing various cheese stations. When the first cheese station where they live runs out of cheese, the two mice immediately scamper off through the maze to find more cheese, but the two little people remain, waiting for more cheese to be delivered to them, but it never comes. They get weaker and increasingly argue with each other until eventually one of them decides to venture out into the maze to go looking for the cheese. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens, but it’s a fascinating tale, and the story is really nothing to do with cheese or mice or ‘little people’ at all, but about society in general and how individuals within society react to change. It defines some key characteristics which can be identified in all of us where some seize the opportunity that change represents with both hands, while others shrink away from change because change represents a risk to their existing lifestyle. Then there are those who sit in the middle and try to weigh up the pros of change against their perception of the risks, and often they have no logical foundation to base their ideas of the risks upon at all.

Too many people miss out on opportunities in life and remain in unfulfilling roles, and as a result life ticks by and before they know it they become just another face on the tube or in the commute to work, doing the 9 to 5 thing, and living for the weekends and the occasional holiday. Some people however seize opportunities that present themselves, and others are even more daring, hunting out opportunities wherever possible. The phrase ‘you create your own luck’ is most definitely true, and if you sit and wait for your life’s phone to ring, the chances are it never will. Get out there and make your phone ring. You’ll be glad that you did.

Why is it that people are always harping on about how strange developers are, how they hang out in the dark in basements and can’t communicate if not in code? Well we must be really lucky then because our developers are nothing like that, and Andrew is no exception………..apart from when he’s writing code, and hanging out in the basement.

Me: Hi Andrew, can you give our readers a brief synopsis of what you do here at SD?

Andrew: Anything technical that a site needs, from intergrating with third part applications to writing custom shopping cart systems to creating custom plugins for exisiting platforms – anything that involves a programming language of whatever sort. Although it’s nice to chillout with a simple bit of HTML templating every now and then. Oh, and I’m the resident old-fart and grumbler.

Me: Do you think that developers are often portrayed in the wrong light, or are the writers generally right?

Andrew: I can’t think of the last time a developer/programmer was displayed as anything but a nerd (except in the film “Hackers” which was awful anyway). I know very few nerdy developers and even then the most “nerdy” do something that breaks down that stereotype; for instance I know an ubernerd that loves nothing more than stripping motorbikes and kitesurfing.

Me: Which project have you worked on that you’ve found most challenging and why?

Andrew: I would have to say the recent Charlie Bears project – php, mysql, xml, actionscript 2 and 3, javascript, google maps integration, thirdparty backoffice integration. I’m very proud of the php backend that creates the data that populates the site. Once I created a decent architecture everything fell into place and now it’s actually a pleasure to add extra functionality.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Andrew: The problem solving and being given a free-reign to create elegant solutions.

Me: Tell us a bit about yourself then

Andrew: I started out doing allsorts of jobs from cooking to painting and decorating and running the kids video section for HMV on Oxford Street! I got into programming back in the mid-nineties and worked for GEC Plessey Semiconductors designing customer logic cells. I’ve worked with various high-profile companies over the years including Birdseye Walls, Guinness, BT, Philips, the O2 Arena and various large hotel chains on projects as diverse as Van Sales software and Video on Demand systems.

Me: When you aren’t staring at code or writing it, what do other pastimes do you have? (be honest! We know about the squirrels!)

Andrew: Here come the “breaking the stereotype” bit. Oddly enough I rarely use a computer at home and spend any free time I have hunting (I know you won’t believe me but squirrel really does taste lovely), free-diving, spearfishing and practicing instinctive archery. I have also started a rock-climbing course. I have two girls aged 9 and 17 – the youngest is a terrific rockclimber (that’s why I’m taking the course) and the eldest is hoping to go University College London to study Scandinavian, Russian and Slavik studies – as you can tell I’m a very proud dad. Oh and I’ve been with Zoe, my wife, for 24 years now – aww!

Me: So what about design? Never fancied venturing into that?

Andrew: I actually studied Graphic Design back in the eighties. We used markers and paper – none of this computer stuff! We were true hardcore designers! No, I’m quite happy to leave it to our super-talented design team whom I love dearly.

Me: Think back a long, long way…. What are your best and worst memories of going back to school?

Andrew: That’s going back a way! Summers seemed to go on for ever and I’d rather remember that than going back to school

INCEPTION – the SD film club went to see this recently, and loved it.  Then we came across this very pertinent question…

Here are a couple of funny links we liked:

The onion – always great for a laugh.  Check out this out.

How about a friendship alarm?

Looking for a job?  How about this advert…

It seems that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year.  I remember going into a local supermarket a few years ago when the mince pies had hit the shelves (yeah, I know a Northerner mentioning pies – quelle surprise!).  The sell by date on them was mid November.  I remember thinking how strange it was selling Christmas food that would have gone off long before Christmas.

I’m sure you’ve all groaned when the supermarket shelves start filling up with festive produce with seemingly ages to go, but spare a thought for the buyers and people looking after the promotional side of what is undoubtedly the most important retail period of the year.  For these folks, Christmas is something that is well planned months ahead of time.  Sure, some adjustments may be made ‘on the fly’ to react to current events, but most retailers will have a detailed plan of action in place by now.

If you haven’t started thinking about Christmas yet, I would advise you to do it as soon as possible.  The weeks will soon fly by and you’ll be left to scrabble around putting something in place at the last minute, and if this happens then inevitably, you will lose out.  In these days of austerity, it is criminal to miss out due to a lack of planning.

Here are a just a few of things to think about:

Christmas Cards – do not leave this to the last minute, unless you are going to buy some off the shelf.  If you want your own custom cards, get those quotes in now.  You will impress clients and potential clients a lot more if you put some effort in.  Even if you decide to go down the environmentally friendlier e-card route, make sure the planning for this is in place now so that it ties in with the rest of your brand messages.

Point of Sale – if you are in retail, point of sale is vital.  You are unlikely to see as many people through your doors (whether real or virtual) as you will over the few weeks running up to Christmas.  Plan for this extra traffic.  If you are running special offers and discounts, make sure these are obvious, with strong calls to action, tie them in with any offline print work you do and have an email created to spread the message as widely as possible.

Printed Matter – leaving your printing until the last minute will bite you on the ass.  Remember everyone else wants stuff printed at the is time of year as well, so normally short print deadlines will be much longer than normal.  Think about everything you might need, flyers, stationery, vouchers, gift wrap.  If you’re an e-tailer, make sure you have enough packaging material – don’t miss out because you didn’t buy enough envelopes!

Remember the old addage, ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’.

If you need some help planning for Christmas, why not get in touch to see how we can help, from a shiny new website to a fully integrated marketing campaign, from Point of sale to Christmas cards, we can help.

County Homesearch International PLC has a network of homefinding experts throughout the UK, and also currently operates in two offices overseas in Ireland and South Africa. Since 1988, they have been finding properties for both home buyers and those looking to rent a home, often before the properties come on the market.

The lead provider of homes for the television series ‘Location Location Location’, County Homesearch provide a broad range of services including negotiation and home previews, and have a robust corporate wing who look after corporate clients wishing to relocate members of staff to different locations in readiness for new assignments.

Their full services can be seen at www.county-homesearch.com and the new website is due to launch in the Autumn.

Living down here in Cornwall, it’s easy to forget that some people go away for their holidays.  When you have countless beaches, great countryside and fantastic towns and villages to visit I wonder why people would go anywhere else.  Then I remember that not everyone is this lucky, and indeed some people live in an area they would love to escape from!  I was chatting to someone at a meeting this morning who works for a local transport hub.  I was asking him how the current flights situation was affecting his business, and he stated that he felt it was having serious implications, that may well result in some companies closing down.  Obviously this is not good, but there have been some definite advantages, especially in this neck of the woods and especially if you are in a business related to the tourist industry.  It would appear that peoples buying habits have changed and there is a lot more last minute activity occurring.  This is due to people having booked holidays abroad that they now can’t take so quickly look for an alternative.  A hotel manager I was talking to said that he was recently at 100 per cent occupancy during a period he would normally be only half full.  He said, if he had a bigger hotel, he could have filled that too.

The south west, especially Devon and Cornwall are in a great position to take advantage of this situation.  I have noticed recently the increase in people and cars on the road, and even the usually sleepy village where I live seems to be bustling at the moment.  All the holiday lets are full, and I’m sure if more were available they would be full too.

If you had a foreign holiday booked and now can’t go, I wouldn’t hang around.  Get your holiday in the south west booked quickly, as my analysis of the numbers indicates another bumper year.  If you don’t book your holiday cottage in Devon soon, you’ll miss out.

So for those of you looking for holiday cottages, here are a few that might take your fancy.

Holiday Cottages in Devon

Tree House, Doddiscombsleigh

Tree House, Doddiscombsleigh

As its name suggests this beautifully constructed Green Oak timber framed house built in 2007 oozes immense character and appeal. Vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and trusses in every room, together with a bespoke hand crafted oak kitchen, granite work tops and oak floors enhance the natural rustic style of this lovely light and spacious property. The open plan design of the living space creates a relaxing atmosphere, where guests will enjoy family or social occasions around the large oak dining table.

Swallows Nest, Luppitt

Swallows Nest, Luppitt

Luxury 5 star, ‘Eco’ barn conversion, situated in the heart of Devon’s most beautiful countryside.  Wild swimming, unpolluted night skies, excellent local food and summer festivals are just a taste of what awaits you at this luxury 5 star ‘eco’ retreat. Swallows Nest, once a derelict milking parlour has been transformed into a stylish holiday cottage with zero carbon footprint.

Holiday Cottages in Cornwall

The Penthouse, Carbis Bay

Penthouse, Carbis Bay

Recently featured in the Cornwall Life magazine, The Penthouse is a very special property. Little else can rival its unique position in an elevated vantage point above Carbis Bay beach and the coastal footpath in the crescent of St Ives Bay. The vista from this top floor penthouse is unbeatable, stretching from the famous resort town of St Ives and encompassing panoramic sea views across the expansive bay to Godrevy Lighthouse.

Castle Gate, Praa Sands

Castle Gate, Praa Sands

Step back in time to the days of knights and battles where Castle Gate was once a Gate House with gun loops dating back to 13th century. Now retaining Ancient Monument status it has been painstakingly and lovingly restored by the current owners to provide accommodation of tremendous character and charm. Solid wood floors, beams and exposed granite stone feature throughout this three storey building that has been sensitively furnished to accentuate its medieval style.

Having been very successful with their Cornish Cottages site, they have now branched out to Devon.  The site is based on the existing website, which dominates the sector, and has the same great range of features such as a search for dog friendly cottages in Devon.  The site is building up a presence in the region and they are already a great selection of holiday cottages in Devon available on the site.  If you are looking for self catering holiday cottages in Devon, why not take a look?

It seems like an age since the mighty Giants were dumped out of the playoffs, and I have spent many cold months salivating at the prospect of the season ahead.  Last year the boys did good, finishing 3rd in the league and losing (controversially) to Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup final.  In the meantime, the squad is stronger than before, with coach Nathan Brown making some very astute signings.

So, on Friday, the Giants play their first SL game of the season against our neighbours the Bradford Bulls.  The Bulls underachieved last year and have also strengthened, but I reckon we can give them a good game and we look to edge it on paper.  In fact, the Giants team maybe full of great individual players, but combined are more than the sum of their parts.

A bit like the Slightly Different team.  That is why our web solutions work so well, you have the combined skills and knowledge of all of us at your disposal.  Why would you want to go anywhere else for web design?

If you have want to watch the greatest game on earth, played at the spiritual home of Rugby League, it’s on Sky on Friday evening.  If you want the best in web design and development, come see us.

Eorl Crabtree, he loves the taste of armpit.