We are extremely excited up in our little portion of the Digital Hub today, as we have just announced details of our Diploma in Digital Marketing. This FETAC accredited course runs for 13 weeks and the trainers are some of the finest names in the industry today.

The Diploma in Digital Marketing is designed to enable you to develop a focused digital marketing strategy that can help your organisation become more efficient and more profitable. It is a part-time evening Diploma run on Tuesday evenings commencing on 21 September for 13 weeks. Developed in conjunction with Irish Times Training and Prosperity Recruitment.

In designing this FETAC accredited Diploma, we have identified the core skills required for effective digital marketing, identified the best trainers – who are all industry practitioners – and draw on our considerable experience in course delivery.

Course modules include digital marketing strategy, SEO, Online Advertising, Mobile Web, Social Media, Online PR and many more.  Trainers include Colm Grealy, Adforce.ie; Krishna De, BizGrowthNews; Conor Pope, Irish Times; Shenda Loughnane, ICAN and Gareth Dunlop Ion Online Marketing.

For a full breakdown of each of the modules and for more information on the trainers and the course costs, please to to iia.ie/diploma.

A huge congratulations must go to Emma Henderson and the team at dotConf, who put on a fantastic day on Thursday in the National College of Ireland. It was a great turnout and the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

We’d love to grab your attention for just another couple of minutes and ask you to give your thoughts on the day. Please fill in this quick survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PPWZGMR

Of course, there was a great many people who helped make the dotConf a success, from the superb speakers and presenters to the people who helped shape the day and, of course, everyone who came along, watched the live stream and blogged, tweeted or generally talked about the event.

We will update you when the videos of the day are available on the dotConf blog. Please, feel free to share them and tell the world about the dotConf.

Once again, be kind, take a moment to be surveyed: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PPWZGMR

To anyone who has ever struggled to maintain their site using a Content Management System (CMS): you’re not alone, we feel your pain.

Chris and Paul in DesignByFront.com are doing some research into the user experience of content management systems, so if you’ve ever been involved in managing a website, they’d love to get your insight.

Click here to take the short survey!

Why are they doing this?

Front believe that every website should get better and better and better over time. Unfortunately, many people find it difficult enough to look after the site they have, rather than getting to focus on continuous improvement.

Almost every site delivered at Front uses a content management system so that non-technical users can take ownership of the site once its live.

Key to this is the regular addition of high-quality content. However, too often the design of Content Management Systems don’t reflect the way that those involved in authoring, editing or reviewing content actually work; despite claims to the contrary, almost all CMS tools are designed around how a site works for its users, rather than focusing on the needs of those who’ll be responsible for it once live.

This creates a barrier to publishing good content, and restricts the growth and quality of the site. A better CMS experience should result in better content being created for a site, which in turn results in a better experience for the site’s users.

Front are not the first to think about this. Jeff Veen wrote about the problems inherent in Content Management Systems way back in 2004, but things haven’t changed much since then, and now it’s time to get the discussion started again.

So, if you’ve ever been involved in managing a website with a CMS, they’d love to hear your thoughts.

According to Front:

To make sure we really understand what the key issues are, we’re carrying out a small piece of design research on content management. We want to know how the experience of using a CMS could be improved, and so along with performing user interviews and usability testing, we’ve put together a quick survey to gather input from the broader web community.

We’re doing this research because we realise that while we put a lot of time and attention into creating beautiful online experiences for our client’s users, we perhaps don’t give enough thought to the experience of our clients themselves.

To take part, fill in our quick survey

Dublin City University’s Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship is delighted to announce the establishment of a seed venture fund of €1 million for early stage technology start-up companies. The new venture fund is an accelerator fund, which will help fund new companies develop from concept to product. The aim of the venture fund is to jump-start a number of high technology start-ups in Ireland with an emphasis on software and biotechnology hardware ideas such as medical devices and diagnostics.

The successful companies will get approximately €50,000 in direct funding, as well as a three-month programme of support from the Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, which will include office space, mentorship and specially-designed networking and educational programmes. The financial support for the venture fund is provided by the One Foundation. In addition any profits generated by the Accelerator Fund will be returned to the Fund for further investment.

“This is an important initiative for Ireland and I am delighted that the Ryan Academy is providing a catalyst for the next generation of Irish entrepreneurs. This initiative is not only another clear manifestation of DCU’s commitment to be the University of Enterprise but also addresses an obvious deficit in the pathway from concept to successful product”, said Professor Brian MacCraith, the new President of Dublin City University.

The first round of investment will open for applicants in October this year, with the first four successful entrepreneurs being announced before the end of the year. A further eight entrepreneurs will be funded in 2011 and again in 2012. Each of these entrepreneurial groups will then work with the Ryan Academy to develop their company, building key and lasting business relationships along the way to help them sustain a viable business. The Ryan Academy is aiming to work with other seed funds and individual investors, and will be seeking to increase the fund size over time.

“Raising the money to get through the first year is often difficult for entrepreneurs and our objective is to support twenty early-stage entrepreneurial teams over the next two and half years” said Gordon McConnell, Deputy-CEO of the Ryan Academy and venture manager for the new fund. “We will work with other later-stage angel investors, other funds and the venture capital community to help ensure further funding for these new companies. We want to help nurture innovative technology ideas and act as a launchpad for new entrepreneurs.”

The fund is unique as it is both a university-related venture fund for start-ups across Ireland, as well as offering a programme of support for these startups through the Ryan Academy and its network.

The new fund will be governed by a Technology Advisory Board, which will be announced later in the summer. Further and regular updates on the new fund will be posted on the Ryan Academy Tech Entrepreneurship Blog.

About the Ryan Academy

The DCU Ryan Academy is a partnership between Dublin City University and the family of the late Tony Ryan (Ryanair). The Academy exists to promote entrepreneurship and innovation and to use our iconic building in Citywest as a dynamic hub for entrepreneurs and researchers to develop ideas, learn new skills and network. The Ryan Academy is working with researchers and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their potential.

Deloitte is calling on all Irish CIOs to complete its 2010 CIO survey. The survey creates an insightful barometer of the priorities, trends and challenges currently facing CIOs. The survey, which closes on Friday, 2 July, 2010 can be found here.

This is the second year of the survey. Last year’s survey found that Irish CIOs, who had already been very successful in reducing costs in their organisations, were still tackling the challenge of enabling further business cost reduction against a backdrop of falling IT budgets. In fact 60% of respondents expected their IT budgets to be cut by up to 20% in 2010.

“It will be interesting to see how far down the cost reduction road CIOs have gone during 2010.  Have they passed the finish line and moved on to other priorities such as cloud computing and information management, or is cost reduction still the number one priority? We are calling on all CIOs and IT managers to share their views – the survey will provide a useful benchmark for participants against their peers,” commented Harry Goddard, Partner, Consulting, Deloitte.

A copy of the survey results and supporting commentary will be made available to those companies that participate as well as the opportunity for an individual session comparing your responses with the survey results. In addition, all participants will be entered into a draw to win a club pass to play three great parkland golf estates of the south east – Mount Juliet, Waterford Castle and Faithlegg.

The results of the 2009 Deloitte CIO survey can be found here.

Furious Tribe, a new company based in Media Cube in IADT, Dun Laoghaire, the digital and creative software incubation centre has just launched a revolutionary new “App Builder” platform called Apptivate.

This news comes as the global mobile market is tipped to grow to US$17.5bn.  Furious Tribe has plans to add iPad and Android support to Apptivate in the near future.

“With over 4.6bn mobile subscribers worldwide, the launch of Apptivate is a strategic move, that will position Furious Tribe as a leader within the European App market.” according to Patrick Leddy, MD of Furious Tribe.

Patrick Leddy had always had the entrepreneurial spirit.

“I started my first business when I was in Secondary School. I went to IADT and when I graduated, I moved the business I was working on, into the Media Cube”.

Martin Hogan, Manager of the Media Cube facility, commented that “Furious Tribe is joining the ranks of many successful companies who have been the centre. Companies like Customer Minds, Campbell Ryan Productions and ICAP Media who deliver the platform for 02s Treats application.”

Furious Tribe has already done well in the enterprise market acquiring accounts with O2 to Citibank, EMI Music, Royal Sun & Alliance, RTE and TV3.

“While we have always seen a strong demand in the enterprise market, the recent witnessed demand for mobile Apps in the SME market is unprecedented.” Leddy stated.

Apptivate provides a simple pay as you go service that allows brand managers to bypass their IT departments, and simply sign-up with the company credit card. The platform is completely self- contained with Furious Tribe managing the servers, technology & submission to Apple.

“Companies that adopt a mobile strategy in 2010 are well positioned to become leaders in 2011” according to Leddy

Last night, Dylan Collins was announced as the IIA and Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary 2010.

Congratulations to Dylan Collins, Net Visionary winner 2010. This award recognises his commitment to innovation and excellence within the Irish Internet industry.

Yesterday evening, in the Crowne Plaza Northwood, 15 category Awards were presented recognising the achievements across the gamut of the Irish Internet Industry. Closing the Awards, Maeve Kneafsey, Chairperson of the IIA, and Jennifer Condon of Enterprise Ireland, announced Dylan Collins as the 2010 Overall IIA and Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary.

Dylan Collins, serial entrepreneur of DemonWare and Jolt Games success is a true internet visionary.  His meteoric success is unprecedented within the Irish Internet industry.  In his early 30s, Dylan’s ability to innovate is unrivalled in the online gaming sector on an Irish and international stage.  He is the embodiment of all that is great about this industry – ingenuity, pace and determination.   Yet of all these qualities, it is his unstinting generosity in mentoring other internet start-ups and his commitment to the industry as a whole that truly sets him apart as a most worthy winner of this industry accolade.

The Net Visionary Awards, now in their 12th year, are unique in that they are voted on by the internet industry itself. Fifteen award categories reflects the prolific adoption of internet technologies in Ireland, both in business and local communities.  These awards are testament to the value of the internet as an enabler of business growth particularly in challenging times. The Awards’ evening remains one of the best in Ireland – the perfect occasion to celebrate success with industry peers.

Master of Ceremonies, Gareth Dunlop, Managing Director of ION Online Marketing, presided over the awards which began with the Best Business Blogger Category. Please see below the full list of Net Visionary Winners and if you require any further details or if you wish to speak with any of the winners, please email Joan Mulvihill or Darren Byrne or call 01-5424154. joan@iia.ie, darren@iia.ie. Photographs are now available on pix.ie/iiaphotos.

Best Business Blogger – sponsored by Ireland.com (Presented by Keith Mahon, General Manager, Ireland.com)

• Amy Dillon: Makeup and Beauty.ie
• Fiona Hilliard: ArgusCarHire
• Karl Deeter: Irish Mortgage Brokers
• Krishna De: Biz Growth News
• Peter Donegan: Peter Donegan Landscaping Ltd.

Winner: Amy Dillon – Makeup and Beauty.ie

Best Business Video & Podcasting – sponsored by Muzu.tv (Presented by Mark French, Managing Director, Muzu.tv)

• Amy Dillon: Makeup and Beauty.ie
• Andrew Jenkinson & Niall O’Driscoll: vStream for Digital Marketing School
• Colm Hanratty: Hostelworld.com Videos and Podcasts
• Marcus O’Doherty: RTE Player
• Ruth Kearney: DIT Hothouse

Winner: Marcus O’Doherty – RTÉ Player

Best Online Financial Service – sponsored by Data Electronics (Presented by Maurice Mortell, Chief Executive, Data Electronics)

• Debbie Kiernan: Ge Capital
• Elaine Murphy: insure.ie
• Tony Doyle: Bestquote.ie

Winner: Elaine Murphy – insure.ie

Best Online Trader – (Presented by Judge -  Eoin O’Siochru, Manager, Internet Marketing Unit, Enterprise Ireland)

• Ciaran Crean: MicksGarage.ie
• Daragh Murphy: HairyBaby Clothing Company
• Darren Grant: The Organic Supermarket
• Grainne Barry & Kevin Greene: AnotherFriend.com (WebDev Ltd.)
• Stephen O’Sullivan: Printing.ie

Winner: Daragh Murphy – HairyBaby Clothing Company

Best Use of Social Media – sponsored by Elucidate (Oonagh McCutcheon, Operations Manager, Elucidate)

• Aedan Ryan: PuddleDucks
• Amy Dillon: Makeup and Beauty.ie
• Brid O’Connell: Truvo Ireland
• Israel Finnerty: Firesale Limited
• Michele Neylon: Blacknight Solutions

Winner: Michele Neylon – Blacknight Solutions

e-Government Award – sponsored by AIB Merchant Services (Presented by Chris Mason, Managing Director, AIB MS)

• Joanne Grehan: Western Development Commission for LookWest.ie
• Larry McEvoy: South Dublin County Council
• Professor Eamonn Murphy: University of Limerick for BlueBrick.ie
• Rick Love: Mayo County Council
• Ruth Kearney: DIT Hothouse

Winner: Joanne Grehan – Western Development Commission

Innovation Award – sponsored by RTÉ.ie (Marcus O Doherty, Head of Technology, RTE Publishing)

• Conor O’Neill: LouderVoice
• Ed Hendrick: Sonru Ltd
• Eoghain Ryan: Mocks.ie
• Ian Lucey: Lucey Technology
• Tony Corrigan: TenderScout

Winner: Ed Hendrick – Sonru Ltd

Internet Entrepreneur – sponsored by IE Domain Registry (Presented by David Curtin, Chief Executive, IEDR)

• Amy Dillon: Makeup and Beauty.ie
• Chris Watson: Chain Reaction Cycles
• Darren Grant: The Organic Supermarket
• Dr Des O’Mahony: Bookassist
• Ronan O’Brien: Zatori Results Ltd

Winner: Dr Des O’Mahony – Bookassist

“Peer recognition is real recognition. This is what the Net Visionary Awards give. Being shortlisted by industry insiders and being supported by internet community voting at large marks a genuine measure of achievement for nominees and winners alike.” – Dr Des O’Mahony

Internet Marketer – sponsored by Graphedia (Presented by Niall Reck, Managing Director, Graphedia)

• Eoin Ó Súilleabháin: Bord Gais Energy for The Big Switch
• Mark Leech: MicksGarage.ie
• Mick Dillon: CarsIreland.ie
• Steven Courtney: VSO Viral
• Vanessa Johnston: Pigsback.com

Winner: Vanessa Johnston – Pigsback.com

“I was surprised to be nominated and absolutely thrilled to have been shortlisted for the IIA Internet Marketer Award. I am passionate about the industry and am privileged to be marketing online during a period of such great change. I have had the opportunity to work with a hugely talented and energetic team at Pigsback.com. If I was to win this award it would be thanks to this team.” – Vanessa Johnston

Journalist Award – sponsored by ICAN (Presented by Shenda Loughnane, Managing Director, ICAN)

• Adrian Weckler: Thomas Crosby Media / Sunday Business Post
• Barry Alistair: IrishDev.com
• John Collins: Irish Times
• Mark Little: Mark Little News
• Sheila Averbuch: ElectricNews.Net

Winner: Mark Little – Mark Little News

Mobile Internet Innovation – sponsored by SiliconRepublic.com (John Kennedy, Editor, SiliconRepublic.com)

• Bob Nixon: Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com
• Donald Douglas: Return2Sender
• Gavin Burke: Future Audio Workshop
• Greg Cawley: Snap2Interact
• John Clarke: WorldNet TPS

Winner: Bob Nixon – Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com

“Being shortlisted for two awards in the 2010 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards means the world to everyone at Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com as it is formal recognition from respected peers in the internet industry of the hard work and effort that we have put in to be innovative in our industry and to achieve the very highest quality.” – Bob Nixon

Online Tourism Award – sponsored by Fáilte Ireland (Stephen Dudley, Manager eBusiness Development, Fáilte Ireland)

• Bob Nixon: Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com
• Christy Tighe: Cromleach Lodge 4* Country House Hotel
• Eoghan O’Mara Walsh: BookAnAttraction.com
• Fergal Walsh: DayOut.ie
• William Cotter: Net Affinity

Winner: Bob Nixon – Georgina Campbell’s ireland-guide.com

Social Contribution – sponsored by IE Domain Registry (Presented by David Curtin, Chief Executive, IEDR)

• Jimmy Cahill: DSPCA
• John Handelaar: KildareStreet.com
• Kevin De Barra: Comhdhail Naisiunta na Gaeilge
• Michelle Farrell: Gaelick
• Ruth Kearney: DIT Hothouse

Winner: Ruth Kearney: DIT Hothouse

“We are delighted to be shortlisted for such established awards and the opportunity to be among some of Ireland’s best Internet businesses. At DIT Hothouse we communicate with several audiences using different online media such as video, social, email and our website. The IIA enables us to reach our target audience with greater impact and to be shortlisted is a great achievement for us” – Ruth Kearney

Web Designer Excellence – sponsored by HostelWorld.com (Presented by Feargal Mooney, CEO, HostelWorld.com)

• David Behan: Web Together
• John Mooney: Xwerx
• Laura Hodson: Dara Creative
• Lisa Westermann: Fusio
• Niall Reck: Graphedia

Winner: Lisa Westermann – Fusio

“Being shortlisted is hugely rewarding. It’s always great to get positive feedback of course, but even more so when it comes from the greater community. It really gives an extra boost to have my design work acknowledged on a different level and highly motivates not just me but the whole team in FUSIO to work even harder on creating high-quality and user-friendly designs that work for our clients.” – Lisa Westermann

Web Developer Excellence – sponsored by Microsoft (Presented by Clare Dillon, Developer and Platform Group Lead, Microsoft)

• Ciaran McDonnell: Newmedia
• David Henry: Modus
• Kevin Gill: CastingZone.ie
• Michael Crean: MicksGarage.ie
• Morgan Lynch: Strata3

Winner: David Henry – Modus

Overall Net Visionary 2010 – Dylan Collins

This is a full list of Net Visionary Awards 2010 Winners Logos. If anybody needs different shapes, sizes, etc. please contact darren[at]iia.ie.

The Heritage Boat Association are out in force this week and I wanted to share with you a little bit of what they’re up to.

Fifty years after Canal Boat 51M carried the last commercial cargo from Dublin outbound to Limerick along the Grand Canal and River Shannon, the Heritage Boat Association (HBA) will re-create her historic voyage.

Waterways Ireland, who own the boat, have agreed to allow the HBA to re-create the final farewell to commercial canal traffic in Ireland.

On her last journey 51M’s cargo consisted of a consignment of Guinness for the Limerick depot and at the time their departure caused quite a stir with both the public and the press. Press photos of the occasion still exist including an Irish Times photo and HBA intend to re-create the exact photograph which they expect will again capture the imagination of the public and the press. See the link to the Irish Times archive here.

While the skipper on that historic voyage has since passed away, they will have his sons on board as part of the current crew. A flotilla of other surviving Heritage Canal Boats will escort 51M westward towards the Shannon.

51M will depart from the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre beside the new theatre in Grand Canal Basin on Wednesday 19^th May at 2pm, and after a short stop at Mespil Road continue her ‘leaving of Dublin’ on Thursday May 20^th departing at 1.30pm.