Archive for April, 2007

i said i’d wait ’til i have 5 post exchanges.. but things have started off slowly, so i’ll just post the 2 links i have so far..

• Zigire.net – technology, gadgets, web 2.0 and my work
• My Journey of becoming a website developer and starting to Manage, Market and Monetize online.

So keep them coming people.. all links are good links. You’ll get a PR3 backlink, your chosen anchor text plus a bit of traffic.. it’s a win win for everyone.

For more info on this blog post exchange i have going read here.

Firstly, yes, it’s been a boring day and i’ve had too much time on my hands..

So rather than lounge around and watch TV for an hour or so, i decided to do something productive and review my favourite chocolate easter egg this year..

The Cadbury ‘Easter Egg Delight’ milk chocolate edition 500g

The first thing you will notice is the tube shaped cardboard container which this egg comes in. It stands out from all the other eggs. It’s purple/blue exterior gives it a very soothing and luxurious feel. Mixed with the sexy ‘cadbury’ font, this egg is ideal for husband/wife/boy/girl friend etc.. It’s not something you’d give your granny or kids, oh no.

Inside, it’s almost revolutionary. It comes in a velvety-type see-through drawstring bag. This bag changes from purple to red when under light. Ingenius. You think you get 1 egg and you’re probably hoping for a few sweets thrown in. Prepare to be dazzled. This egg contains, not 1 but 2 eggs, plus a bag of sweets! The second egg is hidden inside of the first egg in silver foil. Thus, it is obviously smaller than the main egg.

I was impressed with the thickness of both eggs. Both were above average and of high quality construction. The main egg is already seperated in half when you open it, which then leads you to the smaller egg which is sealed and you have to smash open yourself.

So this open and closed variety makes sure egg lovers get the traditional ‘smash in half’ egg mixed with the more modern and refined ‘already in half’ one. Cadbury really have thought of everything on this one.

Finally we move onto the bang for the buck. €14 this cost. Slightly overpriced imo, but then again, you pay for the luxury, the sexy-ness. If i wanted a cheap and cheerful solution i’d take a plain old Cadbury dairymilk 350g with one egg and two bars’. But i thought, hey, what the heck, i’ll splash out and buy the top of the range cadbury. You only live once

Pro’s: High quality construction, two eggs in one, drawstring bag, revolutionary design, thick chocolate

Con’s: Price

I love ideas..

A few days ago, i was approached by someone with an idea. Surprisingly, it was actually fairly solid and could work with the right people behind it.

The site will be targeting the Irish market exclusively so it’s limited to a customer base of about 5m. The site fills a niche which is blatently there, so there shouldn’t be a problem getting it to go viral.

The only problem i can see with it is that the owner wants immediate ROI and to charge for the site’s services, which is unecessary imo. In my experience, that doesn’t work. A site can only sell space based on it’s traffic. A new site therefore will have no traffic, so why would anyone want to buy space on it?

It’s a case of chicken and egg.. my suggestion was to keep it free at the beginning. It will then spread virally and quickly establish itself in a competition-free niche. Once it’s established and have solid traffic, then the site can start charging..

Anyway, i have high hopes for this idea. I may even partner up on it, as i believe i could add some brains and vital experience in terms of link building and marketing on the internet. I’d hate to see a good idea wasted or stolen

I’ve had my eye on the nokia n95 for quite some time now (months!)

Anyway, it was only released here this week and surprise, surprise, prices are sky high.. that’s if you can even get one. No Irish networks currently have it, so you’d have to import it from the UK or Europe.

I got a lot of money for my birthday, so i’d only have to add another couple of hundred in order to get one. The phone retails atm for €699 or £499. (~$1000)

So it’s a huge investment. Do i really need a mobile phone with a 5mp camera and video recorder, or an integrated GPS system, mp3 player, TV-out, wi-fi etc..?? Probably not, but it’s very hard to refuse – knowing i need a new phone and knowing i have the cash to buy it.

Currently, i’m reading loads of reviews as a few Irish people have managed to get their hands on some. So provided the n95 is compatible with our networks, and provided the phone lives up to all the hype, i WILL probably splash out it.? ?

My view on technology never changes. If i’m getting a new laptop or phone, mp3 player etc.. i’ll always get the latest and top of the range (usually the most expensive). Anything else is yesterday’s technology and why buy yesterday’s technology when you can have today’s for just a little extra? The extra cost will pay for itself in time as the technology won’t date as quickly..

Today, i am two decades old. One fifth of a century God i’m getting old

Anyway, i only began this whole web business thing at 19. In less than a year, i’ve learned a hell of a lot – more than any college course could ever teach me. The tips and tricks and workings of affiliate marketing, viral marketing, SEO, social networking, domains, backlinks, blogs, design, advertising, forums…. I’ve taught myself everything i know – well, the internet has taught me.

So my decision to take a year out, has been very wise imo as it could possibly set me up for life or if not, at least pay for the next 4 years. I’m fully convinced i can live off the internet, if not for life, definitely to get me through college.

That would mean i wouldn’t need a ‘real’ job, and thus i’d be saving huge amounts of time and energy in the long run. As i’m very creative and constantly thinking of ideas, free time is crucial to me. At 19/20, this is the time i’m full of enthusiasm, raw inexperience, ideas, energy.. why waste that being stuck in an office 9-5 or stacking shelves in a supermarket part-time? One good idea, and i could be retiring on it. That’s the way i see it.

Of course, i run the risk of being a failure financially and eating my words in a few years whilst my friends begin to buy houses and start going places… but that doesn’t bother me as i am confident in my own abilities and aim to set the standards, not follow them.

There are too many people afraid to gamble, afraid to take risks.. they’re the people who will criticize the likes of me should we fail, even if we succeed. In reality, we’ve done things our way, perhaps lost out, but at least we’ve enjoyed the ride.

This time next year, i’ll be 21. God knows what i’ll be doing, or where i’ll be living at that stage. I’ll drag this post back up though and have a laugh at it

So the more time i have, the more creative and focused i can get.