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SCI:COM, Ireland’s all-island science communications conference returns for another exciting day of talks, panels and workshops this December 7^th at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin.

This year’s keynote speaker is Pulitzer-prize winning author and Director of the Knight Centre for Science Journalism at MIT, Deborah Blum.  A celebrated and decorated science journalist, Blum will talk about the role of scientists in an increasingly skeptical world.

Blum has been a columnist for the New York Times, and is widely known for her New York Times Bestseller ‘The Poisoner’s Handbook’ and for her series of articles for the Sacramento Bee examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research.

Other key speakers include Richard Corbridge, Chief Information Officer for the Health Service Executive who is currently tasked with bringing the HSE into the digital era, author Timandra Harkness from BBC4’s The Human Zoo, and Vivienne Parry, OBE, Head of Engagement and Genomics England.

UCD academic and broadcaster Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabháin will MC the conference, which is supported by Science Foundation Ireland as well as other organisations in the science communication community.

SCI:COM 2016 is organised by Jonathan McCrea, award-winning science and technology broadcaster and founder of communications company Whipsmart Media, Claire Mac Evilly (Danone) and Alex Boyd (UCD Research).

Building on the success of last year’s event, Jonathan McCrea says he is looking forward to introducing a more interactive format and tackling some of the most interesting emerging aspects of science communication.

“I am thrilled that the event is back with a bang after last year’s success.” Jonathan said. “We have a great mix of both Irish and international senior voices presenting at the event, as well as the brightest young minds in the industry. The programme is designed to promote thought and not to shy away from the tricky topics so we are looking forward to a great day of discussions.”

The theme for this year’s event is “Let’s Not Go There: Tackling Tricky Issues in Science Communication”, with the agenda set to challenge the theme in a variety of interactive talks and breakout sessions.

During the event, attendees can:

• Develop skills for effective science communication in breakout sessions delivered by experienced professionals from a wide range of disciplines
• Hear insights from leaders who will explain how to build trust with an audience, engage “hard to reach” groups and evaluate impact
• Meet like-minded people, share experiences and forge new relationships in the thriving science communication community on the island of Ireland

More information on the event and the updated speakers list is available here.
Early bird tickets are available from €95 until 1st November 2016, and student tickets are €55.

Hosting Ireland new website has gone down a storm with clients and the industry.  The new site has just been shortlisted as a finalist in the Realex Payments eCommerce Awards 2016.

The new website is totally mobile friendly from front page to checkout and is accessible from any device.  The new site boasts lots of new features and products….

Simple No Nonsense

The Hosting Ireland site has been designed with the user in mind, making what can be often thought of complex hosting and domain services as simple as possible.  All pricing is simple, straight forward and the price you see is what you get in the cart.

Intelligent Domain Name Search and Special Offers

The site boast an impressive ‘Intelligent Match’ tool which will search the Global database of new domain names and suggest matches just perfect for you.  In addition, every month we’ll endeavour to bring you the latest offers from the 100’s of new domain that are now available.

‘IDN’ Domains

The website can handle IDN’s (Internationalised Domain Names), so if you’re interested in registering a .ie domain name with a fada our systems can process Irish language domains.

Worpress Hosting

WordPress is now very popular and so Hosting Ireland offers an optimised WordPress hosting package that includes auto security patching and Litespeed caching to hyper-charge performance for your WordPress installation.

Website Backup

New products include Offsite Website Backup, which provides peace of mind for all your website data files.  Never worry about losing your website files, all files are remotely backed-up and a reinstall is just a click away.

New Hosting Addon Offers

When you purchase hosting you’ll have the opportunity to purchase additional products at great discounts.  SSL Certificates, Advanced Email Filtering and Website Backup are available with a 50% discount when purchased with Hosting or a Website Builder.

 About Hosting Ireland

Hosting Ireland is a leading domain name registration company and is an accredited registrar for .ie, .eu and .co.uk domains.  In addition, Hosting Ireland provides cloud hosting services and solutions to small medium enterprise, public sector and corporates across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.  Hosting Ireland specialises in cloud website hosting, virtual and dedicated server solutions.  For more information visit:www.hostingireland.ie

Putting a value on your home.

A very common error many people make is insuring their homes for the market value…rather than the rebuilding cost. If your home is worth €350,000 on the open market but only costs €275,000 to rebuild, then you should only insure your home for €275,000. If you insure your home for €350,000 and it becomes damaged beyond repair, the most you will receive from your claim is the rebuilding costs…in this case €275,000, so you are wasting your mosey by paying for a more expensive premium that will never pay out on the amount insured!

The easiest way of estimating the true rebuilding cost is by finding the average building cost for identical homes in the same location as your own…typically the average meter squared rebuilding cost multiplied by the size of your home. If you happen to add additional elements to the home during the year, like an attic conversion or the addition of a sun lounge, you will need to increase your original rebuilding cost insurance figure.

Insuring your property within your home!

The insurance company will only pay out on the full rebuilding costs of your home if it becomes damaged beyond repair…but you will not even have a chair to sit on to admire your new home unless you also take out contents insurance. You need to put a replacement estimate on every item in the home…which could be difficult to do after these items are destroyed, unless your memory is perfect!

 Get a journal and itimise EVERY object in each room…from stand-alone items like your suite, tables and chairs, to the less obvious but typically more expensive items like built-in wardrobes and fitted kitchens and alarm systems.

The crown jewels!

Never overlook those smaller yet expensive personal belongings, typically hiding away in drawers such as jewelry and cash, or on the walls in the form valuable art, or those items plugged into electric sockets like laptops, smart phones and tablets. Many expensive items need to be covered in addition a typical contents policy by listing each item individually. Even larger objects like your €7,000 home cinema system may not be covered under the normal contents policy.

Unfortunately, even by including all your valuable items in an ‘all risk’ cover policy, some items may still be too expensive to fully cover. For example, an insurance company may limit the payout on items such as wedding rings and other diamond and gold items…so it is imperative that you compare and contrast how the multitude of insurance companies deal with these types of valuables.

Again, just as with the accurate valuation of your rebuilding costs, never overestimate the value of your household contents or valuables, as you will only get back what they are worth…not what they are worth to you!

Can I get 100% coverage?

Typically, the answer is no! Most insurance policies have what is called an excess clause, which, in the case of you making a claim, means that you will need to pay out a certain amount yourself before the insurers will start paying out the rest of the claim. So if your €2,000 TV is stolen and there is an excess figure of €1,000 on your policy, the insurance company will only pay you €1,000. The lower the excess you want on your policy the more expensive the policy becomes.

Should I be alarmed?

Yes! But only in the sense of ensuring that your home is protected by an alarm. Obviously the more extensive the alarm the better, particularly when it comes to those that are monitored. Houses with alarms installed will always get a reduction in their insurance policy. Even the addition of quality locks on your doors could bring the cost down. Also mention that your estate/area is protected by an active neighborhood watch scheme, if such a scheme is up and running.

Fire protection.

By installing/fitting smoke/carbon monoxide alarms, the chances of a fire causing extensive damage to your property or you and your family’s physical wellbeing is dramatically reduced…the result of which is that your insurance company will offer you another reduction in your insurance policy. The more smoke alarms the better due to the proliferation of electrical devises like game consuls, smart phones and pads, PCs and laptops etc…all of which could overheat if not monitored/charged correctly..

Always read the fine print!

It is extremely important that you go over the fine print in your policy before opting to choose if as the right one for you. Take out a magnifying glass if you need to! Not only should you check out the fine print before purchasing the policy, you should also check the renewed policy every year for subtle changes the insurance company may have made, without making it crystal clear to you what the consequences of these changes may mean if you need to make a claim. Another thing to check is the accuracy of the details you supplied to the insurance company when applying for a policy. If you have exaggerated or lied about something, e.g. the existence of smoke alarms when in fact you have none installed, your policy may become null and void!

Public liability insurance.

Nobody wants a tiler (or indeed Santa!) to fall off your roof and put in a big claim against you…or one of your child’s friends to fall off a bouncy castle in your garden  awkwardly and break a leg, resulting in a financial war of words regarding compensation between you and your neighbor! Always check that the level of public liability insurance contained within your policy is adequate enough to keep up with the cost of compensation awards being awarded in today’s courts to third party accident victims.  

Holidays!

If you are going on some kind of extended leave (business, a trip to your holiday pad in the sun, etc.), that will leave your home vacant over a untypically long duration, it is important to check that your policy remains in place during your absence, as some policies lapse if there is nobody about to ‘mind the home’.

Getting value for your money!

Most insurance policies are broadly similar in what they offer, so it is important that you try and seek out those that are less expensive. For instance, it is unlikely that when you are buying a home, the home insurance policy being offered to you by the mortgage lender is the most competitive in the marketplace. As with everything in life, the more you know the better equipped you are to avoid life’s financial pitfalls…so shop around and get as many quotes as you can. You can also use a broker to do this if you do not have the time.

The claim.

When considering putting in a claim through your insurance company you should first ask yourself if the claim will actually cost you more in the long run by causing an increase in your insurance premiums the following year. This would only come into play if the item you are claiming for has a replacement value just over your excess figure. To back up any claim, try to produce receipts of all your purchases. If you have not been storing these, then start with your next purchase! As stated already, always tell the truth when writing down the details of your claim, or you could lose all insurance coverage…or worse, by being prosecuted for attempted fraud.

And if you are not happy with the way your claim has been handled by your insurance company, call the ombudsman (financial services) to assist you in the matter.

What do you mean that’s not covered!

Do not be surprised to discover that everything you own within the grounds of your property is not covered by a standard home insurance policy. Bikes, green houses, debit/credit cards, ride-on lawn mowers, etc. may fall outside of your policy’s coverage.

Landlords should also make their renters understand that they will need to take out their own contents coverage, as typically landlords rarely cover this in their insurance policy on the rental property.  For more information visit our home insurance comparison website. 

It is not every day that a home-grown Irish Farming App gets presented a Royal Award at Buckingham Palace by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, with Lunch at the House of Lords, followed by a visit to the Irish Embassy. Herdwatch has been granted this great honour after winning The Prince Philip Award at the recent Livestock Event in Birmingham, sponsored by The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF).

Herdwatch, who is just over two years old has taken the Agricultural Industry by storm. With almost 4,000 farmers in Ireland using the App, an impressive 5 Irish and 2 UK awards and a continuously growing team, this farm App has found strong wings and is now going to help UK farmers with their compliance paperwork, which causes them similar headaches as Irish Farmers.

Farmers are using the Herdwatch App on their phones to manage their Herd’s births, remedies, weights, breeding and movements on the spot, becoming more efficient and saving time by eliminating the paperwork.

Fabien Peyaud, Co-founder of Herdwatch, said; “Our trip to the Palace was such an honour and in the moment I realised just how far we have come. Shaking hands with Prince Philip and seeing the interest he genuinely had in Herdwatch when we presented what the app does on a screen in the famous Balcony Room was the highlight of our journey so far. We aim to keep this momentum going and move onwards and upwards.”

Guy Trehane RABDF Council member and Chairman of judges at the Livestock Event, commented; “The Herdwatch Farming App is a simple piece of tech that meets the needs of these cash strapped times. The hand held data device uses the everyday technology of a smartphone and cloud to store and download data that can be tapped into by any member of a farm team, even those of us with fat fingers and rubber gloves.”

At the Enterprise Ireland hosted briefing at the Irish Embassy, Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain, Ambassador Dan Mulhall said;

“It is great to see modern technology being embraced by a traditional industry and an Irish company at the forefront and being recognised internationally for innovating in the field of Agri Technology. Ireland is very proud of the Herdwatch team for their achievements so far and confident in its future success at home and abroad.”

Speaking about their hosts at the Irish Embassy briefing Jane Marks, Marketing Manager of Herdwatch said “Herdwatch has been backed by Enterprise Ireland in many ways over the last few years, in particular through its UK office, led by Marina Donohoe and her team, and through its Agri team in Ireland, led by Mick Brougham. The EI UK office assisted us in attending key events in the UK and Ireland, enabling Herdwatch to showcase our innovation and through which we picked up a number of awards giving Herdwatch not only industry validation but a morale boost to the team as well, and the opportunity to demo the time-saving app to hundreds of farmers. We thank them for their support once again.”

Herdwatch was presented with the RABDF Prince Philip Award 2016 by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, at Buckingham Palace this week. Pictured left to Right: Eoin Moloney, Herdwatch, Jane Marks, Herdwatch and FRS Network, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Fabien Peyaud, Herdwatch and James Greevy, Herdwatch.

New Irish Airport Car Hire Website!

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Airport Car Rental website. We compare 800 car hire companies in over 49k locations worldwide. Comparing airport car rental companies using our site has never been so easy, search for the best deals and select the car hire that suits your budget.

We compare prices from the leading car rental companies, Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise, Budget, Europcar and Payless to name just a few. Our car hire package includes, 24/7 customer support, free cancellation and theft waiver.  We also provide a guaranteed price promise!

Review our cheap car hire tips below. Do some research before you travel, most car rental companies will offer lower rates for advanced online bookings. As with all travel essentials, it pays to avoid peak season.

Compact rentals are not always cheaper – small cars are often in high demand so review the price for all cars to ensure you are getting the best deal.

Review the daily versus weekly rental price – hiring a rental for a longer duration may be more cost effective then the daily rate. Review both the daily and weekly packages for the best deal.

Car hire excess also known as collision damage waiver (CDW) – the excess is the amount that you must pay if the rental is damaged, this may range from €400 to €2,000. Not having this insurance means you could get hit with a significant bill if you are involved in an accident. Always shop around for CDW insurance; you may be surprised at how much you can save.

Car hire extras – it can be costly to add extra’s to your car rental package. Hiring a child seat or a sat nav may not always be the cheapest option. The cost of hiring a sat nav may work out more expensive than purchasing your own. Similarly, check your airline’s policy for taking a child or toddler seat with you.

Additional drivers – if you are planning to share the driving, look at adding this option before you travel. As some rental agents may charge a higher price when you arrive to pick up the car. Rental rates quoted are usually for adults between 25 and 65 years, if you or the additional driver fall outside this range, a higher rate may apply. 

Car hire fuel policy – there are two main options; the full/ full and the full/empty option. The full/ full option is where you pick up the car with a full tank of petrol and return it with a full tank i.e. replacing the fuel you have used before leaving it back to the agent. The full/empty policy is where you are charged on collection for a full tank of petrol. Again, read the terms and conditions carefully.

Make a record of the condition of the vehicle – check the rental for any damage (e.g. spare tyre, scratches, dents), make a note of this and ask the car hire agent to confirm it in writing. It may delay your trip slightly but you do not want to be charged for damage you didn’t cause. Ideally you should do this again when you return the car to confirm that you have returned it in good condition.

Note terms & conditions – it may be stating the obvious but you really should never enter into any contract without reading the terms and conditions carefully. Pay particular attention to the fuel policy, drop off charges (if you choose to drop the car off at another location), charges for adding another driver and if their name is to be added to the contract, cancellation fees and age restrictions.

Tanks.ie would like to introduce you to their new product range of secure storage of hazardous and flammable substances and chemicals made by Armorgard.

These Armorgard chemical storage cabinets are

exceptionally secure

All these Armorgard products are built on a strong foundation of security and carry the reputation of indestructible and reliable within the industry.

tested quality

Armorgard set the industry benchmark with strict quality control procedures to ensure we only achieve the best results.

attention to detail

It’s the small things that matter and Armorgards attention to detail that sets them apart. They focus on the details and refine them until they work best for you.

ergonomic design

Armorgard products are designed to be easy to use and maximize productivity. It’s their mission; to make life easier for those on tools.

If you are storing fuels or chemicals, there are laws that you have to comply with. All storage cabinets must be designed to retain spills (110% volume of the largest vessel normally stored in it, or 25% of the total amount stored, whichever is the greater) All flammable liquids must be stored in closed containers and kept in a store which is manufactured from materials that will sustain 30 minutes fire.

Armorgards chemical storage cabinets are designed to comply with all COSHH regulations, ensuring that your hazardous substances are securely protected 24/7.

Tanks.ie also have a full range of oil and chemical spill kits and spill control containment at chemical tanks. To see the full range of Armorgard products on tanks.ie click chemical spill control. 

New Report Reveals E-commerce KPI Winners and Losers.

–       87 million e-commerce website sessions analysed

–       Google wins big for traffic

–       Digital marketers are over-indexing on display advertising

–       Bounce rate is a dud

–       Facebook traffic quadruples

–       Mobile is our “decision device”

Multi award-winning digital marketing agency Wolfgang Digital today launched the definitive Benchmark KPI report for E-commerce websites. The report provides industry average metrics for retail and travel websites and shares highly sensitive numbers such as conversion rate and average order value (AOV).

The report is unique in that it examines the correlations between various metrics, making it essential reading for digital marketers and in particular those seeking an online transaction.

For the study, Wolfgang Digital analysed 87 million e-commerce website sessions and €230 million online revenue for the 12 month period ending 31^st of June 2016.

The key findings were:

1. Google makes the world wide web go round. Google delivers over two-thirds of website traffic (69%) and website revenue (67%).
2. Display disappoints for direct response. Despite accounting for 38% of digital marketers’ budgets, display failed to register as a top ten traffic source.
3. Bounce rate don’t mean diddly. Bounce rate has zero correlation with conversion rate. As an overall website metric, it’s a dud.
4. Facebook traffic quantity more than doubles. In two yearsFacebook-driven traffic has risen from 1.3% to 5%.
5. Mobile is our “decision device”. Mobile is now the largest traffic source of all devices, but seriously underperform for revenue. Its 42%share of traffic becomes a miserly 21% share of revenue, and it suffers the lowest average conversion rate and AOV. Despite these lowly conversion metrics, the report’s correlation study found websites with a larger than average portion of mobile traffic benefited from larger than average conversion rates, indicating our “PA in our pocket” is the device upon which decisions are arrived at before being completed on desktop.
6. Site speed really matters. For every 0.2 of a second a website can shave off its server response time, it can expect an 8% improvement in conversion rate.
7. Average conversion rate is 1.5%. Travel websites averaged 2%. Retail websites averaged 1.4%. Online-only websites converted almost twice as well as their multi-channel counterparts.
8. People are buying more frequently and spending more per order online.Average conversion rates have increased 10% since the last study. Retail average order value (AOV) has shot up 25% to €186.  For travel websites, the AOV is €333.
9. SEO v PPC – choose one. The report’s correlationstudy found that a high percentage of Google organic traffic correlates strongly with a high AOV. A high percentage of Google paid traffic is the strongest correlating factor with high conversion rate. So for high AOV websites SEO will do the job, for lower AOV websites seeking a higher conversion rate PPC is your best bet.
10. Don’t discount email. Email delivers as much traffic as all social channels combined.

Commenting, study author and Wolfgang Digital founder and CEO, Alan Coleman had this to say:

“Google is maintaining its grip as our gateway to the web. And as the starting point for online purchases, it is the make or break success factor for e-commerce websites. Facebook’s mooted move into search is the most likely threat to Google’s traffic monopoly right now.”

“Because digital marketers now have so much data, they often waste time on irrelevant metrics. Our study found that the much-hyped bounce rate has zero correlation with conversion rate, while site speed – being both be a strong conversion factor and a noted SEO factor – can offer an enviable “multiplier effect” on the bottom line.

“It’s interesting that display accounts for a third of digital marketing budgets, yet doesn’t register as a top 10 traffic source. Social networks and search engines don’t pay agencies “agency rates”, display networks do. The secret agency rebates scandal hitting the headlines in the US right now could merge with this over-indexing of display story at some point in the future.”

The E-commerce KPI Benchmark report is available to download for free here and a useful inforgraphic can be seen here.

About Wolfgang Digital

Wolfgang Digital is an Irish performance digital marketing agency, employing 33 people in its Dublin offices and servicing clients all over the world. It is the current Irish, UK and European search marketing champion – winning the Grand Prix at the UK Drum Search Awards, 3 European Search Awards including Best Small PPC Agency in addition to 3 awards at the Digital Media Awards. It has also been shortlisted for the world prize in NYC on September 28^th. Pictured is Wolfgang Digital’s CEO, Alan Coleman.

– Some of the participating websites include: Harvey Norman, Littlewoods Ireland, Lifestyle Sports, Kilkenny Shop and Guinness Storehouse.

Media Contact: Bernice Burnside, Bvisible, +353 87 2337366, +353 1 8452401

Annertech, the Irish owned web design agency, will be speaking at this year’s International DrupalCon web conference held in the Convention Centre, 26^th to the 30^th of September 2016.

The conference is the technology hub for clients, agencies, web designers and marketers who have successfully integrated Drupal within the growth of their business or for brands who would like to know more about how they too can utilise Drupal when building their first or next website.

There are hundreds of talks and sessions on over the week on a huge range of diverse topics such as:

• Work life Balance
• Effective Remote Working
• Women in Drupal & Technology
• Winning Clients & Keeping Them and many other topics.

Stella Power of Annertech, who spearheads the Conference here in Ireland explains; “client websites have become complex and bespoke.   The front-end site must integrate with third party partners and often complex backroom technology.   Building your website with Drupal gives freedom of open source content management and flexibility to expand as your business grows”.  When asked to compare Drupal against a more ‘well known’ brand, Power laughs as she says:  “Drupal is like WordPress on steroids.”

Mark Conroy of Annertech and Chairperson of Drupal Ireland added “the week-long International event, which is being held in Dublin this year will kick off with the powerful Drupal Business Summit, an intimate working session for leaders in business.   The practical and interactive session gives the opportunity for Directors of business to meet & discuss bringing their business to the next level, both locally and globally”.  

Win a free ticket (worth €500) for an opportunity to network, learn and interact with business leaders who power their business with Drupal.   Just go to www.annertech.com/competition and fill in the short form – so we can contact you and send you the winning ticket – good luck!

 
Tickets can be bought here.

For all other details visit Drupal‘s website.

Develop the essential digital knowledge and toolkit to set up and succeed as an entrepreneur in the online environment.

What is it?
An entrepreneur is someone who transforms an idea for an enterprise or a business into economic goods or trade. This course hones entrepreneurial competencies and can increase your chances of success in this very competitive environment. It will teach you the digital tools which can enable businesses to improve their online offering and capabilities. Students work on a business concept, interrogate its business model, and test its validity in the marketplace.
What will I do?
Students work on real business scenarios, and develop and execute a customised online and web marketing
strategy. It combines best digital practices with business model validation, enterprise development and research.
The research project module focuses on emerging digital technology issues with a focus on international issues.
What modules will I study?
Digital Story-telling | Business Model Validation |
Enterprise Support | The Online Consumer | Social
Marketing Strategy | Online Data Management |
Research Masters + Research Project.
Who can apply?
Whether for career advancement, to grow business online or develop business opportunities, this qualification is relevant for business professionals. Applicants without a Level 8 degree but with relevant work experience will be
considered provided they can demonstrate Honours Degree Equivalence. The flexible delivery format is designed to
integrate study into working life.

Future Careers
Graduates can originate, validate and test a business idea; write an investment-ready business plan; and critically engage with emerging digital technology trends and developments. It opens up opportunities in management, marketing, digital marketing, digital strategy, start up, and e-commerce.

How to apply
E admissions@iadt.ie
T 01 239 4621
For further information on the course, contact
Dr. Therese Moylan, Head of Department of Entrepreneurship
E therese.moylan@iadt.ie
T 01 239 4764
www.iadt.ie

Dowload the application form from http://www.iadtentrepreneurship.com/

Closing date for receipt of application is Friday the 9th September 2016.

“ 78.6% of sales people using social media to sell
outperformed those who weren’t using social
media… No matter how you sliced the data,
social media users came out on top.”
– The Rise of Social Salespeople study, featured
in international business magazine Forbes