Spark into Marketing » anniversary

Ada Lovelace Day – anniversary for inspiring women in science and technology

jeanspark — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:43:44 +0000

Ada Lovelace Day is in memory of Ada King, daughter of the poet Lord Byron, who became Countess of Lovelace, and died in 1852. Her Automatic Engine is credited as being the first computer programme. The opportunity for this day is to give credit to women who inspired interest in science, maths and technology by blogging.

I love blogging, giving credit and sharing in a community so I was very interested when I found the information. But as for finding a woman who has inspired me .. that is a completely different matter. Firstly the only woman scientist I have really heard of (which is the point of the whole thing!) is Marie Curie .. and she has never interested me, so it would be wrong to wheel her out.

Then I asked a friend who is a professor of Acoustics and he talked about a woman who is president of the Royal Society and some others ..but using them would be like doing homework. I wanted to find someone who was amazing, that I had heard of but had forgotten. Even after some online research nobody jumped out at me. I don’t have to do this for homework – it is real, so it better be real for me.

Next I thought about women who inspired me where there was some scientific quality. Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley who wrote Frankenstein which is a bit scientific, George Eliot who I know was very interested in phrenology (the bumps on your head), Beatrix Potter with her interest in anatomy and botany. None seemed quite good enough. I love the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby – lots of early scientific experiments and racked my brains to see if there were any women in the Lunar Society which was all about using science as a way of understanding life, rather than religion .. but there were none.

Then I thought about my own education. Was there an enthusiastic woman teacher of this stuff ever in my life? Maths was taught by men, (goodness – that is a strong subliminal message, isn’t it) the Biology teacher was incompetent and we used to mess around, chemistry was taught by a blue stocking spinster type – I remember finding her dull and a bit scary. Who taught Physics? That was the subject that I liked the most but I have absolutely no idea who taught me! No one comes to mind at all.

Until I started this thought process I hadn’t quite realised how badly science was represented by teachers. But in fact, we were very short-changed by inspirational teachers … one taught French and was fantastic, and while I was doing A level English we had two excellent teachers. But by that time I had made up my mind about which subjects I liked best. If there had been a lively science teacher somewhere in my past I think it would have made a huge difference.

Perhaps I should ask myself whether this is hopeless. Am I capable of being excited by science and technology? Am I meant to be doing this Ada Lovelace Day at all?

The answer is yes! My father describing the solar system using apples and oranges from the fruit bowl at supper, my boyfriend years ago talking about motherboards, the principles of database design and so on had me completely hooked even if I didn’t understand it all. I am fascinated today by using technology in websites .. but I have never been inspired by a woman. I think it has been more that it was a land I couldn’t enter.

If I am really honest the only people who have inspired me are my three daughters. They took to computer games like ducks to water, and are all technically competent even if not particularly interested. The finer details of CAD, Powerpoint, computer hardware or making films are no problem to them. They just assume they can do it, that there is no reason why not. So although I started by looking for some kind of heroine, I have ended up with the people I know best in my own life! Perfect.

They have a mother who supports them to do it, which was the hallmark of Ada Lovelace’s education. Her father (Byron) though a charismatic person was totally absent from Ada’s life, but her mother educated her about numbers and science. Probably the best kind of inspiration.

I must stop now and get to grips with my new Joomla site which was explained to me on Skype last night in a friendly hour and a half call with – yes - a geek in the US. Knowing who inspires me gives me more confidence that I can understand it all and make it work the way I want.

The fact that I have done this blog at all has been inspirational as I can see more clearly the influences on my life. I will read others’ blogs on Ada Lovelace Day about the women who inspire them, and, who knows, maybe by next year a real whole person who inspires me will have come into my life.

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Ada Lovelace post –

jeanspark — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:43:33 +0000

Ada Lovelace is not seeing the light of day. Just checking with this post. Firefox problems? Couldn’t be a jinx on Ada. Related posts:Women in technology – blogging on Ada Lovelace Day Image via Wikipedia Ada Lovelace is thought to be... Ada Lovelace Day – anniversary for inspiring women in science and technology Ada Lovelace Day [...] Related posts:

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Blue moon at the start of the new year

jeanspark — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:57:02 +0000

: Image by sroemerm via Flickr

Once in a blue moon there is a blue moon.

The moon is not actually blue but there are two full moons in a single month.

This rare and special event is happening tonight, December 31st, as we say goodbye to 2009.

This is a special beginning of a new decade!

Wishing you all the most wonderful new year that you could wish for yourself

and fantastic relations with clients who adore you!

With very best wishes for 2010

Jean

More stuff about Blue Moons

Blue moon to shine on New Year’s Eve (cnn.com)

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Not just an anniversary a Marks and Spencers 125 year anniversary

jeanspark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Marks and Spencer is celebrating 125 years of trading.

Quite an achievement for any business. This is not just an ordinary anniversary .. as they say in the TV ad – but an extra special anniversary in this year of retail problems. What can a business owner learn?

Marks and Spencer 2009 Penny Bazaar as reported in the Daily Mail

1. Celebrate your anniversaries. Whether it is one year or 125 years make a noise about it. 125 years is a long time to be in business, and definitely a cause for celebration. M and S used the history of the “Penny Bazaar” to re-create part of their history, sell goods at 1 penny, and attract a lot of attention.

Even one year of trading is an achievement. The statistics from Britain and the US are alarming – most businesses fail. Sometimes 9 out of 10 will fail, but 4 out of 5 is common by the fifth year. If your business is anything over 1 year old – celebrate!

2. Products + salesmanship. Michael Marks introduced products from Poland to the North East of England. He offered exotic toys, which had probably never been seen before. He sounds like the classic entrepreneur: risk taker, resourceful and probably very charismatic. All entrepreneurs have to get buy-in not only for products and services but also for their ideas. it is salesmanship.

3. Know what your customers are thinking. One of the best principles of direct marketing is – as Robert Collier put it – to get into the conversation in the customer’s head. When those early buyers read the sign on one of Mark’s stalls which said: ” Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny” they must have become more willing to hand over the coin. It disqualified any customer who couldn’t read (and probably wouldn’t have a penny of disposable income), and made them feel their thoughts had been read.

4. Ask for what you want. Michael Marks was no slouch and expanded his business with market stalls and by selling products from Dewhurst’s a local supplier into the villages around Hartlepool. He approached Dewhurst to see if he would be interested in a partnership. Mr Dewhurst turned him down.

But, as in business networking events, if you ask for what you want clearly somebody will know somebody who is the right person. In this instance Mr Dewhurst recommended Thomas Spencer, his cashier. Thomas Spencer did see an opportunity for his money to grow, and probably for his talent to be applied. He invested £300 for half the business, took over the warehousing, and the company expanded rapidly.

5. Growing a business is different from starting a business. So the company belonged to them both and Marks had to share his venture. He ran the market stalls and Spencer ran the back office. They brought different – equally important – skills to the business which was bigger than either of them. Spencer was probably an expert with the quill pen and the ledger, and valued order and process, Marks saw opportunity everywhere, and had a million new ideas every day.

Marks developed the company to the stage where entrepreneurial skills and flair could be boosted by sound management. Once it made that transition, Marks and Spencer reached critical mass and the early success laid the foundation for the 125 year anniversary.

Anniversaries make news. They create a good answer to the question “Why should I know about this” and the media and your target market will be interested. They are a chance to promote products and services simply by virtue of the anniversary. It couldn’t be simpler!

Some of the better known retailers celebrating this year include:

Selfridges – 100 years in business in March

Primark – 40 years in business – their tale of growth and acquisition makes interesting reading.

Cargo -20 years

It is not only retailers who gain from the focus of an anniversary, but any organisation that has a link with a famous individal or cause. It is an opportunity for books, ebooks, events, festivals etc, and a re-publication of old material made newsworthy by the anniversary.

Charles Darwin – author of Origin of Species. 150 years since publication, 200 since his birth. The Natural History Museum and English Heritage were leaders in the focus on Darwin.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel – the great engineer. 150 years since his death. The anniversary has created opportunities for organisations as diverse as First Great Western trains to Brunel University .

Hampton Court – royal palace owned by Henry VIII. 500 years since Henry came to the throne. an opportunity for festivals, conferences and special events. ..not only for the Palace, but for any associated organisations.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams’ famous book is 30 years’ old and published by PanMacMillan who are promoting a special anniversary edition.

Island Records. The breathtakingly successful British recording studio with a stellar lineup from Bob Marley, Cat Stevens, and Amy Winehouse to Keane. 50 years old.

Look around for noteworthy events in your market even if your own history doesn’t warrant an anniversary. Ride on the coat-tails. Plan your anniversary in good time. It is a golden opportunity to connect and to promote.

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Google brand gains from 40 year space anniversary

jeanspark — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:39:11 +0000

Google is making the most of the 40 year anniversary of Apollo 11 on 16th July. Data from the space missions together with information from NASA is introduced by astronauts who went into space.

This information about space is presented as an extension of Google Earth, so effectively Google lets you look around all corners of the world. The Moon section is selected within Google Earth.

Anniversaries are always an opportunity for renewed interest about a subject, and it is no surprise that Google has launched this feature to coincide with the space anniversary.

This helps Google take its brand into the stratosphere and:

demonstrates Google as a major player in partnership with NASA and the folk-hero astronauts

subliminally gives the message that Google is master of Space as well as Earth.

The direct benefits are that Google will capitalise on and contribute to search phrases and news stories about the space anniversary.

This information about space looks much more like an identified product than the other services available from Google.

I wonder what is next…

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Happy 3 month blog birthday

jeanspark — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:43:34 +0000

My blog is three months old! As with all anniversaries it is a good idea to celebrate so please help yourself to a piece of virtual cake and help me blow out the candles!

Blow out the candles on the blog 3 month birthday cake

The other good thing about anniversaries is that they create a natural opportunity to look back and look forward.

What are my thoughts about the blog at this three month birthday?

1. I am astonished that it is only three months! Not just that the time has gone by, but my blogging confidence is so much greater now it feels as though I have been doing this for a lot longer. And of course this is what we do at birthdays. The conversations often have the theme “It only seems a moment since you were learning to walk, going to school “..

2. I now find it harder to imagine what it was like NOT knowing. It is good to learn more – obviously – but in a business context it is very important to remember what it was like to not know. We are speaking to the person before they use our services and the more you can identify with those feelings the stronger the connection is likely to be.

3. Writing down how things are helps to create a kind of audit trail of development. Why does this matter? Because I have every intention of moving on more in the next three months. The journey itself is of value, not just reaching the destination. Plus there is the benefit that what you measure can be improved.

So for the record

in April (which was only 3 weeks) there were 220 unique visitors visiting a total of 658 times

in May there were 457 unique visitors visiting 1681 times

in June 415 visitors stopping by 1966 times

and so far in July 90 people have dropped in for a chat or a quick look around 669 times.

We are talking about real human eyeballs here not bots, or spiders. The interesting ratio is that in the first month the number of visits per visitor was just under 2.99 and the figures for July of visits per visitor is 7.43 – so the number of visits has doubled. I don’t exactly know what or how everything is measured but a development like that has got to be good news.

These figures are from my hostgator hosting account which is how I started measuring on day one. What is satisfying about hostgator is that you can get a minute-by-minute update and if you think the same figure is showing just click the update link, and bingo- some new numbers will have been added! This is incredibly satisfying at the start because you get instant validation that something is happening. Rather like a child watching a plant grow you want instant results! (And without pulling the plant up to see if the roots are growing!).

I also have Google Analytics on the blog but you don’t get instant gratification as the figures are one day old. To be honest there is some discrepancy between the two systems and I guess that in time I will move more to analytics but I still love popping over to hostgator. It feels friendly!

4. Frequency of posting has slowed down. Total number of posts is 44 which means roughly one every other day in a three month period. In the last fortnight in fact I have posted very little for various extraneous reasons. But because I had posted a lot to start with the recent absence does not seem to have dramatically reduced the figures.

The blog is like a human. When it is new born you are alert for every snuffle and sound and extremely attentive to every need. As it grows it can survive on its own for longer without food and even begin to sleep through the night. Despite some benign neglect my blog is still alive and well. It is lying contentedly watching the trees moving in the breeze or the light dancing on the ceiling and happy to see me again, as well!

5. My posts have included some references to current affairs which are hot and topical and bring in lots of traffic. The intention is that visitors will then like what they find and come back to visit again. For example I wrote about Susan Boyle and Britain’s Got Talent (and did some PR around it as well) which was amazingly popular for a few weeks. But nobody wants yesterday’s newspapers, so the posts that stand the test of time re-appear at the top of the most-read list in the next month. You don’t want to be endlessly chasing news stories so a balance is best.

My aim for these first three months was simply to post content. To focus on making the contribution and getting out there in cyberspace. At the same time I have been writing for a client as well and the results are fairly similar – both blogs are getting 60 – 70 visits per day fairly reliably.

What are the plans for the blog for next 3 months?

1. Publish consistently even if I am not around. The next three months includes holiday time, so it is the perfect opportunity to schedule publishing to maintain consistency. Wordpress is very good for this.

2. Plan my posts better around keywords, and check that the shape of the blog is as I want it to be. It is not a novel by Tolstoy (described by Henry James as “a loose baggy monster”) but focussed on marketing… and getting the spark into marketing. Collect the other ideas ( all of them!) and sort them out separately.

3. Make dedicated time for my blog. Don’t let the client work stop me. This will be easier if I am scheduling post publishing as I can let the concentration build up, rather than working in short bursts of time.

4. Get experience of the different monetisation options.

5. Go visiting. Get out and read other blogs and make comments.

Next update in three month’s time! So come back then and find out what has happened. I think three month time periods are motivational. I enjoy new things, so creating some newness and momentum by seeing the world in 90 day periods is good for me.

To read other posts about blogging click on the word “blog” in the tag section in the right hand column.

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