Planet Marc

So, this was the first proper weekend I've had for three weeks; I was at home both days! What I did:

• Went to the George, and hid in the corner as per usual; me actually putting myself forward might be a bit much to hope for. I continue to be worst gay evar.
• Fiddled with the iPhone SDK.
• Became addicted to Starcraft II, which is the first multiplayer game I've ever really played. It's amazing!
• Watched old episodes of One Foot in the Grave on Youtube.

Marie Boran has left SiliconRepublic.com, the technology news website which also compiles the technology page and the Digital Ireland supplement in the Irish Independent, to pursue a Science Communications course in DCU. She is replaced by Laura O’Brien.

Tadgh Enright is leaving RTE to join Sky News. Conor Brophy is joining the RTE business team from NewsTalk.

George Lee is the new presenter of RTE’s The Business on Radio 1.

Here’s a few articles which I found of interest recently:

• Unbranding - Business Insider: Instead of sending their latest accessory to celebs, some fashion houses are now sending rival products to sleazy stars to tarnish the reputation of rivals. (via the New York Times)
• Facebook now valued at $33 billion - Guardian: What’s really of interest here is how might try and buy the company. With almost 50% of mobile internet traffic going to Facebook, it opens up a nice opportunity for the likes of Apple or Microsoft to get a step ahead of Google. Personally though, I still think Facebook will see new rivals emerge and the price tag could prove hefty in the long run.
• Media very skilled at missing the bigger picture - Vincent Browne: Great piece by Browne in the Irish Times which highlights how the media can often sensationalise a particular story, but miss out on the bigger picture.

I was just on a week’s holidays in Beijing. Anyone who has visited the city will have experienced the markets, which bring new meaning to haggling. Essentially sales people on the various stalls will start with an opening price of up to ten times what they hope to sell an item for and negotiate for about ten minutes to try and make as much margin as possible.

Here’s a couple of tips I picked up which can be applied in any sales setting:

• Never open the negotiation: As the customer, never give the opening price. This sets a threshold which you cannot go below and if you are unfamiliar with the product or service you are buying you may start off with an opening price which is already higher than what the seller is happy to accept.
• Be personable: Always introduce yourself and get the salesperson’s name. Sellers use the same trick to try to form a bond and emotionally manipulate you when negotiating. Flip the tables and do the same thing. When we were given the first price, instead of giving a counteroffer we would immediately say something like ‘I know that’s the regular price, but I’m Irish. Do you have a special discount for us?’ So instead of launching into a back and forth of counter offers, we forced the seller to offer a discount immediately.
• Be prepared to walk away: If you look like you really want something, then you are handing over control to the seller. Most deals in Beijing are done when the customer walks away and the salesperson calls them back, accepting the final offer the customer made.
• Don’t be put off by the sales environment: When you walk into a Porsche dealership, you know that the cars cost a lot of money. Just because a shop is snazzy or the service provider pitching to you is dressed to the nines, you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable asking for a discount. Sure they’re likely to have higher overheads, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t try to drive a bargain.
• Always try to speak to another customer: No matter what you are buying in life, always try to speak to someone who has bought the same product or service. It’s a no brainer, besides making sure the quality is of a high enough standard, it’s also a quick way to check what they paid and gives you the upper hand in a negotiation if you were originally unsure what you should be paying.

It took a while to get the post up (I have been 'life' busy). But finally a bit of a report from the World Marathon Championships.

I took this video just after the race which says it all.

Basically:

Started at the back of the grid, race was super fast and split early into large groups. I was in a group too far back. After almost an hour of racing I was 4 minutes off the race leaders – but the race was effectively over.

Course was the most boring course (in the dry) I have ridden – I have had much more technical road races. I felt reasonable in the race though. Race organization was great.


Next years Worlds are on in Montebulluna where I raced a few weeks ago - much more interesting. Followed by Ornan where I finished 25th in a Marathon World Cup in 2008. Ornan was a great course.

The biannual Cleraun media conference takes places this year between Friday 15 October and Sunday 17 October. As usual other events have conspired against me and I can’t make it, but the Sunday line-up looks interesting.

The schedule is outlined below. No sign of information on the website yet, but judging from the 2008 conference tickets should cost around €130. The most obvious session of interest will be Carol Coulter’s talk about coverage of criminal trials on Sunday, hopefully part of this discussion will centre on the family of the victim’s perspective.

Friday 15 October 2010 at 7.30pm

Showing of Das Herz von Jenin (The Heart of Jenin): 2010 Award Best German Documentary Film (Father of Palestinian boy shot by Israeli soldiers decided to donate his son’s organs to 6 Israeli children to save their lives) Followed by interactive lecture with director Marcus Vetter about challenges in making the film

Saturday 16 October 2010: Documentary Film-making

Re-presenting reality, protecting integrity - Ian Kirk-Smith, BBCNI documentary film-maker (1991-2010)

Human rights documentaries – a case study on Burma from Radharc Films - Peter Kelly, Managing Director, Esras Films

Being true: dealing with the push for more ‘edge’ and more ‘jeopardy’ - Martina Durac, Loopline Film

Amazon Indians battling oil interests: the challenges in producing an independent documentary - Marc de Jersey, British film producer; former editor “Russia Today” (24/7 TV news channel in Moscow); former desk editor ABC New York

Sunday 17 October 2010: Issues in Journalism

Feeding the beast: sources, accountability and fact-checking in the 24-hour news cycle - Kate Shanahan, Lecturer, DIT; former RTÉ Radio & TV producer

What are the ‘arts’? How radio is broadening the horizons - Clare Duignan, Managing Director, RTÉ Radio

Holding politicians to account — how an Irish media investigation led to an EU ban on Brazilian beef - Justin McCarthy, Chief Livestock Editor, Irish Farmers’ Journal

We are all investigative journalists - Don Van Natta, Jnr, New York Times Investigative Correspondent, Manhattan

Administration of justice versus prurient public curiosity — media coverage of recent criminal trials - Dr Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Editor, The Irish Times

Facebook is the world’s most popular social network, surpassing the success of previous rivals such as MySpace and Bebo, but new research shows that younger users are becoming affected by ‘Facebook Fatigue.’ PFSK points to research by Ypulse which shows that 25% of teens surveyed spent little to no time on the site. Mashable covered similar research if you are interested in further statistics.

This is why I continuously say focus on creating compelling content rather than building platforms. A couple of years ago, most marketing execs would not have foreseen the shift to smartphones and as a result wouldn’t even have contemplated mobile apps. Who knows what platforms will be prevalent in a couple of years time?

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Why would teens want to be on the same social network as their parents? Seriously, how do you explain turning down a friend request from your mum at the dinner table! Like previous generations of teens, they will turn elsewhere, building communities with their peer set away from the prying eyes of adults.

According to the Sunday Tribune, Gavin Duffy is lined to fill the void created by Eamonn Keane’s sudden departure at the lunchtime slot at NewsTalk. Julie O’Donnell (new blog that is well worth a subscription) has more on the article, including speculation on the make-up of the station’s breakfast show following the announcement that Claire Byrne is headed back to our screens with RTE. NewsTalk bosses better get their house in order if they are to maintain their challenge for listenership figures.

All is not well in the local newspaper industry with the River Media Group, the company behind the Letterkenny Post and Derry News, posting more negative news. The Irish Independent reported on Monday that the Group’s newspaper arm posted €3.3 million losses.

Despite all the doom and gloom in the newspaper industry, the Irish print market is holding up well. Roy Greenslade offers some interesting analysis, pointint out that readership has only declined by 0.28% over the past twelve months and 86% of the Irish adult population regularly reads a paper. Catherine O’Mahony points out in the Sunday Business Post that emigration in recent months may be bolstering the figures, with younger audiences who would be more likely to get their news online moving abroad. O’Mahony rightly observes that the ABC figures for actual sales will reveal the real story behind the Irish print media landscape shortly. The JNRS survey is available to view here.

O’Mahony also writes about Radio Nova in the same paper. The new radio station is aimed at 25-50 year olds. One has to question the launch of another station in an already crowded marketplace, particularly in the current economic climate.

Jim-Jim Nugent has quit 2FM ahead of today’s scheduled revamp. The former presenter of the breakfast show had been offered other opportunities at the station, but decided to pursue his stand-up comedy career. The Irish Times has a full report.