Google Alerts is a great way to keep track of the latest news on your favourite subject. It probably doesn’t take much to guess that one of my alerts is for WalesCymru, and this is why …
According to Alexa WalesCymru.com is the 510,882th largest site within .COM and has a Global traffic ranking of 951,345. Not bad I suppose being in the top 1m websites in the world.
If you are a member of Facebook you will know they are going to drop Regional Networks. Their argument is that to provide the level of privacy users now demand they need to remove a feature which, in my view, provided a great attraction. The argument goes … “Almost 50 percent of all Facebook users are members of regional networks …”, but this doesn’t matter to so we have come up with a “plan” and this is “to remove regional networks completely …”. Huh?
I don’t get this, how is something that was used by 50% of users a bad thing?
Personally I think Regions are an important feature that defines a community, even virtual ones. True I share interests which cross global boundaries, but I also share interests which can only be expressed in social interaction, and in ‘locally focused’ world, this means shared with people who live close by. To me, some of the most interesting aspects of Facebook were the local groups I found by accident, because they were local. With the removal of regions, how will I find these now?
This naturally brings me to the role WalesCymru has, or should have. Are we a regionally focused Social Network? Should we be?
This was the ambition we had in 2007, but is still some way off. Should this be pursued as our goal now, or should Regional Networks, as Facebook thinks, be consigned to the past?
What do you think?
Running a website is time consuming and sometimes you just don’t have enough time. Friends will know I’ve been busy helping others progress their use of blogs and social media activities, and hope to be able to make some announcements about these shortly. I’m now also working on a full-time contract with a Welsh Government Agency helping them ‘go digital’ - but again can’t say much more at this time; which means I have little time for other activities.
In the coming weeks I hope to make a few minor updates to WalesCymru and remove some of the out of date listings that have built up over the last two years. If I delete your listing by accident, please restore it immediately, as I’m sure listed businesses and users are getting some value from the site.
Being FREE helps at one level, in that it has no barrier to entry; but also means you have no income to pay for any resources or updates. The site is still seeing around 5000 visitors a month and around 20,000 page views - so I’m hoping some Welsh businesses are seeing real benefits of a WalesCymru list and positive review. If you’re one of these businesses and have any suggestions on how this site might progress, please drop me a line.
Today e-Crime Wales announced a half-day Creative Industries Workshop in advance of the e-Crime Wales Summit, which this year takes place on 21 October 2009 in Llandudno.
This half day e-Security Workshop - Lock it down or give it away? - is a first in Wales and aims to open up a bigger discussion around the creation and protection of Digital Content by companies and individual creators working in Wales’ Creative Industries - an area that is very topically and generating a lot of media attention. In fact, only today Lilly Allen add her contribution to the debate on illegal music download, which up to now has been lead by the Featured Artists Coalition.
Speakers for the Creative Industries Workshop are drawn from the fields of Digital Security, Content Management, Broadcast commissioning and Independent Music and will offer their views on the ongoing evolution of Digital Content, tracking media assets, copyright and online sales and distribution. Key findings from a new report on Digitally Networked Businesses (one of the topics I’ve been featuring in this blog) will be shared during the Workshop.
Greg Cannon: 41 Days from e-Crime Wales on Vimeo.
If you’re involved in the Creative Industries this workshop is bound to offer some thought provoking views and hopefully encourage Welsh business to think seriously about their IP and how to maximise the value of their work. Let’s hope a similar event is also organised for South Wales, as I doubt few companies based in this part of the country will make the four hour trip north.
A recent review of the Welsh Tourism Industry conducted by L&R Consulting on behalf of the Wales Tourism Alliance recommended that three task and finish groups be established. The one that is of particular interest to me is the “Digital tourism business framework for Wales task and finish group”.
This group is Jointly Chaired by Julian Burrell, of the Wales Tourism Alliance, and Roger Pride, of Visit Wales/WAG and comprises the great and the good of Welsh Tourism (see the full membership list here).
The role this group is to “consider, agree and be responsible for decisions taken in respect of the appropriate framework for digital tourism business for Wales”.
The Objective of group is:
To consider and agree a Digital Tourism Business Framework for Wales, to achieve this, the group will need to agree:-
With a total Project Cost circa £18,500,000; I advice everyone with an interest in Digital Tourism in Wales to keep up-to-date on the working of this group by reading their blog (something I’ve only just discovered myself today):
If anyone has any comments, observations of views on this, please feel free to post them here - I’d love to know what you all think; and esp. if WalesCymru ‘might’ have some role to play in this development.
Brecon Jazz is an institution on the Welsh cultural calendar, and it’s great to see it is still happening. This year’s festival was saved by the Hay Festival team, with support from the Arts Council of Wales, after the previous organisers got into financial troubles; so a big thank you must go to you guys!
For those who don’t know (is anyone prepared to put their hand up) the 3 day Brecon Jazz festival provides a wonderful mix of some of the UK’s best jazz musicians and legendary Jazz stars from across global. This year the focus appears to be the African continent, with flavours of Arab and Islamic worlds, and a mix of Spanish, Moorish, Oriental and India spices thrown in; along with the staples of funk, fusion and New Orleans that we know and love.
The highlights for the 2009 festival seem to be:
What makes Brecon special is the festival audience, and of course the location - set in the market town of Brecon in the middle of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
For a weekend of great music and celebration, you can’t go wrong. Come along on your own, or with friends, family, lovers or colleagues. Come for fun, to share the joy of Jazz in 50 concerts over 3 days, and to meet some of the world’s greatest musicians - up close and personal.
Recently VisitWales invited students and graduate film-makers from Welsh Universities to submit a short film of 3 minutes or less that celebrates Wales as a contemporary holiday destination.
On 22 July the winning films were upload to VisitWales’ YouTube account and can now be viewed by anyone who’s interested in checking out some great holiday ideas and the early work of a future Spielberg, Jackson or Attenborough.
The winner of the first prize was Rhiannon Tate from St Davids, who is studying film at the International Film School Wales at Newport. Rhiannon won a £2000 career development fund and one week’s work experience at advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy (nice).
Rhiannon’s film is about how a family run ice-cream van at Abereiddi beach in Pembrokeshire, which sounds like a great place visit.
The runners up were Jim Birket, for his film on Llangorse Activity Centre, Aaron McKeene and Laurie Cameron for their film on Lloysey Farm, and Ewan Jones Morris for his film on the Green Man Festival. The runners up each receive a £500 career development fund.
Well done guys, let’s hope this is just the start of a great career.
On Tuesday 14th July Google and VisitBritain announced the winners of the online poll in which over 35,000 Brits voted for the first tourist attractions to be photographed by the Street View Trike. The 16 finalists, which included Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, had been previously narrowed from a starting field of over 10,000+ suggestions. The 6 winners, plus a special ‘wildcard’ location, will get a visit from the specially adapted Trike (an 18 stone mechanical masterpiece) over the summer, while the images it collects will appear in Street View on Google Maps later in the year.
The 6 winners are spread throughout the UK and demonstrate the public’s passion for their local landmarks; or maybe just their preference for landmarks that are easy to cycle around in a day.
THE WINNERS ARE: Stonehenge, the Angel of the North, Loch Ness, the Eden Project, Warwick Castle and Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland was chosen by VisitBritain as the ‘wildcard’ and was selected because “it represents a hidden gem, off the beaten track”. The same could have also been said of Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, or am I being to parochial?
Once photographed and the 360 deg images ‘processed’ these tourist attractions will be put right onto Google’s virtual map, “tempting people at home and abroad to explore Britain’s historic and culture landmarks in an exciting new way” and hopefully encouraging a few more to actually visit in person.
So there you have it, and it’s now official, Cardiff has one of the UK’s TOP 6 tourist attractions by public vote!
In the interest of further public participation, if you spot Google’s Street View Trike in or around the Millennium Stadium over the coming weeks please let us know - we’d love to add this photo to our website.
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the nations largest festival and provides an opportunity for both residents and visitors alike to engage with and take part in this annual celebration of the Welsh language, heritage and culture. But it’s also much more than this. With attendances typically around 160,000 for two weeks in August the site becomes a vibrant and living Welsh community and includes all manor of things to see, do, try and buy.
This year the festival take place from 1-8 August and will be located on the Rhiwlas Estate near Bala, Gwynedd. If you’re in the area, or would like to experience Welsh culture first hand, this is a must visit event.
Both the on-site camping and nearby hotels will now be fully booked, but there’s still plenty of accommodation within easy driving. Contact the Eisteddfod Office on 0845 122 2003 for an up-to-date list of available accommodation.
While Welsh is the official language of the festival, translation equipment is widely available for those who (like me) require the simultaneous translation services provided during the main pavilion ceremonies; although there are always loads of people who are happy to tell you what’s happening if you care to ask.
For more details on the festival, or to buy tickets to the main events or for the world class evening concerts, please check out the official website http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk. And this year, for the first time, you can now follow the Eisteddfod on Twitter @eisteddfod (the official account) or @maes_b - the Youth event (although these postings are mostly in Welsh).
There’s always a warm welcome for everyone at the Eisteddfod and it’s great fun; so if you haven’t been why not come this year?
Background (lifted from the Eisteddfod website and slightly edited)
The Eisteddfod is one of the world’s greatest festivals, and one of the oldest manifestations of Welsh culture and heritage that attracts around 160,000 visitors annually. It also plays an important role in the life of a nation by promoting the Welsh language and the arts. The Eisteddfod is also a launch pad for Wales’ most talented performers - the famous Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel is a former Eisteddfod winner!
The Pavilion (one of the biggest tents you’ll ever see) is the focus of the Eisteddfod and is difficult to miss - it’s bright pink and it’s massive! The Pavilion is where the ceremonies, competitions and the concerts take place, and can be hot and crowded if the weather is fine and there’s something interesting happening on stage (which usually there is).
On the field there’s also a theatre, an art and crafts exhibition, a literary tent, a Welsh learners pavilion (Maes D), a science and technology exhibition and a pulsating youth tent (Maes B) as well as over 300 stands - so if you go, your time is going to be fully occupied finding things to buy and eat and interesting people to talk with.
The evenings are full of entertainment too - on the field and in the local area: pop, folk, rock and hip hop concerts, classical plays, comedy shows and lots of parties for people of all ages!
The Order of the Bards (Gorsedd) consists of bards of course, but also people who have made a distinguished contribution to the Welsh nation, language and culture. Members of the Order are dressed in white, blue or green robes according to their rank or order. The people in white are the most important! The Order is responsible for three main events held in the main Eisteddfod pavilion: the Crowning of the Bard, the Prose Medal and the Chairing of the Bard ceremonies.
The festival costs around £3.1 million to stage every year, with local communities responsible for raising a large proportion of the money through fund-raising activities. This has the benefit of bringing the local people together to enjoy a whole calendar of social activities and probably explains why the Eisteddfod still so popular today - 833 years after it started.
OK I missed this when it was first announced, but it seems last month Google & VisitBritain asked the British public to nominate their top tourist treasures to bring to Google Street View, or to be more accurate “Trikeview” - as the pictures will actually be taken by a specially adapted Trike.
Yesterday, 15 June 2009, Google announced their shortlist, and from over 10,000 suggested locations, two of Wales’ best known attractions have reached the final stages, namely the iconic Millennium Stadium and the Pembrokeshire Coast - an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Why the shortlist?
Well it seems the specially adapted bike will only be in the UK a short time, and our weather is not always the best for taking photos.
To quote Google’s press release of 15 June 2009:
“Due to operational factors such as light levels and the weather (and what could be a pretty tired cyclist), the trike will only be in the UK for a limited time during the summer. Images collected by the trike will be processed and carefully stitched together, a technological process that can take several months. They will be made available at a later date in Street View on Google Maps.”
So what happens now?
We VOTE!
If you want Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and the Pembrokeshire Coast to be featured on Streetview maps, as glorious 360 degree views, get voting. I’ve already done so.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/streetviewtrike/trike_vote.html
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