Don't let the Internet pass you by, says Kisky Netmedia

For Internet-savvy companies, the trick is to appear at many virtual places at once, explains Katie Lips, whose Liverpool and Amsterdam-based company, Kisky Netmedia, is pressing home the advantages of 'social media'.

Internet-based communities are changing. Companies that recognise the latent reach of social media today will be in pole position when a much more intimate style of making direct personal contact becomes the norm tomorrow.

Fortunately, the technologies involved are already well-established. 'The skill is in bringing them all together,' says Katie.

'Almost every company has invested in a quality website but the Internet is becoming more dynamic. You can't wait for people to come to you. It is important to take your message out through the many active channels that are becoming part of more people's daily online lives.'

High-profile examples include 'brands' such as YouTube and MySpace – which now incorporate sophisticated search facilities. However, a wide range of new social media tools also includes communal upcoming events and conferencing forums, flickr.com for sharing photography, slideshow.net for presentations, artrabbit.com for art, jaiku.com for microblogging, linkedin.com for professional networking, video.google.com for video, lastfm.com for music, wakoopa.com for software, technorati.com for blog news and digg.com for news. These are “spaces” for finding powerful content, audiences and customers.

For many open-minded, contemporary companies, blogging is perhaps an early step into social media. While the creative community may lead the field, science, industry and education blog sites are now mainstream. The fact that major international corporates chose them as an advertising channel underscores their influence.

Katie sees many advantages. 'Why are blogs great? Their strength is that they are collaborative and can be written by communities or groups. Because they are participatory, readers can feedback and extend the conversation. Importantly, they are time-based and about “now”. They are often flexible too, so you can customise exactly what you want to do. In addition, they are search-engine friendly. In today's world, people will find you if they are interested in what you have to say.

'Blogs also “auto-archive” themselves, so that the most recent content appears first. Low cost to implement and maintain, they are ideal if you are prepared and able to engage in a current conversation on matters that progress and evolve. And, finally, they're cool!' she says!

Kisky Netmedia was initially formed as a technology consultancy by Katie Lips and Paul Stringer in 2002 but soon expanded into '360o' communication opportunities.

The company recognises the Internet's growing ability to reach out to a spectrum of live communities and the significance of two-way dialogue. It advises on the participatory, creative, social, open and viral nature of involvement and the numerous established online services and “tool” options.

Kisky Netmedia works with a range of business and public sector clients, including Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, who are working with Social Media and emerging technologies to enhance Youth Engagement and Social Inclusion.

Crucially, new social media is about much more than being online, Katie adds. 'In many areas, interaction that starts virtually paves the way for face-to-face meetings that might not have occurred otherwise. The beauty of modern community media is that you can take it as you will. Essentially, it generates opportunities.'

One Merseyside project illustrates what social media can achieve. The motivation was to take a walk along – and then open up – rarely seen secret areas of Liverpool's Bold Street - www.boldstreet.org.uk/blog.

Social Media tools were used to attract a new audience to Bold Street and to a special exhibition at FACT, Liverpool. From a children's “hunt for butterflies” discovered in shop windows displays, to the heart of local businesses and an engagement with many busy people, whose activities come together to make economic, historical and cultural Bold Street, the project has been a local exemplar of what integrated media can create.

An eclectic mix of Bold Street topics can be found in many spaces online, from YouTube to Flickr and blogs written by the local community. Social Media was central in attracting new audiences to the exhibition.

www.kisky.co.uk

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Merseyside innovation connecting Toulouse to Marrakech

Julien Pierre left his native South of France for Liverpool – and loves it. He is making the city his base for a worldwide software vision.

At the age of 19, Julien began his first job placement in his home town of Toulouse. He knew then, he says, that he was destined to become an entrepreneur.

Five years later, a well-travelled Julien, whose family routinely 'work across Europe', is achieving his goal – on Merseyside. 'I had options in London and Liverpool and I made the right choice,' he says.

His first success was in achieving a BA in Business Administration, followed by an MSc in International Banking and Finance at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

A brief period in the banking industry came next, where he was surprised to see how often many SMEs phoned in on a daily basis to make simple data enquiries that should have been easily accessible online.

There had to be a better way, he concluded, and armed with his knowledge in IT, set out to establish Tissea Group Ltd at Liverpool Science Park's Innovation Centre.

'A well-known worldwide company has the Va Va Voom, but at Tissea, we have Smart English Software with French Flair,' he explains.

The result has been a refining of enterprise level content management systems (CMS) for websites, customer relationship management systems (CRM), intranets and extranets, leading to a range of e-commerce solutions. In parallel, the company has concentrated on the money-saving SMS technology to draw in mobile technology and PDA (personal digital assistants) and Pocket PCs. A third strand has been the integration of tailored SAGE Line 50 and MYOB developments and integration.

Tissea's overall aim has been to carefully extend the digital power and reach of clients that now include Reef One Ltd, Lavorwash (GB) Ltd, The Business Gateway Ltd, 4 Front Research Ltd, Prudence Fairweather and Freedom Forever. 'Any business should expect to have direct, convenient access to essential business critical information,' says Julien.

But his globe-trotting and cosmopolitan outlook have led to more ambitious goals. The clue is in the word Tissea, which translates approximately from French as 'growing a network'.

During the year that he has spent in broadening Tissea in Liverpool, Julien has also been laying the foundations for the first of the company's worldwide bases – in Morocco.

A great deal of thought has gone into the employment of three, full-time solution developers in Marrakech, he explains. Not least is the recognition that while the North African country has a pool of IT talent, its market opportunities are not served by international industry majors.

'I want to create a distinctive new standard for service in the industry and creative industries in the UK and the world,' he explains. Marrakech, as Tissea's first 'overseas' venture, is not so far from Toulouse and - from Julien's perspective - offers an exciting combination of opportunity and advantage.

With a pragmatic eye, he expects to achieve certification to the international quality standard, ISO 9001:2000 in Liverpool at the end of September. As another example of integration at the core of Tissea, he will be extending the procedures to Marrakech.

www.tissea.co.uk

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Employee training to national artistic and creative standards

Why compromise on multi-media training when FACT can offer you and your staff some of the UK's finest facilities?

Most people will know that FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) is the UK's leading organisation for commissioning and presentation film, video and new media art forms. It also champions new and emerging forms of creativity with many artists and audiences.

However, alongside its artistic programme, FACT is also committed to equipping some 600 people each year with advanced new media skills. There is no reason why your employees should not be among them, says Head of Media Services, Simon Bradshaw.

FACT began life in the late 1980s as an ambitious vision with several hundred pounds and has evolved into a nationally acclaimed arts centre, housed in the iconic £11.5 million FACT centre in the heart of Liverpool's Ropewalks District.

Today, its expertise is very relevant to the ICT sector. 'We're looking for companies to come to us that want to achieve very high end production values,' Simon explains. FACT's Moving Image and Production Service (MITES) is perfectly placed to help ICT organisations make a step-change when it comes to multi-media expertise, offering advice and subsidised equipment access. Allied to MITES, the Digital Mastering Service provides High Definition DVD authoring and digital videotape archiving, while New Tools is a programme of skills development courses.

Fully-equipped with Windows compatible Intel Apple Macs, MITES, encourages artists and creative professionals, students, lecturers, teachers and company employees to maximise their potential, using programmes such as Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Shake, Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash and even Microsoft Office applications Excel and PowerPoint, explains Simon.

To take video production to the highest level, FACT has invested in professional HDCAM production and output facilities, including a Sony HDW750PC camera, a fleet of HDV cameras, and a Steadicam unit. The equipment can be hired, or FACT's experts can produce a video for you.

Importantly, production and workshop facilities are known collectively as the Medialab. The state of the art post-production workspace runs on an Apple MacPro and Genelec system and offers Creative audio solutions for any video or audio project (HDCAM Video, DVD, Web, Broadcast, Multimedia, Exhibition) with 10.2 surround sound, mastering, virtual instruments, control surfaces and access to high level experienced engineers.

FACT has also just announced its investment in a range of new high-brightness and High Definition projection equipment in the run up to 2008. 'This includes a new 20,000 ANSI Lumen projector for big outdoor projection, plus a range of 3-chip and single chip HD and SXGA+ installation and exhibition projectors for high impact display that are now available for hire,' adds Simon.

Founded in 1988 as Moviola, FACT has since commissioned and promoted more than 100 digital media artworks. Funded largely by the Arts Council of England, its prime motivation is to inspire and promote the artistic significance of film, video and new and emerging media.

FACT's status is such that in early September, Oscar-winning Hollywood film director, Quentin Tarantino, is due at the centre to give an exclusive preview of his latest film, Death Proof. Tickets sold out within 20 minutes!  As one of the major arts organisations in Liverpool, FACT will play a key role in the city's celebrations during 2008, its year as European Capital of Culture, with a strong artistic programme featuring international and local artists.

www.fact.co.uk

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New life and Second Life for Merseyside start-ups

Andy Davidson's business incubation model aims to replicate success again and again by following the 'small is beautiful' principal that has already made Liverpool a top global online destination.

Livewire Capital is a local business development model. Specifically, it has been designed to take-to-market streamlined technology companies with smart ideas – the kind that find it difficult to raise traditional financial backing. As Livewire's successes grow, its building blocks will continue to be small, innovative enterprises, no matter how large and influential the model becomes.

'We know that small technology businesses often find it hard to win vital support to grow, even though it has been proved that they have a major potential for success,' explains entrepreneur, Andy Davidson.

Andy and his colleagues know, from personal experience, the promise and pain involved in growing ICT companies in an international market. Now, they have built a model to fast-track the criteria for success many times over.

Livewire has been running for eight months and already one of its eight dynamic young companies – Live From Liverpool - has made the city the world's premier virtual destination on Second Life (www.secondlife.com) for good, clean wholesome fun.

Early success is the result of Livewire's methodology, which pools together a series of enabling-companies that are each commercially viable in their own right. Combined, these organisations have the essential components that can help other good ideas to succeed.

Greenhouse Marketing, Seven Technology, Balance and First Principle respectively bring onboard, marketing, technology, finance and legal expertise. They support a mix of technology-based businesses; Sentric Music opens direct access to the music industry. Considerable intellectual power is added to the mix by Creative Cultures, whose viral marketing experience generates new online marketing avenues, and BluePoint Communications, which specialises in the technology of mobile content marketing. Other businesses involved focus on eLearning and Internet accessibility for people with learning difficulties.

Creative Cultures has started particularly well and provides digital marketing services to the music business. Its customers include MTV, Sony, most major UK record labels and many independents. However, Live From Liverpool has created perhaps the greatest local impact in a very short space of time.

'The unit used to measure activity on Second Life is “traffic ”,' Andy explains. 'One unit of traffic equals three minutes of visitor time. Since Liverpool first appeared virtually, it has attracted traffic of 15,000 units a day, compared to an average of 100 units in other features. People the world over are being drawn in droves to Matthew Street, Cream and The Cavern.'

Second Life's 3D reality is booming. 'It is really Web 3.0,' explains Andy. 'We are very happy to be helping to establish Liverpool's position in this new world. Our Live From Liverpool Second Life presence, coupled with CreativeCultures music contacts, are enabling us to stage major artists like The Wombats and the Travelling Wilburys Live From Liverpool.'

During 2008, Andy and the Livewire team plan to raise a second round of funding to take another tranche of promising companies to market. At the same time, some enterprises currently in incubation, such as Creative Cultures, could be spun out through their exit routes. The key will be to keep companies small, though their number and impact may be large.

Andy and his father, John, were part of the team that took Liverpool-based Sentient Learning to world markets, including the US, with its winning solution to integrate library and resource content on college and university campuses. Their experience of co-ordinating the marketing of first-class ideas with critical financial support is now being put to good use.

www.livewirecapital.co.uk

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ICU delivers customised service sector solutions

For seven years, Tony Walker faced the difficulties of supporting a 20-branch, nationwide service company's IT infrastructure from 7am to 9pm. Software solutions must run themselves, he decided, without extensive in-house support.

When Tony started his own Merseyside ICT business in 1998, he was determined to deliver robust, reliable business software solutions to the Service Sector.

Today, the ICU Group works on the premise that solutions should be supremely robust. The aim, he explains - as Technical Director - is that beyond routine change, clients should be able to maintain meticulously tailored programmes easily in-house, without constant recourse to developers and consultants.

'Service sector clients need software to manage daily business operations, including contractual obligations that simply cannot be handled by off-the-peg solutions. Our philosophy is to deliver tailored solutions that mould themselves around, and meet, the client's requirements, rather than the developer's aspirations. The result is major cost-saving for end-users, plus convenience and a valuable confidence factor.'

To achieve their results, Tony and his team have grouped software developed on Microsoft SQL Server into a suite of management tools that can be closely moulded to individual tasks. They have now refined this into ICU ServiceMaster, which integrates a customer and supplier database with contract management, installation schedules, call and false alarm management, invoicing, management reports, stock control and data exchange functions.

Their aim is to change clients' linear activities into adaptive operations that highlight the potential for cost savings and create the ability for an integrated response to competitive change, adds Tony.

In one significant example, ICU's business solutions are being used by Kirby-based integrated service contractor, M J Quinn, to manage several service contracts, including a contract to ensure the smooth working of the fire prevention systems on London Underground's Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines.

Wirral-based materials handling specialist, Sovex Systems, also uses ICU's ServiceMaster solution to service a national client base, which includes Asda, Parcelforce Worldwide, Royal Mail and UPS. It provides the businesses with a centralised system to proactively manage client expectations at a level which would not be attainable using manual systems, says MD David Lindfield.

Another client, Crime Prevention Services, a national security business, has reduced its monthly invoicing timeline by 95% since ServiceMaster was introduced four years ago.

Meanwhile, robustness is backed by a 'complete' IT network support service by ICU, which boasts Microsoft Certified Professionals and qualified Systems Engineers. From a helpdesk, right through to detailed contingency planning and disaster recovery, planning for reliability means that nothing should be left to chance.

www.icugroup.co.uk

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