Where’s Good RIP
Posted: Sun 29 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Own Business, Work-related | Leave a comment »Over this weekend, I’ve finally pulled the plug on Where’s Good, the site I launched a while back with the idea of user-generated content for reviewing restaurants, pubs and places to go. It had been around since May 2006 and while the initial take-up and first-year business was OK, it had faded to nothing by the start of 2008.
If I’m honest, the idea stagnated a bit – there was still stuff I wanted to do on it, but I just never got round to doing the second phase, so it all just kind of stayed there, doing nothing much. It may come back when I’ve done a version two, but I don’t know.
When all’s said and done, it didn’t get the interest – again, some of that is down to the fact I didn’t do a lot to promote it. I still think the idea’s good, but there are other sites around that do a similar thing, so I need some kind of USP (Unique Selling Point) and really that’s something else it just didn’t have. Interestingly, at about the same time I bought the Where’s Good domain name, another one called Where Shall We Eat came up, and that one’s never taken off either – the holding page it now has is the same one it’s had since 2005.
Over the last three or four months the registration was also getting hit hard by spammers. Interestingly, the account set-up process I’d written meant that those spammers names/profiles never actually saw the light of day – the system blocked them, or forced the extra verification that they couldn’t supply – so that’s something I’ll probably take on and use elsewhere. (In truth I already have used it elsewhere, but it’s nice to see that it works when getting attacked upwards of 200 times a week)
I’ve a couple of other ideas that may use the same domain name, or I may let that curl up and die as well. I don’t know yet. In the meantime, I haven’t invested that much time in the work on the site (and yes, perhaps if I had invested more time it would’ve been more successful. I know.) so it’s not a massive loss, but it is a bit of a disappointment to pull the plug on something that could (and perhaps should) have been so much better.
Time will tell whether anything comes from that particular revenant’s remains, though.
Business Organisation and Paperwork
Posted: Sat 28 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Own Business, Work-related | 2 Comments »Today I’ve been getting stuff organised business-wise. And about bloody time too, I hear you cry. (Besides, Herself has kind of been on about it for ages, so it’s also a good way to appease the beast)
So today has involved:
- Bringing the company day book (I.e. a lopping great big diary) up to date
- Organising all the business cards I’ve kept and accumulated over the last few months
- Sorting out the filing of business paperwork, receipts, contracts etc.
- Filling in some registrations for business things: local directories, hotel account, fuel account, etc. etc.
- Organising all the filing and documents into proper files and putting them all in a now-confirmed resident location
- Emailing the accountant with a few queries and updates
- Sorting out a couple of outstanding invoices that needed completing
So how was your day “off” ?
Halfway Already
Posted: Wed 25 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Own Business, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »Today is halfway through my first week in Basildon. It’s going well so far- although I can’t deny, I’m quite happy that I’m not anywhere near the town centre.
As it is, I’m right on the outskirts of the town, and that’s fine with me. There’s enough things nearby to keep me amused (including the cinema, although I haven’t been yet) so all told it’s not too bad.
Yes sure, I’d rather be home in Norfolk. But this is just what I have to do for a couple more weeks, then they look like being cool with me working primarily from home. No bad thing at all.
In the meantime though, don’t expect any incisive reviews of the place – I’m just here to work, and sightseeing in Basildon (even in the evenings) really doesn’t seem all that appealing.
It’s all going OK though. I’m even getting work done in the evening, so it’s not too bad at all. And it’s paying the bills.
That Was The Weekend That Was
Posted: Mon 23 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Own Business, Photography, Work-related | 2 Comments »Posts over the weekend were non-existstent because we were running round like blue-arsed flies. There was a party going on over at Herself’s Sister’s place.
So Friday involved putting up tents/marquees and setting up the basics, Saturday involved putting up another tent, and finishing off the set-up, then the party in the evening.
And of course Sunday meant we were stripping everything back down – although the overnight wind had helped a bit on that score, by knackering two of the five tents. Still, at least they didn’t blow away – which had been a concern earlier in the weekend, and meant that all the tents/marquees were gaffer-taped together. OK, it didn’t help when it came to something giving way and bending, but for keeping everything down on the ground and all linked together, it was blinding stuff.
Hectically busy then, but well worth it, and a good party was had by all, thankfully – even with the weather doing its level best to screw things up.
Even better, I got to take a lot of photos of people, which I’ll be putting up on the portfolio site at some point this week. After all, I may have some spare time during the evenings in which to process and upload them…
Off for the week
Posted: Mon 23 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Own Business, Travel, Work-related | 1 Comment »So yes, off I go to the new contract down in Basildon.
I’m sure I’ll update this at some point today, but it does depend on access in the office. If there’s none (and there really should be) then I’ll be online in the evening from the B&B.
Wish me luck!
New Work
Posted: Fri 20 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Getting Organised, Own Business, Work-related | 2 Comments »From Monday, I’ll be working away from home during the week again – this time down in Basildon, Essex. It might be that the company allow me to work from home for the majority of the time after the first couple of weeks, but in the mean time, I’m going to be down in Basildon from Monday morning to Friday afternoon.
Yes, in theory I could do the commute on a daily basis – but that would be 200 miles per day all told, and would mean I was away from home for about 13 hours a day. Not ideal. So I’ll stay down there, and maximise the working hours during the time I’m there.
In addition, I should (with luck) be able to carry on and do some other work in the evenings, and/or get some of that writing out of the way as well.
All told, it should work out OK. Yes, I’d rather be based from home (or at least be working locally) but at the end of the day, if I have to work away from home in order to pay the bills then that’s the way it is.
It does mean that this week has been taken up with a fair amount of organising, getting paperwork sorted, booking a place to stay, checking out what the area’s like, what facilities are around, all that guff. But again, that’s just part of the way things are for this kind of contract.
Short Notice
Posted: Fri 13 June, 2008 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Own Business, Work-related | 1 Comment »Looks like this afternoon might be busy – I’ve just been asked to go off to an interview with a company for a contract, possibly even starting on Monday.
So that should make life interesting…