I joined the executive board of the Irish Software Association yesterday. Why? Because I think it is a worthwhile effort to devote some of my time to making the ISA more relevant to the Irish Software startup community.
Historically the ISA has done a very bad job of engaging with young startups, and I hope to improve that situation over the next few months, but I need your help.
I have the following two things on my agenda,
- Reducing/eliminating the fee for all startup companies younger than 3 years
- Getting information out using a better mechanism than email and and RSS free websites
What else are people looking for?
Copacetic 
wow,
1st thing, get them to resolve software.ie not just http://www.software.ie
does not look the best. A cname alias is not that hard.
2nd. Using Lotus Domino as front end web server, wow. Don’t know what to say.
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How about permitting speakers in who aren’t members? We offered to speak on several occasions, yet:
1) The ISA that we spoke to had no idea what we were talking about.
2) They indicated that they preferred to only let members speak at events.
3) We couldn’t become a member, because we didn’t have an Irish address.
We’re not really chasing Irish business nearly as much as we used to, but it was frustrating because, well, I was definitely qualified enough to speak on topics like business writing and social media.
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Yep, I hear ya. Officialdom does run a bit riot.
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Hi Joe,
This is good news and I am now seriously tempted to join. I haven’t joined to date because I think the membership fees are far too high.
Unfortunately we are now just a few days over 3 years old now – so we wont qualify for your proposed discounted pricing!
Cronan
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Hi Cronan,
Yep, I hear ya. Baby steps, if we can get the first three years for startups, that would be huge.
Joe.
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To all potential ISA speakers – you don’t have to be a member to speak!
The best way to get a slot is, of course, to approach them directly. Email shane.dempsey at ibec dot ie. Alternatively, why not get someone you know is a member to make the request.
In the case of Capulet, you guys have done super work for many ISA companies; any one of whom I am sure (myself included) would be prepared to suggest a session. Marketing in particular is a topic that seems to fall off the agenda a bit. The challenge is getting past the spiel and into delivering real value on the night for the listeners. That usually means looking at putting together a programme that includes more than one company.
From a practical point of view, the ISA sessions are often scheduled well in advance, so a blocked schedule may well result in good ideas getting pushed back. I know – that doesn’t help much, but it’s a factor…
It’s excellent to get a conversation going that reveals people’s experiences of the ISA. That’s how things get better. Be gentle!
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late with this Joe – congrats.
nothing practical to suggest right now – but will be back if anything occurs to me.
look forward to seeing the subtle changes take place 🙂
keith
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