Items by Stephanie Migot

Inari Media

• #SOPAStrike and the Great Internet Blackout

  Posted: January 18, 2012, 7:07 pm by Stephanie Migot

  How are you doing today, with some of the world's most popular websites shutting down in protest at proposed US regulations?

• Are Internet Comments Getting More Stupid?

  Posted: January 10, 2012, 6:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I think internet comments have suffered a collective loss in intelligence.

• Travel, Tourism and Terrorism

  Posted: January 7, 2012, 9:03 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has just issued a travel alert for Nairobi, advising Brits to beware of the increased risks of terror attacks in the city. When I heard, my thoughts immediately jumped to how this might affect Kenya's tourism industry, dependent as it is on foreign travellers and their hard currency.

• Good luck, Goodluck

  Posted: January 6, 2012, 10:02 pm by Stephanie Migot

  From Nigeria's Department of Entirely Predictable Consequences, it turns out that if you remove a fuel subsidy overnight, people get a little upset!

• Is the African Diaspora too American?

  Posted: January 5, 2012, 10:10 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The African diaspora is a global entity, but is it too American in voice?

• Is It Time to Panic Yet?

  Posted: September 22, 2011, 3:42 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Is the global economy doomed? The IMF believe so, unless our political leaders pull their fingers out.

• Kenyan Politics: Boys’ Club?

  Posted: August 21, 2011, 3:26 am by Stephanie Migot

  Just when I think that Kenyan politics can't let me down any more than it already has, our elected troglodytes manage to surpass themselves.

• Free and Easy Tech Support (No, Really)!

  Posted: July 14, 2011, 2:56 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Before I started this blog, the place I considered to be my online “home” were the Guardian talkboards, Guardian Unlimited Talk (GUT). Then, in February, The Unpleasantness happened. I still haven’t completely forgiven them. Luckily, other members of GUT not only had wicked ninja-like coding skills, but also access to almost immediate hosting. Today, NotTheTalk [...]

• Escaping the Experts

  Posted: July 13, 2011, 2:19 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Sooo… blog’s been quiet for a couple of months. I had to clear out cobwebs and a family of mice before I could get started with this post, so neglected had my little outpost become. I’d love to tell you that I was cruising the Caribbean on my yacht having sold my kidney genius business [...]

• Whoosh! How to Stop Deadlines from Passing You By

  Posted: May 5, 2011, 4:12 pm by Stephanie Migot

  In the last few hours, I’ve realised that the four-day cushion I imagined I had for a particular deadline had been eroded. While I wasn’t paying attention, I had been RSVP’d for a yoga class, a book group, a wedding and a formal lunch. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but this time a) I [...]

• Kill Your Idols

  Posted: April 25, 2011, 4:35 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I read a lot. Currently, Google tells me that I am subscribed to almost 500 feeds. Then there are the email newsletters. The majority of these subscriptions are for current events and what I deem to be “techy stuff,” from hardcore programming developments to fluffy social media gossip. I read for advice, for interesting news, [...]

• How to Make Your Blog Titles Twitter-Friendly

  Posted: April 13, 2011, 4:26 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I know what you’re thinking: “Stephanie has finally lost her fool mind and is trying to do SEO for 140 characters!” It’s not quite that bad (yet), but I think I have to address a couple of niggles that I have with how some people take their approach to publicising their blog content. So, have [...]

• Beware the Awesome Might of Google Cache

  Posted: April 12, 2011, 3:42 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Recently, I have had cause to look for cached copies of various news articles on Google. It’s not that I think that the outfits involved are trying to hide something (though some are), I just want to see an article as it was originally written, rather than the smoothed-out offering that is presented once the [...]

• We’ve Got Your Free Tech Support Right Here

  Posted: April 11, 2011, 3:42 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Well, not on this blog, exactly, and the cat won’t be doing anything for you either. Kittehs can’t type. But this is a public service announcement to let you know that there is a place where your questions and quibbles for all things tech can be dealt with. But first, the background. The Guardian newspaper [...]

• Sometimes, “I Don’t Know” is the Best Possible Response

  Posted: March 16, 2011, 3:33 pm by Stephanie Migot

  As rescue and containment issues continue in the wake of the devastating Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami, news outlets have naturally been doing their best to keep their audience updated with the latest developments. Some, however, appear to have started complaining about the public briefings they are being given. The New York Times today refers [...]

• How to Divorce a Website

  Posted: March 15, 2011, 3:47 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Have you ever realised that although you have been reading the same website for years, it has become stale and no longer amuses/educates/informs you? Do you ever get the feeling that the writers of a particular blog no longer care about you as a person, but just about the pageviews that your eyeballs bring? If [...]

• How to Compete Against a Bigger Brand?

  Posted: March 14, 2011, 3:40 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The Guardian newspaper has just launched a European section. Jolly good, you might think; it’s good for UK readers to be informed of events on the continent. But I’ve been planning to launch a European news blog of my own! Really, I am. Bought the domain name, started the web design and everything. And now [...]

• Pity the African Billionaire

  Posted: March 10, 2011, 4:25 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Good news, kids! The Forbes 2011 World’s Billionaires rankings are out. Did you make it on to the list this year? Congrats! You are part of a select group of people who are collectively worth $4.5 trillion dollars. Carlos Slim remains on top of the list of the world’s richest people, having added another $20.5 [...]

• Can You Really Run a Business without a Landline?

  Posted: February 2, 2011, 4:04 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Everyone and their dog has a mobile phone these days, so why would you bother with a landline, right? With a mobile, you can be reached no matter where you are, pick up messages without having to go to the office and even manage some details of your business via the internet if you have [...]

• Is your Twitter Feed Human?

  Posted: February 1, 2011, 4:18 pm by Stephanie Migot

  What does the way you use Twitter say about you?

• Reboot: 2011

  Posted: January 31, 2011, 3:55 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Inari Media returns from winter hibernation.

• Why You Should Never Have the Same Password on More than One Website

  Posted: December 13, 2010, 5:24 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Over the weekend, the Gawker Media family of websites got hacked. A file purportedly containing over a million usernames, email addresses and passwords is currently doing the rounds of torrent sites and all users who logged in with an email account are being asked to change their passwords. What’s interesting is not the hack itself [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Have You Your Papers?

  Posted: November 23, 2010, 8:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  When you have completed all your preparation and made the jump across the border, you’re finally ready to start up your new business in a new country. But don’t forget the last-minute details that you have to deal with in person before you can congratulating yourself and concentrating on making the business a success. And [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Ducks in a Row

  Posted: November 22, 2010, 8:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  So you are absolutely certain that you are going start a business in another country. You’ve done your research, investigated the market, visited the country, even made a few contacts. But how to bring it all together? You don’t just need a business plan; you need a strategy. One of the first things you should [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Getting a Team Together

  Posted: November 19, 2010, 7:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Right, if you’ve made it this far in the series, you’ll have not only completed your preliminary enquiries into going about setting up a business abroad, but will also have visited the country of your choice to carry out more detailed investigations. By now, you should have a local lawyer and accountant on board, but [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Getting a Team Together

  Posted: November 19, 2010, 7:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Right, if you’ve made it this far in the series, you’ll have not only completed your preliminary enquiries into going about setting up a business abroad, but will also have visited the country of your choice to carry out more detailed investigations. By now, you should have a local lawyer and accountant on board, but [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Fact-Finding Mission

  Posted: November 18, 2010, 8:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Now you can finally book a flight to the country where you hope to set up your new enterprise! You’ll be staying for at least a week, ideally a fortnight. Forget the straw hat and flip-flops, however; you are not on holiday. The first thing you will want to do when your flight touches down [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: Get Some Background Information

  Posted: November 17, 2010, 7:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  So you know where you want to go, and you have a vague notion about what you’ll be doing when you get there? What’s next? Well, you don’t need to pack a bag and book some flights just yet; that will come later. First, you need to get a little more information about your target [...]

• Starting a Business Abroad: the World is your Oyster

  Posted: November 15, 2010, 9:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Congratulations! You’ve decided to start a business in another country? But where? This first blog post will try to point you in the right direction when it comes to choosing which new country in which to start a new business. Different people will have different motivations for setting up abroad. Some may be moving for [...]

• This Week: Starting a Business Abroad

  Posted: November 15, 2010, 4:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Starting a business? Grown-up, scary, not for everybody. Starting a business in another country? Well, add intimidating and confusing to the list, with a healthy dose of “only for the brave” for good measure. But as technology and air travel have made the world increasingly smaller, the prospect of leaving your home country to find [...]

• This Week: Starting a Business Abroad

  Posted: November 15, 2010, 4:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Starting a business? Grown-up, scary, not for everybody. Starting a business in another country? Well, add intimidating and confusing to the list, with a healthy dose of “only for the brave” for good measure. But as technology and air travel have made the world increasingly smaller, the prospect of leaving your home country to find [...]

• How to Cope When You Are Uptitled or Promoted With No Extra Pay

  Posted: November 10, 2010, 3:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I’ve mentioned uptitiling on this blog before, in the context of bosses or companies giving their employees inflated job titles to make them feel more important rather than give them a raise. Recently, I’ve become aware that some companies are not just boosting their employee’s titles, but also their workload and still won’t give them [...]

• Announcement | New Blog Post Series Coming Soon: Doing Business Abroad

  Posted: November 9, 2010, 3:51 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Well, I’ve been looking at the blog stats again and aside from the perennial interest in the progress on the Thika Highway, one of the most popular posts I have ever done has been on starting a business in another country. So I’ve decided to do a blog post series on that topic, starting next [...]

• Will Kenya’s New Hate Speech Rules Do Any Good?

  Posted: November 4, 2010, 5:55 pm by Stephanie Migot

  After the post-election violence (PEV) in Kenya a couple of years ago, the media was received a portion of the blame for inflaming public opinion, with vernacular radio stations in particular being accused of being the worst culprits. To prevent a repeat, the government has written a new set of guidelines to monitor “hate speech” [...]

• And This is Where I Finally Purge Myself of the Nation Media Group…

  Posted: October 11, 2010, 4:12 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I just... I've tried so hard.. what the hell... oh my god... and to think that I once actually read The Nation as a serious newspaper!

• Freeware of the Week! [Plaxo]

  Posted: October 8, 2010, 4:15 pm by Stephanie Migot

  It’s a web-based app this week, one that I discovered, though I’ve given it a two-week trial and have since been sucked into like a red blood cell up a vampire’s gullet. I am deeply in love with Plaxo, and can imagine it taking over my other contact management systems soon. Now, at first blush, [...]

• Why Your Twitter Marketing Strategy Isn’t Half as Clever as You Think

  Posted: October 7, 2010, 5:55 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Spend enough time on Twitter with an account that isn't private and you'll get spam tweets. Remarkably, it isn't always random. If you've been thinking about using Twitter as a marketing tool, read this post before you fire up the automatic tweets.

• The Africa Review, Reviewed!

  Posted: October 5, 2010, 4:22 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Have you visited the Africa Review, the latest offering from the Nation Media Group? I came across it completely by accident while bitching and moaning about something entirely different on the main Nation website. It looks like they’re trying to to a daily newspaper not just for Kenya, but for the whole continent of Africa! [...]

• In Search of a Personal Internet

  Posted: September 20, 2010, 4:51 am by Stephanie Migot

  I’ve been spending some time lately trying to get various internet and social media accounts under control. I’ve managed to tame my RSS feed list and now only read things that are relevant to my work. I have made sure that all my Gmail accounts are hooked into multiple login treat so that I can [...]

• Are You Good at Blowing your Own Trumpet?

  Posted: September 2, 2010, 5:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  How often do you boast about your latest achievements? Do you boast at all? Or do you hide your light under a bushel and play down your achievements because you were told that it’s better to be modest than an arrogant blowhard? I was thinking about this yesterday after reading a few articles in the [...]

• Does the Timing of Your Tweets Matter?

  Posted: September 1, 2010, 4:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Previously, before the blog went on a little hiatus, I’d update the Inari Media twitter account throughout the day, usually at five-minute intervals. As my followers are based throughout the world, I never worried about whether anyone was awake to see it, or if people were about the leave the office. News is news, so [...]

• When Is the Time to Ban Someone From Your Blog?

  Posted: August 31, 2010, 4:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The rules are simple, aren’t they? If you have a blog, your standards apply and any blog comments that fall short of that can be deleted without a second thought. Anyone who doesn’t like it can go away and start their own blog, right? Imagine that your blog is wildly successful and you have a [...]

• Lessons for Business from the Pakistan Cricket Corruption Scandal

  Posted: August 30, 2010, 4:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The news that Pakistan players have been questioned by Scotland Yard detectives investigating allegations of spot-fixing rocked the world of cricket over the weekend, casting a shadow over the last day of a Test match that had seen some remarkable individual achievements, which are now tainted by the suspicion that all was not above board. [...]

• Clear!

  Posted: August 30, 2010, 2:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  No, the blog didn’t die, it was only resting. I’ve been getting horrifically distracted by a project whose deadline is looming large, so I was a little neglectful of Inari. But the posting schedule should be back on track now, and there is some good stuff in the pipeline. I’m off to a giant entrepreneurship [...]

• Kenya Referendum: Link Roundup

  Posted: August 5, 2010, 8:11 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Oh my goodness, Kenya, I am so damn proud of you right now! When I left the house yesterday for an afternoon of drinking and carousing, my heart was in my mouth and I had butterflies in my stomach, as I willed the referendum polling to go smoothly and without violence. Coming home after several [...]

• Can A Boss Really Know Everything That is Going on in their Business?

  Posted: August 3, 2010, 6:15 pm by Stephanie Migot

  So Tony Hayward, gaffe-prone CEO of BP is to stand down as head of the company and be sent to its gulag operation in Siberia for re-education to manage other projects. There’s no doubt that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was a unparalleled catastrophe for the Gulf region, one whose full implications may not be [...]

• Are Your News Sources Lying to You?

  Posted: August 2, 2010, 3:43 pm by Stephanie Migot

  While working on one of my perennially unfinished side-projects, I’ve had cause to dip into a couple of newspapers and other media outlets that I don’t usually read. I don’t avoid them necessarily (well, except one), but they don’t form part of my normal news consumption as I know they have certain biases and opinions [...]

• Sometimes, Ethnicity Does Matter When Doing a Job

  Posted: July 29, 2010, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  But not this time! Do you read Essence? Neither do I, aside from that one time about a year ago when I did a comparison between the advertising in its pages and those of Marie Claire. My final conclusion at the time: I am so pleased that I don’t read women’s magazines on a regular [...]

• How to Damage your Brand in One Easy Step

  Posted: July 6, 2010, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Things on the internet should be getting back to normal now, after America wakes up and usual blogging and updating activities resume. Welcome back, USA! While it’s easy enough to find somebody grumbling about someting most days of the week, one place I can guarantee you can find it is at Jezebel. Hop on over [...]

• Can Your Relationship Survive your Business?

  Posted: June 30, 2010, 5:07 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I am a terrible girlfriend. Actually, that’s not strictly true; I can understand why some people would think I’m a terrible girlfriend. As a freelancer, I’m never really “off.” No matter what day it is, if I’m at home, I’m probably in front on my laptop, absorbed in a world that my other half is [...]

• Are You Getting the Right Sort of Traffic?

  Posted: June 29, 2010, 4:01 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Over the last couple of days, a select few websites may have noticed spikes in the number of their web visitors. Most will know where the traffic is coming from, and will hopefully have been prepared for the onslaught. They will all have been featured as part of Forbes Woman’s “Top 100 Websites for Women” [...]

• Why Are Some Businesses So Scared of Technology?

  Posted: June 28, 2010, 2:36 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I spent a very relaxed afternoon at a friend’s house yesterday, being thoroughly middle-class. There was good food and wine in the kitchen; children were running around underfoot; there was chat and debate amongst the women on the verandah, while inside the menfolk were gathered around the big screen television to watch the England game. [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Calibre]

  Posted: June 18, 2010, 7:09 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Even if you don’t have a Kindle or an iPad, you might still enjoy reading e-books. There are a number of readers on the markets, and each of these have their own proprietary format. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could treat your e-book collection the same way as you would your paper library? Moving [...]

• This is an African World Cup

  Posted: June 15, 2010, 2:29 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Whoever thought that it would come to this? After all the worries about crime, the main point of Western disaffection with the World Cup held in South Africa has come down to the vuvuzela, the single-note horn favoured by fans which has had television viewers and fairweather enthusiasts complaining about the amount of “disruption” they [...]

• Uhuru Park Blasts: Link Roundup

  Posted: June 14, 2010, 7:30 am by Stephanie Migot

  By now you’ll have heard about the explosions in Uhuru Park that occurred toward the end of a “No” campaign rally on Sunday. Kenya Imagine has reports from both the Nation and the Standard, with some video. The topic also made a showing on Twitter, and gave me a scare when it was covered by [...]

• Can a Business Ever Get Away with Criticising Its Customers?

  Posted: May 25, 2010, 3:03 pm by Stephanie Migot

  A small storm blew up yesterday that has set off a round of sniping and reflection in my local area. One of the local businesses is undergoing a refurbishment and a small group of customers, who have been loyal patrons for over twenty years, aren’t happy with some of the changes that have been made. [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Flowr]

  Posted: May 14, 2010, 3:17 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Things have been a little fraught, but I was determined to get my favourite freeware up and ready by close of play today. And if it is still Friday somewhere, that counts, right? I would ask my minions, but they are all at the pub. Luckily, the question will still be waiting for them on [...]

• RSS Overload: Slaying the Demon

  Posted: May 10, 2010, 1:58 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I have a confession to make: I used to dread firing up my Google Reader in the morning. Don’t get me wrong: I love reading. I love knowing what’s going on. I love being able to tell other people what’s going on. That’s why I have so many Twitter accounts; I tailor each to a [...]

• Are Bloggers Journalists?

  Posted: April 28, 2010, 4:11 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Last week, the intrepid Jason Chen of gadget blog Gizmodo wrote a post on the next iPhone which brought the comments system on other blogs in the Gawker network juddering to a halt as eager Apple fans flooded to the site to get inside information on the next version of what some disparaging commenters call [...]

• How Far Should Bosses Accommodate the Religious Beliefs of their Employees?

  Posted: April 22, 2010, 4:28 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I’m not sure when, but I must have outed myself as a dirty atheist at some point on this blog, as there have been comments telling me that I am mistaken. Nevertheless, despite the example set by Richard Dawkins, I don’t condemn believers outright, and I do believe that they are entitled to a modicum [...]

• Jobs for the Non-Gold-Digging Woman

  Posted: April 21, 2010, 6:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Yesterday was Equal Pay Day in the US, marking the point at which women would have had to work into 2010 to earn the same as men in 2009. An extra four months? Seems a little unfair. Given the discrimination they face in the corporate world, is it any wonder that quite a few young [...]

• Population Growth Could Destroy Africa

  Posted: April 20, 2010, 6:54 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Via my Kenya Imagine colleague Daniel Waweru, I came across a blog post by World Bank economist Wolfgang Fengler arguing that population growth in Africa might actually aid development. Essentially, he notes that economic growth is tied to urbanisation, which is tied to population growth. So as long as the population continues to increase everything [...]

• Do Information Sources Matter?

  Posted: April 19, 2010, 4:17 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I don’t know if you spend any time reading political websites, but they do have a bit of a jones on for where a story comes from and its subsequent credibility. The websites on the left won’t countenance anything from right of centre as having any merit, while the websites on the right will regard [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Sweet Home 3D]

  Posted: April 16, 2010, 5:51 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I have a confession to make: if you’ve ever wondered who the crazy people are who constantly think about home renovation and interior design, I am one of the guilty ones. There is nothing that will distract me from a task faster than leaving me in a room with a property magazine. It’s insane, as [...]

• Don’t Let Poor Speech Derail Your Message

  Posted: April 13, 2010, 4:46 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I fired up a podcast yesterday to listen to a panel discussion that I had been meaning to get round to for a while. It was a panel discussion chaired by a journalist and a bunch of bloggers I read regularly. They were going to be discussing an area where they all, naturally, have expertise [...]

• How Do You Like to Do Your Internet Fighting?

  Posted: April 12, 2010, 6:17 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Sometimes, kids, two blogs you like might have a falling out and say some hurtful things about each other. I understand that it can be painful to read these tings, and I know you wish that they would just kiss and make up. Just remember that you don’t have to take sides, this isn’t your [...]

• Beware the Threat of Burnout

  Posted: April 11, 2010, 5:08 pm by Stephanie Migot

  For somebody who spends most of her time sitting down, I am tired. So very, very tired. Yesterday I was ready to delete my blogs, my social media profiles, block all incoming emails and just go to bed for around three days. This is despite the fact that my typical working day consists of me [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [popurls]

  Posted: April 9, 2010, 4:58 pm by Stephanie Migot

  It’s baaack! I have finally found it within myself to revive my weekly review of free stuff that makes life easier and just that little bit more pleasurable. Don’t get me wrong, there has been some wonderful stuff out there, but for some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to write about any of it. [...]

• Could Bad Branding Scupper South Africa’s World Cup?

  Posted: April 7, 2010, 6:02 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The murder of Eugene Terre’Blanche, erstwhile leader of the white separatist Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) party, while tragic for his family, undoubtedly also caused headaches in the South African government too. They were already dealing with the scepticism of the Western media, especially the British press, who had openly been sniping about the tournament preparations, the [...]

• In Search of an Alternative to HootSuite

  Posted: April 6, 2010, 5:07 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Did you catch my little rant about HootSuite’s outage over the weekend? It wasn’t pretty. Nevertheless, I still think that it was justified. Easter or no, if you’re running a web business, especially a popular one, it is inconceivable that you don’t have anyone on duty in case something goes wrong. Still, the outage did [...]

• Rich People are Going to Steal Your Children’s Jobs

  Posted: April 5, 2010, 4:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Ugh! Who’d be a young jobseeker today? In order to get your career started, it seems that it’s becoming the norm, especially in the creative industries, to “pay your dues” and gain experience by doing innumerable unpaid internships. Now, I can get behind the idea of starting at the bottom and working your way up, [...]

• Bad Communication Leads to Crappy Customer Service

  Posted: April 3, 2010, 10:35 pm by Stephanie Migot

  It boggles my mind how some businesses seem to think that their customers don’t matter. Even though they may have a corporate blog and easy means of being contacted, their version of customer service appears to consist of “This is what we’re doing now. Like it or lump it.” At the time of writing this blog [...]

• Do Governments Give Enough Support to Entrepreneurs?

  Posted: March 25, 2010, 3:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Chancellor Alistair Darling detailed the UK’s last budget before the election yesterday afternoon, and in the aftermath, while the politicians busy themselves arguing over whether the middle classes will be better or worse off as a result, I am less concerned about child tax credits stamp duty than I am about what’s in it for [...]

• Some Businesses Can Afford to Ignore Ethics

  Posted: March 24, 2010, 3:40 pm by Stephanie Migot

  If the recession hasn’t battered the optimism for the business environment out of you, consider this: while small businesses and entrepreneurs could find themselves shut down over failing to have the wrong licences or filing the wrong paperwork, some of the business companies in the world can make more serious problems disappear. Even better, governments [...]

• Management Should Welcome Whistleblowers

  Posted: March 22, 2010, 4:54 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I’m rather disturbed by an article in the Guardian today reporting that there has been a marked rise in the number of whistleblowers taking their (former) employers to employment tribunals over the last decade. According to the report, the number of cases has increased from 157 in 1999 to 1,791 last year. Whistleblowers report wrongdoing or [...]

• The Perseverance of the Principled Individual

  Posted: March 16, 2010, 2:34 pm by Stephanie Migot

  It would be nice to think that everyone running a business behaves ethically at all times and would never dream of trying to get one over on their colleagues or competitors. Sadly, as reality has shown all too often, this is not always the case. Luckily, there are also people who are willing to stand [...]

• I Love Your Blog, I Just Hate your Comments

  Posted: March 15, 2010, 5:26 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I am trying to build up the blogroll for one of my other projects that the moment, and I’ve been going through my regular reading list to see which websites would be a good fit. What I’ve noticed is that even though I read each and every post I get via RSS feeds, there are [...]

• Spy on your Enemies or Competiton with Twitter Lists

  Posted: March 10, 2010, 2:54 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Although I mainly use this blog for tech and web-related business, I have strayed into politics from time to time, and have sometimes used events outside of my sphere of interest as a jumping-off point for posts. I am one of those bleeding hearts that cares about what’s going on in the world, and when [...]

• The Perils of Choosing a New Mobile Phone

  Posted: March 10, 2010, 2:51 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Yesterday brought the news that a 13 year-old boy had been selling nude pictures that his girlfriend had texted to him to classmates for $5 a pop. Leaving aside the possible prosecution for distributing child porn for a second, the first thought that occurred to me was why a child needs a mobile phone with [...]

• Picture This: ‘Free Belarus’ 2010 Action Day

  Posted: March 9, 2010, 2:34 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I’m going to hijack the blog today to highlight a protest that I’m going to be involved with soon. March 18th is the Young European Federalists’ fifth annual “Free Belarus” day, a day of protest against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, the last remaining dictator in Europe. While I don’t believe that the protest will lead [...]

• International Women’s Day 2010: Progress

  Posted: March 8, 2010, 2:26 pm by Stephanie Migot

  International Women’s Day is here again, and this year the theme is “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.” We can’t really argue with that, can we? Because while steps have been made, and laws have been enacted, there is still too much inequality between the sexes. The tables, however, could be turning. There has been [...]

• Facebook or Twitter: Which is Better for News-Gathering?

  Posted: March 6, 2010, 2:36 pm by Stephanie Migot

  With the news last week that more Americans use social networks as a source of use than use traditional media, and that Twitter has passed the 10 billion tweet mark, it’s obvious that social media is an increasingly important source of discovering and disseminating news. If Facebook and Twitter are the main arenas for such [...]

• Single Ladies (Don’t Put a Ring on It)

  Posted: February 14, 2010, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re female and are waiting for your significant other to pop the question, I’m here to give you a couple of things to think about before you start planning your wedding. I’m not against marriage as an institution; hell, I imagine that I’ll be tripping up the aisle of a registry office [...]

• Where Toyota Went Wrong

  Posted: February 10, 2010, 2:48 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I wouldn’t like to be a Toyota dealer right now. Angry and anxious customers will receive letters this week telling them how to deal with the unprecedented recall of millions of vehicles, and it is the dealerships and authorised mechanics around the world who are first in line to face the fallout from consumers. For the [...]

• Do You have a Backup Twitter Strategy?

  Posted: February 9, 2010, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  If you are a heavy Twitter user, you probably have favourite programs that you use regularly. There are any number of alternatives, all with different features and their own distinct advantages, but for whatever reason, there’ll be one (or a few) that you favour over all others. When this goes wrong, it can throw your [...]

• After the Rubberneckers: How to Stay Up to Date on Haiti

  Posted: January 25, 2010, 5:28 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Thirteen days after the country was hit by a powerful earthquake that has devastated the country, Haiti is already beginning to slip down the news agenda. From being the lead item all of last week, news outlets are now reporting other items, from local politics to celebrity news, ahead of the plight of the Caribbean [...]

• Are You Always Game-Ready?

  Posted: January 11, 2010, 1:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Over the weekend, intoxicated by the power of Twitter lists, and falling down into the rabbit hole of looking up the followers of the followers of the people I had decided to follow, I went on a bit of an adding spree. My numbers have been bumped up across all my accounts, I had a [...]

• Whining About Weather and Work

  Posted: January 6, 2010, 7:56 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I’m working from home today, but then that is my default setting. The UK is gong through a cold snap at the moment, and the advice has been to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, so I’d imagine that I am not as much of a rarity as I usually am. Thousands of schools [...]

• The Personal, the Political and the Professional

  Posted: January 4, 2010, 10:15 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The story behind this post occurred before Christmas, but is still rumbling on in various forums and on Facebook, so I thought it might be worth addressing here, as it’s something that everyone will probably have to deal with at some point in their career. Basic story: a teacher has been  suspended from her [...]

• Who Are Your Real Connections?

  Posted: January 3, 2010, 8:05 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Doing some social network housekeeping last night, I lamented my tiny number of LinkedIn connections, and marvelled at the number of Twitter followers I have managed to gain while not doing much more than sending out links to news articles. While one set of people are easy to come by, the other seems more elusive. [...]

• Could Anonymous Recruiting Cut Discrimination?

  Posted: January 2, 2010, 8:56 pm by Stephanie Migot

  News comes that various groups are lobbying the UK government to legislate so that an applicant’s gender and race are not revealed during recruitment, leaving only their experience and qualifications as the basis for whether to invite them for interview. At first glance, it seems like a good idea, but I’m not sure how it [...]

• Regrets, I’ve Had a Few…

  Posted: January 1, 2010, 12:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Hi! If you’re reading this, you either haven’t gone to bed yet, or you — like me — were blessed with the inability to get hangovers, unlike the poor unfortunate I’ve chosen to illustrate this post with. This post was written in advance, so I can’t actually regale you with tales of how I spent [...]

• Sexism is Bad for your Business

  Posted: December 16, 2009, 5:51 pm by Stephanie Migot

  There’s been a bit of a storm in the blogosphere teacup in the last couple of days, after James Chartrand, a well-known blogger and copywriter, turned out to be an as-yet unnamed woman. “James” decided to come clean on Copyblogger after her cover was blown by a disaffected acquaintance, and explained that she had come [...]

• Let the End of the Year Be the End of Spam

  Posted: December 15, 2009, 5:11 pm by Stephanie Migot

  According to security firm Symantec, the world’s email inboxes were inundated this year, with 87% of messages sent and received being spam. My first thought on seeing this was “Who on earth gets that much spam?” My second one was that despite having a hit rate of around just one in 200, unsolicited messages are [...]

• The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Could Be Good for Business

  Posted: December 7, 2009, 3:34 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The United Nations Climate Change Conference kicks off today in Copenhagen. Ministers, policy wonks, scientists and their various hangers-on — protesters, denialists, celebrities, lobbyists, NGOs and charities — are all descending on the Danish capital to secure the future of the planent for future generations. Or at least that’s the warm and fuzzy version. If [...]

• Where Do Ethics End and Profits Begin?

  Posted: November 30, 2009, 1:40 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Last week, the UK parliament’s House of Commons Science and Technology Committee heard evidence from supporters and critics of homeopathy to discuss its effectiveness and whether it should continue to be funded under the National Health Service. Now, I am friends with a professional aromatherapist, and also have a personal interest in herbal medicine. Nevertheless, [...]

• Bringing Together Your Different Career Personalities

  Posted: November 25, 2009, 3:53 pm by Stephanie Migot

  A few days ago, desperate to address a number of topics that would not fit in with this blog or on Kenya Imagine, I put together a couple of drafts for posts and decided to start a new blog, along with a linked Twitter account. Now, this could be ill-advised, as I’ve already got multiple [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Stylizer Basic]

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  If you want to dabble in web design, there are all sorts of options available to you. You can splash out on Dreamweaver, though the price sticks in the craw, especially if you only build the occasional website. You could put together a collection of various free tools and programs, that I’ve mentioned in the [...]

• Careful with your Corporate Gifts

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:51 pm by Stephanie Migot

  As the end of the year approaches, many business will be sending out tokens of their appreciation to their most valued clients and suppliers. These serve as a tangible “thank you” for doing business with for the past year, and can range from a day out driving a Ferrari, or a batch of branded diaries. [...]

• In Praise of Quality Stationery

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 5:41 pm by Stephanie Migot

  The notebooks that I use for scribbling down my thoughts when I’m away from a computer are nearly full, so I’m going to have to go shopping for new ones. This will entail a trip to four or five different shops before I find what I’m looking for. I’m not bothered about the price so [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Paint.NET]

  Posted: November 14, 2009, 11:10 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I know that I’ve mentioned this week’s pick before, but I don’t think a couple of brief sentences really does it justice. I was reminded of this yet again when I had to deal with a couple of graphics for a website that weren’t behaving themselves and needed more than the lightest bit of fiddling. [...]

• Tips to Help Your Charity Event Go Off with a Bang

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 6:21 pm by Stephanie Migot

  As most people’s thoughts turn towards the big push for Christmas sales and the lull that will follow in January, I’m already thinking about next summer. Not just because I am averse to cold to a reptilian degree, but because that’s when the charity event that I’m helping to organise takes place. I volunteered after [...]

• Get in Shape for Guest Blogging

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 7:17 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Guest blogging is something that everyone should do at least once, either as host or guest. For the host, it gives editors and writers a break from writing and can also offer a fresh perspective on the topics they cover. In addition, guest bloggers can pull in their readers as extra traffic if they publicise [...]

• Don’t Forget Social Media when Choosing Your Domain Name

  Posted: November 10, 2009, 3:43 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Choosing a domain name is difficult. I agonised over choosing the name for this blog, and even then I managed to choose one that wasn’t quite right. Still, it works, and it’s too late to go back to the drawing board now. Had I been paying for the privilege too, I’d probably be much less [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [LogMeIn Free]

  Posted: November 6, 2009, 4:16 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I know that I’ve blogged about remote software before, but I may have glossed over the fact that it can be tricky getting it to work on several different computers, especially if you’re using it for tech support and the people you are helping never do more than browse and email. Getting them to configure [...]

• Deleting Comments Doesn’t Kill Free Speech

  Posted: November 5, 2009, 6:53 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Recently, there have been a number of newspaper articles in the Kenyan media on homosexuality and the rights of LGBTQ people, specifically whether their rights should be enshrined in the constitution. Now, given that the gay scene in Kenya has been very much underground, and because there are a great number of people who hold [...]

• Do You Know Who Your Twitter Followers Are?

  Posted: November 4, 2009, 4:53 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Either everyone but me is using a VPN, or the people making the most use of my tweets don’t actually follow me on Twitter. I came to this conclusion last night after looking at the stats for my various Twitter accounts. While I tweet throughout the day, I don’t expect my followers to click [...]

• Is Social Media Under Attack?

  Posted: November 2, 2009, 6:02 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Two articles caught my eye over the weekend, and got me rather worried about how traditional media and big business might be changing their approach to social media. While there have been encouraging noises made about the greater openness that social networking encourages, I wonder whether the former gatekeepers of information are quite as enthusiastic [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Tungle]

  Posted: October 30, 2009, 4:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  So yesterday I had a meeting, or rather a group IM chat. All was going swimmingly until we tried to arrange follow-ups, whereupon there was much humming and hawing amongst us from our three respective time zones and with our competing schedules. Had I had this week’s offering to hand, the process of setting up [...]

• Discounting Into Oblivion?

  Posted: October 29, 2009, 3:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I went out for dinner last night and what struck me within minutes of taking our seats was the number of promotions on offer at the restaurant. If we had been going to the theatre, we could have had 20% off just for showing our tickets. If we signed up to a mailing list, we [...]

• Why It Isn’t Difficult to Market to Women

  Posted: October 28, 2009, 4:27 pm by Stephanie Migot

  There has recently been an article, stating that the global recession has highlighted the increased purchasing power of women. This isn’t anything new: whether they spend the money or not, women are responsible for the majority household spending decisions. But as they have entered the workforce in greater numbers and have increased their own incomes, [...]

• Who Benefits Most From Charity Tie-Ins?

  Posted: October 27, 2009, 7:55 pm by Stephanie Migot

  It’s charity season again and last night, while watching a television program on the amount of fat, salt and sugar in breakfast cereals (I am a nerd and proud), I saw an advert featuring Gordon Ramsay. He has a range of sauces out for Children in Need, and “and least” 10p from ever jar sold [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [MahTweets]

  Posted: October 23, 2009, 4:15 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Social networking has been chugging along nicely for a while now, and has grown into something that you’re almost expected to do, rather than fool around with once in a while. Along with that have grown a number of applications that profess to make your online social life easier to manage, but there hasn’t been [...]

• Why Do Consumers Still Fall for Psychological Pricing?

  Posted: October 22, 2009, 4:18 pm by Stephanie Migot

  We all know what they’re doing. The half-price sale that only has a few unappealing goods at 50% off. The promotion where the discount that you can actually receive is capped after a certain level. The numerous hoops you have to jump through before receiving your free product. The “free trial” that will turn into [...]

• Deindustrialisation Can Kill a Region

  Posted: October 21, 2009, 3:52 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Interesting numbers released by the Guardian recently, concerning the areas of the UK with the highest number of graduates. After a quick look and some unscientific cross-referencing, what seemed most apparent is that those areas with the fewest graduates also had the largest number of people claiming some sort of unemployment benefit. Stick with me, [...]

• Should Your Political Views Be a Sackable Offence?

  Posted: October 20, 2009, 1:18 pm by Stephanie Migot

  I might still be curled up asleep when you read this, but at the time of writing, the leaked British National Party list hasn’t gone public yet; there are just a few Wikileaks teases and a lot of speculation on Twitter. Now, I don’t know if anyone who joined and voted for the party is [...]

• Could Technology Save the World?

  Posted: October 15, 2009, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Today is Blog Action Day, and also the first time that Inari Media has participated in a such an event. I have gone through multiple calendars and jotted down all sorts of events (it’s also Teachers’ Day in Brazil today), but I don’t tend to do many themed posts. Hopefully, by the end of the [...]

• What You Need to Know Before Starting a Business in Another Country

  Posted: October 13, 2009, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Yesterday, a couple of friends and I were discussing what we would do if a) we won the lottery, or b) the next British government turn out to be a bunch of incompetent scumbags. As winter is going to be here soon, my first thought was emigration to somewhere warm, with decent broadband speeds. But [...]

• What is the Point of Free Speech if the Media Self-Censors?

  Posted: October 12, 2009, 2:26 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Last week, on the Kenya Imagine website, S Abdi Sheikh wrote a cogent piece on why he no longer bothers with Kenyan newspapers. I’m forced to agree with the main thrust of his argument, which is that there is no longer no real news in the Kenyan media. Press releases are recycled virtually word for [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Orbit Downloader]

  Posted: October 9, 2009, 2:00 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Very easy choice this week. I download a lot of stuff, and I don’t mean obscure Azerbaijani folk music, unless it is Eurovision season. To do my work, I need all sorts of files, sometimes entire cohorts of them. I also need videos, and occasionally need to review audio, sometimes from websites that are less [...]

• Keeping Children Safe Online

  Posted: October 8, 2009, 2:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  When I first started using the internet, I was roughly at the same level of computer literacy as my father, Within a year, however, I was lightyears ahead of him, ready to give him lessons in how to navigate the chatrooms, Usenet groups and discussion boards that made up the bulk of my browsing experience [...]

• Quitting: Doing it With Style

  Posted: October 7, 2009, 6:18 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Whether you love or hate your job, if you decide to move on, at some point you will have to let your bosses know. Now, tempting as it may be to leave a note on the noticeboard saying “Later, suckers!” or to make a big song and dance about resigning in front of all of [...]

• What Next for the Unemployed?

  Posted: October 5, 2009, 6:20 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Optimistic governments and economists may be seeing the first signs of recovery from the global recession, but that doesn’t mean that things are going to be any easier for employees. With businesses still looking to cut costs and staff wages being amongst the highest overheads, the job market is likely to remain tough, and possibly [...]

• If you’re trying to break into a ...

  Posted: September 23, 2009, 6:33 pm by Stephanie Migot

  If you’re trying to break into a new industry or have just been made redundant, why not consider giving up your time for free? No, I’m not talking about an internship, though that’s also a valid way of getting ahead. I’m thinking more along the lines of helping out a charity or voluntary organisation. Not [...]

• Why You Can’t Just Demand to Be Placed on Somebody’s Blogroll

  Posted: September 22, 2009, 6:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Every so often, the form on the contact page will generate an email that goes along the lines of this: “Hi! I read your blog and enjoyed it. I have a blog too. Add me to your blogroll!” Not even a please. Now I knw that being on somebody’s list of recommended websites is a [...]

• Why You Can’t Just Demand to Be Placed on Somebody’s Blogroll

  Posted: September 22, 2009, 6:31 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Every so often, the form on the contact page will generate an email that goes along the lines of this: “Hi! I read your blog and enjoyed it. I have a blog too. Add me to your blogroll!” Not even a please. Now I knw that being on somebody’s list of recommended websites is a [...]

• Pricing for Profit

  Posted: September 21, 2009, 3:16 pm by Stephanie Migot

  How do you know how much to charge your customers for goods or services? In some cases, where manufacturers give recommended retail prices, or where your competitors are selling similar products, it’s easy enough to figure out what you can get away with. If you offer a specialised product or provide a unique service, however, [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [EditPad Lite]

  Posted: September 18, 2009, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  While I was wandering around with a face like a kicked puppy in the wake of my computer-related horror, I busied myself trying to get my notes into some kind of rational order. I carry a couple of notepads with me wherever I go, filling them up with things I need to remember or that [...]

• Twitter or RSS: Which is Best for News?

  Posted: September 3, 2009, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  If you follow this blog on Twitter, you’ll know that I read quite a few websites. I read them to keep informed, expand my knowledge and for inspiration for posts here. I also tweet headlines that I think other people might find useful on a regular basis. Recently, when I’ve sent a headline and link [...]

• How to Decide on a Commercial Lease for Premises

  Posted: September 2, 2009, 3:43 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Whether you need a shop front or an office, a commercial lease on premises is one of the biggest commitments that you can make when starting a business. Unlike residential letting,  there is more money at stake, over a longer timeframe, so take steps to make sure you don’t get burdened with a property that [...]

• Time Your Promotional Activity for Maximum Impact

  Posted: August 31, 2009, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Today is a bank holiday in the UK, but the advert I saw on TV last night may have come a little too late to reap the benefit of a possible tie-in. A new adaptation of Wuthering Heights was being broadcast, and in one of the later ad breaks, there was a 30-second slot promoting [...]

• Thika Highway Construction: Route 66 or Road to Hell?

  Posted: August 29, 2009, 9:00 am by Stephanie Migot

  In the last fortnight, I’ve noticed an upswing in the number of visits to the blog triggered by queries on the Nairobi-Thika highway construction. I did blog about it back in November, but that post probably isn’t of much use to anyone looking for information on the project today. So, in the spirit of giving [...]

• The Difficulty in Pinning Down “Marketing”

  Posted: August 26, 2009, 3:21 pm by Stephanie Migot

  There’s been a healthy discussion on one of the forums I frequent about the function of marketing departments, particularly in large companies. A number of contributors bear the battle scars of trying to work effectively in PLCs with competing priorities. One of the biggest gripes is that in too many businesses, marketing is considered to [...]

• D’oh! Are You About to Commit a PR Faux-Pas?

  Posted: August 24, 2009, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Word reached me early last week about a rumpus over some dolls that had been stocked by US retailer Costco in a number of its stores. Baby dolls boxed up with stuffed animals wore headbands stating they were “pretty pandas” or “lil monkeys.” All very cute and not worthy of note until you realise that [...]

• Freeware of the Week! [Revo Uninstaller]

  Posted: August 21, 2009, 2:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Have you ever tried to uninstall some software and then realised that it has left bits and pieces of itself all over your hard drive, even though the main program itself isn’t there any more? The default Windows Add or Remove Programs feature doesn’t seem to be very good at realising that when you ask [...]

• Liaising with Clients: Getting it Right

  Posted: August 20, 2009, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Whether a coder or a consultant, working life is made easier when you can deal with your clients efficiently and effectively. When faced with a project that seems to be hellbound, most of the time it is not a clash of personalities or competing priorities that is to blame, but communication difficulties. It doesn’t have [...]

• The Importance of the Freelancer Contract

  Posted: August 18, 2009, 1:30 pm by Stephanie Migot

  Whether a coder or a consultant, if you are working on a freelance basis, you will occasionally find yourself involved with a client who has a rather eccentric view of your professional relationship. They may ring you at all hours of the day or night, changing the details of your brief. They might ask you [...]

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes