Martin, Tony, Chris & I met with Sue Davis & Nicola Bain, of Gartner, at their offices in Egham. Socitm's current two-year contract with Gartner expires on Sunday! The contract provides two "IT Leader" seats with access to Gartner Research material, a few days on-site support from Gartner Analysts, and a number of tickets to the annual Gartner Symposium at Cannes. It also provided significantly discounted access to Gartner Services for Socitm Members, but the reality is that we haven't marketed it effectively, and the cut-down service excludes some services that are most valued to Members so, understandably, there has been little uptake of late.
What I'd really like to do is negotiate a more strategic relationship with Gartner – or another research organisation – that provides direct value for our membership, in addition to the (not inconsiderable) value derived through Insight and Consulting Services. Socitm produces a great deal of first class original material, so has much to offer in any partnership. However, in view of the imminent expiry of our agreement, my colleagues' belief that the service, which Insight budgets for, provides a significant input to their work, and, as dedicated Socitm servants, they really must attend the next Gartner Symposium at Cannes, an ordeal in which they toil from dawn to dusk and live like paupers, and my view that a more substantive relationship will best be linked to our proposed new membership model, we agreed to renew the current agreement.
We will, however, continue to explore the broader partnership opportunities.
There was a pleasing response to the Socitm Member Interests Survey. The Survey is now closed, and I've written back to Survey respondents as follows. However, I'll always be happy to hear from anyone else with offers of help.
"Many thanks for taking the trouble to respond to my Socitm Interests Survey.
"With your permission, I will use your response, and those of all other survey respondents, to establish a database of Member Interests that will form part of the Society's new CRM system, once it's installed. When we are seeking Socitm representation on any matter, we will check the database and contact you if it appears that you will be able to help us.
"In the meantime, I would like to report your interests to the new National Advisory Council, which meets for the first time on 22nd September. It will be seeking to ensure that all Socitm Regions and all types of Public Sector bodies are adequately represented at the NAC and at other key groups such as Socitm Futures. It's possible, therefore, that we may be in-touch in the near future!"
Friday, 29 August 2008
Thursday, 28 August 2008
There were two further meeting cancellations for today; I rearranged a third so I could remain at home and plough-on with other work.
I prepared the draft agenda for our next board meeting (9th September) and worked on Socitm organisational mapping and how this will be presented to our membership, for agreement by the Board at that meeting.
I also had another look at, and made a few revisions to, my speech for the President's Dinner on the same day. Thanks, Vicky and Rose, for advice.
In between keeping up with correspondence, I continued with judging of Awards entries, but am still not half-way!
I'm pleased to say that Adrian has posted-up proposed Socitm comments, complaints & plaudits procedures (to the GovX Board area) for the approval of Directors. These should also be agreed at our upcoming Board meeting - at the latest - and appropriate e-forms will be loaded onto our web-site. Although we first registered the need for these last year, they were not prioritised given all the organisational change that was in progress.
I thought this interesting. I know we depend on advertisements to keep costs down, but don't we all go out of our way to avoid them anyway? I am so intent on trying to get rid of those that pop-up in the middle of what I'm trying to read that I couldn't tell you what they're for anyway. I'm also not aware of being targeted in advertising. Maybe subconsciously, 'though? Anyway, I think it's a good thing if we can choose to not be bothered by advertising, but I imagine will result in a return to more paid-for subscription services.
Having submitted a couple of queries to "ZoomClouds", I have just realised that my Tag Cloud (at ComputerWorldUK) is not being updated at all, which explains the issues I queried. Another support request has been logged accordingly. Funnily enough, all my "clicks", until now, have come from the US and Spain!
I prepared the draft agenda for our next board meeting (9th September) and worked on Socitm organisational mapping and how this will be presented to our membership, for agreement by the Board at that meeting.
I also had another look at, and made a few revisions to, my speech for the President's Dinner on the same day. Thanks, Vicky and Rose, for advice.
In between keeping up with correspondence, I continued with judging of Awards entries, but am still not half-way!
I'm pleased to say that Adrian has posted-up proposed Socitm comments, complaints & plaudits procedures (to the GovX Board area) for the approval of Directors. These should also be agreed at our upcoming Board meeting - at the latest - and appropriate e-forms will be loaded onto our web-site. Although we first registered the need for these last year, they were not prioritised given all the organisational change that was in progress.
I thought this interesting. I know we depend on advertisements to keep costs down, but don't we all go out of our way to avoid them anyway? I am so intent on trying to get rid of those that pop-up in the middle of what I'm trying to read that I couldn't tell you what they're for anyway. I'm also not aware of being targeted in advertising. Maybe subconsciously, 'though? Anyway, I think it's a good thing if we can choose to not be bothered by advertising, but I imagine will result in a return to more paid-for subscription services.
Having submitted a couple of queries to "ZoomClouds", I have just realised that my Tag Cloud (at ComputerWorldUK) is not being updated at all, which explains the issues I queried. Another support request has been logged accordingly. Funnily enough, all my "clicks", until now, have come from the US and Spain!
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Until yesterday evening I had convinced myself I was in Birmingham, today, and arranged a session with Vicky's partner, Joe, at their offices to brush-up on my presentation abilities. When I sat down to plan my journey, 'though, I realised I was actually supposed to be in Manchester! Clearly, I am losing it!
Adrian and I met with the NCC's Kylie Smith and Ian Jones, at their Manchester offices, to discuss events management. We had a productive meeting, recognising a great deal of synergy between our organisations, which should lead to a NCC proposal for a Socitm Events Management service.
Afterwards Adrian and I stole half an hour to catch-up on business at a local café, before he had to catch a train to London for a meeting. Vicky had 'phoned me to say she needed 120 words for the Socitm President's dinner menu, so I lingered long enough to do that on my Smart 'Phone, which I don't recommend ('though for some reason it didn't occur to me to use Word Mobile, which would have been easier).
I had been due to have lunch with Ian Dunmore, but he had to cancel because of problems back at the office, so returned home and worked on correspondence through the evening.
To date, we've received 123 responses to the survey on Microsoft software usage, and a few queries, two of which, from my colleagues Simon Berlin and Glyn Evans, make aspersions about my survey design skills! I'll respond to all the points raised in another Socitm mail-shot, next week.
Adrian and I met with the NCC's Kylie Smith and Ian Jones, at their Manchester offices, to discuss events management. We had a productive meeting, recognising a great deal of synergy between our organisations, which should lead to a NCC proposal for a Socitm Events Management service.
Afterwards Adrian and I stole half an hour to catch-up on business at a local café, before he had to catch a train to London for a meeting. Vicky had 'phoned me to say she needed 120 words for the Socitm President's dinner menu, so I lingered long enough to do that on my Smart 'Phone, which I don't recommend ('though for some reason it didn't occur to me to use Word Mobile, which would have been easier).
I had been due to have lunch with Ian Dunmore, but he had to cancel because of problems back at the office, so returned home and worked on correspondence through the evening.
To date, we've received 123 responses to the survey on Microsoft software usage, and a few queries, two of which, from my colleagues Simon Berlin and Glyn Evans, make aspersions about my survey design skills! I'll respond to all the points raised in another Socitm mail-shot, next week.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
In my Blog, last week, I reported that "we have been unable to find any contracts or job descriptions for the (Socitm) staff!" Oops - we have now found the documentation, following a further search of files, and I therefore apologise for the error.
Plantech plc is a long-term sponsor of the Socitm President's dinner. I'm pleased to report that, following the company's recent acquisition by IDOX Group, it has confirmed that it will again be sponsoring this year's event.
Following my weekend of weddings, it was back to Earth with a bump, today, with several intense meetings.
I met with colleagues from the Building & Research Establishment (BRE) and Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) to discuss various opportunities related to the Assisted Living Innovation Platform (ALIP) and TeleHealth. I was pleased to hear that the DAP (Digital Access Provision Forum) was successful in its bid to the Technology Strategy Board, winning £1.7m of funding towards a £4.4m project over 4 years, through which the Microsoft Shared Learning Group has won £162k of funding to develop a detailed specification of requirements - based on which Microsoft will develop a software tool. Other partners include the Continua Health Alliance, tasked with standards convergence, whose first product is a new Bluetooth specification with time-stamping, and BT leading on what the assisted living solution will look like, with the BRE and other partners implementing in homes.
The Assisted Living Innovation Platform aims to develop next generation TeleCare and Assistive Technology solutions with the aim of developing a 1,000 home project by 2012. There is a deadline for the submission of Expressions of Interest under the current call for proposals under this programme – the Smart Care Distributed Environment (communications aspects of Assisted Living) of 4th September. Ranjit Bassi, who co-ordinates the DAP Forum, asked whether Newham would be prepared to lead a pilot work package on tracking dementia sufferers. Given its present work through the NHS Whole Systems Demonstrator, and our Telecommunications Infrastructure Convergence project, I thought there was likely to be a great deal of interest.
We also discussed other upcoming developments, and agreed to maintain our dialogue, agreeing a number of related action points.
In the afternoon, Ian Tomson-Smith and Alf Raju, from SNT Consulting, briefed me on progress in the PSMP project – text Newham to 80010 to be sent a WAP link to the beta site. Recent consultation, including that with the Young Mayor of Newham, has provided very positive feedback on the social inclusiveness of the project, which is also now working with Newham's Business Development Officer and the Council's Business Directory to provide location specific advertising for local businesses.
The PSMP project has now been presented to Heads of 2012 and CIOs in all five of the 2012 Olympic boroughs. It's also working with Barking and Waltham Forest on the 101 project through the Mayor of London's office.
The portal is due to go "live" on 19th September – the expected date of the announcement of London's Cultural Olympiad programme. Mobile technology is expected to provide a key communications medium. Launch publicity will include 46 local poster sites, Bluetooth sites in Stratford and Upton Park Stations, and at the Excel Exhibition Centre (subject to confirmation) and content in the Newham magazine.
We also discussed how Socitm can help, but, already, word is obviously getting around because the project has been contacted by the Bahrain Government, which wishes to develop something similar!
Plantech plc is a long-term sponsor of the Socitm President's dinner. I'm pleased to report that, following the company's recent acquisition by IDOX Group, it has confirmed that it will again be sponsoring this year's event.
Following my weekend of weddings, it was back to Earth with a bump, today, with several intense meetings.
I met with colleagues from the Building & Research Establishment (BRE) and Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) to discuss various opportunities related to the Assisted Living Innovation Platform (ALIP) and TeleHealth. I was pleased to hear that the DAP (Digital Access Provision Forum) was successful in its bid to the Technology Strategy Board, winning £1.7m of funding towards a £4.4m project over 4 years, through which the Microsoft Shared Learning Group has won £162k of funding to develop a detailed specification of requirements - based on which Microsoft will develop a software tool. Other partners include the Continua Health Alliance, tasked with standards convergence, whose first product is a new Bluetooth specification with time-stamping, and BT leading on what the assisted living solution will look like, with the BRE and other partners implementing in homes.
The Assisted Living Innovation Platform aims to develop next generation TeleCare and Assistive Technology solutions with the aim of developing a 1,000 home project by 2012. There is a deadline for the submission of Expressions of Interest under the current call for proposals under this programme – the Smart Care Distributed Environment (communications aspects of Assisted Living) of 4th September. Ranjit Bassi, who co-ordinates the DAP Forum, asked whether Newham would be prepared to lead a pilot work package on tracking dementia sufferers. Given its present work through the NHS Whole Systems Demonstrator, and our Telecommunications Infrastructure Convergence project, I thought there was likely to be a great deal of interest.
We also discussed other upcoming developments, and agreed to maintain our dialogue, agreeing a number of related action points.
In the afternoon, Ian Tomson-Smith and Alf Raju, from SNT Consulting, briefed me on progress in the PSMP project – text Newham to 80010 to be sent a WAP link to the beta site. Recent consultation, including that with the Young Mayor of Newham, has provided very positive feedback on the social inclusiveness of the project, which is also now working with Newham's Business Development Officer and the Council's Business Directory to provide location specific advertising for local businesses.
The PSMP project has now been presented to Heads of 2012 and CIOs in all five of the 2012 Olympic boroughs. It's also working with Barking and Waltham Forest on the 101 project through the Mayor of London's office.
The portal is due to go "live" on 19th September – the expected date of the announcement of London's Cultural Olympiad programme. Mobile technology is expected to provide a key communications medium. Launch publicity will include 46 local poster sites, Bluetooth sites in Stratford and Upton Park Stations, and at the Excel Exhibition Centre (subject to confirmation) and content in the Newham magazine.
We also discussed how Socitm can help, but, already, word is obviously getting around because the project has been contacted by the Bahrain Government, which wishes to develop something similar!
Thursday, 21 August 2008
To my reader who recently told me I should use more pictures to brighten-up my Blog, I bring you the author, wit & politician…
Sir Richard Steel (1672-1729)… Not to be confused with…The real McCoy.
Thanks to Ian Dunmore for pointing that out, and providing a little light relief during my judging entries for the Computing Awards for Excellence 2008.
Coincidentally, I was judging an entry by a supplier of security technology to a certain financial institution when I read this. If Mr. Hornby has put his bank statements out in the rubbish, without shredding them, that, of course, is nothing to do with his organisation's ICT. I'm sure its security technology is great. Interesting, 'though, that he apparently still has printed statements delivered?
Apart from staying on-top of correspondence, I did little other than awards judging all day, and haven't yet got half way!
You remember that I mentioned I experimented with Tag Clouds, a little while ago? Well, I now have a live Cloud at the end of each entry in the version of my Blog that's maintained at ComputerWorldUK. I'm told it will get better over time but, already, I have used my offline version to quickly locate and refer back to previous points. I'll be interested in any observations on this utility.
I'm on holiday, tomorrow, and Chris and I are off to Somerset for a wedding. We have weddings to go to on Saturday & Sunday, too!
Enjoy your long weekend!
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