Categories
Technology Work

My First TwitterBot

Twitter

I have just “finished?” my first twitterbot!

If you send it a direct message with part of the name of someone who works at Eclectic it will send you their contact details as a return direct message.

The API is very straight forward, only my lack of bash skills slowed me down.

Categories
Emma Family MND Motor Neuron Disease

Ambulance At Our House


Just some rumour control for anyone who may have seen the ambulance at our house on Saturday night.
Emma took some chest pains but she is better now.

Categories
Maxima Information Group Work

Make A Profit From Your Expenses!

Money

As I mentioned previously my company has been bought over. One of the immediate changes is that we are now responsible for booking our own travel and accomodation, rather than it being done centrally. Whilst this is a pain if you are busy, you can turn this to your own advantage.

This week i have “earned” £52.46 for doing my job !

Categories
Maxima Information Group Work

Consultancy VISTA

http://www.hamaddarwish.com
I really hate just regurgitating content from other sites but the following article just hit home, summarising what, in my opinion, sets us apart!
Read the article here.

VISTA is an acronym for value, integrity, service, trust, and accountability. These qualities are essential to extend beyond a simple provider-consumer relationship and to establish shared-value consulting relationships.

Value is fundamental to a successful consulting relationship. You must know and be able to articulate what value you will provide as a consultant or will expect a consultant to provide for your BI program. To achieve shared-value relationships, the inverse is also important: You must know and be able to articulate what value the consultant expects to receive. When value is described in measurable terms, it becomes possible to discuss and develop a consensus on value expectations.

Integrity is a cornerstone of good consulting practice. The best consultants operate based upon a code of ethics. As a provider of services, be prepared to state your code of ethics. As a consumer, be sure to ask about it. Key ethics considerations include confidentiality and nondisclosure. Also avoid conflict of interest; be (or hire) a consultant who is not influenced or biased by the possibility of work beyond the scope of the current engagement.

Service is the heart of successful consulting; it is a service business. Thus, consultants are service workers. An effective consultant is one who actively works to deliver real benefits to clients in a professional and effective way. A positive and pleasant experience upon conclusion of each engagement is the mark of service-oriented consulting. As a consultant, be able to clearly articulate your service model. If you’re hiring a consultant, be sure to ask how your prospective consultants define and deliver service.

Trust aids in confidence, comfort, and ease of communication – all essential for successful consulting. A relationship based on trust prevents suspicion and misgivings for both providers and consumers of consulting services. Good consultants know how to establish trust and will offer solid and meaningful references who attest to their trustworthiness. Wise consulting clients openly inquire about references and take the time to check them carefully.

Accountability helps to set expectations, enhance communications, prevent misunderstandings, and assure a conflict-free consulting experience for both parties. Before a consulting engagement begins, agree on fees, reimbursable expenses, reporting responsibilities, the form and frequency of progress reports, the basis of billing, and payment terms and conditions.

Categories
Family

Happy New Year !

Our friends Stuart and Diane were kind enough to invite us to their house to bring in the bells.
The Bells !