This post is by Ben Chapman, a 5th year student in Scoil Mhuire Clane, who is with us for a week on work experience.

Hello! The guys here at echolibre thought that making a web app would be the best way for me to experience working in this industry, so I am. The idea that I’ve come up with and started this week is, as Eamon put it, a document management system for schools, teachers & students.  Here’s just a quick overview of what I want to do with the project and I’d love to hear what you think about it or any ideas you have — so if you want to, just throw me a comment below! (more…)

Today the Irish Internet Association announced the setting up of a new working group for web development. The main aim of the group is to educate decision makers on the web development process. This will cover areas such as server-side technologies, front-end technologies, development processes, best practices and standards in web, security and data protection.

Anyone who has ever worked with a client to build a web site or web application will know that there are areas where the client could benefit from having a better understanding of what is involved in the development process. Ultimately, when a client is better advised in these areas, they can make more informed decisions. This also can be beneficial to the development company or freelancer, as it can ensure better communication from the beginning of a project. (more…)

In the last year, I’ve been lucky to be able to discuss the topic of leadership in a small start-up company with friends and industry peers alike.

I found that most people tend to either describe what a leader is, or what a leader does, usually based on personal contact with someone they regarded as a “good” leader. However, most seem to find it difficult to actually define what a leader is. Indeed, I can understand this, as there are many types of leaders out there and I think that generally how you tell them apart is not their skills, but what or who it is they’re actually leading.
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