Galway Website

philbo

Hey folks, just looking for a bit of feedback about an idea I've had floating around for the past few years. I was thinking about trying to organise a site that would cover all things Galway (city for starters, maybe spreading to county over time).

Now the main problem I have is I don't have the knowledge to build websites, etc...or whether what I have in mind is even possible. As it stands, I'm not viewing it as a business prospect, but it would be a great thing to have here.

It would have:

• Gig/Event Listings
• Local News-If it was possible to link to stories from the various news sites for Galway
• Musicians/Bands listings-a comprehensive listings of all the bands in Galway would benefit everyone involved
• Links-in categories to cover everything from venues to accomodation,media, sports&clubs, etc..
• Photos-using a group from a site like Flickr where people can submit their own photos of Galway life, etc...
• Forums-ideally if there was a way to tie in these forums into it to have an already established userbase,etc..

I looked around at what was there already, and found http://www.galwaytourism.ie/ which lists most accommodation and the like.

http://www.galway.net/ seems to have the right ideas, but I found the website almost impossible to use. does anyone know if this site is updated regularly?

I grew up in Galway, but I've lived all over the place for the past few years. A lot of these places had similar sites that really made things so much easier, especially for someone new to the city, let alone to the locals. One obvious example would be the PROC website in Cork, even though that has a more satirical take on the news. http://www.peoplesrepublicofcork.com/

What are your thoughts on it? Do you think there's a need for it in Galway? Or is there something that already provides a similar service that I'm unaware of?

biko

Other sites I know of:
http://www.galwaytonight.com/
http://www.galwaycitypubguide.com/
http://www.whatsoningalway.com/

Of course many things you mention, particularity forums, are already covered by www.boards.ie
Forums are also on www.boards.sin.ie.

philbo

Cool, thanks for the reply.

Of those sites, galwaytonight doesn't seem to have any events listed on it. The other two seem to just have a set list of general events, rather than a daily update.

None of the sites seem to be totally comprehensive, which is my main problem with a lot of them. They all stick to just one small amount of info. If all the sites pooled their efforts into one comprehensive site, we'd have a much better service provided.

Even looking at things like the advertiser, or other local papers, everything's very clunky. I've seen people on here talking about the paucity of nightlife in Galway, but personally I think that's not helped by the lack of widely available promotion/advertising, or people knowing what's what out there to use (ie, venues, bands/acts available, etc..)

diarmuid05

I think it's a great idea.

The most important thing would be to keep it updated/current.
Which would be lots of work for little reward.
(Maybe if you allowed users to update some of the content - and just approved it)


I'm a web developer based in Galway, and would be interested in helping you out with this if you do decide to go ahead.

philbo

Allowing users to update would be the key part of it I reckon. Otherwise it's just too much work for one person to try and maintain.

Again, I'm not too knowledgeable with regards to web design, etc so I guess I'm just thinking aloud here...but if there was a form which could be filled by folks who come to the site to create the events, or musician listings, and so on, it could work.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

I think its a good idea but I dunno if it would generate sufficient interest tbh. Most people would get news of gigs in places they like from Facebook, I do anyways, and if there's anything big on elsewhere I'd norally hear about it from friends well in advance.

inisboffin

I think it's a good idea too!
I'd check it if it was comprehensive and updated, while I too get a lot of updates from FB, I get a bit overwhelmed sometimes with event invites, and it would be nice to just look at one calendar and/or just be able to click a link to music, theatre, comedy, alternative, whatever?

I'm not super tech savvy, but maybe there'd be a way for each category to be highlighted if someone had uploaded something for that day. Say a 'dance' link on tues would be red if there was something on, and green if nobody had posted anything.

A section for workshops, classes, meetings whatever might be good too on each day. The way to go would be to get people to upload info and approve for sure.

philbo

I hear ya on the facebook front, I do hear about a lot of things on there. But the problem is, unless I know the person organising the night, or along those lines, I don't hear about it. There's been a load of events happened recently which I missed completely, and only found out about them when I saw a poster for the event hanging in town after it had happened.

I've noticed there's a lot of stuff that happens off the mainstream radar (as in it's not in the advertiser, or mentioned on local radio) and unless people get into town on a fairly regular basis to keep an eye on posters and the like, a lot of it slips by. If there was the one spot where you could see all events across all genres (music, comedy, theatre etc...) where you could advertise for free, surely that would help to get people out and about!

philbo

@inisboffin, you've hit the nail on the head there. that's exactly what I'm trying to get at. the workshops and classes are a great idea too!

that's one of the main reasons I posted about it here, the more input into what the site could be used for the better, there's always some room for improvements!

Average-Ro

I'm actually working on something similar. Now it's still in very early stages; still doing research and working on the basic architecture of the site, but so far so good.

I've contacted a few establishments to get feedback and it's all been positive so far; and I might have actually found a business who want to invest in it as well, which is always a plus!

I have the same problem of having no web design background, so I'm not even sure where to begin there. Any Galway based web designers interested in a challenge?:D

The idea came about the same way yours did Philbo, I constantly missed great shows and gigs that weren't advertised all that well, I felt something was needed to stop that happening and get people more clued in as to what's happening around them.

philbo

sounds great, I don't think the idea would really take off unless there's good backing from local businesses, good to hear there's people receptive to it!

liabhroidi

Best of luck Philbo, but it's not unique enough. How many of these have been started before and die a death soon enough due to lack of funding. and even if you have funding, it's a black hole. All sorts of media are losing millions now so it would be nigh on impossible to get a backer. These websites are then left like ghost estates. there must be about 50 Galway ones floating there in cyberspace hoping to get by on gig listings. I hope you succeed but I'd try and make it more unique and not try to be all things to everyone.

dreababyluxe

Excellant idea... I've been desperately searching for something like this since moving to Galway but didn't find any of the other sites mentioned above much use! In Clare, where I lived before here we had www.clarefocus.ie which focused perhaps more on day time events like local seminars etc alot of which were free and it was great to be able to just log on if you were bored and fancied doing something different one week, or if you just fancied learning some new skills, or tasting chocolate/wine for free etc.
A combination of this with gig listings etc would be absolutely excellant! I'd love to know more of the stuff that's going on around Galway but I can't always get my hands on local press, and like I think someone said above I get overwhelmed with event invites on FB so I've begun to ignore them...too many to scroll through!
Wish you all the best.

I sure do use etc alot!

Mrs OBumble

liabhroidi wrote: »

Best of luck Philbo, but it's not unique enough. How many of these have been started before and die a death soon enough due to lack of funding. and even if you have funding, it's a black hole. All sorts of media are losing millions now so it would be nigh on impossible to get a backer. These websites are then left like ghost estates. there must be about 50 Galway ones floating there in cyberspace hoping to get by on gig listings. I hope you succeed but I'd try and make it more unique and not try to be all things to everyone.

'Fraid I tend to agree: this is a route that's very well-trodden. And I discovered yet another new contender (www.mygalway.ie) the other week, too.

I've done a lot of thinking about the business fundamentals of information websites, and what motivates people to post quality information (not just "my brother's friend's neighbour's goldfish said that U2 are the surprise gig in the Warwick on New Years " shyte).

Seems to me that people not wanting to advertise in the same place as competitors is a barrier until any medium becomes so big that they can't imagine not listing there (eg like the Advertiser). And getting that big is a mighty big hurdle, especially given the competition from the existing media.

My advice would be to find a niche area that's not well covered by any existing source, and work on dominating that niche. Then expand to other things if there's a natural fit. (The buses niche is taken, btw!)

Also, focus on locals, not tourists ... every man and his dog tries to build resources for tourists, so the locals market has a lot less competition.

philbo

thanks for all the replies folks

@Mary, the idea was that it would be largely for locals. obviously, if tourists found it, it would be of use, but the main purpose would be constant day to day use for folks around town. although it would probably be of more use to those who don't come into town everyday, live a bit outside or around the county. anyone who lives central will get in to see posters for events and the like.

in terms of folks not wanting to advertise in the same place as rivals....ah sure, what harm is a free ad?

skelliser

il help in the design and building of the site.

PM me

mbiking123

Cause I live in Galway if someone wants to do a website which is free to use, I will give what free time I have for free

I can give advice etc to get you on your way

thesandeman

If ye do anything, make sure it works on MOBILE. So many people dont realise lots of people use their phone for the internet.
Even the mobile version of Facebook doesnt work properly as tabs etc cant be viewed on the phone.

dinneenp

Hi,
Galway and Mayo Flickr group here

It's a good idea but I'd imagine it'd take a lot of work to get publicity you really need people to remember the url. Entertainment.ie is a big player but doesn't include small events I'd imagine.

good luck with it anyway if you do go ahead with it.
I suggested having a Galway food festival and competition annually to find the 'best burger', 'best chips' etc in Galway. If you could get that running you could have a voting poll on your website, which would draw thousands (hopefully) of visitors to your site.....

What I'd like to see in a site is:
1. discounts from restaurants etc. Will draw people to your site.
2. a complete list of all sporting events each week (this can be hard to find, often have to check multiple websites for GAA, rubgy, football etc). that alone would draw me back to the site each week.
3. list of all art events/exhibitions, going ons in Galway
4. competitions-that draws people back. Local venues might give free prizes as it's publicity for them.
5. proper, honest reviews of restaurants, pubs etc. Including bad review if need be.
6.don't pretend other media don't exist- have a links page to Galway Advertiser, Independent, Galway Bay FM, other websites etc.

I could try to help with some photos if you wanted, I'm only ameteur but could try to help. PM me if interested. I have some Galway photos here

Cheers,
Pa.

ir555

Excellent idea and fair play to everyone who has offered to help the OP.

Be sure to include a section on activities in the local area - sports, walking, hiking etc.. There are so many people out there now with much more free time and looking to take up new hobbies - along with the huge interest in real local info on gigs, classes, workshops etc...

Yes there are many similar failed sites out there, that should never be a reason why you would not go ahead with your idea. Take the best bits from the existing sites and go for it. Spend some time sitting down and working out why all these sites have failed. Maybe even make contact with the site owners.

Given the size of the city - a well built and regularly updated site is sure to do well. Build it for the local community with good accurate info. Naturally it will become a site which tourists will want to find. If its good enough it will start to appear on the guide websites/ books.

Surely the likes of Galway City Council, Discover Ireland etc.. would be supportive of such a venture. Maybe get it off the ground first before wasting time on looking for funding/ support.

As someone launching a new business in the coming months - the cost of advertising in the traditional routes - i.e. advertiser etc is out of the question. Yes they deliver 80,000 or whatever copies but how many of these people are the target audience?

I would be more than happy to pay for advertising (at a suitable rate) on your proposed project. How about a pay per click payment system or even a smaller payment and some vouchers which you could raffle each week...I am sure there alot of other businesses out there who would be delighted to barter some prizes/ vouchers for advertising. With 100 advertisers offering a small payment and some prizes for a raffle each week/ month - surely this would attract some good traffic on the site.

Keep in mind that this may start off as a voluntary project but do not forget the amount of work required should the site be a success. Contributors will expect their info to be visible immediately. Design the site from the outset to ensure updating it or adding new advetisements is as simple/ quick as possible. Will you have a service to include ad design - (why not get an unemployed graphics designer to offer this service). Website design could be used for other counties...

Will be keeping a close eye on this thread.

Go for it!

D

philbo

Fantastic stuff folks, thanks a million for the replies, some great feedback there!

One thing I'd like to throw out there-any good ideas for a name?

All the other sites did have something specific that they cater for and that was reflected in the name. I'm hoping to get a lot covered here, not just what to do on a night out. Like ir555, inisboffin and dreababyluxe suggested, information on daytime activities like classes and workshops, sporting activities, etc... would be just as important.

inisboffin

philbo wrote: »

Fantastic stuff folks, thanks a million for the replies, some great feedback there!

One thing I'd like to throw out there-any good ideas for a name?

All the other sites did have something specific that they cater for and that was reflected in the name. I'm hoping to get a lot covered here, not just what to do on a night out. Like ir555, inisboffin and dreababyluxe suggested, information on daytime activities like classes and workshops, sporting activities, etc... would be just as important.

I'll just brainstorm a few here, even if none of them work, it may spark different ones:

(the dot whatever I will leave out )



allgalway

** post edited - someone requested I edit my suggestions for names if the OP isn't using them, they might! I left up the one quoted. Best of luck whoever goes ahead

I didn't search these, so apologies if any already exist.

dinneenp

galwaylife?
mygalway.com?itsgalway.com?

I like allgalway

thesandeman

Was going to say Galway365 but Inishboffin has the same idea.

inisboffin

thesandeman wrote: »

Was going to say Galway365 but Inishboffin has the same idea.

Great minds

I nearly put that, but it reminded me of the thread about Joyce's!

ScumLord

The joomla platform can do all those things easily enough. You'll need someone to set it up and style it for you but after that it's a user driven system. You can assign rights to users or groups of users to allow them top do certain things on the website. It's not that hard to pick up the basics and start putting together a rough website.

I think the key would be to get Galway businesses on board so that they'll do the updating themselves. The Dunmore town website has these kind of things but as you can see there hasn't been much uptake for it.

I'd make it free for Galway based businesses to use the service because if they don't there's nothing for your visitors to see but let them pay for special promotions or charge out of town businesses to advertise special promotions to your websites users.

If you can get it off the ground doing one useful thing for users that's maintained well by the websites administrators and leave options for the website to be used for other things at the users initiative it should help it build up a user base.

Putting everything out there from the start means you have a large structured site with little content which looks really bad.

philbo

Some great suggestions for names there folks, thanking you kindly. I always end up with the cheesiest examples when I try to name things meself!

Really appreciate all the input and feedback. The more the better! This has gone from an idea floating around in me head last night to a definite idea that I'll be going ahead with from today! The internet, great craic, ha?

joeKel73

It's not a new idea, been done multiple times for every large town... but almost all sites get a small surge at the start then go into a downward spiral. The content needs to be up to date... updated daily. If it's not updated every day then people will skip the site and check directly with the venue or whatever.... then if the numbers drop then whoever is running the site has less incentive to put in all the work for a smaller user-base. Then over a year or two it becomes another Galway ghost site!

Sorry I don't want to be overly negative but just giving you a heads up that there's a lot of sustained work to be done on it. If you make it too user-driven you'll need to be on top of it to moderate that and watch out for spam etc. Quality of content might be an issue too. The most likely source of income (reward for the effort) is from advertising... but then again if you plaster it with ads then it's not a place people will want to go. You need to balance that too.

That said, best of luck with it if you go for it. I do some web development myself so will be willing to help out if you're stuck on something, just drop me a PM.

Considered something similar a couple of years ago (different town) but decided the effort/reward didn't tip in the right direction for me at the time so went for different projects.

Mrs OBumble

philbo wrote: »

in terms of folks not wanting to advertise in the same place as rivals....ah sure, what harm is a free ad?

No harm.

But you're not quite understood my point: you need to consider the motivations of the people likely to be involved.

Why should any event-organiser bother listing on your site, instead of the myriad of others out there.

Updating listings (both getting the info, and physically entering it) is a HUGE amount of work. To be successful, you need the people-driven web 2.0 approach (IMHO), which means you need to find motivation for people to use you.

thesandeman

inisboffin wrote: »

Great minds

I nearly put that, but it reminded me of the thread about Joyce's!

Lol. That crossed my mind as well. Makes sense though: restock regulary and keep the content fresh.

As regards the Mobile edition: Im not very computer literate so I dont know if this would work (excuse my way of trying to explain it):
Now about a way of somehow linking to restaurants, pubs etc in real time? ie: Im in Eyre Sq and Im thinking of going to Cava for Food/Roisin for a gig or whatever. If there was a way to check if place was booked/sold out on the phone it would save making phone calls and also get the site more used.

dinneenp

thesandeman wrote: »

Lol. That crossed my mind as well. Makes sense though: restock regulary and keep the content fresh.

As regards the Mobile edition: Im not very computer literate so I dont know if this would work (excuse my way of trying to explain it):
Now about a way of somehow linking to restaurants, pubs etc in real time? ie: Im in Eyre Sq and Im thinking of going to Cava for Food/Roisin for a gig or whatever. If there was a way to check if place was booked/sold out on the phone it would save making phone calls and also get the site more used.

The best i could think of is just have listing of all eateries in Galway and phone number so people can dial them with one touch. other than that approach a few restaurants and ask if they have/use and technology that people can use to check if a place is full or not.

Have to ask what'll bring users back again and again to your site...if you can do that should have regular return visits and then can go to potential advertisers and show them stats and hopefully they'll want to advetise with you.