Blog Digest


20 Nov 2008

Whether it’s Christmas shopping in your pajamas or getting around Dublin on the bus, the Blog Digest can point you in the right direction this week.

Just Routes

Although this is not technically a blog, I must single this website out as an essential Irish site to visit, simply because it lists almost all the bus routes around Dublin City. If you plug in where you are and where you want to get to, you will be given the distance, as well as the most direct bus route.

The guys behind Just Routes came up with the idea after they left college and were frustrated with the lack of information on buses in and around the city for job interviews. To complement the site, they have this blog that keeps users up to date on new routes.

Martha Rotter

Most of us use Microsoft’s software applications daily, and it is easy to think of it as a faceless global corporation. However,  the efforts of hundreds of Microsoft employees who maintain their own blog  goes some way towards eroding this belief.

One such employee is software evangelist Martha Rotter, who works in Dublin.

Rotter’s passion for learning, discovering and enabling others through her work with Microsoft is apparent from her blog, and this is a great example of what individuals can do to give a personal and accessible face to a large corporation.

Sabrina Dent (pictured)

We all know that a well-designed website is key to your online strategy in attracting new customers and getting them to visit your online presence again and again. Among the better designed Irish websites out there, and the ones that tend to – visually speaking – stand head and shoulders above the rest, are those designed by Sabrina Dent, a native New Yorker who now lives in Cork.

The best thing about Dent’s blog is that it is an original mix of design inspiration and clued-in analysis about the online world, with stories told that betray a wicked sense of humour and informed opinion. I visit here on a regular basis for a slice of life as much as for the fantastic designs.

Online Christmas Shopping

Don’t shoot me, but I have to ask: have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, you might want to consider the online route. I know many people buy little bits online, but is it possible to do all of your Christmas shopping online, without buying everyone music or books only?

I’d like to think so, but you will need to come armed with key information, such as how to avoid credit-card fraud and meet last delivery dates, and which sites are trustworthy.

Stop by this blog first before you continue on your seasonal journey, all while sipping on cocoa and wearing your PJs.

By Marie Boran