The G-Blog project aims to create a regular informal contact route between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and a local university. The project will stimulate business-to-business and academic-to-business interactions through a collaborative blog. Project partners include a regional business club and a university business incubator program. The blog will offer resources, information, and tools to engage SMEs and create a feedback channel. The project team is working closely with the university's IT department to design and implement the WordPress blog platform. An upcoming launch event with the regional business club will promote the blog to initial participating businesses.

1. JISC Business & Community
Engagement:
Collaborative Tools
The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Pam Voisey
GTi Project Manager
July 2009

2. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
The Listening Zone
for the Glamorgan Enterprise Region
Project Partners:
• Regional Business Club : Rhondda-Cynon-Taf
• Enterprise initiative for graduate startup
• G-Blog Project team (IT, Enterprise, Research)
• JISC project team & partner sites
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3. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
‘G-Blog’ is a pilot project
• Regular, informal contact route for SMEs to their local
University, which will
– Stimulate B2B and A4B interactions
– Facilitate reciprocity, mutual help, community
– Offer resources, information, tools
– Use events and web environment
– Engage with client groups through feedback
– Create a listening channel and more
– Build capacity, offer training
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4. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Aimed at: GTi Business
Incubator micro -businesses
•University project
•European + funded
•10 years
•Hot-desking
•>250 micro businesses
•All sectors
•Not all are graduates
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5. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Aimed at: RCT Business Club SMEs
• Enthusiastic management team
• Café style informal events
• High profile speakers
• Large regional coverage
• Range from large, medium and micro
companies
• Spread across sectors
• Digital natives to skeptics
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6. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Working with IT !
• Close relationship with the department for incubator IT
• Lynne had done some work on PR for IT people
• Discussed idea with Senior Managers, got support
• Identified key person to design and create the Blog – included
in the Project set up meeting in Aston
• Working process totally collaborative, for example:
– Pam : consumer focus/let’s ask them what they want
– Barry: We’ll use QMP
– Pam: what’s that?
– Result is successful feedback, WordPress as platform, design agreed,
businesses recruited for first wave – and Pam upskilled!
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7. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
On-going goodwill
• Keep everyone informed as progress is made
– LCSS-IS (IT) – the original senior managers
– Commercial Services links
– Rhondda Cynon Taf Business Club - launch event
– Micro businesses for first stage – the GTi constituents
– Academics – Business School initially
– Marketing – corporate look/having the right logos
– Web Team – making sure the name is OK
– Finance - using the credit card online/making the links
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8. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Ongoing support:
• Work with, don’t demand
• Benefit from the process and be reflexive
• Make it interesting
• Involve in the nice bits, not just the slaving over a
hot keyboard!
• Acknowledge – PR for IT people
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9. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Issues
• RCT partner – complete change of personnel
• Time constraints for all
Practice
• Good communication by email when meetings are squeezed
• Support of line management in both IT and Project team
• Working with RCT Business Club on launch event
• Customer focus makes it meaningful = getting IT right
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10. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Thanks to:
UoG: Professor Brian Hobbs, Alun Hughes, Lynne Gornall, Tony
Evans, Martyn Lynch, Alun Cox, Barry Richard, Rhian Evans
Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC: Lorna Reed, Ross Chamberlain, Phil
Barnes
GTi businesses: Timto Ltd; School of Life; Live Assistant
Business Solutions; GMA Consultants; Cymraeg Web Hosting;
TiGra Networks; Bandog Media; Team Metalogic; Blue Stag
Studio; EarthMonkey Media; Guardian Angel Technology
JISC Team: Jacqui Kelly; Will Allen; Andy Stewart; Chris Young;
the other BCE Projects
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11. The ‘G-Blog’ Project
Contact details:
Pam Voisey
G-Blog Project Leader
University of Glamorgan
01443 482670
glamblog@glam.ac.uk
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