News

Calling all Make Hay and Green Hosting clients This September will mark our 20th business anniversary. Wow, where did that time go?! On the approach to this big milestone we're taking a moment to reflect on the incredible journey that has brought us to where we are today. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to work with you over the years ...
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Wordpress is one of the most popular content management systems today and it has some great benefits. It is one of the CMS's we use for our web design clients and we know that a good number of our Green Hosting clients use it too. However, because it is so popular it can tend to attract unwanted attention of potential attackers who look for out of date ...
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The world of domain names has just become a lot more exciting with the creation of gLTDs (generic top level domains). Admittedly they have a really boring moniker but gTLDs can help immediately define your business name and website by industy or type. Instead of the usual .com & .org.uk type domain names you can now choose from many more, like .events ...
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Recent changes to ICANN's (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) policies mean that some domain name owners will be required to verify their contact details via their domain registrar. If you are required to verify your details you will receive an e-mail notification from your domain name registrar. Please be aware of any possible fake ...
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Once again our clients continue to amaze us with their brilliant work and projects. Here's our latest... Client News Roundup Planetary Collective successfully met their Kickstarter target to create their feature length documentary. Check out the trailer, its incredible! Climate East Midlands is on the hunt for good examples of low carbon schools to ...
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Protecting your WordPress website from the botnet 'Admin Hack'    If you run a WordPress powered website please read this carefully and follow the steps to secure your WordPress website. A mass hacking attempt using a huge 'botnet' of hundreds of thousands of infected computers is currently trying to 'brute force' ...
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Client News Roundup Spring 2013 Spring is always such an exciting time of year with lots of new possibilities to look forward to. This spring we were very happy to be involved in some great projects and see our clients do more fantastic things. Astronauts, awards and anniversaries, it's all here!... ORCA, the national whale and dolphin conservation ...
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As we're coming to the end of February it seems that there's an end to winter in sight and all the excitement of new possibilities. Here's a round up of the new and exciting things some of our clients have been up to this winter... Wayfarer Furniture, innovative furniture designer joins our Green Hosting family. Dummy Jim the movie and Tiger ...
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We would like to wish all of our clients, colleagues and friends and very happy holidays and all the best for the New Year! We're taking a break over the Christmas period from 5pm Friday 21st December to 9am Wednesday 2nd January. If you need to get in touch with us for an urgent hosting support query during that time, please use our support ...
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Unfortunately there's another domain scam doing the rounds via e-mail. We've been bombarded by them here. I'm sure you would be able to tell that these renewal notices are fake but we just wanted to let you know about them to make sure. Here's what they look like: If we have purchased domains on your behalf we will always contact you ...
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As we hurtle towards Christmas and the festive season here's a round up of what our clients have been up to this autumn... The National Parent Partnership Network supports Parent Partnership Services and parents and carers of children with special educational needs accross England and Wales - We launched their brand new website last month. Fifi Bijoux ...
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This is a notice for clients for whom we have registered and continue to renew domain names on their behalf. Our domain registrar has let us know that they are implementing some changes to ensure renewal of domains run as smoothly as possible, lowering the risk of domain suspension and downtime. So, they will now request domain renewal payments 7 days in ...
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As you may have noticed it has been a while since the last client news roundup. We're moving these to quarterly editions so that we can share even more news in one go. Here's what our clients have been up to this spring and early summer.... Welcome to New Green Hosting Clients Artsmix - Connecting people through creativity and providing ...
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Following on from our article a couple of months ago about the new EU cookie law affecting UK websites, the Information Commissioner's Office has now revised and updated some of their information to clarify the rules. Full details can be found on the ICO blog. However one of the main points worth noting is the clarification around implied versus ...
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You may have heard about the EU Cookie law which is currently causing much discussion amongst web developers and website owners. Within the UK all websites are now subject to an EU law which states that cookies should not be used unless the website user is provided with clear information about the use of cookies and given his or her consent for the ...
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Where did February go? Not that we're complaining because spring is finally here! Hope you enjoy our latest client news roundup: Welcome to new Green Hosting Clients: Cycling for All - An online resource for anyone who thought they couldn't cycle. Sustainable Saltaire - Creating a more sustainable, successful future for the community. Polar ...
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Strictly speaking, this is a round up for December too but its still fab to see what you, our lovely clients, have been up to. Here's your new year news roundup.... Climate East Midlands' local authority partners win Carbon Trust awards. Ethical Weddings shares top 12 wedding tips for 2012. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's friendly robin ...
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Happy belated New Year! 2012 threw us straight into it this year and we've been busy working on projects for our clients and ourselves without much time to come up for air. However, last week, along with 650 other web designers, developers, project managers and creative folk we escaped from our desks and screens and gathered at the beautiful Albert ...
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Christmas is nearly here and we'll be taking a break to join in the festivities and recharge our batteries. We will be closed from 5pm on Friday 16th December to 9am Tuesday 3rd January. Emergency support arrangements If you have an emergency hosting support request during that time, please use our online support helpdesk to send us a message. It ...
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Lots of awards and things to celebrate in this month's client news roundup... New Green Hosting Clients: Third Rock - Communications consultancy specialising in environment and green PR. My nPoint Exactly - A print and online magazine created and produced by a group of friends. Project Warren - Hand crafted home and garden projects Parents Carers ...
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The Nottingham Post ran an article in their business section recently on my week (a few weeks ago) at Make Hay. The My Week features follow local business owners and professionals from a range of industries. This was an interesting experience for me because, like most people, I'm too busy getting on with the job to stop and reflect on the past week. ...
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Happy Halloween! Here are lots of treats and no tricks from our clients this October... New Green Hosting Clients: Angels Housekeeping - Cleaning and domestic services for older people in Leeds. Chinese Calligraphy Society of Europe - Promoting the skills of Chinese calligraphy. Douglas Lee Dental Practice - A caring family dental practice. Marumi - ...
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It's that time again! Here's what our web design and Green Hosting clients have been up to in September... New Green Hosting clients: Planetary Collective - Filmmakers and visual media creatives working with cosmologists, ecologists, philosophers and futurists to inspire people to look deeper. Marie Krag Therapy - Psychotherapist and counsellor ...
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They say that August is traditionally a quiet month but that's not the case for our busy clients. Take a look at what some of them have been up to... Support for Carers are beginning a new project to help carers find and set up support groups in Leicestershire. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launch the new nature reserves smart phone app Climate East ...
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It landed with a loud thud when it hit the floor through the letterbox this morning, the very pretty first issue of The Manual. This brand new printed journal promises to give a fresh view of design on the web. Over several issues it will document voices of web craftsmen and women about our maturing industry as it defines itself as a 'distinct ...
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Here's the latest from a few of our web design and Green Hosting clients: Newly launched websites using Green Hosting: Clarendon Press - Environmentally friendly printing services in Gloucestershire. Planetary Collective - A collective of filmmakers and visual media creatives working in partnership with cosmologists, ecologists, astronauts, ...
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Where did June go? This month has flown by but it hasn't stopped our clients from getting up to all kinds of interesting things... Newly launched websites using Green Hosting: Cycle Hire - Helpful online search for cycle or cycle equipment hire in the UK. pickIT - Bespoke IT and e-learning training company with a green and ethical ethos. Read ...
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For those of you who use WordPress as your blog or website platform you'll know that the guys over at WordPress regularly release updates for the software. It is important to make sure that your website is using the latest version of Wordpress to ensure its best security and functionality. Updating your WordPress installation is relatively easy. You ...
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It's that time again! Check out what some of our clients have been up to. Newly launched websites using Green Hosting: Barnes & Adams - artisan apple products & cider Green Talk - Short talks, big ideas from leading thinkers and doers on climate change, energy and food security and the natural world. Bradford Personalisation - a network of ...
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Well, with all of the recent bank holidays and festivities our April round-up has been slightly delayed. Where did April go anyway? If you have exciting news to share let us know. Here's the latest from some of our fab clients... Vote for Climate Change Gardening in the 'One Small Step' business competition. Climate Change Gardening provides ...
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Here's the March edition of our client news round-up. If you're one of our lovely clients and you would like to share your news here, just get in touch. My Climate Change Garden celebrates Climate Week with a post-a-day on things you can do in the garden to combat climate change. Foxglove Covert and their volunteers prepare for the massive task of ...
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If you use our Make Mail e-newsletter system then why not try its clever new social sharing facility? Using the Quick Links inside your newsletter editor you can add Facebook 'Like' and Twitter 'Tweet' links so that your readers can share your stories in their social networks. You don't even need to worry about creating the icons ...
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We love what our clients do and so we like to talk about them. Here's the latest news from a few of them: Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launch their wildlife photography exhibition at The Museum of Nottingham life. Gertie & Mabel get their Danish ribbon featured on the cover of Not on the High Street's latest catalogue. Well done ladies! ...
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On 20th January 2011 at the Albert Hall the plans of Mr Simon Collison’s New Adventures in Web Design were realised here in Nottingham. This conference (‘naconf’) had come to our attention last summer and we pounced upon the tickets as soon as they were available. We knew from the line-up of speakers (web industry leaders we had followed ...
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Happy New Year! Welcome to our brand new website. As you will see we have freshened our look up, with an updated logo and pretty new colours. We are still the same Make Hay, an ethical web design team, creating beautiful websites for positive organisations. We still run Green Hosting too! Aside from our new brand we have lots of exciting plans in place ...
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The Christmas holidays are nearly here and we would like to wish you all a very happy festive season and a prosperous New Year! We’ll be taking a break over the holiday period and so the office will be closed from 5pm on 22nd December until 9am on 5th January. For emergency hosting queries only please use our helpdesk at ...
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As you know the UK VAT rate is due to increase in January 2011 to 20%. If you’re currently paying for your Green Hosting on a monthly basis, why not switch to an annual subscription now and pay the 17.5% VAT rate until December 2011? If you’d like to arrange the switch, all you have to do is contact Vicky at hello@green-hosting.co.uk before ...
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If you are involved in 10:10 – the excellent project to cut carbon emissions by 10% in a year – you’ll know that 10/10/10 is the global day of doing. So, to celebrate the day and help others lower their carbon emissions we have a special offer! Businesses or organisations registered to take part in the 10:10 project get 10% off their ...
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This is important information for any of our clients whose websites use our Green Hosting service. We have a brand new and more comprehensive support service in place should you need any help with getting started and managing your Green Hosting account. In our new support section on the Green Hosting website we’ve provided some useful answers to ...
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Well those web marketing gurus HubSpot have done it again, they’ve produced another free guide to help you create and promote your business pages on Facebook. The ‘Who’s Blogging What – Facebook Page Marketing Guide 2010‘ is useful for Facebook newcomers and existing users alike. The e-book includes: How to build a business ...
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Leonora of Elio Studio has worked with Make Hay for some time, being one of our longest-standing Green Hosting and web design clients. She is also a good friend of Green Girls Global. So, a warm welcome please… Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work. Hello, my name is Leonora Oppenheim and I’m the director of Elio ...
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Happy New Year! We hope 2010 is proving to be productive and prosperous for you so far. This is just a little reminder to our Green Hosting clients, who pay for their hosting service on a monthly basis, about the change in VAT rate from 1st January 2010. You should have received an e-mail directly from me about your Green Hosting subscriptions. If you ...
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Our latest newsletter ‘Seasons Greetings, Happy News and Festive Break‘ is out now. We’ll be taking a short break over the Christmas holidays so please note our office closing ours will be from 5pm Weds 23rd December to Mon 4th Jan 2010. Wishing you all very merry holidays and a happy New Year! ...
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Our latest newsletter ‘Cutting Costs and Carbon‘ is out now. If you are one of our monthly subscribers to Green Hosting here you will find a way to cut your hosting costs next year. We’re also planning on cutting our carbon in 2010, why don’t you join us. Read our newsletter to find out more. ...
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Great news for the good people of central England. Newly launched this week is the directory of midlands eco businesses large and small, the ‘Midlands Green Pages‘! At Midlands Green Pages you will find green services and products of all kinds from jewellery, gardening and woodland burials to training courses, weddings and B2B. Of course, ...
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Here at Make Hay we’ve just signed up to the 10:10 project. The project to cut carbon emissions in the UK by 10% in a single year. Why? Well, as the folks at 10:10 explain: “…while politicians argue about targets for 2050 and 2020, the scientists say world emissions must peak and begin to fall within the next few years. That means we need ...
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Please be aware of any letters or invoices you receive asking you to renew or transfer your domain name. There seems to be yet another round of false reminders from a company called ‘Domain Renewal Group‘. Their paperwork is suspiciously similar to the previous company (Domain Registry of America / Europe / Canada) we warned about in our ...
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This is very important information for anyone using WordPress for their website or blog. It has come to our attention that there is a new security exploit attacking WordPress sites using old versions (i.e. versions before 2.8.4). This new exploit seems to create a ‘fake’ administrator (which you cannot see) within WordPress which may change ...
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Our latest newsletter ‘Getting Green Business‘ is out now. In this issue you’ll find a handy way of adding your Make Mail newsletter sign-up form to your Facebook page, news of a green directory and an international site connecting sustainable businesses. There’s also a link to a handy free image editing tool and an article about how ...
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Make it easier for your clients to sign up to your Make Mail newsletter by adding a subscribe form to your business page in Facebook. Take a look at Make Hay’s page to see an example (and become a fan whilst you’re there). If you’d like to add your newsletter sign up form to your facebook page, let us know, and we’ll help you ...
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Here are a few little gems I’ve found to share just with you. Freebies and goodies abounds! Free Green Blog Listing Get your business blog listed for free in the Best Green Blogs directory. Find some fabulous green blogs to read there too. Magazine Trials and Green Energy Make Mail clients Blue Rocket Group told us about these two goodies this ...
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Our latest newsletter ‘Ethical Businesses Together‘ is out now. In this issue find a brand new forum for ethical businesses to share views and ideas about doing business responsibly. We also talk about a great marketing kit from HubSpot, the kings and queens of online marketing. There’s news from some of our lovely clients too so check it ...
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One of our lovely web design and Green Hosting clients, Cate from C8ter, will be on ITV at 5pm tonight representing the East Midlands in the new cookery show Taste the Nation. C8ter are based in Nottinghamshire and produce delicious meals, buffets and artisan goods from local and organic ingredients. They are truly passionate about qood quality, healthy and ...
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Yes, they’re finally here. Beautiful and stylish organic Green Girls Global and Green Guys Global tees designed by our very own Green Girl Lee Tracy. Each of the 7 designs show a message for living a more sustainable life. They come in various unisex styles, sizes and colours. Every order gets a cotton applique patch and orders of two tees or more ...
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What better way to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight than with a fabulous Fairtrade fashion show? Vicky here at Make Hay is a member of the Gedling Fairtrade Group who are hosting the fashion show on Wednesday 4th March at Redhill Comprehensive School. Doors open at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Enjoy live music whilst you browse the Fairtrade stalls and ...
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Our latest newsletter “Give a little link love” is out now. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for romantics, let’s all benefit from sharing a little link love. Read our newsletter to find a few easy and best of all free ways to do this. Get link love from us – Make Hay, Green Hosting and Make Mail clients can share their news ...
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One of our recent web design projects, finished ready to bring in the New Year, was Elio Studio from the lovely Leonora Oppenheim. Elio Studio is a sustainable design and consultancy practice, providing services in bespoke design, consultancy and writing. They specialise in communicating environmental issues and bringing it into the mainstream via a ...
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Make Hay web design client Ethical Weddings has joined forces with Greenfinder and Just The Thing to host the UK’s first Eco Chic Wedding and Home Show. The event takes place on Sunday 8th March at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens from 11am to 4pm. Going green shouldn’t just be for your big day, so as well as exhibitors and suppliers from the ...
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Here at Make Hay we’ll be taking a short break to celebrate the festive season. Our office will be closed from 5pm tonight (Friday 19th December) until Monday 5th January. Wishing you all happy holidays and we’ll be in touch again the New Year, ready for a great 2009! xx ...
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Well, this year is nearly over and its flown by in a flash. I thought it would be good to finish up this year with a  ‘Client News Round-up’ and tell you about some of the clients we’ve been working with this month. Introducing…. Lovely new web design clients C8TER Professional caterers C8TER needed a brand new website ...
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New VAT Rate As you’ve probably heard, the government has announced changes to the UK VAT rate which will be coming into force on Monday 1st December. The new rate will be 15% rather than 17.5% Here’s how it affects you as Make Hay and Green Hosting clients 1. Any outstanding invoices sent to you before 1st December will need to be paid with the ...
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The social networking site LinkedIn is often considered to be the more professional, sober alternative to Facebook. Personally I use both Facebook and LinkedIn but always preferred the extra interaction that Facebook allows. Well, LinkedIn has caught up. So as well as offering lots of scope to share your professional credentials LinkedIn Applications ...
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Nope, this isn’t a spelling mistake, its another cool new online tool to make bloggers’ lives easier. This is a real goody if you’re working away from your regular computer or you don’t having image editing software and it is called Resizr. Resizr lets you re-size images (and change a few other settings) online. You can either ...
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Talking to a client the other day about the joys of blogging, I realised that I’d broken one of my own number 1 rules – neglecting our blog. Our client was interested in how a blog could enhance his online presence and as I went to show him how we use our blog to provide useful resources to our clients I felt a pang of shame…. I ...
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I’d like to apologise to our readers for the recent silence on the Make Hay blog. The only reason for this is work, work and more work which means that we’re getting the opportunity to collaborate with more amazing, ethical businesses and individuals. So, less about us and more about them. Here’s our latest client news round-up: ...
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Just a quick update following the previous post. The new Green Girls Global and Green Guys Global sites are here! As well as our slick new look we have new features and opportunities for guests to contribute. Check them out at www.greengirlsglobal.com and www.greenguysglobal.com… ...
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One of our fantastic Make Mail clients Michael Norton, of 365 Act, has published a gargantuan list of networks in his August newsletter. The list includes physical and virtual networking groups for technology and social entrepreneurs and creative people. As Michael Says networking is a great way to get the creative juices flowing and “the two ...
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Here’s the latest from a few of our clients… Wind Powered Websites Now using our Green Hosting, powered by the wind: Natural Nursery Blog News and updates on green products, activities and baby and family stories. www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk DEA Services Wimbledon Domestic energy assessing and home energy assessing services in ...
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Last Friday’s post was a little heavy and since then I’ve been having a lot of interesting conversations about the way green/ethical business is perceived and how those of us who run ‘ethical’ businesses should communicate what we do. I put the word ‘ethical’ in inverted commas because a big part of the discussions have ...
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The latest Make Noise newsletter is out now! Check out the July ’08 edition ‘Campaigns, directories, research & donations‘. If you would like to find out about all kinds of green and ethical work then why not become a Make Noise member? Joining Make Noise is completely free and all we ask you to do is help spread the word by ...
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Here’s the latest from a few of our Make Hay clients… Eco Directory & Radio Station Aim to Reduce Landfill Long term Green Hosting client and Make Hay friend Allthingseco has teamed up with the UK’s only green radio station Passion for the Planet, to help people all over the UK reduce, re-use and recycle and keep their waste out of ...
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Two marketing marvels that caught my eye recently are are the fantastic Shama Hyder’s ‘After the Launch’ blog and Peter Shankman’s ‘If I can help a reporter out’ Shama’s blog provides regular insights and ideas into creative marketing and networking. She shares her views on the best social networking sites and ...
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Last year the Companies Act was updated to include publishingh company details on your website. Whether you run a new or existing company the Act says that there is specific information which must be displayed. This information includes: 1. your company’s name 2. place of registration 3. registration number 4. the address of the registered office ...
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