Merry Christmas to you all...
21 December 2007
Hi friends,That's about it from us for 2007. As you can see we have a new web site to play with next year. It's not quite as we want it, but we felt it was worth getting it out there. Please don't be shy about pointing out typos and other errors.
... and have a lovely holiday. We'll be back again on the 2nd.
All good wishes,
Nick, Mike & Chris
Posted by Nick Warren at 2:54 PM
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Semantic's Christmas...
17 December 2007
Morning friends,Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas, let you know our holiday plans here at Semantic... and deliver some BIG NEWS for 2008. We break up for Christmas this Friday, December 21st, and are back in the office on January 2nd... full of our usual vim and vigour.
If there is anything you need before the New Year, that we don't already know about, please let Chris or I know as soon as you can... we tend to get less productive as the final week goes on... and by Friday we'll be getting our families into the office and playing with toys :-)
And.. now some Big News for 2008...
CHRIS GETS PROMOTED!
As you'll be aware Chris has been dealing with an increasing amount of your day-to-day needs. I know, because I sit next to him and because many of you have told me, what a great job he has been doing... and consequently we've decided promote the fella!
From January Chris will be your first point of contact at, and will be looking after your day-to-day needs. If you want to congratulate him drop him a line at chris@semantic.co.uk or call him on 023 8076 3819.
It goes without saying (although I am saying it) that I'll be working very closely with Chris through the hand-over period and beyond, and am available if you need me... although on the evidence of the last few months I doubt that you will. Well done Chris, you thoroughly deserve this!
AND SEMANTIC GROWS...
To help Chris out Semantic will itself grow from January, as we add a fourth person to our team. We are pleased to welcome Neil (Lewin), who will be beginning a month's trial with us on the 2nd, having already survived two days! Neil will be supporting Chris in his new role, as well as allowing Mike to focus more on his amazing design work, which is great news for all of us.
AND NICK SAILS OFF TO...
And what about me you may ask... is it the Mediterranean or the Caribbean?
Perhaps one day... but in the meantime the good news is that with Chris dealing with day-to-day needs I will be going back to my roots on the strategic/consultative side of the business. I'll be out and about much more, and I hope to be speaking to more of you about your medium to long-term plans, and the opportunities that exist to support them.
Semantic began life as a strategic agency, and it's exciting for me to be able to re-focus on my original area of expertise. Plus I'll also continue to be the lead on new projects, web sites and development :-)
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If you have any questions arising from this note, or last minute jobs... do let us know. Otherwise that's all for now, apart from wishing a very Merry Christmas to you all :-)
Nick, Mike & Chris
P.S. I hope you'll forgive the lack of Christmas cards. Our charities this Christmas will be Shelter, The Starlight Children's Foundation, Cancer Research & the Marfans Association.
Posted by Nick Warren at 10:40 AM
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Rising Star
14 December 2007
A little while ago I wrote about why we try to help people out... whoever they are.In that post I talked about "Patrick", a young and enthusiastic lad out who we've helped out with some web advice over the past year or so... I called him Patrick to protect his identity, but his real name is David... and his site has now gone live including a kind mention of Semantic.
Sure David is young, but the curiosity he has shown us, and the speed at which he is learning is truly impressive. I predict he'll go far... and that would be the best kind of reward for the small amount of time we have spent helping him out.
Cheers David, we're proud of you over here...
Posted by Nick Warren at 10:01 AM
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The Dog in the Machine
10 December 2007
One of my favourite jokes is about the Insomniac Dyslexic Agnostic... who lay awake all night wondering if there was a Dog!
I'm reminded of this today because my dog is spending the day with us in the office. Callum (yes, that's him on the right) has had a dull weekend because of the weather was looking at a dull Monday on his own at home... so he has come in to be with us and have some company.
All of which leads me to "The Dog Test", which I've invented this morning, but somehow goes to the heart of what I believe about business. Here it is.
"Does your business allow dogs in the office?"
Don't worry, it's not a test. There are plenty of good, practical reasons for not letting animals come to work. If either Chris or Mike were allergic, or didn't like dogs, or we made garlic sausages for a living... Callum wouldn't be here. It would be simple common sense.
You see whether or not dogs are allowed in your company is really neither here nor there... the Dog Test is a trick. What I'm really interested in is not the answer, but how you come to the answer.
As companies grow it becomes harder and harder to make quick decisions, and harder to let in new ideas... this is often the curse of success. Large companies need to think long and hard... convene committees, get "buy-in" and go through an approval process. Small companies have a guy sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon, looking at a dog.
Small companies look for a reason to do things... large companies look for reasons not to do things... and I think that's quite a profound difference in the 21st Century.
Until today Callum has never been in the office, until yesterday it's never been seriously considered. But now he's here, snoozing at my feet. This is why I love working at Semantic.
Posted by Nick Warren at 9:11 AM
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Awww... shucks!
06 December 2007
A little while ago I pointed you all to the work we'd done for Warwick Castle this Christmas, here's what our friends at the Castle think :-)“Now we are ready to roll with Christmas I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you for all your hard work and support over the past few months.
It's been a hectic year in the world of Warwick Castle, and I have really appreciated you guys making my job easier. Thank you for turning jobs round quickly, particularly the Christmas stuff, as well as putting up with my many, many phone calls and emails! Everything you have delivered has been within deadline and budget.
We are really pleased with the Christmas microsite and emails - they look great. Looking forward to working with you all again in 2008!”
Louise Cowey, Marketing Team at Warwick Castle.
Thanks Louise, we feel the same way :-)
Posted by Nick Warren at 4:53 PM
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