Follow Friday - The Jersey Ones

A while ago I blogged about #FollowFriday on Twitter and how it was useless to just spam a list of names.

Since then quite a few people have actually suggested blogging - and then tweeting the link (including @NikkiPilkington - she may have been the first I saw recommend it). Obvious when you think about it!

So accordingly, here are some interesting people to follow for this week - they all have a bit of a Jersey theme to them, because, lets face it - Jersey is fantastic (although others who live here don't always agree - I think being away for 10+ years has give me a bit of context!)

So, five of the best Jersey Tweeps (there are more of you out there, and you'll get a mention later, don't worry!)

@JerseyTourism - keep abreast of the latest tourism related news and highlights from the local events calendar.

@FreshFishCo - possibly the freshest fish in the Island! Friendly and helpful too.

@DunellsWines - free wine tastings on a Saturday so you can pick the perfect bottle(s) to go with Sunday lunch!

@Channel103News - news updates and more from my personal favourite local radio station (err not that there are loads of options, mind you!)

@BrianLeLion - as well as being a very nice chap, Brian does on occasion post links to photographs and videos he has taken, which show off our lovely island wonderfully - highly recommended!


Enjoy - and why not leave me a comment with your own recommendations?

Jersey Tennerfest 2009

This years tennerfest supplement was in the JEP last night - and a few of the menus actually look quite appealing this year - there seem to be more £10 or £12.50s too - seem to remember a lot of £15/£17.50s in 2008.

One or two are a bit wierd (some bananas popping up where they don't seem to belong, for a start), and the odd one is a bit cheeky (£10 for 1 course! Not really a fest - although the menu in question looked interesting).

Will we have time to get out and enjoy a few this year? I'm sure we will!

8mb broadband in Jersey? Next week?

It might be!

As we speak, I'm filling out the form to get my Newtel broadband re-graded to 8mb (or however fast it decides it wants to go - I'm not holding my break, but I am hoping for a pleasant surprise).

It's been long enough arriving, so lets hope the service is at least half decent (I whinge a bit, but current service from Newtel is OK)..!

So 8mb broadband in jersey? Yes! Next week!

A Night in the Park - Jersey Film Festival

We went to one of the "Jersey Outdoor Film Festival" nights, in Howard Davis Park, last night, to watch "A Night at the Museum 2".

The film itself was pretty good.

The picnic we had, and generally the atmosphere with what could well have been 2000+ people all in the same space, watching the movie, was brilliant.

Shame there aren't any more movies on in this run which we want to watch!

Think twice? Too right!

As you may or may not know, there is a big 'Think Twice, Buy Local' campaign running here in Jersey (if you're local, I'm sure you're getting a bit fed up of the advert on Channel 103 by now).

I do think it's a good idea, and we've even pledged some support to the concept through our collaborative eCommerce website, Jersey Market - you can read a bit more about Think Twice Buy Local and find some other links, there.

Anyway, back to the point. I wanted to buy a micro-SD card for the other half's phone. This is not a significant purchase, therefore I thought - well - price locally is going to be within about a quid of Amazon, and it's a lot easier to just pick one up in town.

So I popped into a smallish local computer shop (seemed a logical place) - I won't name names, but I'm sure you can work out which one. It was just gone 9am - I'd be in town sorting a few other things out early.

The door was open, so in I popped. Only to be gruffly told that they didn't open until 9. Oh well. Back home - straight on Amazon! Will not be going back there in a hurry. OK, a bit petty of me to quibble over a minute or two, but still - there are ways of doing things and ways of not doing them, and I was pretty much told to piss off because I was too early! Grr.

8mb Broadband in Jersey? Surely not!

Well, apparently yes - in August.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/8102269.stm

Although we will have to wait and see how much it's going to cost!

Gorey Fete de la Mer - 27th June 2009?

Following it's last minute cancellation (owing to a forecast of high winds), I am reliably informed via @JerseyTourism that the Gorey Fete de la Mer has been rescheduled for 27th June 2009.

Looking forward to not missing it this year..!

Sometimes I wonder..

.. why I bother?

Yesterday, day in London to see clients. That part of it was great. The travel part was not.

The following things were crap, and annoyed me:

1. FlyBE (Fly MayBE?) flight from Jersey to Gatwick delayed by approx 30 mins because of a flat battery.

2. Gatwick "Express" was not very express, and delayed me a further 30 mins because the first train was broken, and the second was just plain slow (it got overtaken by a normal 'South West Trains' one - and they go really slowly as we all know).

3. Gatwick Express back to Gatwick was not express either. Oh well - just badly named and overpriced as usual!

4. When I got to Gatwick, the flight said 'Gate opens, 19:35' - this was a bad sign, as departure was supposed to be at 19:30. Eventually left around 20:45, landed at 21:20. Gave up on the idea of waiting 25 mins for a bus and got a cab.

The only bits which worked out well for me, really were: The London Underground (shocking as that is), the walking bits (even more shocking, as I normally get lost when left to my own devices), and the very nice cabbie, who knew my dad - this is quite common in Jersey, as my old man was a copper and then a cabbie - most people encounter one, the other or both at some point!


Grr. Stupid FlyBE. Stupid Trains.

Reduced Shakespeare Company: The complete word of God (abridged)

So. We went to see RSC do their infamous Bible show, at the Jersey Opera House last night.

It was simply amazing - a very well planned out show, acted by a trio that have obviously done it a thousand times (or more), but who still love the routine -and are so comfortable with it that they are able to ad-lib without the audience really catching on.

I would advise against entering one of their performances late, though - they made last nights latecomers really suffer!

So - if "The complete word of God (abridged)" is on near you - or indeed in the same country - get tickets, get on your bike and go to see it. Best £16 that I have spent in a very, very long time.

Jersey Telecoms begins 8mb Broadband Trial

Very newsworthy if you live in Jersey. Finally, we are at risk of catching up with the rest of the world!

Jersey Telecoms are trialling 8mb Broadband.

Not sure when it will become publicly available, though!

Do you pay VAT in Jersey?

I just noticed that one of our eCommerce websites seems to attract a little bit of traffic for queries such as "do jersey pay vat", and having had a quick look at the information which comes up for said search, thought I would write a quick post.

If you are selling TO Jersey from the mainland, the answer is NO. Jersey is outside of the VAT area (as are all the Channel Islands), so ideally you should take the VAT off (nigh impossible for people to claim back afterwards). I personally avoid buying from any retailers (online or otherwise) who do not do so.

If you are buying FROM Jersey, then there should be NO VAT charged on orders upto £17.99 in value (Small Value Exemption). Orders above this ARE liable to VAT, although very technically speaking it could be construed that it is the duty of the recipient to pay said tax - typically merchants will collect it from you at checkout and pay it (e.g. when goods are dispatched from Amazon's merchant in Jersey). If you are buying from an eCommerce site in Jersey, do check how they handle VAT on high value goods, though - you don't want to get a bill from HMRC!

There you go, thats the situation nicely cleared up!

Now you know, go to visit Jersey Craft Shop - they don't charge VAT on anything 17.99 or under!

The eCommerce Trust Barrier - eCommerce - Articles & Case St

The customer 'trust barrier' is one of many under-rated problems facing new eCommerce Retaillers - without an established brand name, you must ensure customers feel safe enough to buy.

read more | digg story

eCommerce in Jersey

There was an interesting article in last nights JEP about eCommerce and how it may be becoming more and more important for the economy here in Jersey.

Ironically, we posted a huge tranch of updates to our website yesterday, including a lot of extra eCommerce content - which is all relevant to our customers (and potential Jersey eCommerce customers) - good timing, eh?

I will write a short article about eCommerce and the state of the economy at some point, when proper work permits!