Pioneering online accounting software company, FreeAgent Central, is celebrating this week after being nominated Web App of the year in the prestigious .net Awards. Last year’s winners include Stephen Fry, Twitter and DropBox.

The public now has until 12 October to vote for FreeAgent Central before a panel of 100 top industry experts decide the final winners. Last year an astounding 60,000 votes were cast, and this year’s awards ceremony is set to be the biggest and best yet.

With 16 categories, the .net Awards celebrate the best in web design and development, mixing public opinion with insights of a leading panel of judges from the likes of Yahoo, Adobe, AKQA, Opera, Last.fm and Microsoft.

Ed Molyneux, FreeAgent Central CEO comments: “This is an incredible achievement for us and we are very, very proud to receive such recognition from .Net. This is a big step forward in our mission to democratise accounting. We are extremely proud of FreeAgent and we hope our customers will help us out by casting their votes online now!”

This news follows the announcement last month of the company’s nomination for the Sift Media Software Satisfaction awards for the second year running, having taken home Gold last year.

This year’s SME Accounting Category is billed by Accounting Web as a fight between the ‘leading lights of the accounting software as a service industry’ with FreeAgent being a key player in the small business and freelance market.

FreeAgent online software is easy to use and gives a clear picture of profit and loss, making running a business easier and putting the small business owner in control of their finances.

As freelancers themselves, the three founders of FreeAgent Central needed a finance tool that would give them a clear picture of their business accounts. That product did not exist and so FreeAgent was born.

The software has a clean and simple design, highly intuitive and usable. It prepares VAT returns, calculates self assessed income tax and corporation tax and manages PAYE and NI. Users can monitor profit and loss, send and track invoices, track time and expenses, manage projects and payments.

The software was recently updated to allow customers to file their VAT returns electronically within the system directly to HMRC, saving many hours of paperwork.

FreeAgent also encourages collaboration between accountant and client by allowing accountants to login to the system, so they can offer the most up-to-date advice. Accountants can easily export trial balance data to generate end-of-year accounts.

An active online community of FreeAgent customers has grown up where users openly discuss ideas, questions and problems about accounts. Additionally there is a live advice helpline where users can ‘Ask an Expert’ about financial issues they may be having.

FreeAgent is accessible around the clock and from any computer, which is ideal for the way many small business owners and freelancers work.

FreeAgent is subscription based with costs starting at £15 per month for a sole trader, £20 for a partnership and £25 for a limited company.

www.freeagentcentral.com

Five fearless JCI Edinburgh volunteers are preparing to brave broken glass [this month] to raise over £1200 for the Barnardo’s Caern Project and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

The JCI Edinburgh team will be taking part in this summer’s Glasswalk Challenge at Edinburgh Zoo, where 30 courageous souls will walk barefoot over 20ft of broken glass. Before attempting the glass walk, each individual must raise at least £150 sponsorship and attend an evening of training at the Zoo.

JCI Edinburgh is part of Junior Chamber International, the worldwide personal development organisation for business people in their 20s and 30s. It holds numerous social and fundraising events throughout the year and offers a stimulating range of activities to enable members to develop communication, presentation, leadership, project management, networking and business skills.

Simone Medonos, JCI Edinburgh Communities and Environmental Director, is one of the members who will be taking on the Glasswalk Challenge.

She says: “I’m quite nervous but I’m looking forward to challenging myself and I want to prove that I can do it. I don’t think the 20ft will seem quite so far if there are lots of people to cheer us on so I hope lots of our members will be there on the night to support us. It’s all for two really good causes so we have all been working hard to collect sponsorship.”

In 2009, JCI Edinburgh volunteers conquered the Zoo’s sponsored fire walk to raise over £1000 for the RZSS. This year’s team are hoping to raise at least £1200 with proceeds split equally between Barnardo’s and the RZSS.

The RZSS is a charity devoted to the conservation of animals and their habitats. It owns Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, home to over 1000 animals. The charity supports conservation and research project across the globe, runs education initiatives for visitors and schools, and receives no direct government funding.

The Barnardo’s Caern Project is JCI Edinburgh’s nominated charity for 2010 and the organisation has raised over £2000 for the cause through their successful Burns supper and quiz night events. The Caern Project provides short-term residential breaks in Edinburgh and support at home, to children and young people with a profound learning disability and who may also have severe physical and emotional problems.

Kenneth Logan, JCI Edinburgh President, explains why the organisation nominated the charity:

“We are a local organisation so wanted to choose a local charity and the Caern Project is responsible for a lot of valuable work in our community. Charity fundraising is very important to JCI Edinburgh and we believe that we can make a bigger difference overall by focusing all of our efforts on one incredibly worthy cause.”

Funds raised for the Caern Project could be used in a variety of ways including: outings for the 35 children and young people, specialist toys for children with disabilities, specialist sleep counsellors or gardening materials for the sensory garden at Caern House.

For an annual fee of £80, JCI members can access a wide-ranging programme of events, training and social opportunities. A voluntary organisation, JCI also has a long history of charitable work and fundraising. Recent local projects have seen members volunteer at the Grassmarket Mission, a drop-in service, helping to cook meals free of charge for those who need it most, as well as regular blood donor events.

For more information about this and other JCI events, please visit http://www.jciedinburgh.org.uk or email JCI Edinburgh President Kenneth Logan.

Yes it’s been a busy old time at the Roof lately. And as a result we’re looking for a special someone to join our team over the summer.

Interested? Then read on:

Social Media and PR Intern

• Do you love social media?
• Are you a news junkie?
• Do you want to break into PR?

If you are active on all social media channels, have a burning passion for news and have to be the first to discover the next big thing. We want to hear from you.

Hot Tin Roof is a dynamic, ambitious and independent PR agency. Fast and furious, we create iconic reputations for pioneering UK companies. We have a powerful reputation for getting results offline and online for our clients.

Creative, intelligent and determined, we run our campaigns with skill, imagination and honesty. Our absolute loyalty to our clients, the energy and the gritty single-mindedness with which we tackle every campaign is the secret to our success.

We are currently looking for a social media and PR intern. This role will integrate online and offline PR.

The person we are looking for should be:

• creative thinker
• plain talker
• great writer
• news junkie
• internet savvy
• good fun
• massive energy
• obsessive attention to detail
• unflappable
• multi tasker
• enthusiastic with a passion to learn

The intern will work for two months over the summer with a view to being recruited at the end of the internship.

Key responsibilities:

• manage companies online presence
• maintain website content
• update blogs, social networks and forums
• distribute press releases
• research and engage with relevant blogs, websites and forums
• implement online partnership strategy
• conduct research
• general office administration
• assist with PR campaigns
• maintain and update our databases
• copywriting
• research
• produce documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations

This is the perfect opportunity for an enthusiastic person to get hands on experience and work at the cutting edge of online PR in Scotland.

Please send covering letter and CVs with your favourite film, book and icon to to cat@hottinroof.co.uk by Friday 18 June 2010.

Interviews take place w/c 28 June 2010.

Internship starts 12 July 2010.

Sarah shares her frustrations after her flight is cancelled again.

So last night, I was a bit sad the holiday was coming to an end and the excitement of being stranded was fading. We went for our last meal together in Banff to Earls, one of our top eating spots and then stopped off for a nightcap in our hotel to say goodbye to our pal behind the bar.

But then back in the room we picked up Manchester Airport’s tweet that it had shut. We guessed straight away the flight would be cancelled and that suspicion was confirmed this morning by our lovely travel rep.

Oh dear. All hopes of returning home cruelly dashed. No prospect of rescue. Send help …

The novelty of being pampered and privileged refugees has definitely worn off. My husband Lee spent yesterday writing a presentation he was due to give to 200 fund managers next week. He was worried about presenting to such a big audience, now he’s not even sure he’ll make it there! Oh and he’s missing Jim Jones Revue tonight.

Katy, my nineteen-year-old daughter, should be spending this week preparing her portfolio of this year’s work so she can apply for entrance to second year at art college in Dundee. A year’s work is at stake and she needs to get back into the Studio. She’s missing her friends and judging by her chat she has had enough ‘family’ time.

Cartoons, Dr Pepper and Chunks Ahoy are keeping Joe’s (14) spirits high and missing his first day back at school doesn’t seem to have traumatised him too severely. Of course there’s a party on Friday back in Edinburgh and if that starts to look under threat things may kick off.

The beauty of my work is I can do it from anywhere and so far being away hasn’t affected me. The time lag is an issue but if I get up early and get all my calls done first thing it should be do-able.

The main issue for me is isolation from the office and clients – PR is all about generating ideas and opportunities – picking up on trends and news. Clearly this is not sustainable long term but surely the end is in sight?

What we need now is a big cork to stick in the top of that volcano.

PS – We got a mention in PR Week

How NOT to treat an intern.


Hot Tin Roof’s star intern, Hilary Gray, explains why she has found the experience valuable…

I have a confession to make. I am a news junkie.

I have always been fascinated with how the media works and how a story becomes a story. In PR, I found a career where I could put this obsession and my love of language to good use. However, although I was sure it was what I wanted to do, I had no first hand knowledge of how the industry works and what was involved in working in PR. Winning an internship at Hot Tin Roof has allowed me to learn on the job.

Graduating into the biggest recession since the thirties was not part of my career plan. It has meant that internships – a traditional route into PR – have become longer and more common and it is more difficult than ever to find a permanent position.

Hot Tin Roof allowed me to dive straight in at the deep end and I was given real responsibility within minutes of walking in the door. On my first day, I started working on a press release and after selling it in to The Drum and PR Week it appeared in print and online.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to practice writing press releases and receive feedback on my writing. I’ve also been able to speak to journalists and, although it was daunting at first, it has really buoyed my confidence.

Since graduation, I’ve immersed myself in the world of digital PR and the skills I’ve picked up have been put to good use at Hot Tin Roof. I helped launch the Twitter profile for the Three Harbours Seafood Festival (@3harbourseafood) and I’ve found online opportunities for clients to provide comment and publicise their brands. I’ve been able to share my knowledge with my new colleagues so we’re learning from each other.

I believe that digital PR is going to be key to the future of the industry and having embraced Twitter wholeheartedly, I am pleased to be one of the co-organisers of this year’s EdTwestival. As the official PR person for the event, I’ll be responsible for media requests as well as finding sponsors and raffle prizes.

I’ve started networking within the Scottish media and have built contacts at several PR firms. I’ve attended the Young Communicator events, run by the CIPR (and sadly discontinued) which enabled me to make contact with others at a similar level from agencies and in-house PR. Tonight I’ll be getting my networking head on again as I’ll be attending the inaugural Twitchicks dinner organised by Victoria Raimes of the Edinburgh Evening News.

Of course, long-term internships aren’t sustainable for anyone and at some point internships need to turn into a permanent job. I recommend trying to get a part-time internship that you can mix with paid work or even a short, weeklong placement. My internship at Hot Tin Roof has been very flexible and I’m pleased to say that it has improved my PR skills. It has allowed me to get my first press hits and helped me stand out from the crowd.

hilaryjanegray@hotmail.com

Wish For Rwanda is aiming to raise £1m for the survivors of the genocide

If you’ve been following the blog you’ll know that we’ve teamed up with new charity Wish For Rwanda. Set up earlier this year, the charity is aiming to raise £1million for Rwanda and it’s starting this month.

The first event will be a Christmas-themed fashion show and lunch at The Balmoral Hotel on November 28th. Guests will be welcomed with a champagne reception and models will be showing off this season’s must-haves from John Lewis, Retucco and lingerie boutique Booby Trap. For more information on the fashion show or to buy your ticket, please visit www.wishforrwanda.co.uk.

As well as gearing up for the fashion show, we’ve been getting the word about Jackie and her mission out to the media. Thankfully our hard work has paid off and the Edinburgh Evening News and The Daily Record both carried features on Wish For Rwanda this week.

You can read the Edinburgh Evening News story here and the Daily Record piece is online here.

Hopefully you’ll be sharing a glass of fizz with us on the 28th!

The last couple of months have been great for Hot Tin Roof so we’ve decided to pay our good fortune forward. We can now proudly announce that we’ll be donating our PR services to Wish For Rwanda, a new charity set up by Edinburgh’s very own Jackie Calder.

Jackie visited Rwanda in March on a study tour and she was struck by the hope and potential of a country in recovery. On her return to Scotland, Jackie founded Wish For Rwanda with the aim of raising £1million to deliver projects that will bring comfort and aid to the widows, widowers and orphans of the genocide.

The first project will raise money to build a Health Centre in the district of Gasabo, near the capital city of Kigali. Sessions will also be introduced to educate the community about hygiene, child welfare, nutrition, and family-planning. Hopefully, this will be the first of many such projects over the coming years.

Jackie is an events organiser by trade so she’ll be putting her skills to good use at Wish for Rwanda’s first fundraiser in November. Watch this space for more details or visit www.wishforrwanda.co.uk.

It’s smiles all around the office this week as we’re pleased to announce that Hot Tin Roof has won the account for Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA).

It’s great news for Hot Tin Roof as we’ve worked hard over the last few months to build a strong presence in the arts sector with campaigns for Museums and Galleries Scotland, Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and The Fringe.

Located amidst the hustle and bustle of Sauchiehall Street, CCA is a unique space for artists to explore their ideas and push their boundaries. The only organisation of its kind in Scotland, CCA is vital to the continued growth of the arts in Glasgow so we can’t wait to start raising awareness of the opportunities it offers artists and the community.

CCA is an icon of the Scottish arts scene and over the last few years it has reversed its fortunes, achieving financial stability and developing a ground breaking open source model for the arts. We’re proud to be part of the team.

Last night our man Chris went along for the first time to volunteer at the Grassmarket Mission.

As part of the Edinburgh Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI) communities work, members are given the opportunity to get stuck in and volunteer their time. Learning this was part of the JCI’s schedule, HTR was keen to get involved.

The Grassmarket Mission is a charity working with the people who are poor, marginalised, excluded, homeless, struggling with addiction or mental illness.

One of the features of the project is a five time a week drop-in service, producing meals free of charge for those who need it most.

A former kitchen attendant (when he was 15-17 mind), Chris though he’d get involved in the Monday evening food session.

Along with more than ten others, Chris scurried around helping out where he could to ensure enough food, drink and support was available for the fast influx of people.

Within seconds of the doors opening, plates of sausage and mash were quickly ferried into the dining room, which filled to near capacity as swiftly as it quietened down in the space of an hour.

During the evening volunteers are encouraged to chat with those dropping by, and this is a key goal of the mission.

Rather than a means to an end, the free meal service is an opportunity to develop conversations with the drop-ins. The mission also provides an ever-growing range of workshops and classes to give people the chance to learn skills and have something enjoyable to focus on.

One example shown to Chris was a hugely impressive bench created in the woodwork class. Far beyond his DIY ‘skills’ the crafted piece was created in a single session and could be sold on to help the project.

If you want to read more about the Grassmarket Mission please visit:

http://www.grassmarketmission.org/ (Website)

http://gcpnews.wordpress.com/ (Blog)

The Festival Theatre has brought Hot Tin Roof in to develop an online PR campaign for cult classic Quadrophenia.  This is the first major project announcement for Hot Tin Wire, the agency’s online division, since its launch last month and flags its position at the cutting edge of online PR in Scotland.

Pete Townshend’s legendary rock opera Quadrophenia, brought to the stage for the first time, appears at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 May as part of a UK tour.

The campaign will engage with influential sites, bloggers and communities as well as harnessing the power of social media platforms and online press release distribution to spread the story and its key messages.

Sarah Lee, Hot Tin Roof MD explains:  “Online PR is still so new – it is in a constant state of flux with new opportunities opening up all the time.  The PR industry has been talking about online for a long time but it is only in the last few months that demand has been there from clients and it is this change that that is really driving online PR forward.”

Set in London and Brighton at the height of the Mod era, Quadrophenia is told through the eyes of Jimmy, a hedonistic style conscious teenager searching for a place to belong and a girl to love. Misunderstood by his parents and stuck in a dead end job, he sets off on a trip to Brighton that will change his life forever.

Ruth Findlay, Press and PR Manager Festival City Theatres Trust comments:  “We are delighted to be working with Hot Tin Roof.  Online PR is a new area for us and we believe the internet will be key to targeting niche audiences for Quadrophenia as well as new audiences who can discover the story for the first time.”

Ends

This news was also featured in The Drum at the following link (Registration Required): http://thedrum.co.uk/news/2009/04/29/10210-hot-tin-roof-to-promote-quadrophenia-at-the-festival-theatre