Positive ideas, let's pull together (and kudos to RTE)

- No doubt about it, the first ever Bizcamp was a massive success which, three days on, Twitter is still buzzing about. [Actually, that search shines a light on how huge Twitter has become lately with everyone from David McWilliams to Brian O'Kane (Starting a Business in Ireland) now microblogging their thoughts]. Great to see RTE also covering Bizcamp on their main evening Six One news.

- The Bizcamp blog reminds us that it's not just an 'event', it's a social network and we should keep the network open and expanding, for instance through the IGO People group. Don't forget Bizcamp Limerick is up next.

- More positive coverage from the national broadcaster came with last Thursday night's Prime Time on ways to fight back against the economic doom and gloom. Sean Coughlan, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, said the number of applicants to this year's awards program was up and we got a look at the success of one such entrepreneur when the camera crew visited Dara Hogan's Fledglings Childcare project.

- On the same show Aileen O'Toole spoke about her Ideas Campaign which even got the approval of the Taoiseach yesterday when he said - "It’s just the type of ‘new thinking’ that’s needed right now. Last weekend, I spoke of the current need for a ‘Meitheal Mentality’ - helping each other out when the job needs to be done. This is a perfect example of it."

- Which is all well and good but I'd prefer if the Ideas Campaign was just a little more interactive. I can see how to submit an idea but not how to browse those already submitted (ok Aileen, you can put me in the whinge bin ;-) Paul O'Mahony has suggestions on how to improve the model by developing a tool for the rapid replication and roll-out of winning ideas.

- I have to give yet more credit to RTE for covering the inaugural Facebook Developer's Garage in Dublin. Congratulationst to Conor O'Neill and gang on another very successfull event.

- Last weeks Limerick OpenCoffee Club was one of the best yet with two great talks - one about company formation law and the other from a Dragon's Den contestant. Derry O'Donnell has a great post on why Dragon's Den contestants and entrepreneurs deserve to be laughed at and admired in equal measure.

- Speaking of OpenCoffee Club It's great to see OpenCoffee Galway is relaunching soon. And I was speaking with someone from the north west region last week who's getting OpenCoffee off the ground there. Following on from launches in Kilkenny and Tralee, there's no stopping this wonderful networking movement.

- See... there's so much positive stuff going on in Ireland right now that there's all the reason in the world to be optimistic for the future. Let's get to work.