Viral marketing is a way of using existing social networks to reach an audience for campaigns and advertising on the internet. The idea is that, if the message is good enough, people will tell their friends about it through email, Facebook posts, Tweets etc. People are more likely to value the opinion of their friends, so if the message is successful then a large amount of viewers can be reached for a relatively small outlay.

Unions have been experimenting with viral marketing for a number of years, with varying degrees of success. The TUC was one of the first to experiment with this approach with the ‘Comfort breakdown’ animation in 2005. The humorous video featuring a dog undergoing work break issues was aimed at younger, white collar non-union members to promote the ‘join a union’ feature on the Worksmart website. More followed, including the ‘Why the long face’ song and video targeted at betting shop workers for the Community union.

Chesterfield Royal hospital wanted a new website design, template and navigation system to improve the usability and visual appeal of the site. Working with Zedcore/HealtheWeb, Infobo provided the information architecture for the project, writing the design proposal, creating the wireframes and revising the navigational structure.

Infobo also project managed the development, using a PRINCE2 environment. The new design was launched ahead of schedule and on budget.

Visit the website at www.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk.

Senior technical advisor on a project to create an online learner management system. This involved developing the project plan, recommending a realistic budget and overseeing the development of the requirements specification. Advised on the tendering process and appointment of the digital design agency, with regular reviews of the development process.The project was run in a PRINCE2 project management environment, and Simon was the senior technical advisor on the project board.The website was delivered on time and budget, and the feedback has been very positive.Visit the climbing frame at climbingframe.unionlearn.org.uk or read more about the project here.

Union Learning Reps (ULR) play an increasingly important role in the workplace, and a new tool has been launched to help them – the web based Climbing Frame. This website combines learning content with a mechanism to manage the progress of learners.

The system replaces a previous version that had to be installed on individual machines.Unionlearn, the TUC body set up to promote learning, found that whilst users recognised the benefits of the Climbing Frame, its potential was undermined by compatibility and accessibility problems. This was particularly noticeable inside company networks.

Being brought in as the technical advisor, I was keen to see development of a web based version of the Climbing Frame, as it would offer a solution to these problems whilst also providing an opportunity to improve other aspects of its functionality. The site is now live, having been launched at the Union Learning Rep conference at the TUC in July by Unionlearn, Prospect and PCS.