DigiPromise

Lent 2010

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:07:55 +0000

This Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday. According to the Christian tradition, this is the last day to indulge yourself and use up the food that you aren’t supposed to consume during Lent. In the past, fat, butter and eggs were all ingredients that weren’t to be eaten from Ash Wednesday - hence our nom nom-ing of pancakes!

Delia Smith has a great receipe for pancakes. While eating them with sugar and lemon on Tuesday evening, why don’t you start thinking of what you’re going to give up for Lent? Then go to www.DigiPromise.com to tell your friends.

Bon appetite!

Ingredients

For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
To serve:
caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges

Method

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.

Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

To serve, spinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/basilpancakswithsuga_66226.shtml

New Year Resolution for 2010

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000

This is the second day of 2010 and you might not yet have made your New Year’s resolution. If you feel like doing something better in 2010 than you managed in 2009, or are going to steel yourself to try something new, then visit www.DigiPromise.com and make your resolution there.

This applies equally, perhaps especially, to those of you who have already forgotten your resolution for 2010!

Happy New Year from DigiPromise

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:59:47 +0000

This is the time of year for reflection, and often for considering ways of self-improvement (if required - some of you might already be perfection personified).

If you are planning to make a New Year’s resolution, where better than DigiPromise to make that resolution. During 2010, I am going to try to go to the gym more often - at least more than the once a month I currently manage! DigiPromise offers a quick and easy way of making a resolution public, letting friends know about your resolution, and providing you with reminders about your resolution (lest you begin to backslide!)

Visit www.digipromise.com to make your resolution!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a 2010 to remember.

"I promise to go to the gym more often during 2010!"

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:54:09 +0000

““I promise to go to the gym more often during 2010!””

- Tom’s New Year’s Resolution

Recommended Promises...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:35:17 +0000

Exciting news - DigiPromise is launching a new section in the next few days! Users have requested that we help suggest some promises to them and we have listened. We will be launching a ‘Recommended Promises’ section, which will include interactive suggestions for those who want a helpful nudge in the right direction.

If you have a promise that you think would be useful for other people, then please email your suggestion to thomas@digipromise.com

"Nearly all bat species found in the UK, spend some of their time in woodland, with ancient trees..."

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:32:40 +0000

“Nearly all bat species found in the UK, spend some of their time in woodland, with ancient trees being a particular favourite”

- Woodland Trust

"The majority of hedges around today were planted during the enclosures of the 18th and 19th..."

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:53:48 +0000

““The majority of hedges around today were planted during the enclosures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Some 200,000 miles of hedges were planted between 1750 and 1850””

- Campaign to Protect Rural England

As quoted on DigiPromise.com for those undertaking a promise to protect the countryside.

Building a Business Plan

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:52:22 +0000

When setting up any new organisation or beginning a new interest, it is vital that you prepare thoroughly. Researching an area you are already keen on should prove stimulating - if you are finding it tiresome and tedious then warning lights should be flashing.

DigiPromise did not really lend itself to the creation of a traditional business plan, as I was not developing it for monetary gain, but was instead looking to help people. I did not need a bank loan to set the website up as I was takin the website development costs from my salary. But I knew that a business plan helps to focus the mind on what goals you are trying to achieve.

An initial scouring of the internet turned up many good ideas about business plans but little in the way of constructive, comprehensive advice. I spoke to friends who had experience of working for start ups or who had set up their own companies, but their advice was more relevant for those hoping to make profit. So instead I turned to books.

Even in this technologically advanced age, the old fashioned guide made from pulped trees and ink has its place of prominence. After a considered (i.e. lengthy) trawl through the business section of Waterstones, I bought the Financial Times Guide to Business Start Up and Starting an Online Business (For Dummies), two very standard textbooks but both excellent in the advice provided. Neither book was directly applicable to the creation of a not-for-profit website but the books were full of veritable gold dust, from tips on contract negotiations to advice on taxation, from pointers towards Government grants to sensible wisdom on book-keeping.

The main advantage gained from hours pouring over the books was an understanding that to turn an idea into reality was a time-consuming and laborious process, one that would only reach its conclusion through concentrated and long-term effort. There are no quick fixes in business, a point it makes well to heed in advance but is all too often learned on the job!

It's all in the name...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:03:25 +0000

The first task to focus on was the name. This might seem insignificant but there was great symbolism in finding a name. The name of the website became a sort of nom de plume, a talisman for inspiration.

DigiPromise.com was not always the favoured option. There were alternatives, many too embarrassing and cringeworthy to recall. www.givesomethingup.co.uk and www.givealittlepartofyou.com being two of the less appealing! I was indecisive and could not decide between a number of, admittedly more catchy, options and so I hit upon the necessity of doing a little bit of market research.

The market research for what would become DigiPromise.com was really quite basic. I set up a questionnaire on a free website and asked friends and family to provide some feedback on the idea, including whether they would use such a site (yes!), how often they checked their emails (most do so more than three times a day!), and whether they would consider paying (no!).

Apart from dispensing with the worst naming options, this limited research proved invaluable. Friends offered some much needed encouragement to the project and advised me to focus on individual pledges rather than grand political ones. Good sound advice!

Proper market research would come later but it is always worth testing your idea with friends and family to see if those closest to you have any interest in the concept. Just beware false praise and remember - your friends are often less likely to let you down gently if they are not impressed!

"Exposure to nature has been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce heart attacks, increase mental..."

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:45:00 +0000

““Exposure to nature has been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce heart attacks, increase mental performance and soothe anxiety””

- Campaign to Protect Rural England

Using the Web!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:44:07 +0000

From the moment I had the initial idea to try and support people making promises, I suspected that the best bet would be to use the internet. The rationale was simple - most people use the internet most days. Even those who are only occasional users of the internet will check their emails quite regularly, perhaps even daily. And that was when the structure for what would become DigiPromise began to form.

I wanted to engage actively with those using the website, rather than just providing a flat platform. I looked at my own usage of the internet at work and at home and it occurred to me that my ability to stick to my pledge to forgo chocolate would have been helped in a major way if I had received a daily reminder about my promise. For this idea to work would require me to type my pledge into a website at the outset and would require me reading the emails I received thereafter.

I suddenly had the basic format for the website - a portal that saw people provide their email addresses in exchange for daily reminders about their promise. But would it work? Would there be the demand for such a website? How would I go about setting it up?

The Initial Idea

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:52:00 +0000

During Easter 2009, I successfully gave chocolate up for Lent. I did this through my own will-power (hardly the strongest in the world) and through little reminders from friends (normally of the unambiguous sort - don’t eat that!). As much as I appreciated my friends’ support, I began to wonder whether more durable support was available.

Around the same time I began reading the book ‘Nudge’, an influential text by Thaler and Sunstein, which draws from experiences of human psychology and behavioural economics and applies those fields to Government policy-making. 'Nudge’ argues that people do not respond well to being told what to do but do take on board guidance that pushes them in the right direction. One of the key messages of the book is that public policy-makers should look to create frameworks to guide people towards the desired outcome.

Using my own experience of Lent and the thoughts of Thaler and Sunstein, I decided that it might prove possible to nudge people towards successfully fulfilling their promises. The question was how to nudge them?

DigiPromise.com

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:35:46 +0000

DigiPromise.com:

DigiPromise - helping people make promises and keep them.

Creating DigiPromise

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:28:21 +0000

At the start of Easter 2009, I decided I was going to give something up for lent. I had failed in such attempts many times before. But this time I managed to struggle through, avoiding chocolate for 40 days and 40 nights. I began to think what had made the difference this time to my previous failed efforts. It occurred to me that more could be done to help those people that make promises to themselves and to others. The question was how?

This blog attempts to explain how I moved from the initial idea to the creation of DigiPromise.com. This blog will hopefully be useful to those who have an idea and want to use the internet to help them realise it!