Cashing in on web interests: ThePost.ie


TCH Archives > Sunday Business Post > 2006/01/08 > Cashing in on web interests

Cashing in on web interests
Sunday, January 08, 2006 - By Tina-Marie O'Neill
Hugh Durkin is the founder and managing director of Comado, a digital publishing and technology company.

Comado develops and operates subscription-based websites and internet portals, including fashion.ie, babysitters.ie and the latest, sports.ie.

“I fell into the business when my parents bought me a PC for research as a youngster,” Durkin said. “I got hooked on the internet, set up my own website and taught myself web design.”

Durkin worked on the internet side of the Dublin People group, which publishes the Northside People and Southside People, for four years.

In the meantime, he bought up dotcom domain names and set upNovaDance.com, an information website for night clubbers, in the late 1990s.

Shortly after foundation, it won an Irish Music Award for being the best information website.

Durkin learned a valuable lesson from a rival site, which had won the same award the previous year, but branched out into print media. “Just because content works in one medium, doesn't mean it translates into another,” Durkin said.

“In that case, print ate up any profit the website had generated and magazine sales were poor. The company lost sight of its business imperative.” With ten sites under his Comado banner, Durkin's approach is simple and effective.

“When I see a business opportunity, I purchase the relevant domain names and post a ‘coming soon' message collecting e-mail registrations from interested parties. When I am ready to go live, I already have a database of several thousand people depending on what service I am offering.”

Babysitters.ie was launched last year now has more than 200 partners and 6,000 sitters.

“The web is fast, easy and has a low entry cost,” Durkin said.

“But web customers are not loyal and you have to convince them to return time and again.

“Understanding technology is vital.

“I spend a lot of time ensuring we have got it right for each site, from search engine optimisation to creating lively forums and discussion boards.”

Durkin's plan for 2006 include streamlining the existing websites and helping big brands set up their own portals.