ICE member & company details
Steve Morgan of Morgan Online Marketing, ICE member since June 2013.
What do you do?
I’m a freelance SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) consultant, for my sins. I mostly work with small local businesses but I’ve also done bits of one-off work for big name brands. I love it – especially now that I’m self-employed!
Which room are you in?
Co-Lab, which is the coworking space at the front of the building. My pod of desks is home to about three or four different businesses, including Cosmic Anvil, RecRock and Rendercube Design Solutions. They’re a good bunch.
What’s the current status of your desk? Is it neat & tidy or ‘organised chaos’?
Neat-ish. I’m not a fan of clutter. Most of my paperwork (what little I have) is stuffed into the desk drawers. The desk might look tidy, but those drawers… they could do with organising sometime.
Mac or PC?
PC I’m afraid. I’ve never used a Mac, and I didn’t want to juggle learning how to use an unfamiliar interface while starting a new business. Everything I use works well with Windows, so it made sense to stick with what I’m used to.
What other hardware do you use?
The PC comes with two monitors, which is handy for me as I spend lots of time jumping between browsers and spreadsheets, so it’s good to have them side-by-side. I have a laptop for when I’m on-the-go or need to do a bit of extra work at home, and I tend to use my personal iPad for social media monitoring (read: procrastinating on Twitter).
What software do you use?
In addition to the typical Microsoft Office suite (Excel is crucial for my job), I also use a fair bit of SEO software, including Moz, Rank Tracker, Bright Local, Pingdom and Screaming Frog (and yes, that last one is its actual name – and it’s awesome).
What’s your drink of choice while working?
Coffee! I have a couple of cups from ICE’s filter coffee machine. I sometime grab a peppermint tea, if I fancy a hot drink but I’m worried that I might be a little over-caffeinated…! I always have water on the go, too.
Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what?
I do indeed. I’m a fan of rock and alternative stuff. You can see my music tastes (for better or for worse) over on my Last.fm profile.
What personal/professional keepsakes do you keep on your desk?
I’ve got a few photos of family and friends, a couple of old conference passes pinned to my divider and print-offs of a bunch of sketches that Hannah from Cosmic Anvil (another ICE-based business) did for me – you can read more about our collaboration here.
What about toys or fun stuff?
I have a Google-branded hacky sack and stress putty – which is appropriate given my line of work…!
What’s your favourite thing about your desk?
I borrowed two unused paper trays from the ICE Angels, which double-up as monitor stands and drawer space. I use them to store my Graze box stash, phone charger, iPad cloth, pens – stuff like that. They don’t look very fancy, but they do the job!