Here's a glowing article singing our praises on the Isle of Wight portal. We've also got the site linked on another half dozen or so community related sites; it appears people are listening and starting to think the same way as we do. Reports are growing all the time.
Community Fix for Isle of Wight.
If your concerned about graffiti, dog mess, fly tipping, pot holes, dumped cars etc on the Isle of Wight a new website Community Fix will automatically inform the local council. Community Fix is a new website that allows local residents to get interactive and pinpoint eyesores and issues in their community on a Google map. The Community Fix system then automatically sends the details to the relevant council, this is an excellent example of a website that can allow members of a community to contribute to their community and make it a better place to live in.
Posting a new incident on Community Fix is so easy and from the website they confidently explain:
“Community Fix works directly with county councils, local police forces and local borough councils so that when a resident reports an incident it gets sent directly to the department responsible for fixing it.”
Whilst the Isle of Wight Council Website contains relevant sections in which to report community issues, you do have to conduct a sometimes elongated search. The Community Fix website is just incredibly easy to access and encourages online interaction, participation and collaboration in order to achieve a common goal.
Community Fix appears to have all bases covered with a fixed link and as we at Island Pulse actively encourage community participation we have added a direct link to Community Fix here:
View the whole article here. http://www.islandpulse.co.uk/b2/
Thursday, 11 October 2007
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Worldwide collaboration video from Google
Google has produced this video to promote Gmail and show how an email may travel around the world. It invited users to create short original video which showed the M-velope passing from one side of the frame to the other. The result is pretty cool and it shows where the vids have been sent in on a Google map below. Here's the link;
http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/gmail_video.html#utm_source=en-et-gmhpp&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en
http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/gmail_video.html#utm_source=en-et-gmhpp&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Community Fix is live!!!
Well it's been a long time coming, but Community Fix is finally live. It is the place to report issues in and around your local communities. Simply search for the location of the incident you wish to report, stick a pin in the map and fill in a form. We send it to the relevant council and hey presto it gets fixed! Actually we can't make them fix it but we can tell them about it!www.communityfix.co.uk
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
This is cool...sort of
It seems that we aren't the only people getting to grips with the Google Maps api...the usual enthusiastic development wave surrounding Google has generated maplets which are overlays availabled from
http://maps.google.co.uk/
...go to 'My Maps' and you'll see a growing list of maplets which point you to various differnt map based information. My current favorite (as pointed out by Eng Wei) is the crop circles maplet. If you select a crop circle then zoom in and select the hybrid view you can actual see the crop circle as seen by Google Earth, which is uber geeky but a perfect deployment of a Google maplet. Also make sure you check out the Firefox logo which was cut into a crop circle just before Google did their thing so it's immortalised on G.E forever.
http://maps.google.co.uk/
...go to 'My Maps' and you'll see a growing list of maplets which point you to various differnt map based information. My current favorite (as pointed out by Eng Wei) is the crop circles maplet. If you select a crop circle then zoom in and select the hybrid view you can actual see the crop circle as seen by Google Earth, which is uber geeky but a perfect deployment of a Google maplet. Also make sure you check out the Firefox logo which was cut into a crop circle just before Google did their thing so it's immortalised on G.E forever.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Holidays
I'll be away for a couple of weeks in Canada from Friday 8th June, so unless I get really bored and post something from my travels, you'll have to amuse yourselves! Feel free to post away.
James
James
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Seniors to Take Over Internet Usage in the UK | Marketing Pilgrim
Seniors to Take Over Internet Usage in the UK Marketing Pilgrim
Sorry for being lazy but it's been a long day so you'll have to just make one more click to check this article out! The headline says it all....we've already got the Zimmers riding high in the charts and now it seems that even the Internet can no longer be seen as the preserve of the young!
James
Sorry for being lazy but it's been a long day so you'll have to just make one more click to check this article out! The headline says it all....we've already got the Zimmers riding high in the charts and now it seems that even the Internet can no longer be seen as the preserve of the young!
James
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Great T-shirt idea
I'm sure I've seen another site do this, but I think it's cool. You can simply make t-shirt designs and people can buy them, rather than having to get a load screen printed....
http://www.tshirttakeaway.com/
http://www.tshirttakeaway.com/
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Money please Google
Call me cynical but it seems that the simple way to get rich these days is to create something specifically to attract Google to come and buy. Google seem to be the Abramovich of the web and are happy to pay whatever it takes and therefore over the traditional odds just to make sure that they aren't beaten to it by the likes of Microsoft, of whom they've said that they're publically taking on....a bold statement for a company yet to enter its second decade of being!
Anyway, that said your product does need to be good. This Australian company has created search technology which will index 80% of the websites which Google doesn't or can't. It's a live search which will link to dynamically updated sites and founder Rob Gabriel says;
"this technology could be snapped onto any of the major search engines and improve them.”
Talk about come and get us Google! Anyway it hasn't launched in beta yet so who knows but when it does at the end of June I think we might see a large chunk of cash transferring from
The Googleplex Campus to Melbourne. You heard it here first.
http://www.mylivesearch.com/search/index.php
Anyway, that said your product does need to be good. This Australian company has created search technology which will index 80% of the websites which Google doesn't or can't. It's a live search which will link to dynamically updated sites and founder Rob Gabriel says;
"this technology could be snapped onto any of the major search engines and improve them.”
Talk about come and get us Google! Anyway it hasn't launched in beta yet so who knows but when it does at the end of June I think we might see a large chunk of cash transferring from
The Googleplex Campus to Melbourne. You heard it here first.
http://www.mylivesearch.com/search/index.php
Friday, 25 May 2007
This is great, it's a friend of Ben's (another contractor) who's been badly treated by a recruitment consultant. Nothing to do with technology but very very funny, the Metro newspaper are doing an article on it...but you heard it here first (or maybe second or third...!)
Enjoy...
http://www.recruitmentforum.co.uk/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=474
Enjoy...
http://www.recruitmentforum.co.uk/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=474
Zune Vs Ipod - Latest tactics
Microsoft has obviously got a huge amount of ground to make up if it wants the Zune to compete at any level with the iPod by it's started by installing iPod amnesty bins in Microsoft HQs around the world. I long for the day when someone does produce something worthy of ditching my iPod for good.
Glad we didn't bother with this one!
Mike and I have had many discussions as how to harness web 2.0 concepts and develop various 'big' ideas for clients or ourselves to make money from. One such idea was a for a social network of people who wanted jobs done but didn't know how, didn't have the time or who just couldn't be bothered. Such a brilliant idea, we thought. Coming at a time when several of our projects are coming along nicely this was put on the back burner as a slightly weaker idea than the others currently we're developing.
Then I found a link to a site already doing it. 'Balls', I thought. As is so often the case with big online ideas, one tends to get swallowed up in such complete self belief that the discovery that someone beat you to it can be demoralising. Anyway in this instance the website which 'beat us to it' happens to be currently offering precisely zero jobs for its audience. It claims to have made a few thousand pounds for job doers although I suspect that was the founders' friends and family pitching in for the good of the idea. Its owner is Will King who founded 'King of Shaves' and presumably doesn't need the money but it proves that even if a great idea gets off the ground there's still every chance it'll fail if there wasn't much call for it in the real, offline world in the first place. Back to drawing board for now then.
Check out the site here
http://www.jodo.biz/
Then I found a link to a site already doing it. 'Balls', I thought. As is so often the case with big online ideas, one tends to get swallowed up in such complete self belief that the discovery that someone beat you to it can be demoralising. Anyway in this instance the website which 'beat us to it' happens to be currently offering precisely zero jobs for its audience. It claims to have made a few thousand pounds for job doers although I suspect that was the founders' friends and family pitching in for the good of the idea. Its owner is Will King who founded 'King of Shaves' and presumably doesn't need the money but it proves that even if a great idea gets off the ground there's still every chance it'll fail if there wasn't much call for it in the real, offline world in the first place. Back to drawing board for now then.
Check out the site here
http://www.jodo.biz/
Wii rage starts early
Meet Adam McConnell: Wii enthusiast... future criminal. See the wee lamb purposely (this time) smashed his father's 42-inch plasma after losing in Wii sports. Father Brian left the lad alone playing tennis to get the boy a drink -- presumably, a pint. While in the kitchen the father "heard two big bangs." Brian returned to find his son "using the handset to smash the TV screen." No claims of a broken Wiimote strap this time, the responsibility lies in the kind of pure, seething rage only a 3 year old can muster.
Friday, 18 May 2007
Alex Tue is back
Pixelotto
...if anyone remembers the original 'million dollar homepage' which Alex Tue ran in 2005 in order to not come out of uni in debt, they might be interested in his next project. His plan worked so well that his pixel site ended up making him the million dollars that he set out to make and didn't bother going to uni at all!
His latest project, Pixelotto is a bit underwhelming because it's based on pixels again; I was hoping he'd do something completely different, but anyway it looks like it's starting to work.
The concept is very similar to MDP in that advertisers pay for pixels ($2 per pixel / a million are available) and upload a logo and a link to their website. The page ends up as a wall of coloured logos and links. The difference is that non-advertisers, can register and click on up to 10 links per day. At the end of 12 months half of all money raised will be paid out to one lucky winner and a further $100,000 will go to a charity of the winning clicker's choice.
Alex's motto is simple. It's all about being first to market with a unique idea. Brilliant, why didn't we think of that.
...if anyone remembers the original 'million dollar homepage' which Alex Tue ran in 2005 in order to not come out of uni in debt, they might be interested in his next project. His plan worked so well that his pixel site ended up making him the million dollars that he set out to make and didn't bother going to uni at all!
His latest project, Pixelotto is a bit underwhelming because it's based on pixels again; I was hoping he'd do something completely different, but anyway it looks like it's starting to work.
The concept is very similar to MDP in that advertisers pay for pixels ($2 per pixel / a million are available) and upload a logo and a link to their website. The page ends up as a wall of coloured logos and links. The difference is that non-advertisers, can register and click on up to 10 links per day. At the end of 12 months half of all money raised will be paid out to one lucky winner and a further $100,000 will go to a charity of the winning clicker's choice.
Alex's motto is simple. It's all about being first to market with a unique idea. Brilliant, why didn't we think of that.
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Interview with Rob Small, Miniclip CEO from Guardian Unlimited: Technology
Interview with Rob Small, Miniclip CEO from Guardian Unlimited: Technology
...if anyone remembers Championship Conkers that we built 4 years ago, they'll remember that it went on the The Sun's website in their 'fun' section. The Sun have been using miniclip.com syndicated games in their fun section ever since then....miniclip.com is now the biggest privately held online games website in the world and has 34 million unique gamers per month. They have been profitable since year one and now make advergames for companies like Warner Bros, Gillette and Coke. A competitor network of theirs sold out last year for $600m!!!! I've been using their games since 2002 and assumed that they were part of some huge corporate but a couple of months ago I found out that it is in fact owned by Robert Small, a guy who was in my year at school! The git.
Here's an interview he's just given the Guardian.
...if anyone remembers Championship Conkers that we built 4 years ago, they'll remember that it went on the The Sun's website in their 'fun' section. The Sun have been using miniclip.com syndicated games in their fun section ever since then....miniclip.com is now the biggest privately held online games website in the world and has 34 million unique gamers per month. They have been profitable since year one and now make advergames for companies like Warner Bros, Gillette and Coke. A competitor network of theirs sold out last year for $600m!!!! I've been using their games since 2002 and assumed that they were part of some huge corporate but a couple of months ago I found out that it is in fact owned by Robert Small, a guy who was in my year at school! The git.
Here's an interview he's just given the Guardian.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Get The Message
genius viral site from The Royal Navy, must have cost a fortune, good to know where our tax is going!
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Social networking from BBC Radio 1
Saw this article on Brand Republic and it seems that you can't move for new social networking websites springing up. I was chatting to Mike about it all and whilst My Space, Facebook and Bebo etc, etc, etc all spout off about how many millions of users they have I wonder how safe / reliable these numbers are in terms of charting the success of these sites...for instance I've got profiles on all three of the above and hardly use them at all (what am I, 16?!) anyway I keep getting emails from friends who've decided to set themselves up on yet another SN website and who have 'added me'...I can't see why new social networks keep getting setup when the market seems so completely over saturated. I can only look at it from a revenue generation point of view and the only way money can be made is by getting a whole load of millions of users and selling out to Google or similar for only-they-know-what. Granted there have been some massive successes on the back of My Space in particular however why we need so many other identical versions I know not.
The more explosive growth websites about will only serve to drive down advertising revenues for each site as media planners end up with far too much choice. It's interesting to watch but I'd like to know which way it's going to go and who will be left standing. It's like the dot com boom all over again.
Anyway here's the article;
The BBC has unveiled plans to increase its Web 2.0 technology across the BBC Radio 1 website, to include more user generated content, personalised playlists and interactive features, as it builds its web footprint.
The prototype, which will be demonstrated at the MIX07 conference in Las Vegas today, will give an insight into how BBC Radio 1 online would work in the future, as it builds its interactive functions
Under the new technology the site could compete against other commercial offerings, with users able to create an online "badge" or profile of their favourite bands, music, shows and picture playlists, which they can share with friends via Windows Live Messenger service.
BBC Radio 1 said the benefits of using the technology were that it could more accurately reflect listener demands and preferences, and offer "more participatory" online services.
It is understood that BBC Radio 1 online was chosen to test the technology as it provided the best fit for its intended audience, which is expected to comprise listeners and users under the age of 25.
The technology has been developed using Microsoft Silverlight software and the latest Windows Live Messenger application, in conjunction with Siemens, AKQA and Ioko.
The BBC signed a deal with Microsoft in September last year to create a strategic partnership for the corporation's digital strategies. The agreement, which was signed by BBC director-general Mark Thompson and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, is part of the BBC's development of next-generation technology.
Jason DaPonte, executive producer of www.bbc.co.uk, said: "As the user's online footprint expands, Radio 1 would be able to recognise [people's] tastes and offer them even more of what they like.
"Prototypes such as this illustrate the BBC's commitment to providing online services that are more open, personal and participatory than ever before, using the latest technologies to engage younger audiences.
The more explosive growth websites about will only serve to drive down advertising revenues for each site as media planners end up with far too much choice. It's interesting to watch but I'd like to know which way it's going to go and who will be left standing. It's like the dot com boom all over again.
Anyway here's the article;
The BBC has unveiled plans to increase its Web 2.0 technology across the BBC Radio 1 website, to include more user generated content, personalised playlists and interactive features, as it builds its web footprint.
The prototype, which will be demonstrated at the MIX07 conference in Las Vegas today, will give an insight into how BBC Radio 1 online would work in the future, as it builds its interactive functions
Under the new technology the site could compete against other commercial offerings, with users able to create an online "badge" or profile of their favourite bands, music, shows and picture playlists, which they can share with friends via Windows Live Messenger service.
BBC Radio 1 said the benefits of using the technology were that it could more accurately reflect listener demands and preferences, and offer "more participatory" online services.
It is understood that BBC Radio 1 online was chosen to test the technology as it provided the best fit for its intended audience, which is expected to comprise listeners and users under the age of 25.
The technology has been developed using Microsoft Silverlight software and the latest Windows Live Messenger application, in conjunction with Siemens, AKQA and Ioko.
The BBC signed a deal with Microsoft in September last year to create a strategic partnership for the corporation's digital strategies. The agreement, which was signed by BBC director-general Mark Thompson and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, is part of the BBC's development of next-generation technology.
Jason DaPonte, executive producer of www.bbc.co.uk, said: "As the user's online footprint expands, Radio 1 would be able to recognise [people's] tastes and offer them even more of what they like.
"Prototypes such as this illustrate the BBC's commitment to providing online services that are more open, personal and participatory than ever before, using the latest technologies to engage younger audiences.
Anyone remember Boo.com? It's back, for the third time...
Boo.com, the infamous dot com crash site, is relaunching as an online travel destination.
Web Reservations International (WRI) bought the domain name boo.com from Fashionmall.com, the New York fashion portal that acquired the doomed brand in 2000.
The new boo combines travel-based vertical search, pricing, reviews and social networking. It brings together professional and user-generated content from WRI’s portfolio of travel sites. It features targeted ads with real-time prices for flight and car hire with direct booking functions.
Boo.com collapsed in 2000 after only six months of operation and months of delays. It managed to spend £80m of venture capital investment during 18 months.
After Fashionmall.com bought the brand for an undisclosed sum, it closed it due to falling profits and mounting costs.
WRI was founded in 1999, the same year as the original boo.com, by 22-year-old tech entrepreneur Ray Nolan. Nolan introduced online hostel bookings, and acquired further businesses including hostelworld.com and trave.com with little VC investment. In 2006, WRI handled more than €300 million in annual bookings and generated €19 million EBITDA.
WRI said: "Rather than see boo.com as cursed, we think people will say 'Wow, is boo back?'. People will remember the original collapse, but realise this is a different company with a business model with profit in mind.
Web Reservations International (WRI) bought the domain name boo.com from Fashionmall.com, the New York fashion portal that acquired the doomed brand in 2000.
The new boo combines travel-based vertical search, pricing, reviews and social networking. It brings together professional and user-generated content from WRI’s portfolio of travel sites. It features targeted ads with real-time prices for flight and car hire with direct booking functions.
Boo.com collapsed in 2000 after only six months of operation and months of delays. It managed to spend £80m of venture capital investment during 18 months.
After Fashionmall.com bought the brand for an undisclosed sum, it closed it due to falling profits and mounting costs.
WRI was founded in 1999, the same year as the original boo.com, by 22-year-old tech entrepreneur Ray Nolan. Nolan introduced online hostel bookings, and acquired further businesses including hostelworld.com and trave.com with little VC investment. In 2006, WRI handled more than €300 million in annual bookings and generated €19 million EBITDA.
WRI said: "Rather than see boo.com as cursed, we think people will say 'Wow, is boo back?'. People will remember the original collapse, but realise this is a different company with a business model with profit in mind.
Friday, 27 April 2007
The most outrageous copyright grab ever!
You may or may not have heard of Fark.com. It is a news aggregator website similar to Metafilter, Reddit and others. It has attracted a large number of followers who submit interesting news articles with witty headlines. An article posted on Fark can attract a hundred comments or more.
But there is a problem...
If you submit to Fark.com, Fark will take ALL of your copyright. That applies to headlines, comments, Photoshop montages, photographs and audio edits. In other words everything. Here is their copyright notice...
Copyright Notice
Fark.com is the legal owner of all copyright interests of Fark.com content. Each and every submission to Fark.com carries with it an implied assignment of the entire copyright interest in the submission. In exchange for the content and publication of that submission on Fark.com, Fark.com grants back to the submitter a non-exclusive, non-transferable and royalty-free license to republish that submission in any and all forms.
Fark can sell your work, re-publish your work wherever and whenever they please, license it to others, repurpose it, sell the film/TV rights - anything they like for as much money as they can get.
YOU GET NOTHING!
Notice that you can't even transfer the license they gave you back. Basically you've been shafted. Totally.
But there is a problem...
If you submit to Fark.com, Fark will take ALL of your copyright. That applies to headlines, comments, Photoshop montages, photographs and audio edits. In other words everything. Here is their copyright notice...
Copyright Notice
Fark.com is the legal owner of all copyright interests of Fark.com content. Each and every submission to Fark.com carries with it an implied assignment of the entire copyright interest in the submission. In exchange for the content and publication of that submission on Fark.com, Fark.com grants back to the submitter a non-exclusive, non-transferable and royalty-free license to republish that submission in any and all forms.
Fark can sell your work, re-publish your work wherever and whenever they please, license it to others, repurpose it, sell the film/TV rights - anything they like for as much money as they can get.
YOU GET NOTHING!
Notice that you can't even transfer the license they gave you back. Basically you've been shafted. Totally.
Wanna be on telly? - Calling all gadget freaks
Gizmodo UK : TV Show Wants Gadget-Freaks
If like Mike, you're obsessed with all gadgets and gizmos BBC 2 are producing a new TV show all about gadgets and our obsession with them...click above for the full article
If like Mike, you're obsessed with all gadgets and gizmos BBC 2 are producing a new TV show all about gadgets and our obsession with them...click above for the full article
Thursday, 26 April 2007
The George Foreman iGrill
This may seem irrelevant to a blog about ideas and technology, however this new version of Mr Foreman's lean, mean, fat reducing grilling machine comes with 10 watt speakers built into so you hook up your iPod while grilling, sorry barbecuing outside this Summer. Perfect for when you leave it outside during a traditional downpour. On some levels this is brilliant and on others it's completely ridiculous....there can't be many products left which haven't been reinvented with an 'i' before their name.
Fantasy Golf League
Emap has boosted its digital presence with an online Today's Golfer fantasy league, on the back of the magazine's newly launched site. The activity is being supported by a viral flash game, rich-media advertising and an eCRM programme.
The viral game, 'Pick up a Pro', challenges users to race around a golfcourse in buggies, pick up famous golfers and race to the flag. Thegame, created by direct agency Meteorite, will drive traffic to the fantasy league game which runs all summer and covers the major golf tournaments. It has been sent to Today's Golfer's entire database.
Today's Golfer online is pushing two key brand messages. One is the'Whole in One' message, aiming to provide everything golfers need fromequipment to holiday information. Meanwhile, the 'tee time' service helps users to find and book courses, and get out to play. A new salesteam has been hired to target golf manufacturer and lifestyleadvertisers. Emap is hoping to reach a wider audience online with thefantasy league.
It briefed Meteorite to "create a digital strategy that embraced both the serious and casual golfer". More than 25,000 people participated last year. This campaign aims to push that figure over40,000.
http://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/Golf/News/searchresults/April-07/Apr-3-Pick-Up-a-Pro/?&R=EPI-10960
...wonder how much Meteorite got paid for that?!
The viral game, 'Pick up a Pro', challenges users to race around a golfcourse in buggies, pick up famous golfers and race to the flag. Thegame, created by direct agency Meteorite, will drive traffic to the fantasy league game which runs all summer and covers the major golf tournaments. It has been sent to Today's Golfer's entire database.
Today's Golfer online is pushing two key brand messages. One is the'Whole in One' message, aiming to provide everything golfers need fromequipment to holiday information. Meanwhile, the 'tee time' service helps users to find and book courses, and get out to play. A new salesteam has been hired to target golf manufacturer and lifestyleadvertisers. Emap is hoping to reach a wider audience online with thefantasy league.
It briefed Meteorite to "create a digital strategy that embraced both the serious and casual golfer". More than 25,000 people participated last year. This campaign aims to push that figure over40,000.
http://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/Golf/News/searchresults/April-07/Apr-3-Pick-Up-a-Pro/?&R=EPI-10960
...wonder how much Meteorite got paid for that?!
Google Checkout
In light of my previous post, here's something new that Google have released that isn't bad at all... (although probably part of their master plan to take over the Universe)
Google Checkout is a payment gateway service that can be implemented into almost any website or shop to allow payments for items and services.
Much like other payment providers like Worldpay, Paypal etc. but being Google you can probably expect it to be far more widespread.
To help their cause they have also made all transactions through Google Checkout completely free for the rest of the year.
They state, for the consumer it means they can make purchases for items using their Google Checkout account - therefore only needing to submit their credit card details to one place rather than have it sent to multiple.
Also, some of the shops currently using Google Checkout, like Ebuyer are giving £10 off purchases as an incentive.
Swwwweeet!
http://checkout.google.com/
Maybe something to upsell to existing shop clients??
Google Checkout is a payment gateway service that can be implemented into almost any website or shop to allow payments for items and services.
Much like other payment providers like Worldpay, Paypal etc. but being Google you can probably expect it to be far more widespread.
To help their cause they have also made all transactions through Google Checkout completely free for the rest of the year.
They state, for the consumer it means they can make purchases for items using their Google Checkout account - therefore only needing to submit their credit card details to one place rather than have it sent to multiple.
Also, some of the shops currently using Google Checkout, like Ebuyer are giving £10 off purchases as an incentive.
Swwwweeet!
http://checkout.google.com/
Maybe something to upsell to existing shop clients??
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
Microsoft goes one better than Google!
Hear me now!
So I was blown away when Google Earth came out. However I am equally blown away by how much Microsofts offering is better than Googles! Microsoft Virtual Earth, avaialble through their Live Search engine uses photography from planes rather than satellite and allows the images to not only be of a much higher quality, but allows them to photograph buildings from an angle rather than simply hundreds of feet above them.
When viewing New York in Google earth and seeing the building structures in flat grey blocks, doesn't compare to looking at San Francisco or Los Angeles on Virtual Earth armed with just Internet Explorer and an ActiveX control:
I hear they expect to have carpet photographed almost every major city by the end of 2008.
Wonder how Google will respond!
BO!
So I was blown away when Google Earth came out. However I am equally blown away by how much Microsofts offering is better than Googles! Microsoft Virtual Earth, avaialble through their Live Search engine uses photography from planes rather than satellite and allows the images to not only be of a much higher quality, but allows them to photograph buildings from an angle rather than simply hundreds of feet above them.
When viewing New York in Google earth and seeing the building structures in flat grey blocks, doesn't compare to looking at San Francisco or Los Angeles on Virtual Earth armed with just Internet Explorer and an ActiveX control:
I hear they expect to have carpet photographed almost every major city by the end of 2008.
Wonder how Google will respond!
BO!
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Email volume grows but open rates drop
The number of marketing emails sent during the third quarter of 2006 was more than 1bn, an increase of 37% year-on-year, but open rates for customer acquisition emails dropped by more than a quarter, according to the DMA.
The DMA's National Email Benchmarking Survey showed a "worrying" drop in the average unique open rate for acquisition campaigns from 25% in the third quarter of 2005 to 18% in the third quarter of 2006.
The same rate for retention campaigns fell slightly from 34% to 33%.
The survey also highlighted improving delivery rates. The fail rate -- the non-delivered emails divided by the number of emails sent -- for acquisition and retention campaigns fell from the second quarter of 2006 when it was 9% and 7% for acquisition and retention respectively to around 3% for both.
Richard Gibson, chair of the DMA Email Marketing Council's Benchmarking Hub, said: "With inbox delivery still proving to be one of the biggest challenges for ESPs, this is an area where they can demonstrate real business benefit.
"As more and more clients adopt some of the deliverability best practice standards such as sender ID, domain key registration and use of spam-checking tools, we should see deliverability rates hold, or maybe improved in the next few reports. The rewards will be significant for those who get it right."
The DMA's National Email Benchmarking Survey showed a "worrying" drop in the average unique open rate for acquisition campaigns from 25% in the third quarter of 2005 to 18% in the third quarter of 2006.
The same rate for retention campaigns fell slightly from 34% to 33%.
The survey also highlighted improving delivery rates. The fail rate -- the non-delivered emails divided by the number of emails sent -- for acquisition and retention campaigns fell from the second quarter of 2006 when it was 9% and 7% for acquisition and retention respectively to around 3% for both.
Richard Gibson, chair of the DMA Email Marketing Council's Benchmarking Hub, said: "With inbox delivery still proving to be one of the biggest challenges for ESPs, this is an area where they can demonstrate real business benefit.
"As more and more clients adopt some of the deliverability best practice standards such as sender ID, domain key registration and use of spam-checking tools, we should see deliverability rates hold, or maybe improved in the next few reports. The rewards will be significant for those who get it right."
New urban lifestyle site launched by BMW
BMW unveils urban lifestyle site to push latest model by Hayley Pinkerfield Revolution UK 10-Apr-07, 12:50
LONDON - BMW has partnered with Emap and Google Maps to create a new lifestyle site promoting its new 1 Series model.
The site, created by Airlock, targets a young, urban audience, offering celebrity and user-generated reviews of UK city venues.
Visitors can use the integrated Google Maps facility at www.1off.com to get a bird's eye view of city venues. They can also find their nearest BMW dealer, pushing test drives of the new 1 series model.
Emap will provide editorial content, including features and celebrity reviews of UK cities, which will also feature in key Emap titles such as Grazia and Arena. Various Emap titles will feature a city profile each month, driving readers to the BMW 1 Series site. Users can download relevant content to their mobiles and join the community section to upload reviews.
The key goal of the ongoing online project is to create targeted content for the 1 Series audience. Suzannah Gray, BMW advertising manager, said: "We're trying to appeal to an audience that’s slightly further away from our traditional core. We need to fulfil the long-term potential of the model by drawing in a more progressive audience. These people are very sociable, hedonistic, technology-oriented, and heavy internet users."
"We're taking a new approach by focusing on what will engage the target audience rather than what we're trying to tell them."
www.1off.com
LONDON - BMW has partnered with Emap and Google Maps to create a new lifestyle site promoting its new 1 Series model.
The site, created by Airlock, targets a young, urban audience, offering celebrity and user-generated reviews of UK city venues.
Visitors can use the integrated Google Maps facility at www.1off.com to get a bird's eye view of city venues. They can also find their nearest BMW dealer, pushing test drives of the new 1 series model.
Emap will provide editorial content, including features and celebrity reviews of UK cities, which will also feature in key Emap titles such as Grazia and Arena. Various Emap titles will feature a city profile each month, driving readers to the BMW 1 Series site. Users can download relevant content to their mobiles and join the community section to upload reviews.
The key goal of the ongoing online project is to create targeted content for the 1 Series audience. Suzannah Gray, BMW advertising manager, said: "We're trying to appeal to an audience that’s slightly further away from our traditional core. We need to fulfil the long-term potential of the model by drawing in a more progressive audience. These people are very sociable, hedonistic, technology-oriented, and heavy internet users."
"We're taking a new approach by focusing on what will engage the target audience rather than what we're trying to tell them."
www.1off.com
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