As social media explodes and we all use the web to do lots of different things so there's a second explosion in dot com mania. This time round things look a little more encouraging with folks like Last.fm being snapped up by CBS from across the Atlantic.
Refreshingly, there also seems to be a number of UK ventures that are reaping the rewards from the uptake of web 2.0(try www.moo.com to print your own business cards from pics on your flickr account - it's cheap too!).
Moo's not the only dot com success over here and there is a list of top ten UK dot-commers worth watching over at the Guardian Media section today.
Monday 30 July 2007
Saturday 28 July 2007
BBC iPlayer launches
A little bit later than planned, but still very much anticipated, the BBC launches it's iPlayer in beta form (sign up for iPlayer beta trial here). It's not yet available for Mac or Windows Vista, though it will be shortly. Anyhow, it's an online media player that allows you to catch up on BBC TV shows online up to 7 days after broadcast (as long as you're in the UK)
Will it change the viewing habits of the UK? Will we all hover round our computers to watch TV? Who knows. With services like Sky Plus and Virgin Media Plus+ and the option of recording and storing TV shows on your media ready PC the iPlayer doesn't seem to offer much more than is already available elsewhere.
The real excitement is around how readily will iPlayer allow traditional TV and interactive services to fully converge...imagine watching a historical TV dram and then simultaneously looking up info on the period in question or watching a murder mystery while reading the backs stories of each of the characters so that you have that extra insight into the drama. We don't know which way this will all go, though we have a few ideas, but we'll keep an eye out and report back as things develop.
Will it change the viewing habits of the UK? Will we all hover round our computers to watch TV? Who knows. With services like Sky Plus and Virgin Media Plus+ and the option of recording and storing TV shows on your media ready PC the iPlayer doesn't seem to offer much more than is already available elsewhere.
The real excitement is around how readily will iPlayer allow traditional TV and interactive services to fully converge...imagine watching a historical TV dram and then simultaneously looking up info on the period in question or watching a murder mystery while reading the backs stories of each of the characters so that you have that extra insight into the drama. We don't know which way this will all go, though we have a few ideas, but we'll keep an eye out and report back as things develop.
Wednesday 25 July 2007
Selling at a profit
The, some say, ‘original’ eCommerce site Amazon.com has seen profits grow to over £37M in the three months to June this year - this is an increase of 35% from the previous year.
It’s not only the results that are big – the Amazon share price shot up 11% after the announcement of the results yesterday and perhaps providing a good source of revenue was the two million pre-orders that they took for the final Harry Potter tome.
I think what this demonstrates is that internet retail has really now come of age, and that some (only some!) of those that crawled out the sea at the time of dotcom madness are now very viable businesses.
Amazon only hit profit for the first time in the last three months of 2001… and to give you some context it made a loss of over half a billion dollars ($545m) the year before. Not bad for a company that had been in the red since 1995 - now that’s a long term investment…
It’s not only the results that are big – the Amazon share price shot up 11% after the announcement of the results yesterday and perhaps providing a good source of revenue was the two million pre-orders that they took for the final Harry Potter tome.
I think what this demonstrates is that internet retail has really now come of age, and that some (only some!) of those that crawled out the sea at the time of dotcom madness are now very viable businesses.
Amazon only hit profit for the first time in the last three months of 2001… and to give you some context it made a loss of over half a billion dollars ($545m) the year before. Not bad for a company that had been in the red since 1995 - now that’s a long term investment…
Sunday 22 July 2007
Web Trends Map 2007
Those enterprising folks over at Information Architects have done it it again with their Web Trends Map 2007.
The map itself is rendered as alternative version of the Tokyo Subway map with 'You' placed in the Emporer's Palace at the centre of the network. Futher metaphors abound with each 'stop' on the line being given it's own 'Weather Report' so you can try and predict who's in good health and who isn't, thus extending the fun even further ;)
It's available in number of formats and resolutions and there is even an A2 poster to buy should you feel the need. Amongst the old faves such as BBC, Amazon, Apple and Wikipedia there is one Welsh connection on the line...answers on postcard if you can spot who and where it is.
The map itself is rendered as alternative version of the Tokyo Subway map with 'You' placed in the Emporer's Palace at the centre of the network. Futher metaphors abound with each 'stop' on the line being given it's own 'Weather Report' so you can try and predict who's in good health and who isn't, thus extending the fun even further ;)
It's available in number of formats and resolutions and there is even an A2 poster to buy should you feel the need. Amongst the old faves such as BBC, Amazon, Apple and Wikipedia there is one Welsh connection on the line...answers on postcard if you can spot who and where it is.
Thursday 19 July 2007
He’s the right to look smug…
Sooooooo many web designers and developers get carried away with 'form over function'. Don't get me wrong, I agree that there is always a time for innovation and revolution, but according to usability guru Jakob Nielsen this must be the exception and not the rule.
Jakob’s law of internet user experience states “Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know”. Whilst this is not a new theory (July 2000!!!) it is still incredibly relevant, and all to often totally ignored.
My conclusion is simple. Change should be introduced through small ‘nano’ changes, whereby websites evolve at a similar speed to the intended user. Taking ‘macro’ giant steps may serve to satisfy the creative/ techie desires of a few whilst alienating the majority.
Jakob’s law of internet user experience states “Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know”. Whilst this is not a new theory (July 2000!!!) it is still incredibly relevant, and all to often totally ignored.
My conclusion is simple. Change should be introduced through small ‘nano’ changes, whereby websites evolve at a similar speed to the intended user. Taking ‘macro’ giant steps may serve to satisfy the creative/ techie desires of a few whilst alienating the majority.
Monday 16 July 2007
Top 50 websites for 2007
Time Magazine has published a listing of its Top 25 websites for the past year here. I'm not sure I'd go along with the poll and sites like E-bay, Aamazon and Virb are conspicuous by their absence, but it's still a useful list and a pretty good indicator of how north America is using the web.
Usefully you can add your two penneth' worth to the fray by ranking the sites yourself (if you really have the time!)
Usefully you can add your two penneth' worth to the fray by ranking the sites yourself (if you really have the time!)
Government websites too hard to use?
According to this article from the National Audit Office it seems that a good number of UK Government websites are just too hard to use.
Major failings cited included too many text heavy websites, information too hard to find and too much complex information that is not relevant to the majority of users.
On a positive note usage of the main government websites has risen over time and some sites are widely and repeatedly used e.g. 78 per cent of Jobcentre Plus online service users visited its sites at least once a week.
The report concludes that there is much that can be done by Government agencies to improve their websites such as understanding their users better through detailed site statistics and consultation with the public over what resources they would like to use online.
If you're interested in learning more the full report can be downloaded here (PDF file790 kb).
Major failings cited included too many text heavy websites, information too hard to find and too much complex information that is not relevant to the majority of users.
On a positive note usage of the main government websites has risen over time and some sites are widely and repeatedly used e.g. 78 per cent of Jobcentre Plus online service users visited its sites at least once a week.
The report concludes that there is much that can be done by Government agencies to improve their websites such as understanding their users better through detailed site statistics and consultation with the public over what resources they would like to use online.
If you're interested in learning more the full report can be downloaded here (PDF file790 kb).
Monday 9 July 2007
Feel the burn
As I like both cycling and technology I’m always amazed at how the broadcasters of the tour get out the pictures from a hundred miles or more of winding roads, and it was good to see Cardiff cyclist Geraint Thomas (the first Welshman for 40 years to ride it) enjoy the opening stages of the Tour De France 2007 as it came to London and the South East this weekend.
What’s even cooler is that German based mobile media specialist Unilabs are offering a ‘live tracker’ that provides a Google Maps mash up that includes real time biometric data such as the riders heart rate, speed, power output and cadence. Now in its second year the system relays the data from the monitoring tools that the teams use to keep track of rider performance and overlays it on Google maps.
This is one of those instances where the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and whilst it may only be a few riders and it can be a bit clunky, it’s amazing to think that Burghardt or Paulinho is at that very moment in time pushing his way through the hardest endurance race on the planet and I’m sitting here with a coffee watching his heart rate…
Sunday 8 July 2007
iPhone in the UK?
Following on from our post on the iPhone pre-release it looks like it's selling well (as predicted) and by and large feedback seems to be positive barring a few niggles over sign up.
For those of us in the UK we'll have to wait till the end of the year and it's looking as though O2 have secured the exclusive iPhone distribution rights in the UK.
Meanwhile, if you're not signed up to O2, or simply can't wait a few months, then The Register reports that a UK firm is offering to unlock the iPhone so that they can be used over here in the UK.
So if you really have to have one right now there are already a number of unlocked iPhones for sale on ebay for around £300 . Off you go...
For those of us in the UK we'll have to wait till the end of the year and it's looking as though O2 have secured the exclusive iPhone distribution rights in the UK.
Meanwhile, if you're not signed up to O2, or simply can't wait a few months, then The Register reports that a UK firm is offering to unlock the iPhone so that they can be used over here in the UK.
So if you really have to have one right now there are already a number of unlocked iPhones for sale on ebay for around £300 . Off you go...
Monday 2 July 2007
Square eyes
The BBC has announced a launch date for it's iPlayer on -demand service. It won't be ready for macs immediately (though that will come later) and you will need to be running a decent broadband connection that will allow you to download all the content but we reckon that this the on-demand service that will lead to mass take up on converged media.
Imagine, for example, watching the Torchwood tv show whilst browsing the site, whilst playing the game, whilst chatting to other fans online, whilst exploring the web for clues about the latest episode - the possiblilities are literally endless with converged media and though we're not there yet this a massive step in the right direction.
Worth seeing who else is doing it as well.
Imagine, for example, watching the Torchwood tv show whilst browsing the site, whilst playing the game, whilst chatting to other fans online, whilst exploring the web for clues about the latest episode - the possiblilities are literally endless with converged media and though we're not there yet this a massive step in the right direction.
Worth seeing who else is doing it as well.
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