It comes as no surprise to see that AOL has been voted the worst ever tech product of all time PC World (US).
It has certainly been a thorn in our side when it comes to emails.
AOL's inability to recognise friendly emails that are being forwarded from one email address to another frequently results in them being treated as spam.
I notice with interest that in position 8 of the worst products of all time, is Intenet Explorer 6 - which was also the feature of one of my recent blogs!
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Internet Explorer 6 is 7 years old today!
Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) was launched 7 years ago on August 27th 2001. This shouldn't really be of that much interest any more as Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has been available for over 2 years, giving internet explorer users plenty of time to upgrade, right? - apparently not!
It looks like IE6 is still the most popular browser in the world with about a 35% market share, putting it just in front of IE7. www.counter.com
This is bad news.
IE6 was a poor improvement on it's predecessor (IE5.5) with major security issues being one serious issue, but most apparent from a developers point of view was it's lack of acceptance/adherence to web standards.
As every good developer will know, this means that having gone to the trouble to code a website to meet web standards as recommended by the World Wide Website Consortium www.w3.org (the controlling body for the internet), it is necessary to 'hack' the code to get the website to display and function acceptably on IE6.
IE7 still has not met the same level of standards that other browsers such as firefox and opera meet (yes there is an alternative to internet explorer - try one you might like it!) but it has got a bit nearer.
There is now increasing talk in the web development world of dropping support for IE6 in an effort to force users to upgrade and with Internet Explorer version 8 which is already in beta testing and promising to be the first ever standard compliant web browser from Microsoft - joy of joys! this would seem to make sense.
In simple terms this means not bothering to 'hack' the code and leaving the website to display with all its shortcomings as a way to force users to make the change.
Dropping support for IE6 may force users to upgrade, but I feel it may prove detrimental to our clients success.
It is easy to say 'if the user does not update his system what should he expect' until you consider that the user may not be aware that there system is the reason for your websites poor appearance or the reason why they can't make an online purchase or complete a contact form enquiry.
Generating business is why you have a website. Like it or not, first impressions count, so it makes sense to look good to the widest audience and if you have a product to sell online you will want to take every chance you get to sell it.
This means that whilst IE6 remains so popular, we have to reluctanly continue bastardising good websites so they work for the masses.
It looks like IE6 is still the most popular browser in the world with about a 35% market share, putting it just in front of IE7. www.counter.com
This is bad news.
IE6 was a poor improvement on it's predecessor (IE5.5) with major security issues being one serious issue, but most apparent from a developers point of view was it's lack of acceptance/adherence to web standards.
As every good developer will know, this means that having gone to the trouble to code a website to meet web standards as recommended by the World Wide Website Consortium www.w3.org (the controlling body for the internet), it is necessary to 'hack' the code to get the website to display and function acceptably on IE6.
IE7 still has not met the same level of standards that other browsers such as firefox and opera meet (yes there is an alternative to internet explorer - try one you might like it!) but it has got a bit nearer.
There is now increasing talk in the web development world of dropping support for IE6 in an effort to force users to upgrade and with Internet Explorer version 8 which is already in beta testing and promising to be the first ever standard compliant web browser from Microsoft - joy of joys! this would seem to make sense.
In simple terms this means not bothering to 'hack' the code and leaving the website to display with all its shortcomings as a way to force users to make the change.
Dropping support for IE6 may force users to upgrade, but I feel it may prove detrimental to our clients success.
It is easy to say 'if the user does not update his system what should he expect' until you consider that the user may not be aware that there system is the reason for your websites poor appearance or the reason why they can't make an online purchase or complete a contact form enquiry.
Generating business is why you have a website. Like it or not, first impressions count, so it makes sense to look good to the widest audience and if you have a product to sell online you will want to take every chance you get to sell it.
This means that whilst IE6 remains so popular, we have to reluctanly continue bastardising good websites so they work for the masses.
Monday, 25 August 2008
Gold at Olympics creates huge interest in our clients website.
Congratulations to Ben Ainslie for winning his third gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in the Finn Class Sailing event. His achievement is truly outstanding and ranks him as Britain's most successful Olympic Sailor of all time.
Naturally, interest in Ben's Olympic progress in the Finn Sailing event and his eventual success at winning the Gold medal would create a lot of additional interest, both in Ben as an athlete and also in sailing.
As web developers and hosts of the British Finn Association website www.finnuk.org.uk we were able to watch at close hand the effect that this had on the Finn UK website.
Even we were not prepared for the scale of interest - or the effect that external links (links from other websites that 'point' to your own website) had on it's Google Ranking.
For those of you who are starting out on the road to understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) principles, the areas that make a difference to your SEO success fall into two categories; Optimisation on your own website (internal optimisation) and inbound links (external optimisation) .
Whilst internal optimisation of your website is essential and is rewarded to a certain degreee, Google (and other primary search engines) put a lot of importance on inbound links.
The reason for this is simple. To generate inbound links to your website, other websites are required to link to you. Consequently it is far harder to fake external interest in your website.
Remember - Google is interested in providing the most relevant websites for the search engine terms that have been used. If other websites suddenly start linking to your website (inbound links) for a particular search term, Google will view your website as more important than one that does not get linked to. Additionally, if the links are from well respected and high ranking websites the effect will be amplified.
A case of quality not quantity is in some cases more effective.
With the BBC website (One of Britain's most important websites in the eyes of Google), and other prominent websites linking to the www.finnuk.org.uk website it was great to see the Google effect at work.
We hope that the British Finn Association goes from strength to strength and that interest in Finn Class Sailing continues to grow. Particularly with the London Olympics getting nearer by the day!
Once again, congratulations to Ben for winning his third Olympic Gold and in a indirect way, for helping the British Finn Association website to achieve a higher prominence with their Search Engine Rankings and more success as a result.
Naturally, interest in Ben's Olympic progress in the Finn Sailing event and his eventual success at winning the Gold medal would create a lot of additional interest, both in Ben as an athlete and also in sailing.
As web developers and hosts of the British Finn Association website www.finnuk.org.uk we were able to watch at close hand the effect that this had on the Finn UK website.
Even we were not prepared for the scale of interest - or the effect that external links (links from other websites that 'point' to your own website) had on it's Google Ranking.
For those of you who are starting out on the road to understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) principles, the areas that make a difference to your SEO success fall into two categories; Optimisation on your own website (internal optimisation) and inbound links (external optimisation) .
Whilst internal optimisation of your website is essential and is rewarded to a certain degreee, Google (and other primary search engines) put a lot of importance on inbound links.
The reason for this is simple. To generate inbound links to your website, other websites are required to link to you. Consequently it is far harder to fake external interest in your website.
Remember - Google is interested in providing the most relevant websites for the search engine terms that have been used. If other websites suddenly start linking to your website (inbound links) for a particular search term, Google will view your website as more important than one that does not get linked to. Additionally, if the links are from well respected and high ranking websites the effect will be amplified.
A case of quality not quantity is in some cases more effective.
With the BBC website (One of Britain's most important websites in the eyes of Google), and other prominent websites linking to the www.finnuk.org.uk website it was great to see the Google effect at work.
We hope that the British Finn Association goes from strength to strength and that interest in Finn Class Sailing continues to grow. Particularly with the London Olympics getting nearer by the day!
Once again, congratulations to Ben for winning his third Olympic Gold and in a indirect way, for helping the British Finn Association website to achieve a higher prominence with their Search Engine Rankings and more success as a result.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Who do we want to employ? Sorry I can't say!
If you have been sending out numerous CV's and not getting anywhere, do not be disheartened. It's more than likely that for most of your applications you were a non runner from the start - usually because of no fault of your own!
When it comes to advertising a job, political correctness knows no boundaries and unfortunately it is getting harder to actually indicate who you would like to employ. The latest slap on the wrist for me came when advertising a job which included the naughty phrase; "Salary dependent upon experience".
I received the following reply,"We have amended your vacancy advert as ‘salary dependent upon experience’ may contravene the new age discrimination legislation. Your advert now reads ‘salary unspecified'".
On a previous occasion when wishing to indicate that the job would only be suitable for someone from Bournemouth as it involved contact with local clients, I was told that this was discriminatory to anyone who was not from Bournemouth???
These restrictions are particularly niggling to me, because in most instances the criteria for employment in web design and development can be more flexible than any other industry I can think of. I am able to employ candidates who have disabilities, from any race, religion age, gender and even any location, including overseas and already do. Currently I have full time employee's that live and work at their home addresses which are 100's of miles from Bournemouth and it is not a problem. So in the instances when I want someone who meets a specific criteria, I would like to be able to say so!
The bit that has been forgotten through political correctness (legislation), is that businesses just want the most suitable person for the job and will employ the best person who apply's (I remember watching a programme where entrepreneurs were asked the secret to their success and one guy said, "Surround yourself with good people and when asked if liking your employee's was important - the response was; "If they are good - you force yourself to like them").
I'm guessing that this is how most businesses also work. We all want the most suited person for the job, but because of political correctness we are not allowed to include enough clues as to who this may be in the job description.
Not being able to indicate who you wish to employ in my opinion helps no-one. If I can't indicate that the person must be local does not change the fact that I will only employ someone who is. Unfortunately this means that I have to sift through piles of CV's that have been sent by enthusiastic applicants who wont get the job. My heart goes out to the applicants who must get disillusioned at the 100's of CV's they have sent out without the offer of a job
Remember when you enquire about a position, unfortunately the following will apply;
Of course you can apply for the job - but only because I'm not allowed to tell you that you are unsuitable it will be a total waste of your time.
When it comes to advertising a job, political correctness knows no boundaries and unfortunately it is getting harder to actually indicate who you would like to employ. The latest slap on the wrist for me came when advertising a job which included the naughty phrase; "Salary dependent upon experience".
I received the following reply,"We have amended your vacancy advert as ‘salary dependent upon experience’ may contravene the new age discrimination legislation. Your advert now reads ‘salary unspecified'".
On a previous occasion when wishing to indicate that the job would only be suitable for someone from Bournemouth as it involved contact with local clients, I was told that this was discriminatory to anyone who was not from Bournemouth???
These restrictions are particularly niggling to me, because in most instances the criteria for employment in web design and development can be more flexible than any other industry I can think of. I am able to employ candidates who have disabilities, from any race, religion age, gender and even any location, including overseas and already do. Currently I have full time employee's that live and work at their home addresses which are 100's of miles from Bournemouth and it is not a problem. So in the instances when I want someone who meets a specific criteria, I would like to be able to say so!
The bit that has been forgotten through political correctness (legislation), is that businesses just want the most suitable person for the job and will employ the best person who apply's (I remember watching a programme where entrepreneurs were asked the secret to their success and one guy said, "Surround yourself with good people and when asked if liking your employee's was important - the response was; "If they are good - you force yourself to like them").
I'm guessing that this is how most businesses also work. We all want the most suited person for the job, but because of political correctness we are not allowed to include enough clues as to who this may be in the job description.
Not being able to indicate who you wish to employ in my opinion helps no-one. If I can't indicate that the person must be local does not change the fact that I will only employ someone who is. Unfortunately this means that I have to sift through piles of CV's that have been sent by enthusiastic applicants who wont get the job. My heart goes out to the applicants who must get disillusioned at the 100's of CV's they have sent out without the offer of a job
Remember when you enquire about a position, unfortunately the following will apply;
Of course you can apply for the job - but only because I'm not allowed to tell you that you are unsuitable it will be a total waste of your time.
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Bespoke or not Bespoke that is the question?
Bespoke
Just recently I read an article recently (Rashid Razaq, Evening Standard) which explained how the Tailors of Saville Row had lost a legal battle over the right for the word 'Bespoke' to refer exclusively to hand made suits.
Menswear retailers Sartoriani was referred to the ASA because it was advertising bargain bespoke suits as "uniquely made according to your personal measurements and specification".
After a fitting session, where the clients measurements were taken, the company admitted that the process of cutting and sewing was then handled mostly by machine.
We often refer to our design and development services as being bespoke.
The word bespoke, is not universally used and seems to be favoured/adopted by some industries and ignored by others, but it originates from the tailors of Saville Row in London.
The word bespoke was a term used to describe how a customer would 'speak' for a length of fabric.
A search on Wikipedia fills in most of the details;
Bespoke is usually a British English term for tailored clothing made at a customer's behest, and exactly to the customer's specification. Bespoke clothing is created without use of a pre-existing pattern, differentiating it from made to measure, which alters a standard-sized pattern to fit the customer. In American English, it is a synonym for "custom made."
Today, it is also frequently used for technical components specifically developed for a certain application (e.g. bespoke software), as well as in the automotive and cake decorating industries, when customers get a chance to have an automobile equipped or cake decorated to their specification.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespoke
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld the suit manufacturers claim that the word 'bespoke' did not have an exclusivity to Saville Row tailors or should it indicate that a suit was fully hand stitched. They argued that it could also be used to refer to a garment that had been made to an individual customers requirements regardless of whether all of the process was by hand.
In my view the ruling is appropriate and I can draw parallels to how we approach bespoke web design and development for our clients.
When we say our websites are 'Bespoke Developments', what do we mean?
Our designs are certainly individually 'tailored' for each client. Each design is unique, and evolves as a result of a number of discussions with the client. On completion ownership of the design is passed to the client. At this point, you could say that the design has been 'spoken' for.
During the process of building each website there will be the necessity to produce 'bespoke' code to meet individual requirements, but in many instances of development we will also make use of re-useable code if the functionality already exists.
A couple of examples are; the use of re-useable code to produce website enquiry forms and the inclusion of a web page editor for users with content management systems. The website editor has evolved from 1000’s of man hours of development – why re-invent the wheel? Another reason for the practice of using re-useable code is price; we can produce a website in the fraction of the time and subsequently at a far more attractive price than one that has been hand coded line by line.
This comparison can be drawn with the suit company that used automated methods and reduced the time and therefore the cost to the client.
Saville Row tailors likened the use of the word 'Bespoke' to the legally protected term 'Champagne', but I would guess that whilst the process of producing champagne may remain the same, the vineyards may have adopted some machinery along the way to improve efficiency. Also, the word bespoke isn't just linked to Saville Row tailors in the same way that Champagne is linked to a wine growing region.
The Saville Row Tailors arguments seem to be a case of sour grapes.
Ultimately, this argument boils down to money, if you want a fully hand stitched suit from Saville Row it will cost you more.
If you want a bespoke website that has been fully hand coded it will cost you more than a development where some code has been used before.
Will a Bespoke hand coded website be better - No.
Will it cost you more, Yes - substantially more.
So when it comes to bespoke, be it suits or software and dependent on how deep your pockets are (no pun intended) – the choice is yours.
Just recently I read an article recently (Rashid Razaq, Evening Standard) which explained how the Tailors of Saville Row had lost a legal battle over the right for the word 'Bespoke' to refer exclusively to hand made suits.
Menswear retailers Sartoriani was referred to the ASA because it was advertising bargain bespoke suits as "uniquely made according to your personal measurements and specification".
After a fitting session, where the clients measurements were taken, the company admitted that the process of cutting and sewing was then handled mostly by machine.
We often refer to our design and development services as being bespoke.
The word bespoke, is not universally used and seems to be favoured/adopted by some industries and ignored by others, but it originates from the tailors of Saville Row in London.
The word bespoke was a term used to describe how a customer would 'speak' for a length of fabric.
A search on Wikipedia fills in most of the details;
Bespoke is usually a British English term for tailored clothing made at a customer's behest, and exactly to the customer's specification. Bespoke clothing is created without use of a pre-existing pattern, differentiating it from made to measure, which alters a standard-sized pattern to fit the customer. In American English, it is a synonym for "custom made."
Today, it is also frequently used for technical components specifically developed for a certain application (e.g. bespoke software), as well as in the automotive and cake decorating industries, when customers get a chance to have an automobile equipped or cake decorated to their specification.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespoke
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld the suit manufacturers claim that the word 'bespoke' did not have an exclusivity to Saville Row tailors or should it indicate that a suit was fully hand stitched. They argued that it could also be used to refer to a garment that had been made to an individual customers requirements regardless of whether all of the process was by hand.
In my view the ruling is appropriate and I can draw parallels to how we approach bespoke web design and development for our clients.
When we say our websites are 'Bespoke Developments', what do we mean?
Our designs are certainly individually 'tailored' for each client. Each design is unique, and evolves as a result of a number of discussions with the client. On completion ownership of the design is passed to the client. At this point, you could say that the design has been 'spoken' for.
During the process of building each website there will be the necessity to produce 'bespoke' code to meet individual requirements, but in many instances of development we will also make use of re-useable code if the functionality already exists.
A couple of examples are; the use of re-useable code to produce website enquiry forms and the inclusion of a web page editor for users with content management systems. The website editor has evolved from 1000’s of man hours of development – why re-invent the wheel? Another reason for the practice of using re-useable code is price; we can produce a website in the fraction of the time and subsequently at a far more attractive price than one that has been hand coded line by line.
This comparison can be drawn with the suit company that used automated methods and reduced the time and therefore the cost to the client.
Saville Row tailors likened the use of the word 'Bespoke' to the legally protected term 'Champagne', but I would guess that whilst the process of producing champagne may remain the same, the vineyards may have adopted some machinery along the way to improve efficiency. Also, the word bespoke isn't just linked to Saville Row tailors in the same way that Champagne is linked to a wine growing region.
The Saville Row Tailors arguments seem to be a case of sour grapes.
Ultimately, this argument boils down to money, if you want a fully hand stitched suit from Saville Row it will cost you more.
If you want a bespoke website that has been fully hand coded it will cost you more than a development where some code has been used before.
Will a Bespoke hand coded website be better - No.
Will it cost you more, Yes - substantially more.
So when it comes to bespoke, be it suits or software and dependent on how deep your pockets are (no pun intended) – the choice is yours.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Typing errors make me want to Yell
Typing errors certainly can come back to haunt you!
Now, I don't want to come across as too judgemental here. I make my fair share of typing errors and even worse, some remain unnoticed for ages.
It's normally a case of not seeing the 'would for the trees' or the spell checker not picking up on grammatical interpretations of words (yes, I did intend that typo for effect - sorry!).
It can be even more frustrating when the typing error is beyond your control. This situation is amplified if your audience is likely to be particularly scornful of typing errors and is not aware that they were not of your own making.
Hence, it is with some sympathy that I noticed the spelling mistake that I will presume the Yell.com representative has made when adding this entry on behalf of the Learning Centre!
(Wimbourne should be spelt Wimborne).
Perhaps the Yell.Com representative will be able to attend their establishment for a lesson or two?
Wimborne Community Learning and Resource Centre
Another of my blog entries on the topic of typing errors
Now, I don't want to come across as too judgemental here. I make my fair share of typing errors and even worse, some remain unnoticed for ages.
It's normally a case of not seeing the 'would for the trees' or the spell checker not picking up on grammatical interpretations of words (yes, I did intend that typo for effect - sorry!).
It can be even more frustrating when the typing error is beyond your control. This situation is amplified if your audience is likely to be particularly scornful of typing errors and is not aware that they were not of your own making.
Hence, it is with some sympathy that I noticed the spelling mistake that I will presume the Yell.com representative has made when adding this entry on behalf of the Learning Centre!
(Wimbourne should be spelt Wimborne).
Perhaps the Yell.Com representative will be able to attend their establishment for a lesson or two?
Wimborne Community Learning and Resource Centre
Another of my blog entries on the topic of typing errors
Monday, 2 June 2008
The Evolution of British Maths Teaching
I received this from a colleague,
1. Teaching Maths In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?
2. Teaching Maths In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or £80.
What is his profit?
3. Teaching Maths In 1990
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80.
Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Maths In 2000
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Maths In 2008
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands.
He does this so he can make a profit of £20.
What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers).
Yes, I know it is not not politically correct - but hey. It does strike a cord!
1. Teaching Maths In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?
2. Teaching Maths In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or £80.
What is his profit?
3. Teaching Maths In 1990
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80.
Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Maths In 2000
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Maths In 2008
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands.
He does this so he can make a profit of £20.
What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers).
Yes, I know it is not not politically correct - but hey. It does strike a cord!
Sunday, 1 June 2008
A high success rate means cheaper quotes
Putting together a proposal for a customer is time consuming.
Even putting together a proposal for the smallest of developments can take many hours. The larger the website or the larger the client the more costly the process becomes.
Quotes for corporates can be a particular nightmare, the process can go on for months and involve many meetings.
One proposal springs to mind where the requirement was relatively simple and from the initial brief it was obvious that we could complete the development in under 2 weeks.
However the selection process the corporate had put in place for choosing the development team went on for ever.
It required an initial proposal, followed by a selection meeting, The corporate then chose their favourite 3 development companies from the initial 7 that they had started with.
The final 3 were invited back in again for round two.
All had to provide a revised proposal along with another boardroom presentation. Then a finalisation of requirement and back in again to present another proposal to the Directors. This process took over 6 months. The calculated time for putting together the proposal was a lot longer than the actual time on development would have been.
We bowed out gracefully after round one.
The problem with lengthy proposals, is that if you don't win the quote, the costs have to be spread over the ones that you do win and you find your quotes start shooting up dramatically.
We are now very cautious before pitching to corporates for these reasons.
By being a bit more selective with who we do enter quote, you will be pleased to hear that we now win most of the work we quote for.
Beecause of this we are able to keep our prices down and our percentage of conversions high.
It's a win win situation for us and our clients!
Even putting together a proposal for the smallest of developments can take many hours. The larger the website or the larger the client the more costly the process becomes.
Quotes for corporates can be a particular nightmare, the process can go on for months and involve many meetings.
One proposal springs to mind where the requirement was relatively simple and from the initial brief it was obvious that we could complete the development in under 2 weeks.
However the selection process the corporate had put in place for choosing the development team went on for ever.
It required an initial proposal, followed by a selection meeting, The corporate then chose their favourite 3 development companies from the initial 7 that they had started with.
The final 3 were invited back in again for round two.
All had to provide a revised proposal along with another boardroom presentation. Then a finalisation of requirement and back in again to present another proposal to the Directors. This process took over 6 months. The calculated time for putting together the proposal was a lot longer than the actual time on development would have been.
We bowed out gracefully after round one.
The problem with lengthy proposals, is that if you don't win the quote, the costs have to be spread over the ones that you do win and you find your quotes start shooting up dramatically.
We are now very cautious before pitching to corporates for these reasons.
By being a bit more selective with who we do enter quote, you will be pleased to hear that we now win most of the work we quote for.
Beecause of this we are able to keep our prices down and our percentage of conversions high.
It's a win win situation for us and our clients!
Our quotes are free - unless you would prefer to pay instead!
Dear prospect,
thanks for inviting us in to discuss your development requirements, we would love to do the work, the next stage is for us to put together a proposal.
Now where's that cheque book of yours?
Why? - Because we want paying for providing you with the quote.
Does the above sound normal or odd? Would you pay for a development proposal to be provided (or have you paid) by the companies that you invited in to quote for the job?
Whilst visiting a company recently to discuss their requirement, it was remarked that of the companies that had been invited in, one had stated that they would require paying before they started assembling the development proposal.
Pushing your luck a bit I thought - pushing it a bit too far as it turned out, because they were declined the opportunity to quote!
Hopefully their loss will be our gain, we have provided the company with a development proposal with detailed quote - free of charge!
In fact we have never entertained the idea of charging and I haven't heard of other companies that do either, but it did get me thinking! I wonder if they would have been cheaper than everyone else?
Let's assume hypothetically, that we all suggested an identical proposal and all built the development to the same standard, would their actual development quote be cheaper (I would like to think that our standard would always be better, but this is hypothetical!).
It should be cheaper. As they would have already been paid for putting together the proposal, they wouldn't have to factor in the preparation cost for the proposal into the overall development charges. Additionally, if they were charging for every proposal, they wouldn't have to the cover the cost of time spent on proposals for other companies that they didn't go on to win. Our success rate at winning business has always been very high and I am sure this is why our quotes are far more attractive than our competitors.
Somehow, I doubt if the other developers would have been cheaper and I'd love to know how many quotes they actually do win!
The good news is our quotes will remain FREE.
thanks for inviting us in to discuss your development requirements, we would love to do the work, the next stage is for us to put together a proposal.
Now where's that cheque book of yours?
Why? - Because we want paying for providing you with the quote.
Does the above sound normal or odd? Would you pay for a development proposal to be provided (or have you paid) by the companies that you invited in to quote for the job?
Whilst visiting a company recently to discuss their requirement, it was remarked that of the companies that had been invited in, one had stated that they would require paying before they started assembling the development proposal.
Pushing your luck a bit I thought - pushing it a bit too far as it turned out, because they were declined the opportunity to quote!
Hopefully their loss will be our gain, we have provided the company with a development proposal with detailed quote - free of charge!
In fact we have never entertained the idea of charging and I haven't heard of other companies that do either, but it did get me thinking! I wonder if they would have been cheaper than everyone else?
Let's assume hypothetically, that we all suggested an identical proposal and all built the development to the same standard, would their actual development quote be cheaper (I would like to think that our standard would always be better, but this is hypothetical!).
It should be cheaper. As they would have already been paid for putting together the proposal, they wouldn't have to factor in the preparation cost for the proposal into the overall development charges. Additionally, if they were charging for every proposal, they wouldn't have to the cover the cost of time spent on proposals for other companies that they didn't go on to win. Our success rate at winning business has always been very high and I am sure this is why our quotes are far more attractive than our competitors.
Somehow, I doubt if the other developers would have been cheaper and I'd love to know how many quotes they actually do win!
The good news is our quotes will remain FREE.
Small Business - Big Advantage
I read an article recently that had been written by an Aussie guy called Brendon Sinclair. He runs a Web Development Company in Australia, and his company sounds like it is not too disimilar to ours in both size and structure. The way he operates his business also has a lot of similarities to the way we operate ours, so I find myself agreeing more often than not with his views (have you noticed how an article is far more enjoyable to read if you share the same viewpoint as the author!).
Brendon wrote an article recently called "Small Business, Big Advantage" explaining how Smaller Businesses could offer their customers a big advantage in customer support over large businesses or coporates.
He went on to say;
"The big advantage? Easy. Small business cares.
I care about my clients. I can't afford not to care. If I don't care, they won't keep paying me.
Big business doesn't care; the guy on the end of the phone still gets his paycheck no matter what happens with your web site. It's all about accountability."
Brendon went on to site a case where he was able to assist a client, who was in a panic because her domain name had expired causing her website to go offline at the weekend. He took her call at the weekend and was able to quickly resolve the situation and the client was back online within hours. His point was that a larger company would have kept her waiting until after the weekend before even taking a look.
He summed up by saying;
"If that domain name was managed by a small business, it would never had expired in the first place. A small business is far more likely to have a finger on the pulse, because its service is more personalized. A small business will know what's happening, who it's happening to, and what to do to fix it, averting this sort of problem."
Very true, I can fully relate to Brendon's viewpoint - we offer a personalised service and we know our customers on an individual basis, in fact we have forged good friendships with many of our customers over the years. They rely on us for advice and support and we don't want to let them down - after all nobody likes to see their friends in trouble!
Brendon wrote an article recently called "Small Business, Big Advantage" explaining how Smaller Businesses could offer their customers a big advantage in customer support over large businesses or coporates.
He went on to say;
"The big advantage? Easy. Small business cares.
I care about my clients. I can't afford not to care. If I don't care, they won't keep paying me.
Big business doesn't care; the guy on the end of the phone still gets his paycheck no matter what happens with your web site. It's all about accountability."
Brendon went on to site a case where he was able to assist a client, who was in a panic because her domain name had expired causing her website to go offline at the weekend. He took her call at the weekend and was able to quickly resolve the situation and the client was back online within hours. His point was that a larger company would have kept her waiting until after the weekend before even taking a look.
He summed up by saying;
"If that domain name was managed by a small business, it would never had expired in the first place. A small business is far more likely to have a finger on the pulse, because its service is more personalized. A small business will know what's happening, who it's happening to, and what to do to fix it, averting this sort of problem."
Very true, I can fully relate to Brendon's viewpoint - we offer a personalised service and we know our customers on an individual basis, in fact we have forged good friendships with many of our customers over the years. They rely on us for advice and support and we don't want to let them down - after all nobody likes to see their friends in trouble!
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Would you buy from this man?
This article rides on the back of the Giant Rabbit article (no pun intended).
I was visiting the 'Internet World' trade fair at Earls Court, London recently and as you would expect there was intense rivally between stands to attract visitors attention. In the same way that the 'Giant Rabbit' had failed dismally, there were some equally frightening attempts to get attention. Top of the list of poor ideas, was the stall that had employed a midget, dressed him in a purple suit and had painted his face hair and hands purple. Oh dear!
It was actually quite sad, and didn't provoke the humorous response intended.
a: Because it wasn't funny.
b: Because you don't like to laugh at people who are vertically challenged.
It was a marketing attempt that had failed poorly and was having the same affect that the giant rabbit had on everyone. You gave their stand a wide berth.
Interestingly, the stands that were offering face to face advice (no pun intended at the expense of the midget!) or hands on trials and demonstrations of their products were very busy.
If the principle aim was to get the company noticed, then that failed too - partly because I was doing my best to avoid getting too near to the stand (and most others were too) so I wouldn't have to enter into a conversation about business with a 3ft purple midget.
For anyone who did make a point of noting the companies name, I am convinced that it would be for the purpose of avoiding them at all costs in the future.
For me they lost all credibility with that marketing stunt and I would not be able to take them at all seriously.
Would you buy from this man - a purple painted midget? NO.
I was visiting the 'Internet World' trade fair at Earls Court, London recently and as you would expect there was intense rivally between stands to attract visitors attention. In the same way that the 'Giant Rabbit' had failed dismally, there were some equally frightening attempts to get attention. Top of the list of poor ideas, was the stall that had employed a midget, dressed him in a purple suit and had painted his face hair and hands purple. Oh dear!
It was actually quite sad, and didn't provoke the humorous response intended.
a: Because it wasn't funny.
b: Because you don't like to laugh at people who are vertically challenged.
It was a marketing attempt that had failed poorly and was having the same affect that the giant rabbit had on everyone. You gave their stand a wide berth.
Interestingly, the stands that were offering face to face advice (no pun intended at the expense of the midget!) or hands on trials and demonstrations of their products were very busy.
If the principle aim was to get the company noticed, then that failed too - partly because I was doing my best to avoid getting too near to the stand (and most others were too) so I wouldn't have to enter into a conversation about business with a 3ft purple midget.
For anyone who did make a point of noting the companies name, I am convinced that it would be for the purpose of avoiding them at all costs in the future.
For me they lost all credibility with that marketing stunt and I would not be able to take them at all seriously.
Would you buy from this man - a purple painted midget? NO.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Bournemouth to get 100mb Broadband
It has been announced that Bournemouth will be the first town in the country to become a "Fibre City" with broaband delivery of up to 100Mbs. This is great news for those of us who work and live in Bournemouth and as work is scheduled to start straight away we shouldn't have too long to wait before we can test the benefits!
H2O, the company behind the project, announced;
This will be the largest Fibrecity project in Europe and the company will be funding and providing the network at a cost of around £30 million. The majority of the fibre will be put in the sewers using H2O Networks' patented FS (Fibre Optical Cable Underground Sewer) System. The fibre will provide ultra high bandwidth to all Bournemouth's businesses and more than 88,000 homes at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps.
The bit that caught my attention was that the broadband cables will be put laid in the sewer. So for those of us that spend time worrying about the internet going down the pan - it seems we aren't far wrong!
For more info on the announcement, see: BBC technology website and Fibre City website
H2O, the company behind the project, announced;
This will be the largest Fibrecity project in Europe and the company will be funding and providing the network at a cost of around £30 million. The majority of the fibre will be put in the sewers using H2O Networks' patented FS (Fibre Optical Cable Underground Sewer) System. The fibre will provide ultra high bandwidth to all Bournemouth's businesses and more than 88,000 homes at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps.
The bit that caught my attention was that the broadband cables will be put laid in the sewer. So for those of us that spend time worrying about the internet going down the pan - it seems we aren't far wrong!
For more info on the announcement, see: BBC technology website and Fibre City website
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
The giant rabbit
I was watching the Apprentice on the BBC the other night and the 'apprentices' had been given the task of selling wedding products at a weddings trade show, with the team that made the most money being the team that one and the losers.
One team was offering wedding cakes and the other wedding dresses. In an effort to attract attention one of the team members (I can't remember for certain which team it was, cakes I think? - I hope this isn't the start of 'senior moments' affecting the old grey cells) had dressed up in costume as a giant rabbit.
It was comical watching the lengths that people were taking to avoid 'the rabbit'. Needless to say, this had a negative effect on the number of visitors they received at their stand and no guesses which team lost.
In the boardroom, the giant rabbit was delivered with Sir Alan's immortal words 'You're Fired' (just to clarify, the apprentice wasn't still in costume when he was in the boardroom being fired).
It proves the point that if you are not careful, you can try just a bit too hard to generate attention and it can all backfire.
Trying to be clever with marketing if it is misunderstood or ends up scaring or intimidating your audience is not going to work. You need to give careful thought to your marketing.
Understanding what will attract an interest need not be that hard, keep things relevant to your product, informative and be approachable.
Anyone for a piece of cake?
One team was offering wedding cakes and the other wedding dresses. In an effort to attract attention one of the team members (I can't remember for certain which team it was, cakes I think? - I hope this isn't the start of 'senior moments' affecting the old grey cells) had dressed up in costume as a giant rabbit.
It was comical watching the lengths that people were taking to avoid 'the rabbit'. Needless to say, this had a negative effect on the number of visitors they received at their stand and no guesses which team lost.
In the boardroom, the giant rabbit was delivered with Sir Alan's immortal words 'You're Fired' (just to clarify, the apprentice wasn't still in costume when he was in the boardroom being fired).
It proves the point that if you are not careful, you can try just a bit too hard to generate attention and it can all backfire.
Trying to be clever with marketing if it is misunderstood or ends up scaring or intimidating your audience is not going to work. You need to give careful thought to your marketing.
Understanding what will attract an interest need not be that hard, keep things relevant to your product, informative and be approachable.
Anyone for a piece of cake?
Friday, 2 May 2008
If you want a job done quickly - ask someone who is busy!
I received a cry of help from a well respected local company a couple of weeks ago. They were being messed about by the company that had been given the job of developing the companies new website.
They had started in August 2007 and by May of 2008 the website still was not ready!
I suggested that I take a look at what progress had been made and detail what was needed to get the job done, but from first glance it was obvious that this was not the job of anyone with web development knowledge.
The guys had tried to bodge together some 'off the shelf' template design breaking every rule of website development in the process.
Fortunately, the company took my advice, severed the relationship and let us start from scratch with a bespoke website development for them. Oh, and this also included an additional bespoke website development for their sister company.
It did make sense to have both websites ready for when the company re-located to larger premises, but this put us up against the clock.
We only had two weeks to play with and two websites to build - eeek!
But hey, there's nothing like a tight deadline to get everyone springing into action and rising to the challenge and sure enough we completed both websites on time!
It's not the first time (and won't be the last) that we have had to turn a development around in a very short time.
So, if you want a job done quickly - ask someone who is busy!
They had started in August 2007 and by May of 2008 the website still was not ready!
I suggested that I take a look at what progress had been made and detail what was needed to get the job done, but from first glance it was obvious that this was not the job of anyone with web development knowledge.
The guys had tried to bodge together some 'off the shelf' template design breaking every rule of website development in the process.
Fortunately, the company took my advice, severed the relationship and let us start from scratch with a bespoke website development for them. Oh, and this also included an additional bespoke website development for their sister company.
It did make sense to have both websites ready for when the company re-located to larger premises, but this put us up against the clock.
We only had two weeks to play with and two websites to build - eeek!
But hey, there's nothing like a tight deadline to get everyone springing into action and rising to the challenge and sure enough we completed both websites on time!
It's not the first time (and won't be the last) that we have had to turn a development around in a very short time.
So, if you want a job done quickly - ask someone who is busy!
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Internet World - Stand back and observe!
One of the things that I found most interesting during my attendance to the 'Internet World' trade fair (29th April - 1st May 2008) was observing which seminars were most popular.
As the trade fair is primarily attended by business managers, It is prudent to stand back and observe what the business community finds interesting. If advice falls on deaf ears, no matter how good the advice is, it is ignored. It is better to preach to the converted and it is good to see that the business community are now very interested in the virtues of the internet as a method of marketing their business.
The queue's were out of the door for all of the seminars that focused on the grey art of Search Engine Optimisation and to a lesser degree on Internet Marketing - there is a blurry line over what falls into which category.
Typically it would seem that many of the businesses I talk to now associate Search Engine Optimisation as the all encompassing activity of promoting themselves on the internet. This is not technically correct. Certainly Search Engine Optimisation is an important area. But it is important to have a rounded understanding of what methods are available for marketing online, and not become blinkered on one activity at the expense of others.
Whether you choose to call it Search Engine Optimisation or internet marketing or both is up to you, but make sure that you have a strategy that stretches beyond just tweaking keywords or page content. There are many other marketing activities that should also be considered and many will provide you with more success.
It's good sometimes to stand back and observe rather than rush straight in, but if you haven't started thinking about your internet marketing strategy don't leave it too long. Your competitors have been out and about and have done their homework. If you want some help with yours, we are here to help.
another story resulting from my visit to Internet World
As the trade fair is primarily attended by business managers, It is prudent to stand back and observe what the business community finds interesting. If advice falls on deaf ears, no matter how good the advice is, it is ignored. It is better to preach to the converted and it is good to see that the business community are now very interested in the virtues of the internet as a method of marketing their business.
The queue's were out of the door for all of the seminars that focused on the grey art of Search Engine Optimisation and to a lesser degree on Internet Marketing - there is a blurry line over what falls into which category.
Typically it would seem that many of the businesses I talk to now associate Search Engine Optimisation as the all encompassing activity of promoting themselves on the internet. This is not technically correct. Certainly Search Engine Optimisation is an important area. But it is important to have a rounded understanding of what methods are available for marketing online, and not become blinkered on one activity at the expense of others.
Whether you choose to call it Search Engine Optimisation or internet marketing or both is up to you, but make sure that you have a strategy that stretches beyond just tweaking keywords or page content. There are many other marketing activities that should also be considered and many will provide you with more success.
It's good sometimes to stand back and observe rather than rush straight in, but if you haven't started thinking about your internet marketing strategy don't leave it too long. Your competitors have been out and about and have done their homework. If you want some help with yours, we are here to help.
another story resulting from my visit to Internet World
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Thinking outside of the Box - Aaaaaaaah!
If I hear someone say 'think outside of the box' one more time, I will crack up.
It's not the only cliché that I hate (hmm, I can't think of any that I do like), but it is the worst. Whenever someone starts talking about lateral thinking, out they all come. If you are approached by anyone who tells you to 'think outside of the box', run away. Certainly do not at any stage let yourself get drawn into conversation with this person as it will result in a slow agonising death.
I thought I would have a quick look on Wikipedia and see if it had a listing. Of course it has, silly me for doubting the power of Wikipedia (it's actually quite a good article. If you want to read it click on the link; Thinking outside of the box )
I was discussing this and other equally annoying corporate/marketing babble ('you have got to be in it to win it', 'aim for the the low hanging fruit' etc) with a friend the other day and apparantly, there is a game not unlike bingo that can be played at meetings, called 'Bullshit Bingo'. Prior to a meeting bingo cards containing a selection of phrases are discretely handed out among attendees who try to complete their bingo card first, by ticking off the phrases as the speaker unwittingly mentions them until there is a winner. Apparantly, the tempation for the winner to actually shout 'Bingo' is quite strong. Secret hand signals between the players is the accepted method of indicating who has one, so the gaff is not blown.
Naturally fully containing ones excitment can be a bit tricky, but apparantly an occassional giggle smirk or laugh normally has the affect of just encouraging the speaker even more, who assumes that everyone is loving his presentation and hanging on his every word (technically speaking, i guess they are!).
Not quite on the same topic, but it's worth a mention anyway, just because it is so laughable;
A few years ago, whilst attending an education seminar the delegates were advised that on no account should the term 'brainstorming'be used in future, as this could be deemed detrimental to children with special educational needs?
The advice was to use the phrase 'thought showers' in its place!
Will anyone support me in trying to ban 'thinking outside of the box' from being used in a public space during the hours of daylight.
It's not the only cliché that I hate (hmm, I can't think of any that I do like), but it is the worst. Whenever someone starts talking about lateral thinking, out they all come. If you are approached by anyone who tells you to 'think outside of the box', run away. Certainly do not at any stage let yourself get drawn into conversation with this person as it will result in a slow agonising death.
I thought I would have a quick look on Wikipedia and see if it had a listing. Of course it has, silly me for doubting the power of Wikipedia (it's actually quite a good article. If you want to read it click on the link; Thinking outside of the box )
I was discussing this and other equally annoying corporate/marketing babble ('you have got to be in it to win it', 'aim for the the low hanging fruit' etc) with a friend the other day and apparantly, there is a game not unlike bingo that can be played at meetings, called 'Bullshit Bingo'. Prior to a meeting bingo cards containing a selection of phrases are discretely handed out among attendees who try to complete their bingo card first, by ticking off the phrases as the speaker unwittingly mentions them until there is a winner. Apparantly, the tempation for the winner to actually shout 'Bingo' is quite strong. Secret hand signals between the players is the accepted method of indicating who has one, so the gaff is not blown.
Naturally fully containing ones excitment can be a bit tricky, but apparantly an occassional giggle smirk or laugh normally has the affect of just encouraging the speaker even more, who assumes that everyone is loving his presentation and hanging on his every word (technically speaking, i guess they are!).
Not quite on the same topic, but it's worth a mention anyway, just because it is so laughable;
A few years ago, whilst attending an education seminar the delegates were advised that on no account should the term 'brainstorming'be used in future, as this could be deemed detrimental to children with special educational needs?
The advice was to use the phrase 'thought showers' in its place!
Will anyone support me in trying to ban 'thinking outside of the box' from being used in a public space during the hours of daylight.
Saturday, 1 March 2008
How much do you need to spend on Internet Marketing?
Most business managers are now aware that a sizeable proportion of their target audience will be researching products or making purchasing decisions from the information they find on the internet. If you are not reaching this audience you are missing out on their business!
Most will also be aware that success rarely happens by accident – an Internet Marketing strategy is all about establishing a successful, on-going approach to online marketing that will provide increased success now and over the long term.
The amount to spend will vary dependent on the market sector you are in, but it goes without saying that being more prominent than your competitors on major search engines such as Google, certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.
As a matter of course, you should ensure that you are at least as visible online as your competitors.
The good news is that most of your competitors probably don’t have a successful marketing strategy in place at the moment either.
This gives you the chance to seize the opportunity and gain a marketing advantage.
And by assessing where your current marketing budget is being spent, it is normally possible for businesses to shift the marketing away from dated methods and use the money saved to good effect on their internet marketing campaigns – so it may not cost you more and it could even save you money!
If you want to place more emphasis on internet marketing, take a visit to our website for more details Active Internet Support
Most will also be aware that success rarely happens by accident – an Internet Marketing strategy is all about establishing a successful, on-going approach to online marketing that will provide increased success now and over the long term.
The amount to spend will vary dependent on the market sector you are in, but it goes without saying that being more prominent than your competitors on major search engines such as Google, certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.
As a matter of course, you should ensure that you are at least as visible online as your competitors.
The good news is that most of your competitors probably don’t have a successful marketing strategy in place at the moment either.
This gives you the chance to seize the opportunity and gain a marketing advantage.
And by assessing where your current marketing budget is being spent, it is normally possible for businesses to shift the marketing away from dated methods and use the money saved to good effect on their internet marketing campaigns – so it may not cost you more and it could even save you money!
If you want to place more emphasis on internet marketing, take a visit to our website for more details Active Internet Support
Friday, 1 February 2008
Where have all the Yellow Pages gone?
Have you noticed how you rarely see the Yellow Pages or phone book on an office desk anymore?
I am visiting different workplaces all the time and I rarely see a copy of the Yellow Pages on a secretaries desk - or even in view. I presume that they are all shoved underneath the desk or in a drawer.
Why is this?
Well, anyone sat near a computer is using the search engines to find the services they need. But looking at the new issue of Yellow Pages, it surprised me how thick it still was. It looks like businesses are still spending a chunk of their marketing money promoting their company in publications that they don't even use themselves!
Remember - your customers are just as likely to be using the same methods as you do to find the services that they require. If they are looking online and your details don’t appear, they will use someone else who does.
As an absolute basic, you should make sure that your website appears when someone types your business name into a search engine (particularly Google) - you will be surprised how many don't appear, try it yourself and see if you do!
Then, type in the service or product that you offer and see if you appear. If you don't - you are losing business to your competitors who do.
Remember that the internet is another Marketing tool and one that you should now be spending a decent portion of your marketing budget on rather than overlooking.
I am not saying stop the yellow pages advertising - but go for a smaller ad that directs readers to your website and put the money saved into better online marketing.
I am visiting different workplaces all the time and I rarely see a copy of the Yellow Pages on a secretaries desk - or even in view. I presume that they are all shoved underneath the desk or in a drawer.
Why is this?
Well, anyone sat near a computer is using the search engines to find the services they need. But looking at the new issue of Yellow Pages, it surprised me how thick it still was. It looks like businesses are still spending a chunk of their marketing money promoting their company in publications that they don't even use themselves!
Remember - your customers are just as likely to be using the same methods as you do to find the services that they require. If they are looking online and your details don’t appear, they will use someone else who does.
As an absolute basic, you should make sure that your website appears when someone types your business name into a search engine (particularly Google) - you will be surprised how many don't appear, try it yourself and see if you do!
Then, type in the service or product that you offer and see if you appear. If you don't - you are losing business to your competitors who do.
Remember that the internet is another Marketing tool and one that you should now be spending a decent portion of your marketing budget on rather than overlooking.
I am not saying stop the yellow pages advertising - but go for a smaller ad that directs readers to your website and put the money saved into better online marketing.
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