February, 2008 Archive

IMRG – January Online Sales Up 75%

The Interactive Media in Retail Group have said that UK stores saw a massive jump in online sales shopping this January compared to last year…

Highlights:

  • 75.5% rise in online shopping
  • £4.5B spent online last month
  • 62% average growth in online shopping over the last 10 months
  • 63% over the last 3 months is double the 25% it was this time last year

Could be as a result of sales search terms being up 249% in January!!!

Check out the benefits of joining the IMRG and get you hands on these fabulous reports here: IMRG Sign Up

Beijing Olympics Blogging Guidelines

Athletes and officials at the 2008 Olympics have been told if they write a blog it has to be “dignified and in good taste!” writes MarketingVox

This is the first time blogging has been officially allowed “as a legitimate form of personal expression” and “not a form of journalism.”

Eh?

I was asked today if I could dig out Microsoft’s blogging guidelines. I’m not sure if they’re public but I’ll see what I can do….

UK’s Most Popular Websites – Nielson 2007 Research

No suprise really, but as the UK’s leading search engine, Google has come top in some research published by Nielson NetRatings.

With almost 25m visitors a month, they beat MSN/Windows Live Messenger (14.7m) and eBay (14.5m) as the most popular online property.

Facebook grew its audience 781% from 1.1m to 8.9m but was NOT the fastest growing site.

That crown went to Beat That Quote who welcomed a whopping 1,165% more users than in December 2006!

Download the report here: Winners On The UK Web

MY Bytes – Helping Teens Understand IP Laws

Microsoft has conducted some research in the US on how familiar teenagers are with intellectual property laws. The Genuine Software Initiative commissioned the study asking 7th to 10th graders if they knew the rules around downloading music, pictures, movies and software from the internet.

They found that if the teenagers knew the laws, they’d be less likely to flout them. Just 11% said they were “clearly” familiar with what was right and what was wrong when it came to IP.

“Teens who were familiar with downloading rules credited their parents, TV or stories in magazines and newspapers, and Web sites — more so than their schools — as resources for information about illegal downloading.”

So Microsoft has launched an educational website – My Bytes – it compliments an educational pilot aimed at schools they’ve kicked off in conjunction with Topics Education.

“The curriculum is focused on preparing students for the digital age, helping them understand in a meaningful way how intellectual property rights affect their lives and sparking discussion to clarify the “gray areas” in protected and shared content.”

The site lets kids develop their own intellectual property and create their own ringtone by mixing it online.

Wholesale education has to be a good thing! Every time I visit my nephews, the oldest one is 11, their PC is clogged up with all sorts of stuff they’ve swiped online, either not knowing how or why they’ve done it in the first place.

SES London 2008 – 10 Reasons To Attend

I’ll be at Search Engine Strategies London on all 3 days from 19th to 21st February next week.

I’m doing quite a bit of work this weekend to clear the decks so I can immerse myself in all the sessions, all the talking, and I might be found with a beer in my hand on some, if not all, of the evenings.

Going to conferences like this one is a must if you work in this industry.

Why?

1) You can’t call yourself a marketer if you don’t know what’s going on in your own market.

2) You’ll hear from a lot of good speakers from all disciplines, so expect to learn something new!

3) You’ll hear some bad speakers who’ll give you confidence that you’re not that bad a presenter after all.

4) You’ll hear some good speakers who’ll deliver ideas you think are tosh. It’d be boring if we all agreed.

5) You’ll hear some bad speakers talking about stuff you know better than they do – It could be you up there next year!

6) You get out of the office!! Look the weather forecast!

7) It’s a great networking opportunity – I bet you pick up some business!

8) I may have something of interest to announce at the Search Advertising Forum on Thursday 21st Feb at 11am!?

9) Islington is a very hip part of town with loads of great pubs and restaurants in which to close that deal!

10) You’ll never have to traipse to the docklands ever again……….we hope!

Domino’s Pizza – Hungry? Not Anymore!

So I’m working from home today. I have a very nice Polish chap in my kitchen doing some tiling. It’s a bomb site, and an hour ago I was hungry as I’ve been awake since about 4am still jet-lagged.

I can’t cook (in the kitchen) so I thought I’d get a take away. None of the chinese or indians are open at lunchtime so I think….PIZZA!

Only pizza name I can think of is Domino’s! So I go to Live.com and search for it, plug in my details, order a medium “Sizzler” and say I’ll pay cash on delivery. All online – no phone call necessary.

Sure enough in about 30 mins the buzzer goes and my pizza arrives.

Fantastic service, fantastic pizza, fantastic everything except for one thing…….the price!

I gave the moped guy £1.01 which brought the damage to £15!!!!

For a 11 inch pizza!

I could have bought a bigger one from Waitrose for £5 – Wow! What a mark up?!

Can anyone in the US dream of paying $30 for a pizza?

I’m emigrating………………..to Italy! 🙂  

The Forgotten Mobile Phone

Forgot my phone this morning.
Left pocket now in mourning.
Left leg has nowt to rub against,
Full of worry, full of angst.

Not sure I can survive the day?
Surely this means hell to pay?
Feeling naked and bereft,
Feel lop-sided to the left!

 

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