London this week has seen a transformation of the weather straight from summer to winter, completely bypassing autumn.
One week we were enjoying some of the highest November temperatures on record and then this week the frost started with piercing blue skies and icy winds.
Given the weather extremes that there have been around the globe this year, is this a further evidence of the effect of global warming? Certainly in my 30 odd years living in the south of England, I have noticed a gradual warming over time and an increasing number of freak weather occurences.
Getting slightly back on topic for a blog on internet communications, as ever, ask and the internet will provide. A quick search brings up a number of sites with historical UK weather data, one of which provides statistics on the changes in the UK's climate to back up my more anecdotal evidence.
It confirms that the 1990s were the warmest decade on record in the UK, with four out of five warmest years ever recorded occuring in the 1990s. For the real anoraks out there, you can even check a UK place's temperature on a given day from 1982 onwards and confirm your own theories.
Fascinating, yet worrying. Truly, the internet is the world's reference library.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Friday, November 04, 2005
Hitch
In the age of consumer-generated media, virtual word of mouth provides a way of evaluating just about any product or service. Little wonder that brands are finally waking up to the potential benefits and risks of the general public as publisher.
After waiting months for Screenselect to deliver the Will Smith vehicle 'Hitch', I was looking forward to finding out for myself why the film caused such mixed reactions.
I'd seen the trailer and the film looked great. Hip, original, witty and Will Smith looking in great form. I'd read the critics who offered some decidedly mixed reviews very much at odds with the hype put out by the film's publicity machine.
I decided to let the usually accurate consumer reviews decide it for me. Apart from a few (better informed) cynics, the typically well informed Screenselect film junkies were decidely positive with many claiming it was the ideal rom com. They should have known better.
The first hour lived up to the trailer. The second lived up to the print reviews. To watch the demise of such a promising and well produced film was a crying shame. I could understand it if it had been a money-chasing sequel, but not within the same film.
From an original take on the business of dating, it ended as saccharine nonsense with one of the least believable endings I have had the misfortune to sit through. I can't help wishing the DVD had jammed half way through and I could have that half hour of my life back.
A boost for traditional media. One in the eye for consumer-generated media.
After waiting months for Screenselect to deliver the Will Smith vehicle 'Hitch', I was looking forward to finding out for myself why the film caused such mixed reactions.
I'd seen the trailer and the film looked great. Hip, original, witty and Will Smith looking in great form. I'd read the critics who offered some decidedly mixed reviews very much at odds with the hype put out by the film's publicity machine.
I decided to let the usually accurate consumer reviews decide it for me. Apart from a few (better informed) cynics, the typically well informed Screenselect film junkies were decidely positive with many claiming it was the ideal rom com. They should have known better.
The first hour lived up to the trailer. The second lived up to the print reviews. To watch the demise of such a promising and well produced film was a crying shame. I could understand it if it had been a money-chasing sequel, but not within the same film.
From an original take on the business of dating, it ended as saccharine nonsense with one of the least believable endings I have had the misfortune to sit through. I can't help wishing the DVD had jammed half way through and I could have that half hour of my life back.
A boost for traditional media. One in the eye for consumer-generated media.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
It's Goodfellas, but not that good...
The contenders to the title of best ever film are a topic of endless debate. It is also a cheap way to get publicity for your magazine title when you publish your list.
Far from discouraging the cheap publicity Netcoms dot com is happy to add to the debate, with the news that Total Film had added its two admission tickets to the debate. While controversy over choices, helps the publicity, Total Film have made some particularly strange choices.
The top 25 is below:
In truth, if the top 5 contained all the usual suspects (in fact, where is The Usual Suspects in this list?), such as Citizen Kane, The Godfather and Casablanca, it would be less newsworthy and wouldn't be the subject of posts like this extending its reach online.
Ever feel like you've been had?
Far from discouraging the cheap publicity Netcoms dot com is happy to add to the debate, with the news that Total Film had added its two admission tickets to the debate. While controversy over choices, helps the publicity, Total Film have made some particularly strange choices.
The top 25 is below:
- Goodfellas
- Vertigo
- Jaws
- Fight Club
- The Godfather: Part II
- Citizen Kane
- Tokyo Story
- The Empire Strikes Back
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy
- His Girl Friday
- Persona
- Chinatown
- Manhattan
- Taxi Driver
- It's a Wonderful Life
- The Apartment
- Once Upon A Time In The West
- All About Eve
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
- Apocalypse Now
- Crash
- Sunrise
- The Godfather
- Rear Window
- Sunset Boulevard
- How is filler The Empire Strikes Back the top Star Wars film rather than the ground-breaking original?
- And on that note, how can the me-too Goodfellas top its inspiration, The Godfather?
- Why is the Lord of the Rings in as a trilogy wheras The Godfather is not?
- And how did Crash and Fight Club even make the list?
In truth, if the top 5 contained all the usual suspects (in fact, where is The Usual Suspects in this list?), such as Citizen Kane, The Godfather and Casablanca, it would be less newsworthy and wouldn't be the subject of posts like this extending its reach online.
Ever feel like you've been had?
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
No more, no less, that's the Magic Numbers
Mercury Music prize nominees the Magic Numbers made history when they became the first band to walk out of Top of the Pops. The band is made up of two brothers and two sisters, two of whom are a little larger than your average pop star.
Presenter Richard Bacon introduced the band with the quip: “What do you get when you put two brothers and two sisters in a band? A big fat melting pot.”
Insulted, the band walked off at the gibe about their weight. Bacon has since said that he was 'mortified' and that 'big' referred to their status not their weight.
Who is he trying to kid? The joke is typical Bacon humour, the former Blue Peter presenter who went onto star on the firmly tongue-in-cheek big breakfast and the ever sincere art form that is commercial radio.
Ironically, the furore over the walk out has done the band no harm both in terms of publicity and credibility. It has become a major talking point over the web, showing once again the internet's ability to extend the shelf life of a story and provide those that missed it with the ability to search for all the juicy details.
Presenter Richard Bacon introduced the band with the quip: “What do you get when you put two brothers and two sisters in a band? A big fat melting pot.”
Insulted, the band walked off at the gibe about their weight. Bacon has since said that he was 'mortified' and that 'big' referred to their status not their weight.
Who is he trying to kid? The joke is typical Bacon humour, the former Blue Peter presenter who went onto star on the firmly tongue-in-cheek big breakfast and the ever sincere art form that is commercial radio.
Ironically, the furore over the walk out has done the band no harm both in terms of publicity and credibility. It has become a major talking point over the web, showing once again the internet's ability to extend the shelf life of a story and provide those that missed it with the ability to search for all the juicy details.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Perhaps I could be a contender after all
After my not so recent post on helping this site to reach 'contender' status on Marketleap's link popularity checker, the site's number of incoming links has continued to grow unabated. Despite a shameful absence of recent posts, the site has now gone over the 'magic' 2,000 links mark.
This has resulted in a noticable increase in traffic and no doubt readers concluding that the blogger has gone AWOL (ahem). Of particular fascination to my recent visitors has been the traffic banker that is Janet Jackson's breasts, despite this being one of my oldest and silliest posts.
While concluding that writing less posts has resulted in more traffic is really not healthy to the continued existance of this blog, it has been interesting to see how existing links proliferate over time. Much of this is due to this blog appearing on the blogroll of several long suffering bloggers. As they continue to post at a comparatively prolific rate, so the number of links has increased. No doubt this post will return the favour somewhat to those regulars on my blogroll.
This has resulted in a noticable increase in traffic and no doubt readers concluding that the blogger has gone AWOL (ahem). Of particular fascination to my recent visitors has been the traffic banker that is Janet Jackson's breasts, despite this being one of my oldest and silliest posts.
While concluding that writing less posts has resulted in more traffic is really not healthy to the continued existance of this blog, it has been interesting to see how existing links proliferate over time. Much of this is due to this blog appearing on the blogroll of several long suffering bloggers. As they continue to post at a comparatively prolific rate, so the number of links has increased. No doubt this post will return the favour somewhat to those regulars on my blogroll.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Spam bloggers
Blogger has a handy feature for exploring other blogs in the blogosphere. On the top right of the blogger navigation bar is a 'Next blog' function (see above).
I'm not aware of how scientific Blogger is in terms of whether the next blog is related or random. Certainly it looks random as you jump from business blogs to personnal blogs to the inevitable spam blogs.
Netcoms dot com truth no. 1: Wherever there is a communications tool, there is a spammer.
If you want to see what I'm talking about, a few clicks of 'Next blog' will reveal a spam blog stuffed to the gills with keywords. I fail to understand how the spammers believe this will yield them results. Judging by the pure repetition, many of the blogs look auto generated and are certain to set the search engines alarm bells ringing. The scale of keyword stuffing will most likely lead to an automatic ban and certainly to a manual ban if spotted.
Tellingly, I have yet to come across a spam blog in the search engines and have only stumbled across them through the random 'Next blog' function. A quick analysis of a couple of the spam blogs I found revealed no inbound links on the first and one inbound link on another from, guess what, another spam blog - talk about a bad neighbourhood (more SEO alarm bells).
Even if they manage to get someone to stumble across the spam blog, they are so obviously gibberish that any visitor would be very unlikely to click on a link and earn them some affiliate revenue.
So why bother? Please stop (I wish).
I'm not aware of how scientific Blogger is in terms of whether the next blog is related or random. Certainly it looks random as you jump from business blogs to personnal blogs to the inevitable spam blogs.
Netcoms dot com truth no. 1: Wherever there is a communications tool, there is a spammer.
If you want to see what I'm talking about, a few clicks of 'Next blog' will reveal a spam blog stuffed to the gills with keywords. I fail to understand how the spammers believe this will yield them results. Judging by the pure repetition, many of the blogs look auto generated and are certain to set the search engines alarm bells ringing. The scale of keyword stuffing will most likely lead to an automatic ban and certainly to a manual ban if spotted.
Tellingly, I have yet to come across a spam blog in the search engines and have only stumbled across them through the random 'Next blog' function. A quick analysis of a couple of the spam blogs I found revealed no inbound links on the first and one inbound link on another from, guess what, another spam blog - talk about a bad neighbourhood (more SEO alarm bells).
Even if they manage to get someone to stumble across the spam blog, they are so obviously gibberish that any visitor would be very unlikely to click on a link and earn them some affiliate revenue.
So why bother? Please stop (I wish).
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
When it comes to viral marketing, simple is often best
A campaign from Milwaekee's Best Light shows that a very simple idea well executed can make an effective viral.
While hardly the most PC of virals, 'Lust for Bust' is clearly targeted at its demographic and is curiously addictive (slap!).
While hardly the most PC of virals, 'Lust for Bust' is clearly targeted at its demographic and is curiously addictive (slap!).
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
"I coulda been a contender"
Cyberspace can be a big and lonely place, particularly for the humble blogger. This humble blog has been in existance for just over two years and started out as a tiny blip on an unknown server with not a single link to its name.
Links are the lifeblood of websites and a good source of traffic both direct and in terms of increasing search engine ranking.
Among the ways to investigate the number of links through to your site is Marketleap's link popularity checker (one more link for them then) which divides sites into broad categories based on the number of inbound links.
- Limted presence: 0-1,000
- Average: 1,001-5,000
- Above average: 5,001-20,000
- Contender: 20,001-100,000
- Player: 100,001-500,000
- 900lb Gorilla: 500,001 and up
Netcoms dot com has this year moved into the 'Average' category with around 1,500 links and rising. Much of these are through blog directories which I suspect carry little weight in terms of PageRank, but gradually over time, this blog has made it onto blogrolls, niche websites and the odd traffic-busting appearance on Fark.com which have been having a noticable effect on traffic.
The rise in links has led to a rise in search engine traffic on terms from the logical Netcoms to the bizarre Janet Jackson's breasts. This has also coincided with a steady rise in PageRank from the white bar of anonymity to a respectably green varying 4-5/10.
Feel free to link to this article at the usual address and help me reach Contender status!
Links are the lifeblood of websites and a good source of traffic both direct and in terms of increasing search engine ranking.
Among the ways to investigate the number of links through to your site is Marketleap's link popularity checker (one more link for them then) which divides sites into broad categories based on the number of inbound links.
- Limted presence: 0-1,000
- Average: 1,001-5,000
- Above average: 5,001-20,000
- Contender: 20,001-100,000
- Player: 100,001-500,000
- 900lb Gorilla: 500,001 and up
Netcoms dot com has this year moved into the 'Average' category with around 1,500 links and rising. Much of these are through blog directories which I suspect carry little weight in terms of PageRank, but gradually over time, this blog has made it onto blogrolls, niche websites and the odd traffic-busting appearance on Fark.com which have been having a noticable effect on traffic.
The rise in links has led to a rise in search engine traffic on terms from the logical Netcoms to the bizarre Janet Jackson's breasts. This has also coincided with a steady rise in PageRank from the white bar of anonymity to a respectably green varying 4-5/10.
Feel free to link to this article at the usual address and help me reach Contender status!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
London stands in silence
It has been quite a few weeks since my last post. The birth of my first child has diverted resources from all non-essential activity and this has taken its toll on this blog which recently celebrated (or not) it's two year anniversary.
I am moved to post again after the terrible events of last week in London. Today marks a week since the suicide bombings turned the highs of winning the Olympics into such lows. London (and other parts of the world) observed a two-minute silence at 12pm.
We left our office and found a space among the crowds in Soho Square. I looked around me waiting for the bells to chime 12 and was met by the curious sight of an awkward looking Sir Trevor Brooking being filmed by a lone cameraman. The crowds were so packed in that the cameraman could not turn to film other people, making Sir Trevor and indeed the cameraman increasingly uncomfortable.
Despite the strange sight, the silence was impeccably observed by those around me, no doubt reflecting on the 'what if's' and the stories of friends, colleagues and strangers.
While the bells announced the start of the silence, there were no bells to announce its finish. After the two minutes were clearly up, there was an awkward shuffling as no one dared to be the first to break the silence. It was finally broken by a spontaneous round of applause that spread around the square to mark the shared experience.
We milled back to our offices unsure of what to say. Sir Trevor's bizarre cameo seemed the easiest thing to talk about. Life, in all its strangeness, goes on.
I am moved to post again after the terrible events of last week in London. Today marks a week since the suicide bombings turned the highs of winning the Olympics into such lows. London (and other parts of the world) observed a two-minute silence at 12pm.
We left our office and found a space among the crowds in Soho Square. I looked around me waiting for the bells to chime 12 and was met by the curious sight of an awkward looking Sir Trevor Brooking being filmed by a lone cameraman. The crowds were so packed in that the cameraman could not turn to film other people, making Sir Trevor and indeed the cameraman increasingly uncomfortable.
Despite the strange sight, the silence was impeccably observed by those around me, no doubt reflecting on the 'what if's' and the stories of friends, colleagues and strangers.
While the bells announced the start of the silence, there were no bells to announce its finish. After the two minutes were clearly up, there was an awkward shuffling as no one dared to be the first to break the silence. It was finally broken by a spontaneous round of applause that spread around the square to mark the shared experience.
We milled back to our offices unsure of what to say. Sir Trevor's bizarre cameo seemed the easiest thing to talk about. Life, in all its strangeness, goes on.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Coldplaying a blinder
Coldplay have achieved the kind of success that breeds envy. With the launch of their new album, the amount of sour grapes in the UK media has hardly been surprising (international readers, how was it for you? Let me know in the comments section).
A fitting album title may have been 'Damned if you do, Damned if you don't' rather than the obscure chromosone reference of 'X&Y'. No wonder it took them nigh on two years to release the thing.
Perhaps the boys need a little praise to stem the flow of bad press.
As a subscriber to their 'In my Place' newsletter, I have been impressed of late with their understanding of how to operate in the digital age. Their website has been the epitome of talking directly with their fans and contains valuable lessons for those seeking to market on the internet:
Remember people like to buy, they don't like to be sold.
A fitting album title may have been 'Damned if you do, Damned if you don't' rather than the obscure chromosone reference of 'X&Y'. No wonder it took them nigh on two years to release the thing.
Perhaps the boys need a little praise to stem the flow of bad press.
As a subscriber to their 'In my Place' newsletter, I have been impressed of late with their understanding of how to operate in the digital age. Their website has been the epitome of talking directly with their fans and contains valuable lessons for those seeking to market on the internet:
- Early bird concert ticket deals for subscribers, so the fans get there before the e-bay touts
- Exclusive audio of the new single 'Speed of Sound'
- Exclusive video of 'Speed of Sound'
- Teasers for the album tracks
- Backstage concert footage
- 'What the band are listening to' featured on the 'Coldplayer'
Remember people like to buy, they don't like to be sold.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Sipping Google Bourbon with GoogleGuy
No, not another Google Gulp drinks launch, but instead the latest algorithm update.
Within the search engine community the mysterious, yet knowledgable, GoogleGuy provides the kind of positive PR that Scoble has been doing for Microsoft. He demonstrates a degree of openness that can only benefit the SEO community and the perception of Google within it.
He has been commenting on the recent Google Bourbon update advising the SEO community that the update is not yet complete:
"Take a break from checking ranks for several more days. Bourbon includes something like 3.5 improvements in search quality, and I believe that only a couple are out so far. The 0.5 will go out in a day or so, and the last major change should roll out over the next week or so. Then there will still be some minor changes after that as well."
GoogleGuy has also demonstrated his openness in a new Questions for GoogleGuy thread with interesting responses on topics such as reinclusions (suggests allowing 4-6 weeks) and why they are not planning on going down the pay-for-inclusion route anytime soon (avoidance of conflict of interest).
After a mammoth Q&A session on the boards, he hints that maybe there's something in this blogging thing after all:
Maybe I ought to get me one of these blog things; I hear they're really popular with the kids these days. :)
Within the search engine community the mysterious, yet knowledgable, GoogleGuy provides the kind of positive PR that Scoble has been doing for Microsoft. He demonstrates a degree of openness that can only benefit the SEO community and the perception of Google within it.
He has been commenting on the recent Google Bourbon update advising the SEO community that the update is not yet complete:
"Take a break from checking ranks for several more days. Bourbon includes something like 3.5 improvements in search quality, and I believe that only a couple are out so far. The 0.5 will go out in a day or so, and the last major change should roll out over the next week or so. Then there will still be some minor changes after that as well."
GoogleGuy has also demonstrated his openness in a new Questions for GoogleGuy thread with interesting responses on topics such as reinclusions (suggests allowing 4-6 weeks) and why they are not planning on going down the pay-for-inclusion route anytime soon (avoidance of conflict of interest).
After a mammoth Q&A session on the boards, he hints that maybe there's something in this blogging thing after all:
Maybe I ought to get me one of these blog things; I hear they're really popular with the kids these days. :)
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