On Thursday the one-billionth download from Apple’s App Store occurred, marking an impressive milestone for the store. Only in existence for 10 months, the App Store already boasts more than 30,000 applications with new content pouring in every day. With consumer’s voracious appetite for mobile apps growing by the day, developers are racing to come up with the next big … Read More
Google vs. Yahoo – is there a prize for second place?
I like to indulge myself a little on a Friday morning, and look for emerging trends across all of our client accounts. I did say a little. When looking at which search engines send traffic to our clients, like Olympic events, the three medal winners stand on a podium. Unlike the Olympic podiums, the Gold medal winner stands several kilometres … Read More
Familiarity vs. innovation
Our company has worked with a lot of different applications over the years, and I usually recognise a good application when I see one. When first evaluating an application, one of the first things the user notices is the interface. Most Windows applications use a similar convention. They have a row of menu items that make use of dropdown menus, … Read More
Live Website Critique Webinar – A fresh look at your website
Blinkers are used by horse riders to prevent their animals from being distracted by what may be happening behind and to the side of them. If you’re racing a horse, it can be a very good idea, as you want them to focus solely on getting to the end of the race, as quickly as possible. In business, there are … Read More
Twitter demographics; most users aged 45 – 54?
comScore recently released a fascinating analysis of Twitter’s users; some of the figures were impressive but not surprising, while others were completely unexpected. It comes as no surprise that Twitter’s growth figures are incredible, with more than 10 million visitors to Twitter in February this year – a 700% increase when compared to February 2008. Yet as large as the … Read More
How long will they remember you? Assumptions and the 3:35 vs 10:45 rule.
Get ready for a large number of assumptions. Let’s assume that someone out there is in need of what you sell, and that they go to Google (where else?) to see what solutions are available. Whether it’s one of your AdWords ads or one of Google’s regular listings, let’s assume that they see your website first, and click on the … Read More
Testimonials that work, fail and burn
I’m a great believer in testimonials, which is why we have them plastered all over our website. Testimonials should be an extremely effective tool, as they allow you to effectively add other voices to your argument. We’ve all seen those infomercials where the person selling the products gushes praise and hype about his product, and then invariably introduces a ‘neutral’ … Read More
Time to retire the 468 x 60
Did you know that the “standard” 468 x 60 ad size has not only been around for more years than I can remember, but is part of the Universal Ad Package (UAP), as published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau? Let’s start with the idea that a body exists to try to ensure that ads conform. Do advertisers like the idea … Read More
Microsoft to Offer Free, Ad-Supported Version of Office
Microsoft has announced plans to offer a free, ad supported version of Microsoft Office 14 when the software is released next year. Stephen Elop, Microsoft Business Division president, explained the idea behind the free version of Office, which will display ads next to the workspace. “There will be ad-based revenue streams. There’s an opportunity to draw those pirate customers into … Read More
Trying to work out how to use Twitter
On November 14th, 2008, I posted my first ever tweet: “Trying to work out how to use twitter“. 104 days later, I’m still trying to work out how to use it. But I’m getting there. I keep reading about how vital Twitter is for businesses. Having run a business for more than ten years and a Tweeter account for more … Read More
