Don't Forget to Ask

In these days of search dominance by Google, it's easy to forget the old-timer search engines like Ask.com, which has just launched a makeover and a more appealling homepage & interface. Originally my favourite search engine as all the returned search results seemed to be the sort of results I was expecting, until I discovered that they had around 100 editors scouring the web for similar searches and proposing the best results! They then changed to a much better system and since have been active but not vocal, so they have tended to be forgotten.

However I think I like Ask.com again now that they have launched their user-generated backgrounds and a more intuitive interface. Long live the small guy!

New Retail Park website

West Quay Retail Park website for King Sturge provides information about the location, stores and the facilities available. It's got a nifty store locator too.

iPhone 3G - not just a pretty face

Okay, so cut all the hype and is the iPhone all it's cracked up to be? Well, yes it is actually, at least as far as I am concerned.

Using push email and a Hosted Exchange service from Cobweb, the service is now a direct Blackberry rival and I for one, prefer the visual approach of a Mac-based interface over the functional approach of RIM.

Add all the really useful connected functions like Maps, Safari browser and the App Store and it really would seem you cannot beat it.

However, and this is a biggie, the battery life is abysmal. Leave the device on with push email and Wifi switched on and you definitely won't get through a whole day without a recharge, if you make a few calls. It's not good enough Apple!

Having said that, it's still the most coveted gadget on the planet.

Alderney Elizabethan shipwreck back on schedule

Following the tragic death of one of the divers on the Elizabethan shipwreck off Alderney in the Channel Islands, the diving has recommenced now that the licence has been reinstated for the project.

The Cdt Fourcault, out of Antwerp, will join the dive team and aims to recover two sunken cannon for conservation and subsequent replication and firing later this year.

Find out more at www.alderneywreck.com

Great guns on Alderney!

Having reported on the Alderney Elizabethan wreck's activities last year, I have become embroiled in the project and am now acting as PR/fundraiser designate.

See the press release for full details of the activities for 2008: The Alderney Elizabethan Shipwreck Gives Up its Guns.

The dive season starts on 26th May in earnest and more details will be published here.

Google Forms - useful tools!

I have not been a big fan of Google Docs until now, as there wasn't enough differentiation to justify its use. However that changed for me on discovering Google's sharing functions for Spreadsheets, whereby you can create your own custom forms, complete with multiple choice, check boxes etc. You create as many questions as you want, send the form to the recipients you choose as an email and then collate the responses in a spreadsheet, which can in turn be graphically represented.

Very neat. See it in action at http://spreadsheets.google.com/

Design vs. Development

Why is it that designers think they should be developers and developers feel the need to design? It's difficult enough trying to find suitably qualified practioners in either field without each having pretentions of being something other than what they really are.

While trying to locate Oxford-based freelance designers, I have been frustrated by the number of respondents who tell me about their development skills. If I wanted developers I would have asked for them, so why does everyone want to do everything?

Perhaps I should follow suit and add rocket scientist to my CV. Surely it can't do any harm!

Apple does it again with iPhone update

Yes, they just can't help themselves at Apple. With the latest grin-inducing release of updated software and firmware for the iPhone, we now get wobbly icons to move them around on screen!

Oh yes, and the ability to send text messages to multiple recipients plugs a hole that was gaping for far too long.

Well done Apple...again!

Domain Registry of America scam

For those that haven't realised it yet, yes The Domain Registry of America IS a scam - they send official looking 'Domain name Expiration Notice' letters inviting domain registrants to renew using their services at inflated prices. Under no circumstances should anyone use these services as the methods used are deceptive and I have known clients throw money at DROA, thinking their domains are about to be lost forever. They then find that recovering them takes over 120 days and nameserver control is lost to them and/or their web providers, resulting in loss of service in their website functionality.

DROA have had a Federal injunction imposed against them in the States by the Federal Trade Commission, which can be found here (PDF). They still continue to use their misleading and illegal tactics on the unwary domain owner.

Please don't be fooled!

Financial Services recruitment website relaunch

Mansion House Executive's new website is now live, providing information on the company's recruitment services in the financial sector.

Mansion House is a specialist recruitment business in the executive search market, providing staff for general insurance, employee benefits, investment and regulated & retail financial services.

Domestic recruitment service relaunched

Greycoat Placements have been providing domestic staff for private households for many years, and have just relaunched their website to provide even more domestic staff jobs for their many thousands of candidates. They provide butlers, chauffeurs, household managers, nannies and other household staff to private estates, households and for corporate needs. The new Greycoat Placements website is complemented by the new Greycoat Academy website which offers training programmes for students who wish to enter private service.

Finally the UK gets Google Local AJAX search

Great news for UK web developers who want to add local search to Google maps! Google have finally released the AJAX Search API for the UK - it's been around for quite some time in the US and a number of other countries but now we can benefit from it in the UK too. This will shortly be implemented on the Locale network of sites across the UK, and shortly in Eurpoe too. This is the Google release

Elizabethan Shipwreck off Alderney

Having read about this story a few weeks back, I happened to be travelling to Alderney in the Channel Islands last week to stay with a close family friend who lives there. While in the island's museum in St Annes, I bumped into the dive team, who were due to go out onto the Alderney Elizabethan Wreck that week. As a result I also met Mensun Bound, the Marine Archaeologist based in St Peter's College, Oxford who is in charge of the research, archaeology and conservation of artefacts from the wreck for the Alderney Maritime Trust.

I also managed to join the dive team for one dive, albeit bobbing about topside while the team got to grips with reattaching sacrificial anodes to one of the remaining cannon on the seabed. This gave a fascinating insight into the amount of effort it takes to make even a 30 minute dive onto a wreck in around 100 feet of water, and gave me the reason to assist in any way I can to raise funds to assist in discovering more about this unique ship from over 400 years ago.

Unfortunately the wreck is off Alderney, which, being part of the bailiwick of Guernsey, is not in UK waters, and therefore does not qualify for Lottery funding. The States of Alderney cannot fully fund the operation and therefore external funding is to be sought, in order to sustain the archaeology and conservation of the artefacts from the wreck. I will be assisting this process from Oxford.

Judging the 2007 WebAwards

Web Marketing Association Names Hugo Pickering as 2007 WebAward Judge

Hugo Pickering, Director of Locale Limited, has again been selected as a judge for the 11th annual international WebAward competition

Oxford, UK, 14 May 2007 - The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce that Hugo Pickering has again been selected as a judge for the 11th annual international WebAward competition for Web site development.

The WebAwards is the standards-defining internet awards competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding Web sites.

"Unlike other awards, the WebAwards is not a beauty pageant where only the design and name recognition is important," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. "For the past decade, the WebAwards has used a quantitative judging formula based on seven criteria to evaluate, benchmark and set industry standards for Web site development. Hugo Pickering will play a critical role in setting the standard for Internet excellence by applying his expertise to each site he adjudicates."

"I'm very pleased to be asked yet again to judge these awards." says Pickering. "The judging process entails a lot of research into web design and technologies, and offers a great opportunity to look at current trends with our peers."

Hugo Pickering is a corporate communications consultant specialising in internet technologies. he is a Director of Locale Limited, the commercial property extranet business.

The 2007 WebAward judges consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites - including members of the media, interactive creative directors, corporate marketing managers, site designers, content providers and webmasters - with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology.

Judging for this year's website awards will take place in July and August, with winners announced in September.

About the WebAwards
The 11th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industry categories by evaluating Web sites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The goal of the Web Marketing Association, sponsor of the WebAwards, is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Web site assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site.

For more information or to enter, visit www.07webaward.org.

New Charity Website Launched

The PetPlan Charitable Trust was formed in 1994 and until now has only been represented on the web through the PetPlan main website. With the launch of its own website the charity is embarking on a new phase of markieting and awareness-building. See the new website at www.petplantrust.org.

Sheffield Haworth in Japan

Leading financial executive search firm Sheffield Haworth has opened a new office and expanded its Asia operations in Tokyo. The new office will focus on the Investment Banking and Wealth & Asset Management sectors in the Tokyo region. Full contact details can be found on the SH website.

Driving The Logistics Network

New logistics recruitment consultancy The Logistics Network is the latest site in the Empresaria Group Portfolio, providing staffing services for supply chain clients on a more holistic basis than other companies in the sector. Read about their range of logistics recruitment solutions.

Fischli & Weiss 'How to Work Better' - a great manifesto!

I just had to make a copy of this when I saw it in Tate etc magazine over Christmas 2006. This is a very simple but ultimately effective means by which anyone can 'work better':

1. Do one thing at a time
2. Know the problem
3. Learn to listen
4. Learn to ask questions
5. Distinguish sense from nonsense
6. Accept change as inevitable
7. Accept mistakes
8. Say it simple
9. Be calm
10. Smile

Oh, if only...

Locale sites now launched

As the largest provider of online services to the property sector in the UK, Locale has now launched its occupier website (OWS) service for prestigious business parks for a number of its clients. Sites include Bedfont Lakes near Heathrow, Cheadle Royal outside Manchester and other pre-eminent locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

All sites feature information on the local area including local transport, local gig guides, local weather and local news, as well as full property information. The dynamic, localised and engaging nature of the sites encourages users to register (the added incentive of the chance to win a new iPod nano helps of course!) and to return to the sites in order to keep up-to-date with all aspects of the location in which they work.

There's the added benefit of exclusive offers and promotions which always helps too!

Yet another relaunch for LMA

Now rebranded as LMA Recruitment, this site is a massive improvement, having being redesigned and engineered to support the exacting demands of this company which provides financial recruitment services in Investment Banking jobs, Asset Management staffing and Office Support jobs.

Design by Andrej Panoch and implementation by my team in Goa.

WebAward for Charity Site

The new website created for Helen and Douglas House in Oxford has won a 'Non-Profit Standard of Excellence' award in the annual Web Marketing Association's WebAwards.

Working with Andy Esson (designer) and Jeremy Coulter of SiteSet (CMS developer), we created a highly accessible site to support the work of the charity.

The award recoginises the contributions from all concerned.

Google Tools

Google releases new products and services all the time. Google Calendar, Google Video, Google Finance, and Google Local are just a few of the recent ones. One of the most useful is Google Alerts. It only takes a minute to sign up for email alerts that can keep you and your business one step ahead of your competition. Alerts can be used to keep track of what people are saying about your business or your competitors, or keep an automated eye out for personal interests.

To sign up for a Google Alert, all that you need to do is visit the Google Alerts homepage, enter the search term, type of alert (search Google News, Google Groups, or the web), frequency of emails (daily, as it happens, or weekly), and your email address. You can set up alerts for as many terms as you like using a Google Account.

By simply setting up a News, Groups, and search alert for all of your key competitors, you can find out what other people are saying about the competition – both good and bad.

Equally as important is what people are saying about your industry. By receiving alerts on important issues within your industry, you can be on top of any sudden changes and react accordingly. Keep one step ahead of the rest.

If you publish news items, this can be a great way of generating content too - it puts you in the enviable position of being the authority in your industry. You can use it for 'Blogging' too ('blogs' or 'weblogs' are online journals).

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

I am frequently amazed at the way in which people use menu functions to perform the simplest of tasks which they could have done with far fewer clicks and at greater speed. To which end I created a document for my clients a couple of years ago which I am happy to share with anyone that wishes to use it.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (PDF)

Reflex HR moves to Empresaria CMS Platform

Providing recruitment services to the building services industry, Reflex HR have become the latest Empresaria Group company to adopt the Content Management System (CMS) provided by the group.

The site provides information and assistance to candidates looking for building services jobs and clients looking to place vacancies in Mechanical Building Services, Building Controls and Integration, Building Services Maintenance, Electrical Building Services, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration and Lighting Services.

LMa relaunches website

Looking remarkably like the old site, LMa Recruitment has relaunched its website on the Empresaria platform, bringing it in line with 10 other companies within the group.

The site uses the same design but is much more accessible for users and search engines with a full vacancy listing for candidates and more information for clients.

H2JL relaunched as h2glenfern Consulting

Long-term client H2JL (formerly Ward Cook Associates) has merged with Glenfern Consulting to become h2glenfern Consulting Limited.

The new company has a new identity, location and website and can be found at their new domains www.h2glenfern.com or www.h2glenfernconsulting.com.

Webawards 2006 Judging

Oxford, UK May 5th 2006 – The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce that Hugo Pickering has been selected as a judge of the 10th annual international WebAward competition for Web site development.

The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding Web sites.

"Unlike other awards, the WebAwards is not a beauty pageant where only the design and name recognition is important," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. "For the past decade, the WebAwards has used a quantitative judging formula based on seven criteria to evaluate, benchmark and set industry standards for Web site development. Hugo Pickering will play a critical role in setting the standard for Internet excellence by applying his expertise to each site he adjudicates."

"I'm very pleased to be asked for the fourth successive year to judge these awards." says Pickering. "The judging process entails quite a bit of research into the highest levels of web design ond thereby offers a good opportunity to look at current trends with our peers."

Hugo Pickering is a corporate communications consultant specialising in internet technologies.

The 2006 WebAward judges consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites – including members of the media, interactive creative directors, corporate marketing managers, site designers, content providers and webmasters – with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Judging for this year's awards will take place in July and August, with winners announced in September.

About the WebAwards

The 10th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industry categories by evaluating Web sites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The goal of the Web Marketing Association, sponsor of the
WebAwards, is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Web site assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site.

For more information or to enter, visit http://www.webawards2006.org

BT wi-fi rip-off!

I cannot believe that BT can even hope to justify the extorionate prices that they are charging for their wireless access hotspot service 'BT Openzone'. I discovered it the other day on Paddington Station in London and decided to try it - until I found out the pricing! Short term access to the service is £6, £10 or £40 for 1 hour, 24 hour or 30 day vouchers respectively.

Luckily for BT Broadband customers, they can get a monthly subscription for £5, although with such a discrepancy in charging, I cannot see who would sign up for a monthly voucher at eight times the cost!

Thankfully there are alternatives at most rail and air termini, such as ReadytoSurf, which has recently been taken over by Spectrum Interactive, so it will probably follow suit with increased charging.

Journey planner

Having been in touch with Mac Logan at journeyplan.co.uk to discuss a forthcoming project, I had the chance to use the PDA version of their journey planning software which I am now running on my XDA2i.

What a great piece of software! All it needs is a start and end location and you get a full list of possible options ranging from flights, coach, train, underground, tram and even ferries! It is updated every month and so far has made life immeasurably easier than having to look up train timetables.

39 Pounds of Love - what a film!

This has to be the most amazingly inspirational film, charting the journey made by a 34-year old to find the doctor that predicted his demise by the age of six. You see Ami Ankilewitz has Type II Spinal Muscular Atrophy and he is an animator in Israel, weighing only 39 pounds.

I haven't even seen the film yet, but I shall be doing all I can to help bring this extraordinary film to as many people as possible through the SMA Trust.

Visit Ami's 39 Pounds of Love website.

New Frank Buttle Trust Website

The Frank Buttle Trust is the largest UK charity providing grant aid to individual children and young people in need.

Using a sophisticated Content Management System (CMS) running their website, they are now able to totally manage their online presence in-house.

In addition, a new online application form will allow faster applications by agencies for grants. This service will be available Q2 2006.

For more information see The Frank Buttle Trust website.