Comments on: New Foreign Office website http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/ Simon Dickson blogs about online news, e-government and the New Politics. Some important people read it. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:55:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jim Hawkins http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-2778 Jim Hawkins Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:23:56 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-2778 Interesting article. I thought Morello came with RSS built in. Does it not work or is it an add-on? Interesting article. I thought Morello came with RSS built in. Does it not work or is it an add-on?

]]> By: Linguini Genie http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-1862 Linguini Genie Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:47:56 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-1862 The FCO's notoriously unstable servers and systems have created an emergency of their own worldwide with almost no visas being issued since October 9th when the system went down. My girlfriend having worked damned hard to get a work permit for the UK is now stuck in the US while the biometric computer system writhes around in a fit. Meanwhile the British consulates and embassies pull the shutters down and put their fingers in their ears. Apparently they are 'not authorised' to communicate with anyone. Not even on the FCO website to make people aware or manage expectations. They are probably singing Bread of Heaven and rationing ammunition as I type. The FCO's notoriously unstable servers and systems have created an emergency of their own worldwide with almost no visas being issued since October 9th when the system went down. My girlfriend having worked damned hard to get a work permit for the UK is now stuck in the US while the biometric computer system writhes around in a fit. Meanwhile the British consulates and embassies pull the shutters down and put their fingers in their ears. Apparently they are 'not authorised' to communicate with anyone. Not even on the FCO website to make people aware or manage expectations.

They are probably singing Bread of Heaven and rationing ammunition as I type.

]]> By: alex http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-834 alex Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:00:12 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-834 Simon I am not sure how wordpress spell-checker allowed FCO, civil servant and innovation to appear in the same sentence. However, £1.47 million, cms and rip-off does seem to flow. When will it be allowed for small-scale, responsible social entrepreneurs to engage with civic-funded government departments ? Perhaps when the EU gets off the procurement process..... Would the guys at mysociety ask al-jazeera to sponsor the design and build of a second, user-friendly fco web-site for £ 50,000 ? Or perhaps their new friends at china tv might commission a better offering..... If Lincolnshire county council can do it for their polish, I feel we owe it to the tax-payer to consider the alternatives http://tinyurl.com/5htz9z <em>(URL shortened by Simon for neatness.)</em> Better world, fewer FCO interventions Simon

I am not sure how wordpress spell-checker allowed FCO, civil servant and innovation to appear in the same sentence.

However, £1.47 million, cms and rip-off does seem to flow.

When will it be allowed for small-scale, responsible social entrepreneurs to engage with civic-funded government departments ? Perhaps when the EU gets off the procurement process.....

Would the guys at mysociety ask al-jazeera to sponsor the design and build of a second, user-friendly fco web-site for £ 50,000 ? Or perhaps their new friends at china tv might commission a better offering.....

If Lincolnshire county council can do it for their polish, I feel we owe it to the tax-payer to consider the alternatives

http://tinyurl.com/5htz9z
(URL shortened by Simon for neatness.)

Better world, fewer FCO interventions

]]> By: Andrew Cooper http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-756 Andrew Cooper Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:41:09 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-756 Hey, it's back! :) But the stupid mashup lookalike still isn't clickable :( Maybe they were just swamped with visitors? Hey, it's back! :) But the stupid mashup lookalike still isn't clickable :( Maybe they were just swamped with visitors?

]]> By: Andrew Cooper http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-755 Andrew Cooper Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:23:10 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-755 Oh yeah. I expect they're busy fixing the mashup and deleting the Morello ad. More work needed on that slogan though - Better World, Better Britain for feck's sake. What sort of mind....oh, forget it. Oh yeah. I expect they're busy fixing the mashup and deleting the Morello ad. More work needed on that slogan though - Better World, Better Britain for feck's sake. What sort of mind....oh, forget it.

]]> By: uksigma http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-754 uksigma Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:10:16 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-754 FCO Website not so good at the moment: Proxy Error The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server. The proxy server could not handle the request GET /. Reason: Error reading from remote server FCO Website not so good at the moment:
Proxy Error

The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request GET /.

Reason: Error reading from remote server

]]> By: Andrew Cooper http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-753 Andrew Cooper Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:59:17 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-753 Must be you, Paul. There's no way that anyone could spend £1.4m and end up with an amateurish result. Is there? Having said that, I'm not sure what the thing that looks like a google mashup is supposed to do - it's not clickable (at least, not in my version of Firefox) and if you go to page 2 you get a logo (also unclickable) which says 'Better World Better Britain' (pass the sick bag) and that's it! Duh? At least they've removed the link from the 'powered by Morello' advert, although I'm not sure what the asterisk means. I assume the F&CO were given a big discount for including this - it's not usual for government suppliers to get free ads for their products. Also, as Simon points out, there's nothing to direct the eye. Most visitors will go to the site looking for help, but if anything catches the attention it's numerous reassurances that we are getting brilliant value for money from the F&CO. (Don't fret guys - we know how tough it is attending all those receptions: you're worth every penny, I don't care what they say!) Must be you, Paul. There's no way that anyone could spend £1.4m and end up with an amateurish result. Is there?

Having said that, I'm not sure what the thing that looks like a google mashup is supposed to do - it's not clickable (at least, not in my version of Firefox) and if you go to page 2 you get a logo (also unclickable) which says 'Better World Better Britain' (pass the sick bag) and that's it! Duh?

At least they've removed the link from the 'powered by Morello' advert, although I'm not sure what the asterisk means. I assume the F&CO were given a big discount for including this - it's not usual for government suppliers to get free ads for their products.

Also, as Simon points out, there's nothing to direct the eye. Most visitors will go to the site looking for help, but if anything catches the attention it's numerous reassurances that we are getting brilliant value for money from the F&CO. (Don't fret guys - we know how tough it is attending all those receptions: you're worth every penny, I don't care what they say!)

]]> By: paul canning http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-742 paul canning Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:59:25 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-742 Is it me or is there something distinctly amateurish about the design? maybe it's to do with being a 'front end' for a CMS? Is it me or is there something distinctly amateurish about the design? maybe it's to do with being a 'front end' for a CMS?

]]> By: Public Strategy http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-732 Public Strategy Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:01:17 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-732 <strong>Spring fashions...</strong> It's not just Amazon which is feeling the need for a new look. In quick succession come redesigns from BBC News and the FCO. Simon Dickson likes the design, but is disappointed by the limited innovation. There are some obvious... Spring fashions...

It's not just Amazon which is feeling the need for a new look. In quick succession come redesigns from BBC News and the FCO. Simon Dickson likes the design, but is disappointed by the limited innovation. There are some obvious...

]]> By: Andrew Cooper http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-727 Andrew Cooper Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:20:55 +0000 http://puffbox.com/2008/03/31/new-foreign-office-website/#comment-727 They spent £1.47m on a content management system when they could have used Wordpress Mu for free? Can we get our money back? They spent £1.47m on a content management system when they could have used Wordpress Mu for free? Can we get our money back?

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