I knew Google was the dominant search engine in the UK, but I didn’t realise it was quite so dramatically ahead. WebSideStory reckons Google has a UK market share of (near enough) 75 per cent, with Yahoo topping the list of also-rans on just 9.3 per cent. So if you’re doing any SEO work, there’s really only one engine worth worrying about.
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Directgov changes ownership
I can't decide what to make of Directgov's move from the Cabinet Office to COI, as announced this morning. It seems odd to give control of the state's flagship e-government project to an arms-length body; and in strict terms of ministerial responsibility, it could be seen as downgrading the project's importance, with COI's Chief Executive being 'line managed' by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
At the risk of oversimplifying, COI's main role is as government's middleman in the world of communication. They do a lot on behalf of other government departments, but haven't done a lot off their own bat. Taking ownership of Directgov is a big step in that regard. But on the other hand, if someone came to you for a job interview, having worked for all the big names in the field at various points in the past five to ten years, they would make an ideal candidate.
Perhaps COI's greatest asset here is who they aren't, rather than who they are. I wrote before about Directgov as a clean slate; this is probably just a further step down that same road.
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Whiteboards, scribbles and DIY video
One of my favourite web projects of the last few years has been Channel 9, also known as Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble‘s day job. They take a camcorder round the various project teams at Microsoft, and get the inside scoop from the guys who do the actual work. Guess what? They’re normal guys who are really knowledgeable, and really passionate about what they do. And suddenly, it’s hard to hate Microsoft. A goofy home video effort is proving more effective than the company’s megabucks marketing efforts.
But this offering from IT publisher ZDNet takes the DIY video thing a step further. ‘At the whiteboard‘ is – guess what? – somebody explaining a topic in a few minutes by drawing on a whiteboard. Granted, you might get two cameras, and a little bit of editing… but it’s the same basic point-and-shoot, zero-production-value ethic. And it works rather well.
Don’t underestimate the power of scribbling. Some of the most effective presentations I’ve ever given were during my time at Microsoft, when I had access to a Tablet PC. The ability to scribble on top of PowerPoint slides, like on a whiteboard, is a huge advance. I’ve had similar success with a more primitive method, beaming slides on to a whiteboard.
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Why can't blogs do 'hard news'?
The Daily Telegraph web team‘s blog is worth an occasional visit. It isn’t as ‘high-concept’ as, say, Simon Waldman from the Guardian – but they make some interesting points, and it’s good of them to list their top-rated stories each week.
But I’m going to take issue with a comment made there, earlier this week by the site’s production editor Ian Douglas.
The more informal blogging tone doesn’t really suit hard news, though.
I disagree. I can’t think of a better example than the 7 July bombings in London, when the Guardian’s news blog became the best source of information (such as it was) in the immediate aftermath. It doesn’t seem to have been archived, but the live commentary by the blogger/s there was excellent. They weren’t afraid to admit to their own uncertainty, and they did their best to keep the updates coming. It was just what we needed.
If blogs are about brand engagement, why shouldn’t they work in the ‘hard news’ field? Take the example of Sky News, where I used to work. Sky’s brand is about ‘being part of our gang’, as opposed to the BBC’s more patrician tone. So why not have a blog of the latest BREAKING NEWS snaps through the day, plus a summary of the newsroom gossip and banter? Journalism remains an aspirational profession, and it makes sense to capitalise on that.
If the ‘old school’ news business is series about embracing blogging, it has to be more than simply forcing the same old content into a presentation template with permalinks.
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More Google innovation: data charts
Great presentation of data is something I’m surprised we don’t see more of. So full marks to Google (again!) for doing something smart with it, on its new Google Finance site.
For any share price, say Microsoft, you get an instant graph of the last couple of days, with the important news stories flagged on top. You get a nice zoom effect when you choose a different timeframe, either clicking the presets or dragging the boundaries – and keeping up the example of its mapping app, you can drag the chart left and right. (I’m particularly impressed by the way the Y-axis regenerates.) Look for some other nice tricks, like the hover effects on ‘related stories’ and ‘management’.
It’s all driven by Flash, rather than Ajax, but I doubt many people will notice, and fewer still will care. Yahoo’s Jeremy Zawodny reckons they could have done ‘a ton of stuff… to really blow people away’, but this will do me for now. ๐
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BBC blogs: one step forward, one step back
The addition of a new BBC journalist blog, as mentioned the other day, is a good thing. Nick Robinson‘s insights are a genuinely fantastic addition to the news environment, and whilst Newsnight is usually a bit beyond my bedtime, I’m sure Paul Mason will make a similarly valuable contribution.
But – at the same time, I notice they’ve switched the RSS feeds from ‘full text’ to just ‘summary’. It’s always a tricky decision, and my instinct has always been to favour summary feeds myself – otherwise you don’t get to see how many people are actually reading your stuff. Yet I’m looking at Nick Robinson’s summary-only feed, and I can’t help feeling it’s a backward step. I’m not sure I’ll always be bothered to make that extra click. (Sad but true.)
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Another BBC journalist blogging
I had a feeling something was in the works, when Nick Robinson warned of possible downtime on his BBC blog. And here it is… Paul Mason, Newsnight’s business correspondent, joins the blogosphere. Nice use of pictures, by the way.
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Miliband is Britain's first blogging Minister
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first UK government minister’s blog. David Miliband, Minister of Communities (although probably not strictly online communities?) and Local Government, and apparently an Arsenal season ticket holder, has launched a blog within the confines of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister‘s website.
Instinctively I want to give this a cautious welcome, but sod it – this is brilliant. Miliband has been touted as the ‘heir to Blair‘ (although mainly before Cameron came on the scene), and already has a seat round the Cabinet table. You couldn’t hope for a more serious trial of the potential for blogging in government circles.
A quick scan of the blog’s comments – yes, you can comment, although naturally it’s moderated – reveals much genuine enthusiasm for the project, tinged inevitably with cynicism. But the only way to answer most of the early questions will be to try it, and see. The added responsibility of Ministerial office, and the constitutional need to avoid party politics (particularly on a Civil Service website), may make this an impossible balancing act. Let’s see.
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Democracy 2.0: preaching to the converted?
A new report from the Electoral Commission and the Hansard Society pours cold water on hopes that ‘more direct methods of participating’ will reinvigorate democracy. They reckon that new channels will only appeal to those already interested in politics, generally those in the higher socio-economic groups and older age brackets… ‘further marginalising the utterly disengaged’.
I don’t see this quite so negatively. Geeks are naturally the first to take advantage of new technology; but if the tools and techniques are any good, they soon find their way into the mainstream. It all comes back to Crossing The Chasm, yet again.
If you’re launching a new widget into a marketplace, who do you approach first: the people who already buy widgets, or people who don’t? It’s much easier to gain a steady foothold by preaching to the converted. This is not a bad thing… in fact, where else do you start? People feel marginalised because they can’t see any way to make things happen… but if they see others making use of new channels, and getting results from it, that may well be incentive enough.
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Nike and Google build football community
Very interesting to see Google and Nike joining forces to create Joga.com, a ‘community for soccer players dedicated to keeping the game beautiful’. It’s another example of this emerging trend for social networking sites built around a specific theme.
Nike effectively owns the rights to a number of world-famous names – not least the Brazilian national team, and the undisputed best player on the planet, Ronaldinho – and it looks like this site will lever that. The ‘about’ page explains: ‘Joga is about getting to know your fellow fans; creating games and clubs; accessing athletes from Nike; and enjoying video clips and photos (you can even upload your own).’ Sounds to me like a blogging platform, with access to a free multimedia library dominated by Nike properties… oops, I mean, players.
Myspace succeeds because it’s defined by its connections with the music business. ‘Early adopter’ sites like digg or del.icio.us succeed because, implicitly or explicitly, they appeal to the tech community. Nike are clearly looking to appeal to (arguably) the largest and most passionate community on the planet… the football fans, in World Cup year. And good luck to them.
(Worth noting, incidentally, that neither Nike nor Google are official partners of the World Cup. But Adidas and Yahoo are. This is a great way to tie yourself to the year’s dominant media event without paying big euros for ‘official sponsor’ status.)