Hannah Jordan
A new website that will enable small charities to accept credit card donations aims to raise £10m for UK charities in its first year.
Help.co.uk takes credit and debit card donations for any charity without charging set-up, registration or monthly fees. All eligible donations will automatically generate a Gift Aid claim, which is processed on the site. The donation will then be forwarded to the charity, minus a processing fee to cover administration costs.
The service will be open to all charities but small organisations are expected to benefit most.
According to help.co.uk, only 10 per cent of UK charities have credit card clearance facilities, with many banks not allowing them to use this form of giving because of the limited revenue they receive.
It also reports that charities missed out on more than £900m in 2007 because donors failed to Gift-Aid their donations.
“All UK charities should be able to benefit from online giving without having to bear the costs associated with operating a secure website,” said Roger Cresswell, finance director of help.co.uk.
“Our tax-savvy services will make sure 100 per cent of Gift Aid is attached.”
The help.co.uk website currently holds 191,000 registered charities and plans to include non-profit organisations within 12 months, taking the number of organisations listed to 325,000.
29 April, 2008
28 April, 2008
Deliverability still a worry for US email marketers
Sara Kimberley
Email deliverability is still a major concern for businesses as only 76 per cent of legitimate emails sent to the US are landing in recipients’ inboxes, a new report claims.
Nearly one out of every five opt-in emails sent to a US- based Internet Service Provider (ISP) lands in the recipients’ junk folder.
The Lyris HQ ISP Deliverability Report Card for the fourth quarter of 2007 looked at deliverability rates for opt-in email marketing messages of 436,558 emails sent from 69 different business across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.
The report revealed AIM.com to be the ISP with the highest number of delivered messages, delivering 93 per cent of its messages to inboxes. RoadRunner and SoCal came second delivering 92 per cent of emails to inboxes, while Hotmail fared badly, delivering only 57 per cent of its emails to inboxes.
Outside the US, European ISPs had the highest percentage of junk mail deliverability at 19 per cent, while Canada delivered 14 per cent of junk mail and Australia 10 per cent.
Email deliverability is still a major concern for businesses as only 76 per cent of legitimate emails sent to the US are landing in recipients’ inboxes, a new report claims.
Nearly one out of every five opt-in emails sent to a US- based Internet Service Provider (ISP) lands in the recipients’ junk folder.
The Lyris HQ ISP Deliverability Report Card for the fourth quarter of 2007 looked at deliverability rates for opt-in email marketing messages of 436,558 emails sent from 69 different business across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.
The report revealed AIM.com to be the ISP with the highest number of delivered messages, delivering 93 per cent of its messages to inboxes. RoadRunner and SoCal came second delivering 92 per cent of emails to inboxes, while Hotmail fared badly, delivering only 57 per cent of its emails to inboxes.
Outside the US, European ISPs had the highest percentage of junk mail deliverability at 19 per cent, while Canada delivered 14 per cent of junk mail and Australia 10 per cent.
SQL attack hits 500,000 websites
Shaun Nichols in California
Security researchers have uncovered a new SQL attack which has compromised more than half a million web pages.
"They have hit city websites, commercial sites and even government websites, " wrote Sans researcher Donald Smith.
"This type of injection pretty much voids the concept of 'trusted' or 'safe' websites."
Security firm F-Secure said that at least 510,000 pages have fallen victim to the attack.
The compromised sites have been embedded with code that redirects the user to a third-party site at which eight different exploits attempt to install a password-stealing Trojan.
F-Secure and Sans Institute urged administrators to block access to the domains hosting the malware exploit.
The Sans Internet Storm Center recommended blocking access to hxxp:/www.nihaorr1.com and the IP it resolves to 219DOT153DOT46DOT28 at the edge or border of the network.
F-Secure also recommended that administrators of hosting servers check their logs for possible attacks.
The outbreak is the latest in a rash of large-scale attacks this year. In March, a pair of attacks, one infecting 10,000 pages and another compromising 200,000 pages, were uncovered by researchers
Security researchers have uncovered a new SQL attack which has compromised more than half a million web pages.
"They have hit city websites, commercial sites and even government websites, " wrote Sans researcher Donald Smith.
"This type of injection pretty much voids the concept of 'trusted' or 'safe' websites."
Security firm F-Secure said that at least 510,000 pages have fallen victim to the attack.
The compromised sites have been embedded with code that redirects the user to a third-party site at which eight different exploits attempt to install a password-stealing Trojan.
F-Secure and Sans Institute urged administrators to block access to the domains hosting the malware exploit.
The Sans Internet Storm Center recommended blocking access to hxxp:/www.nihaorr1.com and the IP it resolves to 219DOT153DOT46DOT28 at the edge or border of the network.
F-Secure also recommended that administrators of hosting servers check their logs for possible attacks.
The outbreak is the latest in a rash of large-scale attacks this year. In March, a pair of attacks, one infecting 10,000 pages and another compromising 200,000 pages, were uncovered by researchers
25 April, 2008
Most UK employees say workplaces should ban social networking sites
Alison Donnelly
A majority of employees in the UK believe that social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace should be banned from the workplace.
A survey of 1000 people by online survey provider Ciao Surveys has revealed that 65% of people in Britain think that social networking sites should be banned at work, even though 56% admitted to being a member of at least one.
The proportion of respondents wanting such a ban rose steadily with age, from 42% of 18- to 24-year-olds to 78% of those aged 55 and older.
The survey revealed that single people were most likely to use these sites and to be a member of multiple social networking sites. In terms of age, 90% of 18- to 24-year-old respondents used social networking sites. While usage figures decreased with age, 39% of respondents older than 55 engaged in some form of online social networking.
Additionally, a quarter of respondents believed that social networking sites are a 'passing fad', although those aged 55+ were the least likely to think this.
Facebook was the most popular social networking site, with 36% of of the survey's respondents claiming to be a member. Friends Reunited came in second and MySpace third.
Facebook is also the most popular site for all age groups aside from the over-55s, who are more likely to use Friends Reunited than any other networking site.
But it appears that employers should not be overly concerned about their staff's use of social networking sites at work. Despite only 18% of respondents stating that the sites are blocked in their workplace, less than 10% actually use them there. Only 24% believed that social networking sites could be useful for business networking. This fits with the seemingly low number - just 1% - of respondents that used business networking sites such as LinkedIn.
A majority of employees in the UK believe that social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace should be banned from the workplace.
A survey of 1000 people by online survey provider Ciao Surveys has revealed that 65% of people in Britain think that social networking sites should be banned at work, even though 56% admitted to being a member of at least one.
The proportion of respondents wanting such a ban rose steadily with age, from 42% of 18- to 24-year-olds to 78% of those aged 55 and older.
The survey revealed that single people were most likely to use these sites and to be a member of multiple social networking sites. In terms of age, 90% of 18- to 24-year-old respondents used social networking sites. While usage figures decreased with age, 39% of respondents older than 55 engaged in some form of online social networking.
Additionally, a quarter of respondents believed that social networking sites are a 'passing fad', although those aged 55+ were the least likely to think this.
Facebook was the most popular social networking site, with 36% of of the survey's respondents claiming to be a member. Friends Reunited came in second and MySpace third.
Facebook is also the most popular site for all age groups aside from the over-55s, who are more likely to use Friends Reunited than any other networking site.
But it appears that employers should not be overly concerned about their staff's use of social networking sites at work. Despite only 18% of respondents stating that the sites are blocked in their workplace, less than 10% actually use them there. Only 24% believed that social networking sites could be useful for business networking. This fits with the seemingly low number - just 1% - of respondents that used business networking sites such as LinkedIn.
24 April, 2008
Facebook Chat finally live to all users
Caroline McCarthy
Facebook announced Wednesday morning that its in-browser Facebook Chat feature is now live to all members, over two weeks after it first debuted to a limited number of users.
It was clear that Facebook was concerned with the stability of the chat application, first debuting it on a Sunday when many members--not to mention tech bloggers eager to report any flaw or bug--might not be at their computers.
The social network then rolled out Facebook Chat incrementally, with different "networks" on the site--geographic regions, colleges, companies--gaining access to it before others so that the new feature could stay under control. Some had the feature as early as April 6; a number of large networks couldn't access it until very recently.
Facebook now has nearly 70 million users.
Facebook announced Wednesday morning that its in-browser Facebook Chat feature is now live to all members, over two weeks after it first debuted to a limited number of users.
It was clear that Facebook was concerned with the stability of the chat application, first debuting it on a Sunday when many members--not to mention tech bloggers eager to report any flaw or bug--might not be at their computers.
The social network then rolled out Facebook Chat incrementally, with different "networks" on the site--geographic regions, colleges, companies--gaining access to it before others so that the new feature could stay under control. Some had the feature as early as April 6; a number of large networks couldn't access it until very recently.
Facebook now has nearly 70 million users.
23 April, 2008
Building a website: Functionality
Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 23 April 2008
Now you have objectives, audiences, content and navigation, it's time to do the fun stuff: functionality.
You should at least be planning to have a site map, a text-only or print version and a basic search facility. Other site tools include breadcrumbs (navigation tools), large font options, terms and conditions, and copyright and contact details.
Administrative functionality will depend on your core activities, but should include email newsletter sign-up, applications, 'contact us' forms, volunteer sign-up, donating options, shopping and so on.
Can you integrate your database with the site and allow self-management for members, donors and volunteers? If so, now is the time to plan what it does and where it goes.
You also need to consider the Web 2.0 stuff, which includes blogs, RSS, forums, links to social networking or video- sharing sites and any opportunity for site users to add content or participate in the site.
However, resist the temptation to 'bandwagon'. You need to think seriously about your audience and objectives. Offering the wrong tools to the wrong audience is worse than useless; it will make the site look unused and put people off.
With interactive content, you need to think about what people come to the site to do and what you can offer them. Do you have enough stories to feed RSS, or the content for a blog? Can you seed a forum to get it started? Do your audiences have something to say or images to contribute?
Finally, do you have the resources to manage the site? If not, can you recruit volunteers to do it for you?
Functionality can make your site inviting and fun, and add a huge amount of colour. But it is also dangerous, because if it doesn't work or looks empty you will lose visitors rather than encourage them to return.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.
Now you have objectives, audiences, content and navigation, it's time to do the fun stuff: functionality.
You should at least be planning to have a site map, a text-only or print version and a basic search facility. Other site tools include breadcrumbs (navigation tools), large font options, terms and conditions, and copyright and contact details.
Administrative functionality will depend on your core activities, but should include email newsletter sign-up, applications, 'contact us' forms, volunteer sign-up, donating options, shopping and so on.
Can you integrate your database with the site and allow self-management for members, donors and volunteers? If so, now is the time to plan what it does and where it goes.
You also need to consider the Web 2.0 stuff, which includes blogs, RSS, forums, links to social networking or video- sharing sites and any opportunity for site users to add content or participate in the site.
However, resist the temptation to 'bandwagon'. You need to think seriously about your audience and objectives. Offering the wrong tools to the wrong audience is worse than useless; it will make the site look unused and put people off.
With interactive content, you need to think about what people come to the site to do and what you can offer them. Do you have enough stories to feed RSS, or the content for a blog? Can you seed a forum to get it started? Do your audiences have something to say or images to contribute?
Finally, do you have the resources to manage the site? If not, can you recruit volunteers to do it for you?
Functionality can make your site inviting and fun, and add a huge amount of colour. But it is also dangerous, because if it doesn't work or looks empty you will lose visitors rather than encourage them to return.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.
Data centres failing on energy efficiency
Robert Jaques
Nearly two-thirds of IT and facilities staff consider the energy efficiency of their data centre to be 'average' or 'worse than average', new research reveals.
A survey conducted by Cassatt Corporation found that the biggest source of energy wastage is in development and test environments.
More than a quarter of respondents said that more than 60 per cent of their development and test servers are idle during off-peak hours.
However, 62 per cent are working on a data centre energy efficiency projects now or expect to within the next year.
The Cassatt 2008 Data Center Energy Efficiency Survey revealed that virtualisation ranks highest on the energy-efficiency project list.
Some 69 per cent of respondents are pursuing a server consolidation/virtualisation strategy, and nearly 49 per cent are pursuing storage consolidation/virtualisation.
However, while nearly half of the companies surveyed need a payback on energy efficiency projects in under two years, organisations are primarily pursuing consolidation which is frequently a longer-term project.
More than half of respondents recognise the importance of more efficient equipment, according to the survey.
But only a quarter have plans to improve the efficient operation of that equipment with approaches such as active power management software to shut off unused servers.
The survey shows server power management to be a missed opportunity for many organisations, but a significant number are looking to complement long-term projects with techniques designed to deliver compelling short-term benefits.
"Many of the findings were expected, such as those that emphasise the data centre power crunch, the popularity of virtualisation as a potential solution, and the massive waste in development and test environments," said Bill Coleman, chairman and chief executive at Cassatt.
Less expected were the findings showing that many companies simply do not measure their power consumption at all, or do so at a very superficial level.
"If you cannot measure it, as they say, you cannot manage it. And it may be that companies are fixing only part of the problem with initiatives based on incomplete information," said Coleman.
"While organisations are showing a willingness to try some new ideas, many are still ignoring simpler solutions that could help them with energy efficiency almost immediately."
Nearly two-thirds of IT and facilities staff consider the energy efficiency of their data centre to be 'average' or 'worse than average', new research reveals.
A survey conducted by Cassatt Corporation found that the biggest source of energy wastage is in development and test environments.
More than a quarter of respondents said that more than 60 per cent of their development and test servers are idle during off-peak hours.
However, 62 per cent are working on a data centre energy efficiency projects now or expect to within the next year.
The Cassatt 2008 Data Center Energy Efficiency Survey revealed that virtualisation ranks highest on the energy-efficiency project list.
Some 69 per cent of respondents are pursuing a server consolidation/virtualisation strategy, and nearly 49 per cent are pursuing storage consolidation/virtualisation.
However, while nearly half of the companies surveyed need a payback on energy efficiency projects in under two years, organisations are primarily pursuing consolidation which is frequently a longer-term project.
More than half of respondents recognise the importance of more efficient equipment, according to the survey.
But only a quarter have plans to improve the efficient operation of that equipment with approaches such as active power management software to shut off unused servers.
The survey shows server power management to be a missed opportunity for many organisations, but a significant number are looking to complement long-term projects with techniques designed to deliver compelling short-term benefits.
"Many of the findings were expected, such as those that emphasise the data centre power crunch, the popularity of virtualisation as a potential solution, and the massive waste in development and test environments," said Bill Coleman, chairman and chief executive at Cassatt.
Less expected were the findings showing that many companies simply do not measure their power consumption at all, or do so at a very superficial level.
"If you cannot measure it, as they say, you cannot manage it. And it may be that companies are fixing only part of the problem with initiatives based on incomplete information," said Coleman.
"While organisations are showing a willingness to try some new ideas, many are still ignoring simpler solutions that could help them with energy efficiency almost immediately."
Building a website: Functionality
Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 23 April 2008
Now you have objectives, audiences, content and navigation, it's time to do the fun stuff: functionality.
You should at least be planning to have a site map, a text-only or print version and a basic search facility. Other site tools include breadcrumbs (navigation tools), large font options, terms and conditions, and copyright and contact details.
Administrative functionality will depend on your core activities, but should include email newsletter sign-up, applications, 'contact us' forms, volunteer sign-up, donating options, shopping and so on.
Can you integrate your database with the site and allow self-management for members, donors and volunteers? If so, now is the time to plan what it does and where it goes.
You also need to consider the Web 2.0 stuff, which includes blogs, RSS, forums, links to social networking or video- sharing sites and any opportunity for site users to add content or participate in the site.
However, resist the temptation to 'bandwagon'. You need to think seriously about your audience and objectives. Offering the wrong tools to the wrong audience is worse than useless; it will make the site look unused and put people off.
With interactive content, you need to think about what people come to the site to do and what you can offer them. Do you have enough stories to feed RSS, or the content for a blog? Can you seed a forum to get it started? Do your audiences have something to say or images to contribute?
Finally, do you have the resources to manage the site? If not, can you recruit volunteers to do it for you?
Functionality can make your site inviting and fun, and add a huge amount of colour. But it is also dangerous, because if it doesn't work or looks empty you will lose visitors rather than encourage them to return.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.
Now you have objectives, audiences, content and navigation, it's time to do the fun stuff: functionality.
You should at least be planning to have a site map, a text-only or print version and a basic search facility. Other site tools include breadcrumbs (navigation tools), large font options, terms and conditions, and copyright and contact details.
Administrative functionality will depend on your core activities, but should include email newsletter sign-up, applications, 'contact us' forms, volunteer sign-up, donating options, shopping and so on.
Can you integrate your database with the site and allow self-management for members, donors and volunteers? If so, now is the time to plan what it does and where it goes.
You also need to consider the Web 2.0 stuff, which includes blogs, RSS, forums, links to social networking or video- sharing sites and any opportunity for site users to add content or participate in the site.
However, resist the temptation to 'bandwagon'. You need to think seriously about your audience and objectives. Offering the wrong tools to the wrong audience is worse than useless; it will make the site look unused and put people off.
With interactive content, you need to think about what people come to the site to do and what you can offer them. Do you have enough stories to feed RSS, or the content for a blog? Can you seed a forum to get it started? Do your audiences have something to say or images to contribute?
Finally, do you have the resources to manage the site? If not, can you recruit volunteers to do it for you?
Functionality can make your site inviting and fun, and add a huge amount of colour. But it is also dangerous, because if it doesn't work or looks empty you will lose visitors rather than encourage them to return.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.
21 April, 2008
Consumers weary of email overload
Precision Marketing
The UK public is inundated with 250 billion emails every year, of which two thirds are deleted before being opened, according to new research.
The research shows that only one third of the emails received by UK consumers are related to their work or personal life. The other two thirds typically get deleted before they are read.
However the research, carried out by Forrester Research, also revealed that one third of customers regard email marketing as a preferable way to find out about new products and services.
Paul Bates, UK managing director of on-premise email marketing software provider StrongMail says: “UK firms need to put quality before quantity when it comes to sending emails to thousands, or millions, of current or prospective customers. At the same time, they need to adopt rigorous processes to clean their email databases so they’re not continually paying excessive fees to send emails to a disinterested or disgruntled customer base.”
The UK public is inundated with 250 billion emails every year, of which two thirds are deleted before being opened, according to new research.
The research shows that only one third of the emails received by UK consumers are related to their work or personal life. The other two thirds typically get deleted before they are read.
However the research, carried out by Forrester Research, also revealed that one third of customers regard email marketing as a preferable way to find out about new products and services.
Paul Bates, UK managing director of on-premise email marketing software provider StrongMail says: “UK firms need to put quality before quantity when it comes to sending emails to thousands, or millions, of current or prospective customers. At the same time, they need to adopt rigorous processes to clean their email databases so they’re not continually paying excessive fees to send emails to a disinterested or disgruntled customer base.”
18 April, 2008
Digital Body Language
How do you interpret prospects’ buying behaviour in the web 2.0 world? Stuart Wheldon at marketing software firm Eloqua provides a guide to becoming fluent in ‘digital body language’.
Today’s fastest growing businesses have embraced the web as a platform and are using its strengths to connect them with prospective buyers. In addition to positioning their corporate websites as portals of relevant content, smart marketers are also transforming their sales and marketing processes to take advantage of the behavioural information that the Web provides. This online behaviour – website visits, white paper downloads, email responses and more – can help businesses quickly identify buyers that are raising their hands to show interest in their solution. It is a new “Digital Body Language” that must be captured, interpreted and responded to.
The traditional B2B transaction has been almost entirely a sales function rooted in face-to-face interactions at business luncheons, board room presentations and product demos. Once the lead had been passed to the sales team, marketing contributed little to the process.
The best sales professionals were highly adept at reading body language and buying signals revealed during in-person meetings in a conference room or over lunch. Subtle gestures such as facial expressions, eye contact, raised eyebrows, head nods or crossed arms could tell savvy sales professionals much about a prospect’s buying disposition. However, as the buying process moves online, salespeople are getting less face time with clients.
The accessibility and speed of the web greatly eases the discovery and consideration process that buyers go through. Especially for ‘considered-purchase’ products and services that may involve a buying committee or a defined decision-making process, the Web plays an increasingly important role for research and evaluation.
The old protocol of sending detailed Request For Proposals (RFPs) to prospective vendors has in many cases been replaced by downloading information from their websites so that in many cases, vendors and their sales organisations are unaware that they are being evaluated by a buyer. This increased role of the Web in the buying process is taking place across all industries, but is especially pronounced in the technology sector, where recent data shows that online search and downloadable content are becoming the primary sources for buyers.
To succeed in this new business climate, smart businesses are realising that the next frontier is to read and respond to the “Digital Body Language” of their prospects. This new body language is invisible to the sales team, yet is a better indicator of real buying interest than anything else in the salesperson’s toolkit. It is revealed through online activities such as website visits, white paper downloads, and email responses. Tracking this behaviour can help companies quickly identify the buyers that are “raising their hands” to show interest in a solution, and businesses that adapt to this new buying process consistently increase lead conversion rates, shorten sales cycles and improve win rates. Conversely, those businesses that cannot track and analyse the behaviour of their prospects will be at a competitive disadvantage going forward.
To benefit from Digital Body Language, businesses must make investments in people, process and technology. Simply switching on a business intelligence tool is not enough. The Digital Body Language phenomenon is transforming the relationship between sales and marketing for many companies, with alignment between the two departments critical to overall success. Therefore sometimes significant process changes are required on the part of both marketing and sales organisations, but that should not be a deterrent. Industry experts recommend taking a phased approach by focusing on the following six best practices:
• Accumulate Digital Body Language by integrating marketing channels on a single marketing platform to build comprehensive prospect profiles
• Communicate Digital Body Language to the sales organisation and other business stakeholders by integrating the marketing system of record with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems
• Evaluate Digital Body Language using advanced sales lead scoring systems that compare prospects’ explicit information against implicit indicators of buying intent
• Accelerate the sales process with real time sales alerts and notifications of prospect Web activity and marketing responses
• Cultivate the Digital Body Language of prospects with personalised lead-nurturing campaigns that drive them back to the website
• Validate marketing spend with closed-loop marketing systems to measure marketing’s impact on revenue and pipeline
Companies that adopt these marketing best practices become highly attuned to the Digital Body Language of their prospects. They align their marketing and sales teams around information and intelligence – two of the most important tools for a sales team to succeed. Recognising that sales instincts and personal relationships are no longer enough to excel in an Internet world, high performance organisations see that marketing holds the keys to identifying the right influencers and key issues within a buyer’s organisation.
The rewards for firms that track their customers’ Digital Body Language include increased sales, faster growth rates and shorter sales cycles. By being the first responder when prospects begin to research a purchase, companies gain competitive advantage and improve sales effectiveness. By aligning their marketing department more closely with sales and measuring the results of campaigns, these organisations increase the effectiveness of promotional spend.
Conversely, businesses that cannot track and analyse the behaviour of their top prospects are likely to find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Given the rapidly changing environment in the B2B world, the question is not whether a business can afford to invest in digital transformation but whether it can afford not to make the change.
By Stuart Wheldon
Director Client Services, EMEA and Asia Pacific
Eloqua
www.eloqua.com
Today’s fastest growing businesses have embraced the web as a platform and are using its strengths to connect them with prospective buyers. In addition to positioning their corporate websites as portals of relevant content, smart marketers are also transforming their sales and marketing processes to take advantage of the behavioural information that the Web provides. This online behaviour – website visits, white paper downloads, email responses and more – can help businesses quickly identify buyers that are raising their hands to show interest in their solution. It is a new “Digital Body Language” that must be captured, interpreted and responded to.
The traditional B2B transaction has been almost entirely a sales function rooted in face-to-face interactions at business luncheons, board room presentations and product demos. Once the lead had been passed to the sales team, marketing contributed little to the process.
The best sales professionals were highly adept at reading body language and buying signals revealed during in-person meetings in a conference room or over lunch. Subtle gestures such as facial expressions, eye contact, raised eyebrows, head nods or crossed arms could tell savvy sales professionals much about a prospect’s buying disposition. However, as the buying process moves online, salespeople are getting less face time with clients.
The accessibility and speed of the web greatly eases the discovery and consideration process that buyers go through. Especially for ‘considered-purchase’ products and services that may involve a buying committee or a defined decision-making process, the Web plays an increasingly important role for research and evaluation.
The old protocol of sending detailed Request For Proposals (RFPs) to prospective vendors has in many cases been replaced by downloading information from their websites so that in many cases, vendors and their sales organisations are unaware that they are being evaluated by a buyer. This increased role of the Web in the buying process is taking place across all industries, but is especially pronounced in the technology sector, where recent data shows that online search and downloadable content are becoming the primary sources for buyers.
To succeed in this new business climate, smart businesses are realising that the next frontier is to read and respond to the “Digital Body Language” of their prospects. This new body language is invisible to the sales team, yet is a better indicator of real buying interest than anything else in the salesperson’s toolkit. It is revealed through online activities such as website visits, white paper downloads, and email responses. Tracking this behaviour can help companies quickly identify the buyers that are “raising their hands” to show interest in a solution, and businesses that adapt to this new buying process consistently increase lead conversion rates, shorten sales cycles and improve win rates. Conversely, those businesses that cannot track and analyse the behaviour of their prospects will be at a competitive disadvantage going forward.
To benefit from Digital Body Language, businesses must make investments in people, process and technology. Simply switching on a business intelligence tool is not enough. The Digital Body Language phenomenon is transforming the relationship between sales and marketing for many companies, with alignment between the two departments critical to overall success. Therefore sometimes significant process changes are required on the part of both marketing and sales organisations, but that should not be a deterrent. Industry experts recommend taking a phased approach by focusing on the following six best practices:
• Accumulate Digital Body Language by integrating marketing channels on a single marketing platform to build comprehensive prospect profiles
• Communicate Digital Body Language to the sales organisation and other business stakeholders by integrating the marketing system of record with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems
• Evaluate Digital Body Language using advanced sales lead scoring systems that compare prospects’ explicit information against implicit indicators of buying intent
• Accelerate the sales process with real time sales alerts and notifications of prospect Web activity and marketing responses
• Cultivate the Digital Body Language of prospects with personalised lead-nurturing campaigns that drive them back to the website
• Validate marketing spend with closed-loop marketing systems to measure marketing’s impact on revenue and pipeline
Companies that adopt these marketing best practices become highly attuned to the Digital Body Language of their prospects. They align their marketing and sales teams around information and intelligence – two of the most important tools for a sales team to succeed. Recognising that sales instincts and personal relationships are no longer enough to excel in an Internet world, high performance organisations see that marketing holds the keys to identifying the right influencers and key issues within a buyer’s organisation.
The rewards for firms that track their customers’ Digital Body Language include increased sales, faster growth rates and shorter sales cycles. By being the first responder when prospects begin to research a purchase, companies gain competitive advantage and improve sales effectiveness. By aligning their marketing department more closely with sales and measuring the results of campaigns, these organisations increase the effectiveness of promotional spend.
Conversely, businesses that cannot track and analyse the behaviour of their top prospects are likely to find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Given the rapidly changing environment in the B2B world, the question is not whether a business can afford to invest in digital transformation but whether it can afford not to make the change.
By Stuart Wheldon
Director Client Services, EMEA and Asia Pacific
Eloqua
www.eloqua.com
15 April, 2008
Pro-life Christian charity to sue Google over rejected AdWords
Professional Fundraising
Pro-life Christian charity to sue Google over rejected AdWordsA Christian charity is filing a lawsuit against Google after the search engine refused to display its pro-life adverts alongside searches for the word ‘abortion’.
In March the Christian Institute tried to buy a pay-per-click Google AdWords advert that would bring up information on abortion laws and a link to the charity’s homepage every time a user searched for ‘abortion’.
Google had originally approached the charity about placing an advert through the scheme. But when the Institute tried to bid for the Adword, it was told Google had a policy of declining adverts that mixed the subjects of abortion and religious views, and the request was refused.
Filing papers this week
The Christian Institute is now filing papers against the internet giant under the British Equality Act 2006, which guards against the discrimination of groups based on their religious views.
In a letter to Google, lawyers for the charity said the Christian Institute was being treated less favourably than others on the grounds of their beliefs.
Law firm Aughton Ainsworth cited pro-abortion group Reality Check who can advertise on the abortion link. The lawyers also pointed out that organisations could advertise ‘anti-religious T-shirts’ as a link to the Google search word ‘secular’.
Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, said: “If there is going to be a free exchange of ideas then Google cannot give special free speech rights to secular groups whilst censoring religious views.
“To say that religious sites with material on abortion are ‘unacceptable content’ while advertising pornography is ridiculous.”
A Google spokesman said: “Both pro and anti-abortion ads are allowed on Google. However, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that deal with abortion or abortion services in conjunction with religion-related concepts.
Emotive subject
“We recognise that this is a very emotive subject and that people have strong views on both sides of the argument. Google takes no view on this issue one way or the other as a company.”
The Christian Institute had hoped to promote its pro-life adverts in anticipation of a House of Commons vote next month on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
If passed, the legislation would allow the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for medical research by providing changes to the regulation and licensing of the use of embryos in research and therapy.
Pro-life Christian charity to sue Google over rejected AdWordsA Christian charity is filing a lawsuit against Google after the search engine refused to display its pro-life adverts alongside searches for the word ‘abortion’.
In March the Christian Institute tried to buy a pay-per-click Google AdWords advert that would bring up information on abortion laws and a link to the charity’s homepage every time a user searched for ‘abortion’.
Google had originally approached the charity about placing an advert through the scheme. But when the Institute tried to bid for the Adword, it was told Google had a policy of declining adverts that mixed the subjects of abortion and religious views, and the request was refused.
Filing papers this week
The Christian Institute is now filing papers against the internet giant under the British Equality Act 2006, which guards against the discrimination of groups based on their religious views.
In a letter to Google, lawyers for the charity said the Christian Institute was being treated less favourably than others on the grounds of their beliefs.
Law firm Aughton Ainsworth cited pro-abortion group Reality Check who can advertise on the abortion link. The lawyers also pointed out that organisations could advertise ‘anti-religious T-shirts’ as a link to the Google search word ‘secular’.
Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, said: “If there is going to be a free exchange of ideas then Google cannot give special free speech rights to secular groups whilst censoring religious views.
“To say that religious sites with material on abortion are ‘unacceptable content’ while advertising pornography is ridiculous.”
A Google spokesman said: “Both pro and anti-abortion ads are allowed on Google. However, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that deal with abortion or abortion services in conjunction with religion-related concepts.
Emotive subject
“We recognise that this is a very emotive subject and that people have strong views on both sides of the argument. Google takes no view on this issue one way or the other as a company.”
The Christian Institute had hoped to promote its pro-life adverts in anticipation of a House of Commons vote next month on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
If passed, the legislation would allow the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos for medical research by providing changes to the regulation and licensing of the use of embryos in research and therapy.
11 April, 2008
MPs as up on social networks as public
nma.co.uk
Recent research shows that MPs are in tune with the general public on social networking and both groups are aware of the risks and opportunities it presents. The BMRB interviewed more than 1,000 adults, while BPRI, a fellow Kantar company, conducted a similar survey of 100 MPs.
Nine out of ten MPs use the internet and a similar proportion had heard of one or more social networks when prompted. Among the two-thirds of British adults who use the internet, 94% were aware of one or more of the sites.
MPs are more likely to think that social networks are open to abuse than general users. Eight in ten (82%) agreed that information about individuals placed on social networks was open to abuse. Agreement among general users was similar, at 77%. Among the public as a whole (including non-internet users), agreement fell slightly to 69%.
Opinion divides over whether individuals' information posted on profile pages should be used by potential employers. Over two-fifths (44%) of MPs say it's okay to consider this in recruitment decisions, compared with 27% of all users. The whole adult population has a similar position to the internet-user population, 28% agreeing that this is acceptable.
Facebook is the most popular social network among MPs, 17% having a profile page, while 9% use Friends Reunited. Facebook is also top with the public - 16% of internet users have a profile page. MySpace and Friends Reunited follow on 11% and 9% respectively.
The BMRB survey revealed further attitudes to social networks among the public. Two-thirds (65%) of internet users agree that social networks are addictive. Heavy and frequent use follows from this, but two-fifths (38%) agree that they're a poor use of time.
Three-fifths (57%) of users say they're in favour of advertising on social networks. This is probably because they appreciate that free services still have to be funded, rather than an enthusiasm for the advertising itself. When those who use social networks were asked which word best sums up advertising on these sites, 52% picked 'irritating' or 'distracting'.
Even so, a third chose 'entertaining' or 'informative'. What's more, these positive attributes were selected by 43% of 15-34-year-olds. This should provide some encouragement to those who face the challenge of monetising social networks.
Paul Milsom is a senior associate director at BMRB
Recent research shows that MPs are in tune with the general public on social networking and both groups are aware of the risks and opportunities it presents. The BMRB interviewed more than 1,000 adults, while BPRI, a fellow Kantar company, conducted a similar survey of 100 MPs.
Nine out of ten MPs use the internet and a similar proportion had heard of one or more social networks when prompted. Among the two-thirds of British adults who use the internet, 94% were aware of one or more of the sites.
MPs are more likely to think that social networks are open to abuse than general users. Eight in ten (82%) agreed that information about individuals placed on social networks was open to abuse. Agreement among general users was similar, at 77%. Among the public as a whole (including non-internet users), agreement fell slightly to 69%.
Opinion divides over whether individuals' information posted on profile pages should be used by potential employers. Over two-fifths (44%) of MPs say it's okay to consider this in recruitment decisions, compared with 27% of all users. The whole adult population has a similar position to the internet-user population, 28% agreeing that this is acceptable.
Facebook is the most popular social network among MPs, 17% having a profile page, while 9% use Friends Reunited. Facebook is also top with the public - 16% of internet users have a profile page. MySpace and Friends Reunited follow on 11% and 9% respectively.
The BMRB survey revealed further attitudes to social networks among the public. Two-thirds (65%) of internet users agree that social networks are addictive. Heavy and frequent use follows from this, but two-fifths (38%) agree that they're a poor use of time.
Three-fifths (57%) of users say they're in favour of advertising on social networks. This is probably because they appreciate that free services still have to be funded, rather than an enthusiasm for the advertising itself. When those who use social networks were asked which word best sums up advertising on these sites, 52% picked 'irritating' or 'distracting'.
Even so, a third chose 'entertaining' or 'informative'. What's more, these positive attributes were selected by 43% of 15-34-year-olds. This should provide some encouragement to those who face the challenge of monetising social networks.
Paul Milsom is a senior associate director at BMRB
10 April, 2008
Flickr adds video sharing – for paid members only
Rachel Hawkes (Social Media Portal)
Arguably the world’s most popular photo sharing community, Flickr, has today announced the addition of video sharing capibilities.
The ability to add videos is only available to paid members of Flickr and is restricted to 90 seconds of footage. Kakul Srivastava, general manager of Flickr says that video is a natural progression for Flickr, he says, “Digital media has led to a new behavior emerging in the market and people are much more likely to shoot short video clips, essentially “long photos,” with their digital still cameras and mobile phones. There is a great resonance between this new category of content and with the kind of authentic, personal moments already being shared on Flickr.”
Yahoo!, owners of Flickr, recently commissioned a survey that found more than 40 per cent of respondents between 18 and 44 years of age take footage with their digital cameras and mobile phones but do not upload and share these videos online. Yahoo! also found that while 55 per cent share the videos directly from the device, 20 per cent don’t share the clips at all. Enter Flickr video.
Flickr paid members will have the ability to set the privacy options of the videos they upload, so they are only shared with those they intend to share with and videos uploaded will be fully integrated with Flickr’s current photostream technology.
The photo sharing giant has come under fire on a number of occasions, with users photos unknowingly used in advertising and marketing campaigns under a Creative Commons Licence. Videos too will be made available under the same licence unless the content owner sets the video as ‘All Rights Reserved.’ Interestingly, Flickr have also developed an API (application programming interface) for developers to create applications using authorised Flickr videos.
Purchased by Yahoo! in March 2005, Flickr has grown substantially over the last twelve months, from 27 million to 42 million monthly visitors (according to comScore) and they now boast to hosting more two billion photos.
The move comes at a time of uncertainty for the future of Flickrs parent company. Less than two months ago Microsoft made an unsuccessful bid to acquire Yahoo! which was quickly followed with talks of acquisition by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and AOL mergers.
Arguably the world’s most popular photo sharing community, Flickr, has today announced the addition of video sharing capibilities.
The ability to add videos is only available to paid members of Flickr and is restricted to 90 seconds of footage. Kakul Srivastava, general manager of Flickr says that video is a natural progression for Flickr, he says, “Digital media has led to a new behavior emerging in the market and people are much more likely to shoot short video clips, essentially “long photos,” with their digital still cameras and mobile phones. There is a great resonance between this new category of content and with the kind of authentic, personal moments already being shared on Flickr.”
Yahoo!, owners of Flickr, recently commissioned a survey that found more than 40 per cent of respondents between 18 and 44 years of age take footage with their digital cameras and mobile phones but do not upload and share these videos online. Yahoo! also found that while 55 per cent share the videos directly from the device, 20 per cent don’t share the clips at all. Enter Flickr video.
Flickr paid members will have the ability to set the privacy options of the videos they upload, so they are only shared with those they intend to share with and videos uploaded will be fully integrated with Flickr’s current photostream technology.
The photo sharing giant has come under fire on a number of occasions, with users photos unknowingly used in advertising and marketing campaigns under a Creative Commons Licence. Videos too will be made available under the same licence unless the content owner sets the video as ‘All Rights Reserved.’ Interestingly, Flickr have also developed an API (application programming interface) for developers to create applications using authorised Flickr videos.
Purchased by Yahoo! in March 2005, Flickr has grown substantially over the last twelve months, from 27 million to 42 million monthly visitors (according to comScore) and they now boast to hosting more two billion photos.
The move comes at a time of uncertainty for the future of Flickrs parent company. Less than two months ago Microsoft made an unsuccessful bid to acquire Yahoo! which was quickly followed with talks of acquisition by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and AOL mergers.
09 April, 2008
Building a website: Content
By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 9 April 2008
Sue Fidler continues her series on website-building with some tips on content.
Once you have defined objectives and audiences for your site, you can start to think about the content and navigation.
Content should at least meet your objectives. Everything else is padding. What you want people to do should be top of your content list and the most prominent item on your navigation. All charities want an 'about us' section, but that isn't the most important part of the site, and people will work harder to find it. If you want them to join, campaign or donate, then that should be clearly signposted on your home page.
Try to think like your audience, not your job title. We traditionally divide content by department - but site visitors don't think like that. They are looking for what interests them or what they want to do, so group content by audience or activity. Think about the sites you like using and how you navigate around them.
Draw out a site map with section headings, which will become your main navigation, and sub-sections that show enough detail to make sense of your content.
Then match your content back to your audience types. Do you have content for all the audiences you listed? If not, where is it coming from? Do you have content that has no audience? If so, drop the content.
If you already have a site and are planning a redesign or rebuild, it is essential to re-evaluate existing content. Decide whether you still want it and, if so, whether it needs rewriting and updating.
When planning your site, expect the most painful job to be creating content internally. Getting other departments to write or update their content is always difficult. Meet each department, discuss what needs writing or updating, agree a schedule and push them hard to keep to the agreed deadlines.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
Sue Fidler continues her series on website-building with some tips on content.
Once you have defined objectives and audiences for your site, you can start to think about the content and navigation.
Content should at least meet your objectives. Everything else is padding. What you want people to do should be top of your content list and the most prominent item on your navigation. All charities want an 'about us' section, but that isn't the most important part of the site, and people will work harder to find it. If you want them to join, campaign or donate, then that should be clearly signposted on your home page.
Try to think like your audience, not your job title. We traditionally divide content by department - but site visitors don't think like that. They are looking for what interests them or what they want to do, so group content by audience or activity. Think about the sites you like using and how you navigate around them.
Draw out a site map with section headings, which will become your main navigation, and sub-sections that show enough detail to make sense of your content.
Then match your content back to your audience types. Do you have content for all the audiences you listed? If not, where is it coming from? Do you have content that has no audience? If so, drop the content.
If you already have a site and are planning a redesign or rebuild, it is essential to re-evaluate existing content. Decide whether you still want it and, if so, whether it needs rewriting and updating.
When planning your site, expect the most painful job to be creating content internally. Getting other departments to write or update their content is always difficult. Meet each department, discuss what needs writing or updating, agree a schedule and push them hard to keep to the agreed deadlines.
- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.
Virtual world for teens debuts broadcast features
NetImperative
VizWoz, a new virtual community for teens, has launched launch of two new broadcast features including a virtual cinema to stream clips from select content providers and a DJ studio.
These expansion plans form part of a series of new site developments to enhance its entertainment, interaction and advanced game play through innovative technology.
Following a UK launch on 21 March 2008, VizWoz received 394,000 chat messages and 30,500 friend list invites during the first 10 days of going live.
VizWoz has to date has received close to a million screen chat messages and room movements plus 125,000 games played.
The virtual cinema will open on 18 April 2008 with opportunities for TV and film content providers to use VizWoz as a platform to showcase and promote their programming to a kids and teen audience.
The launch of the DJ studio on 11 April 2008 will allow users to enter four rooms each catering for a different music style including Hip Hop, RnB, Electro House and disco.
Users can select, listen and mix their own DJ tracks and meet like-minded music fans in the dedicated area on the site. VizWoz is also launching a DJ competition as part of a UK search to find ‘VizWoz DJ of the Year 2008’.
At the end of May, the online community will vote for their favourite DJ and then a prestigious panel of judges will decide who will win top prizes including a personal DJ course and a years VIP subscription to VizWoz.
VizWoz was founded by serial entrepreneur, Daniel Laurence who also successfully founded School Stickers, UK’s largest sticker company and MyStickers, UK's largest school incentive and reward initiative.
Speaking about the new features, Laurence, said: “The launch of the cinema and the DJ studio form an integral part of our on-going strategy to offer kids and teens interesting content in a stimulating, safe space. We look forward to discussing opportunities with broadcast partners and we are confident that these new features will be a big hit as part of the overall engaging visual experience.”
VizWoz, a new virtual community for teens, has launched launch of two new broadcast features including a virtual cinema to stream clips from select content providers and a DJ studio.
These expansion plans form part of a series of new site developments to enhance its entertainment, interaction and advanced game play through innovative technology.
Following a UK launch on 21 March 2008, VizWoz received 394,000 chat messages and 30,500 friend list invites during the first 10 days of going live.
VizWoz has to date has received close to a million screen chat messages and room movements plus 125,000 games played.
The virtual cinema will open on 18 April 2008 with opportunities for TV and film content providers to use VizWoz as a platform to showcase and promote their programming to a kids and teen audience.
The launch of the DJ studio on 11 April 2008 will allow users to enter four rooms each catering for a different music style including Hip Hop, RnB, Electro House and disco.
Users can select, listen and mix their own DJ tracks and meet like-minded music fans in the dedicated area on the site. VizWoz is also launching a DJ competition as part of a UK search to find ‘VizWoz DJ of the Year 2008’.
At the end of May, the online community will vote for their favourite DJ and then a prestigious panel of judges will decide who will win top prizes including a personal DJ course and a years VIP subscription to VizWoz.
VizWoz was founded by serial entrepreneur, Daniel Laurence who also successfully founded School Stickers, UK’s largest sticker company and MyStickers, UK's largest school incentive and reward initiative.
Speaking about the new features, Laurence, said: “The launch of the cinema and the DJ studio form an integral part of our on-going strategy to offer kids and teens interesting content in a stimulating, safe space. We look forward to discussing opportunities with broadcast partners and we are confident that these new features will be a big hit as part of the overall engaging visual experience.”
07 April, 2008
Google opens up keyword bidding
Darren Davidson Brand Republic
Google has announced that it will allow keyword bidding on all terms typed into its search engine, in a controversial move that will draw criticism from agencies and advertisers.
The internet giant announced that from May 5 its trademark complaint investigations will no longer monitor or restrict keywords for ads served to users in the UK and Ireland.
The move brings the UK and Ireland into line with the US and Canada, where Google has been operating the policy since 2004.
The move means that a user who types a trademarked brand name into the Google search engine, alongside its associated service, will now see ads in the search results from rival brands in addition to those for the brand they were searching for. For example, this would affect a Google user who enters a carmaker's brand name alongside the word 'car'.
The decision to introduce broad matching technology will increase advertising revenue and comes hot on the heels of a decline in paid-advertising clicks on Google over the last two months.
Advertisers and agencies in the UK have long argued that opening up Google's search engine to show ads from advertisers bidding against keywords allows rival companies to profit from decades of investment in building up brand names.
Google has argued that it can present its users with more ads in the sponsored links section, giving them greater choice.
Matt Brittin, director of Google UK, said: "We are making this change because we want to give users greater choices to help them make informed decisions.
"Advertisers are accustomed to the fact that users searching for their trademarked terms as part of a phrase may see ads from competitors."
However, Gavin Sinden, a director at digital agency Equi=Media, attacked the move. He said: "Putting all this together with the fact that Google's paid advertising clicks have shown decline over the last two months for the first time ever, a more cynical interpretation begins to emerge.
"This seems like an attempt by Google to increase bid values and volume of bids on a huge range of terms. This is very difficult to justify in terms of Google's avowed policy of trying to serve the consumer by increasing relevance."
Sinden warned advertisers that "you could type in a search for a particular brand and be confronted with nothing but a sea of competitors".
He added: "This is going to have a major effect on digital marketing budgets over the rest of 2008. The speed of introducing this change and the lack of consultancy make it difficult for clients to realign their budgets to ensure money is available for the increased spend on brand keywords that this will undoubtedly require."
04 April, 2008
Teens flock to web for instant messaging
Jacquie Bowser Brand Republic
Almost 80% of the world's teenagers use the internet to instant message friends and prefer it to email, according to new research.
The survey, conducted by Habbo, the virtual world for teenagers, found that around 70% of teens still hold active email accounts, however, they mainly use these for non-personal needs such as school or work.
Habbo surveyed 58,486 teens between the ages 11 and 18 from 31 countries to obtain the results, which also revealed that the most popular global websites among teens were YouTube and MySpace.
In the UK alone, the most popular sites were Bebo and YouTube.
Emmi Kuusikko, director of user and market insight for Sulake, Habbo's parent company, said: "Of those surveyed, 50% responded that they forward humorous links and videos to their friends, while 30% regularly upload content, confirming the notion that teenagers have an active online presence."
The survey also investigated brand recognition and found that almost 75% of teenagers believe that familiar brands guide their purchasing decisions. Global well-known brands, such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nokia ranked high for both boys and girls.
Almost 80% of the world's teenagers use the internet to instant message friends and prefer it to email, according to new research.
The survey, conducted by Habbo, the virtual world for teenagers, found that around 70% of teens still hold active email accounts, however, they mainly use these for non-personal needs such as school or work.
Habbo surveyed 58,486 teens between the ages 11 and 18 from 31 countries to obtain the results, which also revealed that the most popular global websites among teens were YouTube and MySpace.
In the UK alone, the most popular sites were Bebo and YouTube.
Emmi Kuusikko, director of user and market insight for Sulake, Habbo's parent company, said: "Of those surveyed, 50% responded that they forward humorous links and videos to their friends, while 30% regularly upload content, confirming the notion that teenagers have an active online presence."
The survey also investigated brand recognition and found that almost 75% of teenagers believe that familiar brands guide their purchasing decisions. Global well-known brands, such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nokia ranked high for both boys and girls.
03 April, 2008
Charity websites 'among the most useful'
Third Sector Online
Five charity websites feature on new list of the country's 101 most useful sites such as Google, eBay and Facebook.
Political monitoring site Theyworkforyou, which is run by the charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, came in at number 41 on The Daily Telegraph’s online guide. It also recommended volunteering guide TimeBank (42), Citizens Advice’s website, The Advice Guide (53), the Royal Horticultural Society’s site (55), and Age Concern’s advice site for the elderly (59).
Internet search engine Google came in first place. The charities on the list came above Rated People (66), a website that gives user reviews on tradesman and Money Saving Expert (68) and neighbourhood information site Up My Street (71).
“It’s good to see that charities are using innovative ways of getting their message across,” said a TimeBank spokeswoman. “It’s pleasing to see us rubbing shoulders with the most illustrious names on the web.“We’re always looking at new and exciting ways for people to get involved in volunteering and help out.”
The full lit is available on the Daily Telegraph's website.
Five charity websites feature on new list of the country's 101 most useful sites such as Google, eBay and Facebook.
Political monitoring site Theyworkforyou, which is run by the charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, came in at number 41 on The Daily Telegraph’s online guide. It also recommended volunteering guide TimeBank (42), Citizens Advice’s website, The Advice Guide (53), the Royal Horticultural Society’s site (55), and Age Concern’s advice site for the elderly (59).
Internet search engine Google came in first place. The charities on the list came above Rated People (66), a website that gives user reviews on tradesman and Money Saving Expert (68) and neighbourhood information site Up My Street (71).
“It’s good to see that charities are using innovative ways of getting their message across,” said a TimeBank spokeswoman. “It’s pleasing to see us rubbing shoulders with the most illustrious names on the web.“We’re always looking at new and exciting ways for people to get involved in volunteering and help out.”
The full lit is available on the Daily Telegraph's website.
02 April, 2008
Government eyes social media as usage grows
Media Week
Ofcom has published research showing nearly 20 per cent of UK adults use social networking sites, as the Government unveils plans to use social media to improve its communication with the general public.
The Cabinet Office is creating a task force, the Power of Information, which will be chaired by political blogger Richard Allen, with key members drawn from the online industry, the civil service and other public bodies.
According to Cabinet office minister Tom Watson, the body's key goal is to improve the way the Government shares information so that "ordinary people can develop online services that benefit their community".
He added: "We need to listen and learn from the experts so we can satisfy people's desire for faster, better public services. I want to move quickly." Among possible new government ventures, Whitehall departments could launch online forums.
The Cabinet Office proposals were delivered as Ofcom published research into the UK population's use of social networks, revealing that nearly half of all children and 20 per cent of all adults now have a personal profile on a social network.
The research also shows that half of current adult social networkers claim to access their profiles at least every other day.Meanwhile, privacy does not appear to be an issue for many, with 34 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds admitting they are willing to give out details such as their phone number or e-mail address over social networks.
Ofcom has published research showing nearly 20 per cent of UK adults use social networking sites, as the Government unveils plans to use social media to improve its communication with the general public.
The Cabinet Office is creating a task force, the Power of Information, which will be chaired by political blogger Richard Allen, with key members drawn from the online industry, the civil service and other public bodies.
According to Cabinet office minister Tom Watson, the body's key goal is to improve the way the Government shares information so that "ordinary people can develop online services that benefit their community".
He added: "We need to listen and learn from the experts so we can satisfy people's desire for faster, better public services. I want to move quickly." Among possible new government ventures, Whitehall departments could launch online forums.
The Cabinet Office proposals were delivered as Ofcom published research into the UK population's use of social networks, revealing that nearly half of all children and 20 per cent of all adults now have a personal profile on a social network.
The research also shows that half of current adult social networkers claim to access their profiles at least every other day.Meanwhile, privacy does not appear to be an issue for many, with 34 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds admitting they are willing to give out details such as their phone number or e-mail address over social networks.
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