The Times Online, now charging for website access

Published | 10.44, 2nd of July 2010, by Chris van Aurich | Business

From today, access to the Times and Sunday Times online will cost £1 per day, or £2 a week if readers sign up to a subscription.

I personally think it is a risky move, with so many free websites delivering news content for free, would I be prepared to pay £8 a month to view articles, I'm not so sure. People also use online content very differently to reading a newspaper and will only dip in and out of items that they like. Only time will tell, I do understand that there is huge costs in running the company and website, and with fewer people buying newspapers, things will change, I'm just not so sure this is the way forward.

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Economists encourage businesses to 'think design'

Published | 13.06, 18th of May 2010, by Chris van Aurich | Business

Leading economists are supporting the call for businesses to use design to transform how they do business and compete as Britain's industries battle to recover from the effects of the recession.

Robin Bew, Chief Economist for the Economist Intelligence Unit said "Not only has the UK recession been deep, but the recovery is likely to be slow and difficult for many businesses. New strategies will be needed to cope, and design thinking is one important technique that firms need to consider when planning for the future."

Vicky Pryce, Joint Head of the Government Economic Service joined the call for businesses to put design at the boardroom table:  "UK industry needs to innovate to compete in current global markets. That means it's more important than ever that we help businesses use design to positively impact growth."

Forward-thinking businesses are using design in its broadest sense to completely transform how they do business. Rather than bringing in design at the end of the process to make products or services look better, they are using it at a strategic level to rethink every aspect of the company.

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Research and findings from the Design Council

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CMS | Do I need Content Management or not?

Published | 13.45, 19th of February 2010, by Paul Butler | Business

We should all understand by now the importance of a good Content Management System. Handing the ability to change website text, images and on-line documents back to the site owner is an important factor when working on a new website project, but do all websites need to be managed in this way? The simple answer is no but then why is it more important to utilise Content Management functionality on some websites than others?

CMS or Content Management Systems provide a secure, simple and ultimately, a more cost effective way in which to keep your website information up to date and looking fresh. Search Engines also like websites to change once in a while. It encourages visitors to return on a regular basis, giving the website owner regular opportunities to up-sell, cross-sell, show new offers and generally keep his/her customers better informed. You have to give your visitors a reason for returning and updating content is a good way of doing this.

However, as with any CMS there is a cost implication. It takes more time to build a website that includes a database, a database which stores all of the content, than it does to develop a website without.

At Artlines Media we consult with the client to calculate whether it is more cost effective to pay more initially for CMS and then save over the longer term, than pay less for a static web presence at the start and pay on an ad-hoc basis for ongoing support from us. Personally I suggest that if you are only planning to update your content 2-4 times per year then do without CMS, keep your money in your pocket and we'll send an invoice for the ad-hoc work we do over the course of the year. Alternatively, if the client intends to update areas of the website more frequently such as within a news, blog or case study section, then CMS is the way to go from the start. To be clear, a Content Management System is definitely required for an e-commerce, gallery or catalogue style website. Also, changing a static non-CMS website to a dynamic CMS driven solution is like starting over. So it is important to get it right from the start. We wouldn't want you to pay a penny more than is absolutely necessary.

If you are planning a new website project and need help deciding whether you need CMS or not - give us a call on 01494 614 600. Better still, add a comment and we'll explain so everyone can see.

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What is Google Wave and how can it help me?

Published | 15.55, 3rd of December 2009, by Paul Butler | Business

Google Wave offers multi-dimensional communication between its users. This new beta browser based dashboard, which was developed in Australia by the Google team, provides a secure environment for friends and work colleagues to converse, upload images, documents and other wonderful gadgets that enhance the user's experience. After playing, sorry - further investigation, I can see how it could be used both in the work place and at home. Whether it is little more than a clever gadget is yet to be made clear.

I guess I prefer to describe Google Wave as a 4 dimensional communication tool. If we grade email as having one dimension, in other words you send a message to one or a number of your contacts attaching files and creating a string as others reply. Then MSN has two dimensions. Communicating in a real time environment. Again you can attach and transfer files but you can only talk to one person, in one conversation at any one time. Google Wave allows multiple conversations at the same time, in the same window or WAVE, plus it's live (You can see others as they type), plus you can do all the other things associated with more traditional applications.

Scenario: Arranging a BBQ/ Meeting etc..

Using email you can send an invite out to a list of contacts confirming when and where the event will take place. Then you would typically receive replies from your contacts at different times, some saying they can make it, others saying they can't. You may then need to rearrange. All a bit messy really. With MSN Messenger you would send out an invite to your contacts but then end up with multiple conversations, at the same time, when they are all logged in. Again, quite confusing.

Now with Google Wave you can open up a WAVE, a bit like a notice board and everyone can write on it when it suits them to do so. Everyone involved can edit the WAVE's content, in a live environment. You can all see and discuss availability, all together in one place. No email strings, no trying to tie up single replies. You can even add Maps and include Confirm, Decline and Maybe Attending gadgets too.

As I said, whether this is going to be the future for us all, helping to increase productivity and reduce costs I have no idea. But Google Wave looks fun and I'm certainly in favour of anything that makes life easier. Aren't you?

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Non-Latin Internet scripts agreed

Published | 14.53, 30th of October 2009, by Paul Butler | Business

At their annual meeting in Seol the ICANN board announced that it is now allowing non-Latin scripts for Chinese and Arabic URLs. This is a massive change for the industry, described as the biggest change in 40 years. It will affect over half of the 1.6 billion Internet users who use non-Latin scripts. Some countries such as Thailand and China have had their own work around but this new move allows for global recognition and will be rolled out from the 16th November 2009. It is expected that Russian will follow soon after.

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