Wingee Wide Web

A new car sharing website has launched. Please take a look at http://www.gocarshare.com/

OK it’s not very interesting but I found the HTML for a non breaking hyphen which I needed for a client who uses a hypen in their name, but didn’t want the name to wrap at the end of a line. So here it is (tada):

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Told you it was exciting.

Somebody asked me the difference between a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group, and obviously the literal difference is obvious, but exactly what featureset is available to them seems to be a common question. See the article on Mashable below:

Facebook Pages vs Facebook Groups: What’s the Difference?

It’s good to hear that a project that Flipside have been working with for a memorial for Bomber Command has been given planning permission. It’s an incredible story and one which most people aren’t aware of. See this article in the times here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7125995.ece

In a related note there is an article in the Times about the Battle of Britain beacon with a video produced by Flipside:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article7125952.ece

I kind of feel like Steve Jobs has done a bit of a Gordon Brown guffaw, however unlike Mr Browns throwaway comments caught on ‘tape’ Mr Jobs’ is an extremely considered article on why Apple mobile products are not going to support Adobe Flash.

Clearly Jobs felt the backlash required an in depth letter! I mean seriously, he really wanted to make his point. The mere fact that he felt it required that kind of response is exactly the reason why I think he may have shot himself in the foot…

Listen, when you have a bunch of such loyal customers like Apple do (and if you know me, you know I’m not one of them) you shouldn’t be dictating to them what content they can or cannot see! The fact that the web is littered with Flash content – WHY prevent those loyal customers from seeing it?!

Jobs does makes some valid points – yes Flash is resource heavy, yes Flash has always been slow on Apple products, but that is not your customers problem: it’s Apples.

Mr Jobs can’t sit on his pedestal and criticise Flash for being proprietary – the majority of Apple software isn’t ‘Open’ either!! Apple dictate what apps go on the store, you cannot install your apps onto your iPap product without the Apple store, and I bet if a 3rd party wrote a Flash viewing app, it’d get rejected!!

He criticises Adobe for being old fashioned, but Jobs’ view on the world is far more archaic. The public do not like to be dictated to. It reminds me of when Yahoo felt that they had enough of a user base to start making money by sticking adverts all over their homepage. Subsequently we all started using Google. How much do you think it would be worth to Google (in terms of money) if they allowed 1 banner on their homepage? But they don’t. Because their users wouldn’t like it.

OK, I’m not a massive Apple fan – however I was starting to shine to the idea of an iPad, but this ‘article’ by Jobs today has really put me off. I’m sure I won’t be the only potential or existing customer who is not going to let Jobs dictate to me what content I can or cannot see…

Mr Jobs  - you muppet

Just checked out the Blackberry OS due out in July. I’ve been waiting on a lot of it’s features such as the Webkit browser. It looks excellent – I don’t think it’s ground breaking but it certainly keeps the Blackberry phones in check with Apple, Windows Mobile and Android platforms.

As an avid Blackberry fan I can’t wait to get it though! I hope it comes out for my phone….

Ahhh I’ve found the app for my Blackberry and it’s pretty damn good. Posting this now from the app. There are so many naff ones out there it’s nice to find a good solid, well made app. Even better when they’re free!!

One of the most common questions at the moment is how to make use of social networking. Sometimes I cannot understand why companies are not already making use of social networks…

It was probably about a decade ago when companies were rushing to get an online presence, an email address, an ‘E-commerce’ shop. In those years their customers have become regular web savvy, computer literate, with access to high speed internet at home, at work and on their mobiles.

It goes without saying that those customers are also using social networking tools to discuss products and services on a regular basis. Companies need to realise that they need to start engaging with their clients online in the same way they would do face to face, on the telephone or through direct mail blasts – they need to embrace this method of communication.

A simple Google search is likely to show comments whether positive or negative that should be addressed. It could even be a comment about a competitor. But these comments come from real people, just like the ones who could walk through a shop door onto the shop floor and sometimes they need customer support.

The corporates are already on top of this, but it’s the SMEs that seem to be really slow on the uptake. It’s these corporates that are proving that engaging with your customers online can make a long term positive impact on the image and perception of the company in the public eye.

So the most common question is “how can I make Social Networks work for me”?

The answer is to simply start using them! Create a Facebook page, start a Linked In profile, read the forums and post on Twitter – take the time to do it daily, in the same way that you would your daily email. Communicate and engage with your customers or potential customers and your efforts will be rewarded in the long run…

Are you a using social networks? Have you read positive or negative things about your company online? Did you engage them or simply ignore them?