Is it all over for IE6?

Anyone who works with websites or web applications has been waiting forever for the remaining ten or so percent of users still clinging to the sinking ship which is IE6 to let go, and swim for the lifeboat of IE7, IE8, or better still, Firefox. But will the events of recent months toll the death-knell for Microsoft's decrepit browser?

This year has not been a good year for IE6. January started with the attacks on Google’s systems which originated in China, and which - by Microsoft’s own admission - were made possible by flaws in the IE6 browser.

By the middle of the month, when the malicious code used in the hacks was published online, first the German and then the French governments called for web users to upgrade or find an alternative browser. Meanwhile the UK government, while it talked about getting its own house in order in terms of using 6, has not issued any timescale for government departments to migrate to another browser, and nor has it issued any warnings to the public.

And now at the start of February, to add another nail to 6’s coffin, Google has withdrawn support for the ageing browser – announcing that from 1 March some services, including Google Docs, could not be guaranteed to work properly in the browser.

But despite petitions, campaigns, security breaches and government warnings, IE6 lives on: so is it really the browser that won’t die? Microsoft has said that it will support 6 until 2014, giving us another four years of IE6 misery as a minimum. But the message is, if you’re still using IE6, whether it’s at home, or because your system administrator at the office isn’t clued-in enough to upgrade – enough’s enough. IE6 is buggy, it’s insecure, and it’s nine years old – and in terms of the web that’s positively ancient. Allow web development to move on – and ditch IE6!

February 3rd, 2010 / Trackback

Mobile World Congress 2010

Is it really possible that it's 2010 already? A happy new year to all of our customers - we hope the new year finds you well.

Of course the start of the new year means we're even closer to the biggest event in most of our clients' calendars, Mobile World Congress. Held in Barcelona next month, MWC is THE event for everyone who's anyone in the world of mobile - including quite a number of our clients who create some of the technology which helps enable innovation in the mobile world.

Last year MWC saw 47,000 professionals from 182 countries flock to Barcelona for keynote speeches, panel discussions, and of course demos of cutting-edge technologies. This year Freshleaf will be joining the throng, so if you're going along we look forward to seeing you there.

January 5th, 2010 / Trackback

Merry Christmas Everyone!

With only seven sleeps til Christmas (or at least that's what it said on the door of my advent calendar this morning) we hope you're all getting into the festive spirit and looking forward to the Christmas break.

Our Christmas opening hours are:
December 24th: open til midday
December 25th - January 3rd : closed
January 4th: back to business as usual


So it just remains for us to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a pleasant and prosperous 2010! December 18th, 2009 / Trackback

Google gets caffeinated

Google has announced a new turbo powered version of its market-dominating search engine, in the form of a 'secret project' it has been working on - a 'next-generation architecture' for search.

The upgrade, which was announced on Monday, has been dubbed 'caffeine', and while you won't notice any difference on the face of Google, some significant changes have been made where it counts. So far, caffeine is in testing, but it is intended as a full replacement for Google's current search once development is completed.

Google reckons that the changes are not prompted by Microsoft's rebranding and relaunch of its search engine as Bing, or its acquisition of Yahoo search. Instead the search giant claims that this is the first step in "a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions," but as usual with search engines there are no real specifics on exactly what has changed. Whether this is because they're not giving away trade secrets or because the algorithm is just too complex for mere mortals to understand, we're not sure.

However, early trials show that results do differ noticably. A search for 'corporate website design' for example, yields 306,000,000 results in 0.24 seconds in Google traditional - and Freshleaf sit in second place. In Google Caffeine, the same search yields 649,000,000 results in 0.12 seconds, but places Freshleaf in sixth place.

If you want to try out Google Caffeine for yourself, head over to www2.sandbox.google.com August 11th, 2009 / Trackback

A bird in the hand... A brief guide to successful corporate twittering

It seem's there's no escaping the rise of Twitter. The bite-sized micro-blogging platform divides people like few online services before, some proclaiming it the greatest advance since the search engine while others look on bemused.

Whatever your personal take on it, inevitably the question "... Do we need a corporate Twitter account?" will surface in a marketing meeting soon (if it hasn't already!). If this isn't immediately followed with the more proactive "... How can we use a corporate Twitter account successfully?", then the answer is probably "No". Few things shout 'bandwagon' more clearly than an abandoned Twitter account, home only to a couple of tentative "Right, lets give this a go" tweets from months ago.

However, if you're prepared to put in a little more effort Twitter can prove an extremely useful corporate tool. It can be a little daunting at first though, so we've put together a few tips to help you on your way to building a successful corporate presence in the Twitterverse.

Be clear on your purpose...

In our experience, too many company Twitter accounts are ambiguous in their engagement model. There are essentially two options: use the service purely as a PR and news distribution channel, or interact directly with other Twitterers.

The former is quite acceptable if you're generating a reasonable amount of news or blog posts, if a little uninspiring. Simply hook up an RSS feed of your output to a service like TwitterFeed and you're good to go. Be aware though that if opting for this 'hands-off' approach it's best practice to make it very clear that this is an automated, feed-only account in the "Bio" section of your profile. Far better to warn prospective followers not to expect a response from the outset, rather than risk disappointed followers and a negative perception of your brand.

Prepare to engage...

In our view, the preferred option is to roll up the shirt sleeves, loosen the tie and dive in headlong. Engaging directly with other users is when the real business potential starts to emerge, with companies that "get it" standing clear from their competitors. It's this aspect that often seems most problematic to corporate users, so we've identified what we believe to be the three most important things to remember:

Be human!
When so much business interaction is governed by legal departments and approval processes, this can often be the hardest one to overcome. Twitter is at it's most powerful when approached as a two-way conversation, which requires a degree of freedom from the party-line. While this may be a leap too far for some companies, brands that display a human face are afforded a great deal more respect than those transparently re-packaging their PR.

Follow back...
Unless you're adopting the distribution channel approach, failing to follow back is not only bad form - you're also passing up an opportunity for some free, low-level marketing research! A follower is someone who has actively tracked your company down amongst the thousands of users on Twitter and expressly stated that they want to know what you're doing. Are you not in the least bit curious as to who they are? Are they a customer? A lead? The press? A competitor? When considered in these terms, why on earth would you NOT want to follow back? Most third-party Twitter applications make it possible to group followers, keeping things manageably when numbers start growing significantly.

Keep your eyes peeled...
Twitter's search facilities are one of the most powerful aspects of the service. The real-time nature of the search system makes it possible to spot a mention of your company or product instantly, and react accordingly. This places the tools for online reputation management directly into your hands. Imagine the following scenarios...

You issue a product announcement under strict NDA. One of the less scrupulous blogs on your distribution list leaks the story in advance. Like many blogs, the post is auto-tweeted to Twitter to drive traffic. Twitter's search instantly picks up the product name and notifies you, enabling you to take the necessary action to maintain the NDA before the story spreads.

... or ...

A customer tweets with frustration about a problem they've encountered relating to your company. Twitter's search again makes it possible for a support representative to reply immediately and directly, resolve any issue and manage any potential negative feedback. Additionally you gain the reputation for being responsive and proactive.

These are just two examples, but we're confident you can think of plenty of other instances where instant feedback would be of benefit.

Of course, all of the above requires an investment in time. But applications like Tweetdeck or Seesmic Desktop make things significantly more manageable, centralising most of the commonly used functionality and minimising the dent updating can make on your day to minutes rather than hours.

And you never know... you might actually find it fun!

August 10th, 2009 / Tags: Twitter, Corporate, Branding, Consultancy, Best practice / Trackback