Danny Whatmough.com

Rummaging through my feedreader tonight, I came across a number of interesting little nuggets all of which could justify their own post, but unfortunately, due to time pressures, that is never going to happen! So here they are all mixed in together. Enjoy.

What’s in a (SEO friendly) name?

A great little story from the Telegraph centering on a French town called Eu which has decided to change its name because it is unable to get enough Google-juice to ramp up its ailing tourist industry. Its not an easy process though. If ratified during a town referendum it will take five years to become legitimate. That is certainly a long-term SEO strategy!

iMP

Via Graham Jones, I came across this interesting study looking at how MPs are using the Internet. According to the report (which I haven’t read in full), 92% of MPs use email, 83% of MPs have a personal website, 23% of MPs use social networking and only 11% of MPs blog. As Graham suggests, these numbers are quite scary in some cases, but they possibly explain why the Digital Britain Report was so disappointing!

Twitter to the rescue

Channel 4 today sourced an interview with a eyewitness of the Amsterdam plane crash via Twitter (via Journalism.co.uk). Presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy made the connection via a tweet asking Jonathan Nip to “direct message me a number to ring you on please?”.  Twitter saves the day again (at least for Channel 4!).

Joanna and the Birmingham Post ‘Get It’

I’ve given newspapers quite a tough ride in the past as I still don’t think many of them are making much of an effort to really transform themselves for the digital age. However, one journalist that really ‘gets it’ is the Birmingham Post’s Joanna Geary (soon to become web development editor at the Times). She has published a great slideshow demonstrating the work she has done at the BP over the last few years:

JiveBrow09

At a time when so much advertising fails to excite (perhaps due to the growth of online viral videos?), Cadbury’s eyebrow ad is, for me, one of the best in a long time. Its great to learn that they are now running an online event to maximise its success. JiveBrow09 will be run in conjunction with MSN and will encourage people to record and share their own versions of the ad. Safe to say, I wont be one of them – but a great idea nonetheless!

Finally my post on the Wildfire blog earlier this week on the Ryanair blogging fiasco has been driving huge amounts of traffic all week. You might like to read the update that I’ve posted tonight.

“Our digital networks will be the backbone of our economy in the decades ahead. We know that every aspect of our lives – every school, every hospital, every workplace and even every home – will depend on the services the digital network provides.”

Gordon Brown, PM, 29th Jan 2009

What does he expect? Stop stating the bleeding obvious.

It’s no surprise, from the government that believes it is worth exploring age-ratings for websites.

I’m really starting to get pissed off with politics.

Others have highlighted further examples of the shortsightedness of the Digital Britain report, and yes, I know, we’ve only had the first part. But why bother with this bit?

As Emily Bell states, there is nothing in the report to argue with. But, there’s also nothing that inspires confidence about how we might survive (and lead?) the digital age.

Why bother merely summarising what everyone already knows? Digital is hugely important to our economy. We know. It will become even more important. We know. Everyone needs to have access to high speed internet access. We know.

How?

That’s the question.

How are the government going to do this? How will we achieve these things?

The time for simplistic analysis is over. Other countries are plowing full steam ahead. We need action and we need it sooner rather than later.

For once the opposition are spot on:

Jeremy Hunt, Tory shadow culture minister: “We thought the report was going to contain a strategy.  In France and Germany they are laying fibre, in Japan they already have it.”

Don Foster, Lib Dem culture, media and sport spokesman: “We’ve spent lots of money on reviews, but all we now have is a strategy group, an umbrella body, a delivery group, a rights agency, an exploratory review, a digital champion and an expert task force. This report has been a complete damp squib.”

Come on Gordon. Action, not words.

Rant over.