Abraxor - Mobile, Social, Web

US Mobile Apps vs Web Consumption, Minutes Per Day

2012-03-28T14:30:02+00:00

Source: comScore, Alexa, Flurry Analytics

The chart compares how daily interactive consumption has changed over the last 18 months between web (both desktop and mobile web) and native mobile applications (or “apps”).

Interestingly, in June 2011, time spent in mobile applications exceeded time spent on the web (both desktop and mobile web). In December 2011 this difference has grown.

Smartphone and tablet users now spend over an hour and a half using their apps whilst time using the web shrunk from 74 minutes to 72 minutes. It seems users are now replacing web consumption with app consumption, possibly as apps are more convenient to access during their everyday life (such as when they’re commuting or in social environments).

iPad 3

2012-03-02T09:15:46+00:00

Apple announced they will unveil the new iPad 3 on March 7th in San Francisco with the phrase: “We have something you really have to see. And Touch” (TheStreet).

Apple’s stock market value has just exceeded $500 billion, making it have more worth than Poland (CNN) and, with its formerly $3.19 stock now over $500 (BBC News), media coverage is ratcheting up as Apple makes ready to launch the world’s most successful tablet.

What does this mean for financial services? Not a great deal - most financial institutions are slowly coming around to the idea that mobile is something that cannot be ignored, the visionaries probably have something brewing, if not already released, and those looking to retain market share are probably in a silent panic if this is an avenue they have not yet explored.

From a retail banking perspective there have been a number of announcements, from Barclays with their Pingit app, to RBS’ banking app. Retail trading has been on this bandwagon for a while owning far more technologically rich platforms that are “mobile ready”.

Anyway, the leap to the iPad 3 is likely to be greater than the leap from the original iPad to the iPad2.
Rumours are spreading like wildfire about a high-res display, quad core processor, 7.7 inch display and lack of home button. However, rumours are often incorrect and the company is notorious for its misdirection over rumours, so we’ll put our money on just one of those four being definitely correct. The lack of a home button is intriguing as the screenshot (above) made available by Apple does not show one. And, whilst it could be in landscape mode, keen-eyed observers have noticed that the raindrop patterns in the background would not be in that configuration if it were in landscape. So, it leads to the conclusion that:
a) Apple have photoshopped it out to misdirect observers (unlikely)
b) they have about-turned their policy on home buttons (possibly - the “And Touch” might be a veiled hint at a set of new touch-reactive bezel buttons)
c) it’s something mundane like it’s in landscape mode and there’s been an oversight on the raindrop pattern theory (likely).

We look forward to hearing what the team of Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and his successor CEO Tim Cook (TheNextWeb) have to say about Jobs’ third version of the tablet device.

Keep up to date with the latest on this at https://twitter.com/#!/wasimjuned

Personalised Facebook Videos

2012-02-22T16:06:03+00:00

Recently we built a Facebook app for the Lynx Dreaming Angel campaign of Kelly Brook with a personalised picture frame containing your photo. Personalised videos aren’t anything new. But the experience is still highly engaging and people enjoy showing off their own videos each of which is personally customised. Some people have even recorded the video with their camera phones to upload to YouTube or to show to their friends.

The campaign generated a lot of interest and, in combination with other Facebook campaigns for Lynx, resulted in a page with close on a million fans. Here’s how we built it:

Workflow:
It was crucial to have a clear, thought-out workflow. We were on a specific budget and there were various stages in the pipeline that had to be well-coordinated.

Shoot:
A green piece of card (for the green-screening) was used. The final picture was projected on to this card. So, during the shoot, some points that really helped were:
Warp: make sure there’s no warp (especially if it’s card). Having a card mounted in a picture frame really helped but…

Light: avoid any glare (e.g. if there’s glass around). The downside to having a picture frame was a glass surface.

Complexity: keep it simple. E.g. fingers and hair over the green card will make the job a lot more difficult. Fingers are just about do-able. Hair is tricky.

Parse:
i.e. scanning through each still frame to allow the overlay of the final image.
There are various ways of doing this - one is After Effects. Another is that venerable staple of the movie industry, Shake. Both are great options but do your research with your experts on how you import and export data from previous / proceeding workflow stages.

Try the Lynx Dreaming Angel app out for yourself…

iOS, Android or HTML5

2011-09-22T09:56:46+00:00

Wind the clock back to pre 2007. With almost 2000 different platforms, supporting mobile was a significantly complex proposition (although several startups stepped up to solve the problem).

Then in June 2007, the iPhone arrived. Within a few years options were a lot clearer. The iPhone supported full desktop web and the need for mobile web decreased.

Apple offered HTML5 apps for developers / businesses that wanted a richer experience. However, developers and businesses wanted the rich functionality that offered by native code (i.e. using the same frameworks that Apple used), so Apple offered an SDK (Software Development Kit) and opened up an App Store. The power that a native app provided came at the expense of a significantly more complex development process.

Roll the clock forward to today.
The landscape is again considerably more complex. Android, Blackberry and Windows phones offer over a 1000 different screen sizes and hardware configurations.
So, what are the options.

There are three main possibilities.
Native - that is creating apps that run specifically for a particular hardware platform such as iOS or Android. There are now significant iOS developers unlike several years ago. And Android, a Java platform, benefits from the many Java developers that are in the market place.

The cases for and against iOS and Android are:
The Android market is very fragmented (for example, there are a thousands of different screen sizes on Android which makes development tough whereas on iOS there are just three). Also, patent issues are obstacles in Android’s future growth. And Apple is now the largest technology company in the world. It has a lot of spare cash, is in charge of the entire vertical segment (although Google’s purchase of Motorola show they are making inroads in this area) and is very influential in terms of the direction the mobile industry takes (for example, the introduction of the iPad).

HTML5 - this provides cross platform functionality. Develop once and deploy everywhere (sound familiar?). However, HTML5 does not give access to all the functionality a native app provides (such as use of the camera or access to In App purchasing. There are startups that are tackling this but it remains fragmented. Another problem is it won’t be ratified till 2014. That’s a long time in the mobile world. But, there are HTML5 apps already out there - Google has a complete suite of HTML5 products.

Cross-platform tool kits:
Various tools exist, e.g. Sencha, Titanium and Phonegap, that offer HTML5 options for developing apps. They have very different ways of achieving this with Sencha and Phonegap offering a native shell around HTML5 whilst Titanium compiles your HTML5 directly to native code.

So, what platform should you choose?
Mobile internet will overtake desktop internet within 2 years in terms of usage and revenue. The majority of this time is currently through mobile apps (as opposed to mobile web) so we’d recommend experimenting - try creating both an HTML5 app and a native app. The costs are now significantly lower than they were a few years ago. You should be able to build an HTML5 app or a native app for under a few thousand pounds.

iOScars

2011-03-07T12:26:58+00:00

Astonishing film shot and edited in 48 hours entirely using the iPhone 4.

iPad 2 Review

2011-03-03T03:05:46+00:00

The Highlights

We’ve put together a list of the most important points about Apple’s announcement today at 10am PST at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts about the iPad 2.

Steve Jobs started the presentation off by saying “Good morning. We’ve been working on this product for a while, and I didn’t want to miss today”.

Cameras

Front camera - this is capable of VGA video recording at up to 30 frames per second
Back camera - capable of recording in 720p HD

Display

This is the same display as in the existing iPad - i.e. 1024 x 768 at 132 pixels per inch (ppi).

The retina display will probably have to wait till the iPad 3.

However, the display now has an HDMI out capable of displaying HD video at 1080p.

Chip

Chip bump to the new A5 processor. Twice as fast as it now has dual core capability.

The graphics chip has a significant boost with a 9x performance increase.

Thickness

At 8.8mm, over a third thinner. Actually thinner than an iPhone 4 which is 9.3mm.

Smart Covers

These covers have a magnetic strip attached.

When you close it over the iPad it automatically goes to sleep. Then, when you open it, it automatically wakes. Pretty neat.

OS

This will run iOS4 out of the box - i.e. the same OS as the iPhone 4.

The benefits from iOS3.2?

Facetime capability, Javascript 2X speed boost, personal Wi-Fi hot spots, etc…

Sales Through Mobile

2011-02-07T13:25:14+00:00

It was a great honour and privilege to be asked to speak at the E-Tourism & Travel Distribution Southern Europe & Mediterranean Conference and Expo this year.

A few key points from the talk:

1. Apple’s App Store has around 160 million users with credit cards attached.

2. There have been over 10 billion app downloads from the App Store.

3. These figures do not include Android.

4. App / Web usage - on average, users:
- spend 84 minutes each day using apps on their iPhone
- have 88 apps on their iPhone

5. By 2013 there will be over 1 billion smartphones

WalkBuilder

2010-12-06T11:50:47+00:00

To allow tour guides and publishers to easily publish their walks to an iPhone walking app such as WalkExplorer, WalkBuilder was built.

WalkBuilder is a web-based control panel that lets tour guides and publishers create walks, with no programming knowledge, consisting of an unlimited number of places. Each place can have images, text and audio attached and, in addition, the system allows the user to import route data using an industry standard GPS format so that the user see the exact path of each walk.

WalkBuilder allows authorised software, such as WalkExplorer, to talk to it to find nearby walks based on the user location. These can then be securely downloaded to the device for later viewing via a WalkBuilder-enabled app like WalkExplorer.

Finally, an e-commerce facility is built in that allows each walk to have a price point attached so that users can purchase their walks via the Apple App Store on the iPhone or Paypal on Android.

For more information see the WalkBuilder page on WalkExplorer.

WalkExplorer

2010-08-05T15:01:03+00:00

WalkExplorer is an iPhone application that helps users to find walks and walk-based games in the environment around them.

It was devised and produced by Kenjun and built by Abraxor.
The app was submitted to Apple in July and the review process went without a hitch. It was approved by Apple and went live in the App Store in just seven days.

There are a whole host of technologies built in. We won’t bore you with them all but here are the high points:

WalkExplorer detects the user location and finds walks, walk-based games and points of interest in the vicinity of the device by querying a walk publishing system called WalkBuilder which stores geotagged walks. An purchasing system, built into WalkExplorer, using Apple’s In App Purchases allows people to buy and download walks.

Social interfaces with Facebook and Twitter are built in so that people can easily post pictures and text about a walk they have done.
WalkExplorer has a local walk database powered by Core Data that stores all the content provided by a walk for users to view offline.

Cacheable maps are built right into the app using Apple’s MapKit. These can be viewed online and are then available for use offline at a later date should the user have data roaming switched off.
A route technology system built into both WalkExplorer and WalkBuilder lets users see a dynamic walking route overlay on maps (if the tour guide has provided that information with the walk).

UPDATE: WalkExplorer now has a website at www.walkexplorer.com

Social and Mobile…

2010-06-30T15:39:26+00:00

Phew!

We’ve been so busy launching a variety of social and mobile platforms over the last few months we haven’t had chance to do much blogging.

We’ll remedy that with some up-to-date details shortly.

iPhone Development

2010-02-10T16:04:54+00:00

Apple have confirmed Abraxor as an approved Apple developer and we’re now a member of the iPhone developer program.
We’re working with clients on a variety of mobile branded apps.

Digital Economy Bill

2010-01-28T09:02:16+00:00

What is it?
The Digital Economy Bill is a Government Bill sponsored by Lord Mandelson (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills). It implements aspects of Government policy on digital media set out in the ‘Digital Britain’ White Paper published in June 2009.

Note that last line. It will become important later on.

Digital Britain White Paper
This 245 page document is available as in PDF, RTF, Word and HTML. Ironically, see end of page, this document is not easy to read on modern devices such as the iPhone.

Anyway, swiftly moving on.
Summarising, the key areas of the Digital Britain document are as follows:

Purpose: to keep the UK a world leading digital knowledge economy by offering a strategic view with a programme of action to:
* enhance the communications infrastructure;
* to enable Britain to be a global centre for the creative industries, delivering more quality content in a clear and fair legal framework;
* to ensure skills flourish and that all can participate
* allow the government to modernise and improve its service through digital procurement and digital delivery of public services.

The Report covers topics such as:
* next generation broadband
* mobile networks
* broadcast networks such as television, data centres and radio
* creative industries and rights-based funding including retransmission, reuse and micropayments
* public service content
* research, education and sills
* digital security and safety

It covers technologies such as:
* Facebook
* HDTV
* HSDPA and HSPA
* the iPhone
* IPTV
* VoD
* Wimax
* Youtube

Digital Economy Bill
After that long preamble let's look back at the Digital Economy Bill.
What's attracting criticism is that the Bill focuses heavily on regulations that involve copyright infringement; radio/TV licensing; limiting internet access; and clarifications to the video game regulations.

However, aspects such as:
* enhancing the communications infrastructure;
* ensuring skills flourish and that all can participate;
* allowing the government to modernise and improve its service through digital procurement and digital delivery of public services
... are less well supported.
C4C (Channel Four Television Corporation) is given the sole responsibility for creating quality content and supporting creative talent.

What stage is this bill at?
Initially at the House of Lords:
* Committee stage - 26th January 2010. Amendments discussed covered clauses 10 to 18 of the Bill (more on this later).
* Report stage - 3rd February 2010 when further amendments will be discussed.
* 3rd reading
Then proceeding to the House of Commons, Consideration of Amendments, and Royal Assent

For more information see here: Parliamentary Readings and Stages

Summary of the Bill
* extends the role of Ofcom to include reporting on communications infrastructure and media content
* imposes obligations on internet service providers to reduce online copyright infringement, and allows the Secretary of State to amend copyright legislation to the same end
* allows the Secretary of State to intervene in internet domain name registration
* requires Channel Four to provide public service content on a range of media
* provides more flexibility over the licensing of Channel 3 and Channel 5 services and allows Ofcom to appoint providers of regional and local news
* modifies the licensing regime to facilitate switchover to digital radio
* allows variation of the public service provision in Channel 3 and 5 licences
* provides Ofcom with additional powers in relation to electromagnetic spectrum access
* extends the range of video games that are subject to age-related classification
* makes provision for the regulation of copyright licensing
* includes non-print formats in the public lending right payment scheme

Comments on the Bill
The Digital Economy Bill (a 63 page document) says in summary:

To make provision about the functions of the Office of Communications; to
make provision about the online infringement of copyright, about licensing of
copyright and performers’ rights and about penalties for infringement; to
make provision about internet domain registries; to make provision about the
functions of the Channel Four Television Corporation; to make provision
about the regulation of television and radio services; to make provision about
the regulation of the use of the electromagnetic spectrum; to amend the Video
Recordings Act 1984; to make provision about public lending right in relation
to electronic publications; and for connected purposes.

Comments on Clause 17
An area that has recently been causing controversy is Clause 17 which, if inserted, would increase the powers of the government to tackle future, as yet unknown, infringements of copyright. Examples under discussion included P2P file sharing and Napster. This debate included Lords Mandelson, Puttnam, Bragg, Howard of Rising, De Mauley, Razzall, Clement-Jones, Whitty and Lucas.

Against Clause 17:
People/groups such as Carphone Warehouse. Charles Dunstone, the chief executive of Carphone Warehouse who owns TalkTalk, said he refused to send his customers who were suspected file-sharers warning letters about their supposed activity or disconnect them, even if these clauses of the bill became law.
Other companies include eBay, Facebook, Yahoo! and Google who wrote a joint letter against Clause 17 saying "we believe the bill’s Clause 17 – which gives any future Secretary of State unprecedented and sweeping powers to amend the Copyright, Design and Patent Act".

For Clause 17:
The music and film companies who want to increase governmental powers to reduce music and movie piracy.

Links:
* Digital Britain - Final Report - June 2009.
* Parliamentary Digital Economy documents
* Google, eBay, Facebook and Yahoo letter re Clause 17

Note that the Digital Britain Final Report is a 245 page, 3.3MB document.
Now, is it just me that finds it ironic that none of these formats are easily read using a modern device such as the iPhone? Common eBook readers such as Stanza, Amazon Kindle for iPhone and eReader struggle with these files. For example, with Stanza you have to download a Desktop application, then convert the PDF to epub format (which is used by Stanza), attach the iPhone to your computer and finally upload the converted file to the iPhone. One could argue it's the fault of the software. Alternatively, you could say the formats provided by Parliament are a little dated.

iPad

2010-01-27T20:02:55+00:00

Thoughts

* Shame there’s no SD storage. Seems like Apple missed a trick here.
* No camera - perhaps something for version 2. Videoconferencing would be a killer.

Summary

The Apple tablet is real and it’s called the Apple iPad.
Earlier today Steve Jobs, the Apple CEO, launched the iPad. There have been rumours about its appearance and functionality. Jobs and the Apple team are starting to reveal details.

What does it look like?

iPad Specs
In a nutshell, it’s thin (at half an inch), got gobs of flash storage (16 - 64 GB) and multi-touch.
* Apple’s own 1 GHz Apple A4 chip (more on this later!)
* 16 – 64 GB of Flash storage
* Bluetooth 2.1
* 802.11n
* 10 hours of battery life
* Speaker, microphone and 30-pin connector
* Fully multi-touch
* 9.7 inch IPS LCD
* Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
* Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
* Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
* Weight: 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model and 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model
* Accelerometer and Compass
* All models use GSM micro-SIMS.

Size At 189.7mm x 242.8mm, it’s bigger than an A4 piece of paper (210mm × 297mm) by around 10% - 20% on each side.

iPad CPU
Note, it’s NOT an Intel. Turns out it’s Apple’s own processor! Apple’s purchase of PA Semiconductor gives them their own super-low power CPU which explains why the iPad can play HD video and last for up to 10 hours. PA Semiconductor used to supply chips to the US military and have world-class expertise in high-performance/high-energy efficient chip design.

When’s it available?
In the US:
* Wi-Fi models shipping in late March.
* 3G models shipping in April.
Internationally:
International deals occur in June or July.
Note that Apple has a “Notify me” form here.

Will it be a success?
The Apple Newton was the iPad’s predecessor. It flopped. However, since then we’ve had the iPhone which has been an outstanding success. The iPad is built on the same infrastructure as the iPhone such as the operating system, wifi access, touch screen and, incredibly successful, App Store.

However, whether it can fend off the to-be-released Google tablet devices is to be seen. Also, previous tablet computers have failed dismally although that may be down to the lacklustre marketing / technology implementations by Microsoft and associated hardware companies.

Sources
* iPad Home Page
* Tom’s Hardware
* Architosh

Wave hello to Google Wave

2009-10-01T16:15:37+00:00

Google has launched Google Wave, which it described as “a personal communication and collaboration tool” (reference: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-drips-with-ambition-can-it-fulfill-googles-grand-web-vision/).

The Guardian describes Wave as a “browser-based tool that combines email, instant messaging and real-time collaboration [which] could have impact on journalism”. The article then goes on to explain how Wave could impact journalism: “Google Wave could speed up the collaborative journalistic process from research to writing, including quotes, enriching articles with pictures and videos. Stories could be corrected by subeditors using Google Wave, while readers could suggest changes and use the tool to discuss the article”.

Taking its name from the name for communication in Joss Whedon’s Firefly (reference: http://www.itnews.com.au/News/146353,opinion-googles-wave-drowns-the-bling-in-microsofts-bing.aspx) and with error messages being quotes from the TV series, Google is truly showing its geekiness with its latest product.

To officially launch Wave, 100,000 invitations were sent out (many of which are currently being sold on eBay, with some selling for over $100), but who got them?

Four types of people got Wave invitations:

People who signed up very early via the request form
People with accounts on the Developer Preview of Wave
Paying users of Google Apps
People who were invited by someone already using Wave

OK, so you got your invitation and want to try it out, or you didn’t get an invitation, but want to see what you’re missing - what’s so cool about Wave?

Wave has lots of features:

Waves (different sections of Google Wave) can be embedded on any website
Attachments are no longer needed, simply drag and drop your file for everyone to have access
It’s completely real-time, so you can see what someone else is typing, character by character
Playback - you can “rewind” Wave to see what previous happened
It’s possible to develop various extension and add-ons for Wave, because it’s open source
Because all conversations are shared, Wave could be said to be a type of Wiki because anyone can add and edit information to a conversation
Language and grammar - Not only can Wave autocorrect your spelling, but its autocorrection function is so advanced it can tell the difference between words such as “been” and “bean”

However, not everything is shiny and happy in Google Wave:

Internet Explorer (not even the newly-released IE8) isn’t powerful enough to run Wave due to its JavaScript limitations and inability to render HTML5, so Google have isolated the majority of internet users. To combat this, Google released Chrome Frame, a plugin for IE which allows Wave to be run within IE. However, most likely, only a minority of IE users will install Chrome Frame, so Google has still lost a large number of potential users.

Another problem is that many users are finding Google Wave quite unintuitive, with hundreds of new terms and features being introduced, which will just confuse may users and may even drive them away.

With invitations only being sent out yesterday, it’s too early to tell whether Google Wave will be a success. But with all the hype that has come before its launch, Google Wave has a lot to live up to to satisfy the 21st century internet user.

10:10 Digital Agency

2009-09-28T05:29:21+00:00

What is 10:10?
10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010. We’re committed to the project and doing our bit to achieve that 10% cut.

So, why are we a 10:10 digital agency?
The simple answer is that we believe using fossil fuels is not sustainable and action has to be taken to reduce our society’s carbon footprint.

Here are some of the steps we’re taking:
1. Cycling to work and using public transport
2. Switching off any unnecessary electronic equipment at the end of the day
3. Informing clients and suppliers of our commitment to reducing emissions
4. Strategic use of cloud computing
5. Working remotely

Facebook Lite

2009-08-12T10:30:06+00:00

Just two days after Facebook’s announcement that it had acquired FriendFeed, when many users logged into Facebook this morning, they were offered the chance to be a beta tester for a new version of Facebook, called Facebook Lite (http://lite.facebook.com).

What is it?
The message the selected beta testers received explains that it is a “faster, simpler version” of Facebook. However, the link (http://lite.facebook.com) doesn’t currently work (it just redirects you to the normal homepage), and the beta tester message disappeared almost immediately. A mistaken early release of the message by Facebook perhaps?

What will it look like?
It has been suggested that the new Facebook Lite, which will be very Twitter-like, may look something like this:

There will potentially be four streams: Wall (only your status updates), Info (your basic information), Friends (only friends’ status updates) and Photos & Video (new photos and videos that have been uploaded by you and your friends).

What’s the point of it?
Streamlining the currently quite cluttered Facebook will probably make it more appealing to users, perhaps particularly those who are used to Twitter, since the new interface seems quite similar. There have been rumours that Facebook wants to prioritise the information stream, and if the Lite version looks like the screenshot, it’s going a long way to achieving that.

UPDATE 12 Aug 2009 14:53

Facebook has released a press statement about Facebook Lite, stating it is aimed at countries where broadband is not so common, such as India, where it is currently being trialled. People will be able to “make comments, accept friend requests, write on people’s walls, and look at photos and status updates”, said the press release.

Facebook buys FriendFeed

2009-08-11T09:38:13+00:00

With news that Facebook has bought real-time feed aggregator FriendFeed, we take a closer look at the union.

Facebook paid nearly $50 million for FriendFeed, of which $15 million was in cash and $32.5 million was in Facebook stock (valuing Facebook at $6.5 billion).

FriendFeed has inspired Facebook on many occasions, for example, Facebook used FriendFeed’s idea of “liking” posts and importing images and videos from third party sites such as Flickr and Youtube.

Although Facebook had recently offered to buy Twitter (an offer Twitter declined), it has had its eye on FriendFeed for nearly two years, approaching them just two weeks after their launch in October 2007. Some may consider FriendFeed a better buy than Twitter, especially since FriendFeed’s real-time search engine (now also being used by Facebook) is generally considered to have a stronger interface and be more useable than Twitter’s search.

However, not everybody seems happy with this merger. Around half of FriendFeed users who commented on FriendFeed’s announcement that they were merging with Facebook expressed concern that FriendFeed was going to be shut and that there was a lack of similarities between the two companies. They also seemed worried that FriendFeed was going “mainstream”. However, FriendFeed founder Paul Buchhiet stated that there were no immediate plans to close FriendFeed (source: Mashable).

Niche Content Management Systems

2009-08-07T15:22:57+00:00

With most articles discussing content management systems (CMSs) falling into two categories (either a discussion of WordPress as a CMS or a comparison of common CMSs such as WordPress, Drupal and Joomla), I felt there was a niche in the market for an article on, aptly enough, niche CMSs!

WordPress and other CMSs are very useful, but sometimes there are other, more suitable, CMSs for the situation at hand. The major disadvantage to niche CMSs is that because so few people know about them, many people cannot effectively implement them. However, I aim to change that, and in this article I’m going to focus on three types of niche CMS: small CMSs, wedding CMSs and church CMSs.

Small CMSs like Perch, CushyCMS and PageLime are ideal for companies who cannot afford to pay a full time web designer, since they are designed to be used primarily by editors without a technical background. For easy updating of content, the small CMS is perfect for the non-web savvy person. Prices range from free (CushyCMS) to a one-off fee of £35 for Perch. The small price and increased usability tend to come with a compromise: features are usually sorely lacking and some small CMSs cannot be themed very easily. However, for a small company on a small budget, small CMSs are ideal for an impressive website at a small price.

Whilst small CMSs tend to be targeted at small businesses, wedding CMSs such as eWedding and MomentVille are targeted at personal users, allowing the bride and groom to post news and information about their upcoming wedding on their very own site. With features such as online RSVPs, photo albums and wedding checklists, these CMSs are designed to be easily usable by future sons- and daughters-in-law. Websites made with these CMSs are especially useful when many of the guests are coming from far afield, since everyone can be kept up-to-date on the proceedings. Prices range from free (MomentVille) to $19 (Webvivah), although some CMSs such a eWeddings offer different packages, costing from free to $14.95 per month.

Church CMSs like Ekklesia360 and ChurchPixel were designed to combat the two main areas where church websites fall down: updating news and views for their congregation, and gathering new members. With features such as sermon podcasting and online prayer requests, these church CMSs are paving the way to salvation for church websites. Church CMSs can be quite pricey, with the cheapest option on ChurchPixel being a one-off fee of $999 and a monthly fee of $59.

There are many more niche CMSs, like music CMSs, food CMSs and education CMSs, so designers take note: WordPress is not the only answer!!!

Facebook and Twitter DDoS - Cyxymu

2009-08-07T14:29:45+00:00

Who on Earth is Cyxymu and what’s the connection between his blog and recent Facebook and Twitter outages?

On Thursday August 6th Twitter posted an “extended downtime”, a 30 minute outage that was the longest in recent months. It used to have problems with its service in 2007 and 2008 but upgraded part of its infrastructure so this was a surprise to all.

At the time the top trending topics were “Tweets Created” and “Twitter Zombies”.

Then, soon after, Facebook, with an architecture that scales to over 300 million users, started experiencing outages.
It didn’t take long for these sites to start revealing the cause of the problem with Twitter posting a message saying the extended downtime, almost 2 hours by that time, was down to a Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS). In a nutshell, a DDoS is created by hitting the target (in this case Twitter and Facebook) with many fake, automated requests so that the target is unable to return real requests. This is done using botnets often created by hackers which are made up of millions of computers that have been comprimised.

Now, more than 24 hours later Facebook revealed that this was all targetted at one person. According to Facebook’s chief security officer Max Kelly, a blogger in the Republic of Georgia with the username Cyxymu was the victim. The motives appear to be due to the current Georgia-Russia crisis.

Cyxymu posts controversial articles on his LiveJournal blog. He also posts to his Facebook page and tweets on Twitter.

Max Kelly said:
“It was a simultaneous attack across a number of properties targeting him to keep his voice from being heard. We’re actively investigating the source of the attacks and we hope to be able to find out the individuals involved in the back end and to take action against them if we can.”

The twist in the tale seems to be that whilst attempting to silence Cyxymu they have now made him and his blog posts world-famous. His name has entered Google’s Hot Trends as a rising search.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet

Google Support Start Up Donut - Resources for Small Businesses by Google

2009-08-05T13:37:04+00:00

Sponsors Google are supporting a great online resource that has launched to help entrepreneurs start up and grow successful businesses in the UK. The site combines the advice and experience of dozens of start-up experts and business advisers.

The site is free of advertisements and free to use.

James Elias, Google UK’s Head of Business Marketing, said: “The economic conditions have led large numbers of people to consider their options – as a result, entrepreneurial activity is on the rise.”

http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/