We were with the students for just over an hour and they had lots of questions, which was just as well, because one of the key points (about interviews) was to take in as many good questions as you can think of. I am always impressed by a candidate who turns the tables on me and starts to interview the business to discover its suitability for them!

One question came up that particularly interested me. A young man asked, “If I am interested in running my own business in the future, should I tell the interviewer this? Should I allow them to know that I am this ambitious?”

I could tell that they were not expecting my answer. I said “Yes, you need to let them know your vision, your goals and passion for success.” The man looked confused and asked, “What if this puts him off?” I responded, “Then it’s not the right job for you.”

It reminded me that in business there can often be a ‘watch your back’ mentality. The student was afraid that a manager or business owner would see him as a threat and might be worried that he would either be after their job or looking to learn from them in order to set up against them.

At UKFast we take a different stance. We see people with ambition as an opportunity. We consider the contribution that they can make to the journey our business is on. We also recognise that they could well become our leaders of the future and we embrace this possibility.

The ‘right fit’ in recruitment works in a number of ways. Most of the students entered the room focusing on their skills as the main aspect that would get them their dream job. They left it, however, thinking about how to promote the attributes that make them the person they are and wondering what ‘kind’ of business would meet their needs.

David Porter from the Association of Electricity producers has cautioned however, that private investments are absolutely essential if this goal is to be met.

He said in a letter to the Financial Times this week, that in order to generate the required investments into the low-carbon energy initiative, ministers need to ensure that a clear governmental plan and secure infrastructure are in place, and are widely understood.

Porter said, “The Government has to deliver a credible framework that supports this massive long-term investment.”

At UKFast we have long been aware of the importance of sustainable energy and are working hard to unite our power hungry industry with an ecologically responsible approach to energy consumption.

In September last year, our team made huge strides in our commitment to an ecologically friendly future by signing a deal to create a green data centre of our very own. This will include an ‘intelligent free cooling’ system which will utilise the external climate to reduce energy consumption along with Ecoservers to providing top quality hosting whilst using less energy than ever before. However we recognise that we have a long way to go to become a carbon neutral business.

Years ago we introduced paperless invoicing and recycling to our offices and earlier this year we set out our sustainability project from now to 2015. So right now we are researching wind and water turbine energy resources. Throughout this year we are planting 20,000 trees in and around our staff training facility Castell Cidwm and plans are well underway for a number of reservoir preservation projects.

Search engine giant Google, has now also amped up its sustainability projects, announcing an agreement this week to purchase 114 megawatts of wind power capacity per year for 20 years from NextEra Energy Resources.

A Google spokesperson commented on the agreement, promising that the company’s green investments will not be limited to wind power.

In order to celebrate similar eco-initiatives among UK companies, our annual Digital Entrepreneur of the Year Awards which will be held on the 1^st December, will specifically celebrate the success of the UK green innovator of the year.

If you would like to find out more about this, or any of the awards on offer, check out the DEA website.

Around the table were a selection of the North West’s business leaders representing some of the UK’s heavyweight companies, from DLA Piper themselves to RBS, KPMG and Bruntwood. The regions public sector was there in the form of the NWDA and the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, while NW Entrepreneurs were given a voice by Lawrence and Richard Btesh of Chess (Fast growing telecoms company).

The session took a look at the government’s emergency budget and the state of the economy.

What was interesting was that it became apparent that the flurry of business activity taking place in the SMB sector is largely being missed by the majority around the table. We quickly realised that Lawrence’s viewpoint as a hosting provider gives him an insight that is more privileged than initially thought.

The general concensus around the table was that the economy is lifting but it’s going to take time and we all need to be patient. Lawrence was able to add his more optimistic thoughts off the back of the jump in productivity UKFast is seeing across the thousands of businesses on the UKFast network.

Because so many of the new projects and risks are being taken by businesses at the lower end of our economic scale, they appear to be below the radar of the large corporates. It was suggested that the larger businesses have to turn like an oil tanker in these times, while the UK’s small businesses are able to move quickly and flex their mini muscles to great effect right now.

The panel came to the conclusion that change is on its way and that it is the business communities responsibility to react positively in thought and action to encourage a swifter return to economic certainty.

You can view a couple of the videos from the event, with Lawrence’s thoughts on SMB growth and the community’s collective responsibility on the UKFast site.

It’s interesting to see that integrating search in particular to the overall strategy is something that the UK’s biggest businesses also see as a challenge.

The IAB’s Search Marketing Barometer 2010 interviewed 140 marketers across 91 of the top 100 advertisers in the UK. Nearly all of them believe that there is work to be done to properly integrate search into their overall brand strategies.

60% of them put this down to a lack of digital understanding from many of their marketing professionals/agencies. Despite this, 58% were intending to increase spend on search and 72% felt that no matter what they were able to spend it would not be enough to fully capitalise on this form of marketing.

Jack Wallington, the IAB’s head of industry programmes feels that a knowledge gap is emerging as search transitions into a new form and it is the duty of agencies, search engines and marketing industry bodies to educate brands with the knowledge they need to understand the medium.

Naturally, the knowledge gap offers excellent education based marketing opportunities for agencies and the like to attract new clients and create new revenue streams. However, at UKFast we have always found that the best way for a brand to understand more about a form of advertising is to get involved – rather than go and seek advice. After all, the experts are becoming experts in real time as they devote their resource to understanding the form.

It’s far more powerful for a business going forward to have an expert within, rather than have to outsource the need. We’re lucky to see the activity of thousands of businesses online. Talking to many of our dynamic clients the feeling is that knowledge is most certainly power when it comes to search marketing and gaining that knowledge and keeping it for yourself offers in incredible advantage over the competition.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the first three countries to benefit from this advancement, while web addresses in Chinese, Thai and Tamil are soon to follow.

The new development is not an attempt to alienate Latin alphabet countries from areas of the web but a move to secure one web for all. Before ICANN allowed the country code top level domains system (CCTLDs) to go ahead there were fears that language specific mini internets might begin to be created, compartmentalising the internet and removing entire nations from the world wide web.

This latest move has been intimated by some as ‘the most significant day’ since the internet began. This is quite a statement considering the incredible growth and development of the net over the years.

More so, it feels like natural progression. As we move into Web 3.0, we have read the web, we’ve had Read/Write and now the net is about ‘Read, Write and Control.’ Interaction and inclusion are drivers behind the way the web has developed since the dawn of social networking. The advent of Control is about allowing users to choose how they engage in the global community and country code URLs are another step towards this.

For several years now the company has actively run team building and leadership exercises in Snowdonia with a mind to testing each other in a very different environment from the sterile environment of our datacentres and support operations. Exercising our problem solving abilities in a novel environment insures that our business approach does not become ‘blinkered’ or dictated by the norm.

This has insured that our flexible, supportive and innovative approaches to service provision have remained at the forefront of our market sector and that we continue to build our team with a similar mindset. It matters not whether it is a multi-datacentre, high resilience, business continuity solution or a raft to cross a lake in Wales that must be engineered – all are approached with the same drive, determination and ‘swept-up’ approach.

Of course, conducting such activities does not come without potential risk. Wales, as most of us know, can turn from a beautiful, sunny playground to a miserable, cold quagmire in an instant; where one minute you can practically see Ireland from the peak of Snowdon to the next, where you are lucky if you can see your own hand.

In concert with a number of types of challenging terrain this can make for an environment in which a simple stumble in the wrong place, at the wrong time, could prove life threatening. So why on earth would UKFast place their dearly loved employees in such potential jeopardy?

For 2 reasons:
1. Because the benefits of such activities to individuals, teams and the company are vast – in health, shared experiences, team building and exercising both mental and physical commitment and robustness, through calm but decisive command and control.
2. Because UKFast is a risk aware organisation, not a risk averse organisation.

The correlations and similarities between undertaking such ‘outbound’ activities and insuring information security are startling:

1. Business benefits to employees and clients alike.
2. Confidence building activities for both employees and clients.
3. Improved communication both internally and externally.
4. Continued capability development through continuous monitoring of results – making weaknesses into strengths.
5. Continuously assessing hazards and threats and putting in place controls to minimize the likelihood of such events and/or reduce the impact of such events occurring.

It is perhaps the last point that stands out, largely because it is the subject that makes most companies outbound activity and information security averse – the dreaded risk assessment!

If you are the member of such an organisation it is at this point that you will mentally switch off or navigate elsewhere. If so, you will miss the realisation that such threat assessment is not something to roll your eyes at or run and hide from, but a business enhancing tool that justifies and aids in the development of plans and making of decisions and produces greater efficiencies.

The methodology employed matters little, so long as the product of such an assessment is effective.

For example; let us take a single hazard that may affect our team climbing a mountain in North Wales – a cold weather injury.

There is the very real risk that in the process of trekking in Snowdonia an unprepared and un-fit individual could fall fowl of hypothermia; especially if they pick-up an injury or are caught in sudden, inclement weather (not unlikely in Snowdonia).

We assess the risk of such a hazard by looking at the ‘likelihood’ of such an event occurring in conjunction with the ‘impact’ of such a situation and measure this against any existing controls that we may have. We then consider whether these controls to cater for this level of risk are acceptable or not.

If they are not then we seek to reduce the ‘likelihood’ by adding controls that will reduce the chance of such an incident occurring (e.g. training on the correct clothing to wear on the hills and the importance of the ‘layers’ principle) and / or by adding controls that will reduce the ‘impact’ of such an event occurring (e.g. the carrying of a Safety Pack containing additional warm clothing, a shelter and a stove and training on treating individuals with a cold weather injury).

This approach aids in developing assured plans in relation to assessed risk, providing the confidence to undertake such activities without restricting the benefits of such training.

Exactly the same approach should be employed to ensuring Information Security. An example may be the loss of service to business critical data that would affect business availability.

We assess likelihood in conjunction with impact against the existing controls in place (if any) and decide whether this level of risk is acceptable. If not, we must reduce the risk by:

1. Employing controls to stop such data loss occurring (likelihood), e.g.
a. Employing physical access controls to such data.
b. Controlling access logically to such data (e.g. passwords).
c. Employing redundant and back-up services and utilities.
d. Partnering with an organisation with suitable controls in place and the ability to offer such technologies and services.

2. Employing controls to deal with such data loss occurring (impact), e.g.
a. The use of RAID in servers.
b. The use of a replication technology.
c. The use of multiple datacentre solutions.
d. Again, partnering with an organisation with suitable controls in place and the ability to offer such technologies and services.

Continually employing such an approach as part of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) ensures that we remain risk aware but don’t let such risks constrain our evolution, innovations and actions as a business.

So, having spent the last 10 years at UKFast speeding up the internet and advising clients that speed offers huge user experience gains, it’s very gratifying to see that Google is now publicly acknowledging this and talking at conferences about it.

In the past we often met resistance, particularly from SEO companies, to our message that speed helps to increase your rankings. People would say, “I haven’t heard Matt Cutts talking about this.”

Well, if you still haven’t heard the much respected Google in-house evangelist talking about speed and algorithms then now’s your chance.

Here’s Matt Cutts discussing the new algorithm change that will see Google reward websites that load faster in organic search.

Power of intention or just internet progress? Either way – user experience is being put first online which has to be a good thing.

Johnson Press, the UK’s largest regional newspaper publisher has recently moved to start charging for its online content. The challenge they both face is Google and other news aggregators that are able to bypass the subscription page and direct readers straight to the article for free.

News Corp appears to have stepped forward in the battle this week by gaining agreement from Google to limit the amount of free clicks to news stories it offers to five per searcher. While this approach has many of its own problems it also begs the question; won’t users just go elsewhere to get free news?

The first place you’d think of is Bing – Microsoft’s new improved search engine – well, so did Murdoch. Or at least he used Bing as leverage to broker the deal with Google. Having said that, at UKFast we work very closely with Microsoft on the hosting side and from what our contacts tell us, the Bing team have been incredibly busy meeting with News Corp and it seems that genuine offers are on the table.

Would it really be worthwhile for Murdoch to ban Google from its news completely and give Bing the sole rights? And would Microsoft be willing to pay large sums for this?  The big question is, how much effect would this have anyway? Isn’t trying to stop people finding information online like trying to charge people for swimming through the open seas?

Withstanding the search engine debate, we should also look at how 2009 has changed the way we gain our information online. Alex Bellinger of the Small Biz Pod believes that; “Increasing numbers of people aren’t searching for news anymore, the news is coming to them in the form of recommendations from their social networks.”

Facebook and Twitter are two incredibly influential online entities that help news to travel fast. Ironically, the one social networking site that hasn’t maintained its growth pattern since being acquired by big business is MySpace. Who owns that again – is it someone that understands the internet and users habits?

It may seem strange for an internet business to be supporting the idea of offline marketing spend but having just returned from an extremely successful E-commerce Expo at Earl’s Court, we’ve been reminded once again of the value of face-to-face interaction.

UKFast Managed Hosting at E-commerce Expo

There is no doubt that online ad spend is the best arena for businesses to dip their toe in the water and scale up budget as results increase. However, in terms of building relationships, nothing comes close to meeting potential clients in person.

The type of product or service you sell will in most cases dictate the best channels to market but if you are looking to procure a recurring service in today’s climate don’t you want to get to know the provider as well as possible before signing on the bottom line.

UKFast Managed Hosting team

At UKFast we’ve always encouraged existing and prospective clients to come up and meet us, take a tour of the data centres and then enjoy a night at the Sale Sharks. So, for those who are able to make the trip, there are three different environments in which to discover more about our business and our culture.

Getting people to come to us is one thing but meeting at an event – especially an industry exhibition allows any company to give an indication of their people, services and unique ingredients to a huge audience. 

Meeting clients at the Expo

Over two days we managed to speak in person to over a thousand businesses and begin to build a relationship with each and every one of them. Not only that, but it acts as a tremendous opportunity for face-to-face experience that helps to grow skills within our team.

Those who can see through the fog of recession are able to take advantage of the situation. With so many people choosing to tighten the purse strings, the opportunities to reach out and touch more potential clients are out there for those willing to fill the void.

It’s great to glance down the list of  fast moving and successful companies, especially in today’s economic climate and recognise that there are lots of businesses in the UK that simply refuse to be slowed down by recession.

Naturally, there will be a few who sit in what might be described as recession proof industries (if they really exist) but there is no trend that shows every business within that industry appearing in the list.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 represents the businesses that lead their industries, those who pioneer the way forward and dare to achieve more than the rest. Knowing a selection of those represented, one thing appears in the DNA of each company – a passion for delivering and competing within their industry.

It’s great for team morale to know that UKFast is one of the four fastest growing tech companies in the North of England. We’re also proud to see a number of our clients within the list. Our success relies heavily on theirs, so it’s an honour to be placed alongside them. Many congratulations to each and every one of them.

With much more news about the economy looking up, house prices back to where they were 12-months ago, acquisitions making the headlines again, it’s no wonder people are feeling more able to spend.

But it’s early days, so where are people willing to place that extra resource? The answer is quite telling. The latest IPA Bellwether Report states that while overall marketing spend is still facing cuts, the rate of decline has slowed and budgets for Internet marketing are growing again.

This comes with marketing executives indicating the strongest degree of optimism about their financial prospects since the end of 2006. This encouragement has led to spend on the Internet rising 4.5% and Internet search 5.4% across the board.

IPA Bellwether indicates marketing spend

Taking online as the saviour of spend, businesses are now looking at what a return to economic stability will mean for them. I suspect those who are following the industry average however, will find themselves behind the curve.

Those who have rooted themselves in a strong internal culture of optimism and bucked the spend trend over the last year will be far better placed when the rest of the UK joins them at the end of the tunnel.

UKFast was originally set up because Lawrence Jones experienced sub-standard hosting in his previous business. A gap in the hosting market was there for someone who combined first class technology with industry-leading customer care. We have never forgotten what it is to be a business that relies on its hosting.

With our clients growing around us, we now find ourselves as a company that has gone from little more than 50 in the team in 2008 to 100 going into 2010. Sitting amongst our clients in the Sunday Times TechTrack 100 means we are once again going through the same experiences they are.

Sharing these experiences is another way to deliver great service.

Last week, when presenting as a finalist at an awards day, the panel asked me a question we are often asked. ‘Growing from a five person business to 25 is one of the big leaps, but 50 to 100, that’s another challenge altogether – how have you coped with this?’

A business that has the right blend of culture and structure will always ‘cope’ with growth. At UKFast, growth has not been a forced decision but a necessity. We are lucky to have always nurtured a strong culture but going into 2009 we also recognised that a business structure to complement growth is crucial.

If you put the processes in place to shape a team member’s day for maximum enjoyment and productivity, it means that they will give 100 per cent and this commitment will go a long way. Taking this approach also means that training falls in line with process and this allows a business to get new recruits up to speed very quickly.

As a hosting provider, we recognise that we are an element of every client’s process driven structure. Our service contributes to their ability to achieve 100 per cent and because we know just how valuable that is to a growing business, we’re able to deliver with conviction.

In 2009 we are ten years into the development of the internet as a viable business platform. We’ve overcome teething problems and websites have stopped resembling flat, single page flyers, and instead we’re offering dynamic, interactive services and added value for web users.

I believe that in summer 2009 we’re in a stage of rapid revolution. Mental states are changing, websites are no longer a whimsical last-minute addition to a marketing strategy they are intrinsic to our future success. I believe that the internet has truly taken off. But who is making the most of it, and more importantly, how?

At UKFast we’re running a campaign to persuade online businesses to speed their websites and yes, it has caused some controversy. But I’m sticking to my guns here, this is not some marketing ploy, I wholly believe a faster website will give you better business results.

As the host at the helm of 250,000 domain names UKFast has an overview of the industry and the sites which we have speeded up have invariably witnessed great results; whether that is in terms of search rankings, profit, turnover or PPC.

Speed always dictates a better customer experience whether you are waiting for a webpage to load or queuing in McDonald’s – and I welcome any feedback on this point.

One of the fundamentals of a great business has always been and will always be the level of service you can offer your customers. Is this different online? Do people prefer their content delivered slowly in order to exercise restraint? Or diligently matured for ten years perhaps? I doubt it.

Basically, a fast website through which to deploy your dynamic content is vital to setting a high level of customer service. Plus, Google wants to offer the best website to its search users because it needs people to return. Remember Google has an eye on the competition too.

Google says speed is of great importance online. It’s is naïve to believe it doesn’t take it into account in the search engines. But even if Google had never uttered the ‘S’ words I would still believe speed is intrinsic to online success because without it progress (ie. Your online video, ecommerce and interactive social networking sites) would cease. And where would that leave us?

Read UKFast case studies here from clients who have benefited from speed.

The notion is however, something that Richard Branson amongst other business leaders would applaud. Branson talks in his latest book (Business Stripped Bare) about leaving a legacy for not just the next generation, but the next seven.

One of the best ways to do this within the digital arena, in which UKFast operates, is to play a part in the education of those who will pioneer the future methods and technologies. Who knows what advancements will allow the digital industries to continue to gather momentum over the coming years. What eco-initiatives will assist us in continuing to use our portion of this world’s energies without impacting too heavily on it?

While our current plans are under wraps, I wanted to blog right now about our intent to play a major part in the technology education available in the UK’s North West. We believe there’s little more important than inspiring the future pioneers and leaders of our industry. The first computer was successfully developed right here in Manchester, so here’s to the innovations of the future…

When you are under pressure to make the wisest procurement choices, the element of trust becomes paramount. Transparency is therefore an attractive quality in any potential supplier whether it’s apples or hosting you are selling. Offering as honest an approach as possible endears you to prospective clients who need to decide whether they can afford to allow you into their reduced circle of partners.

It’s your job as a business to work out how to deliver this kind of transparency. In my opinion, it’s hard to beat placing yourself and your services up there in video for the world to see. In eighteen months we have produced over 200 projects aimed at engaging our team, our clients and the business community and sharing with them our vision for the future of our industry.

The great adage – ‘show, don’t tell,’ could be one of the big differentiating factors in this recession tunnel. It will be interesting to see what the companies that emerge the strongest have held their focus on. For me – transparency has to be right up there near the top.

The internet offers all businesses the chance to promote themselves to the hilt like never before – and there are those who will consistently over-egg their credentials. You’ll find thousands who punch well above their weight and scratching beneath the surface will often reveal a severe lack of substance.

So, how do we feel confident that we have found the best company for our needs? Especially important in 2009 when we require partners who will add increased value. I believe that one sure fire way is to identify a business’ core values, experience them in action and see if they connect with your own.

Earlier this week, UKFast was presented with three star accreditation as one of the UK’s Best Companies to work for. While the accolade is bestowed by an official body it is really gained for a business by its own team. The mainstay of the judging process is the employee questionnaire – every MD has to put their business firmly in the hands of their team and hope they’ve built a company everyone is proud to work for.

As one of only 55 companies in the UK to gain three star accreditation in 2009 we are very honoured to have a team that drives our culture forward. A team that is proud of and takes ownership of its collective core values. A team that allows us – as the only business in our sector that holds this three star accreditation – to say we are the best.

Now is a time for every business to strive to be the best. We’re lucky at UKFast that we can fly our flag on the values of being passionate, innovative, supportive, dynamic and professional. These values are at the heart of what we do. Having met with many of the other three star businesses this week, it struck me that they too were lucky enough to have core values that drove them forward.

And not surprisingly, they were all leaders in their respective fields.

You can find out more about best companies here. And about UKFast’s hosting here.

Now, yes admittedly Google is by far the most successful company in its market but it still needs to court favourable opinion. If its shiny image is dulled then its profit margins could diminish and that is not a bottom line it wants.

So despite its dominant global position, Google’s board would have been concerned this week to have learnt that the search engine titan had fallen out of the Covalence Ethical Ranking survey’s top ten.

Google ranked 12th among the 36 multinational technology firms included in the study, while Intel, Xerox and Dell finished in the podium positions. Apparently, the search giant performed poorly in three criteria: human rights policy, information to consumers and support to politicians.

Why? One word – China.

The fact that Google bowed to state pressure and allowed its Chinese version to block certain search terms and websites is the reason for the black mark against its name. The Covalence Ethical Ranking survey definitely does not award points for censorship and the denial of information to flow freely to users.

The publishing of the survey is a bad news day that will reduce the sparkle on Google’s proud badge of ethics. The lesson to be learnt – don’t compromise your standards, it’s never worth it!

Now, depending on which side of the argument you’re speaking to, this contest could be described in very different ways. The Net Neutrality camp would describe it as the everyman vs. corporate greed. The ISPs would describe it as Internet progress vs. stagnation.

The issue boils down to a familiar question. Is big business more interested in making money than advancing the human condition? The supporters of Net Neutrality would argue yes. ISPs are keen to implement measures that would divide the Internet superhighways into different tiers, where certain tiers perform better than others. The ISPs would control who could use which tiers and they could charge more for those using the fastest connections.

The neutrality camp argues that this amounts to censorship, preferential treatment for wealthier organisations and ultimately denial of the free movement of information. They say it is motivated by greed and is a case of the ISPs putting their own interests before the public good.

On the flip side, the ISPs argue that a tiered system with associated pricing is vital for the continued enhancement of the Internet. They say that without this kind of financial incentive the Internet cannot be extended to connect more people and communities to the web. Furthermore, they argue that technological advancement would be stagnated and with demand increasing all the time this would amount to an actual deterioration of service.

Who is right? Well new President Obama has the power to make a significant impact on the battle. His predecessor George W. Bush seemed to side with the ISPs but Obama is supposedly an advocate of neutrality. He can lead the debate on whether to allow or block the ISPs’ policy in the US.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world, including the EU, must also address the issue in the near future. Capacity needs to be expanded to accommodate the new video age and someone has to pay for it. But who?

According to Mark Howe of Google, M&S’ online sales in the 13 weeks to December 27 grew by a hefty 29% despite overall sales declining by 3.4%. Similarly, Debenhams’ online business enjoyed year-to-date sales growth of 37.4%. Internet traffic increased dramatically as well with an average 37% increase in unique visitors between October and December compared to last Christmas.

Meanwhile, the Web only vendors also demonstrated the positive trend for Internet shopping as Play.com and ASOS experienced significant growth and Amazon, the biggest online consumer brands retailer in Britain, delivered record figures over the holiday season. For example, Amazon saw an 18% growth in visitors compared to the Christmas 2007, while Play.com had a 35% boost to its footfall numbers.

The three most visited sites continued to be Amazon, Argos and Tesco respectively and of the five major retail sectors online, ‘home and fashion’, which includes the likes of Marks & Spencer and Next, had the largest year-on-year growth at 30%.

These figures not only show that the Internet is a booming retail sector in its own right but also an excellent way to build robustness into any retailer’s business model. Tesco and M&S have demonstrated this in their Q4 2008 figures which show that investing in their online presence has allowed them to offset a portion of their disappointing high street performance.

So in 2009 company CEOs, CIOs and CFOs should be thinking about an online presence as a must if they want to succeed in the modern business environment.

Reports this week have revealed that classified car magazine Exchange & Mart has taken the momentous decision to completely exit the print arena to concentrate on its website offering.

According to Brand Republic, “the print version (of Exchange & Mart) has been hard hit by the collapse of the classified market in print and by the rise of online competitors such as eBay and Craigslist”.

Undoubtedly the virtues offered by the internet are putting the boot into the less versatile print format, so readers and advertisers are deserting the rigid world of traditional newspapers and magazines to embrace the responsive, targeted and interactive world of online media and advertising.

The numbers for newspaper circulations certainly support this contention. In December the Sun’s month on month circulation dropped by 4.81% to below the purportedly critical 3m mark. Similarly, the Daily Mirror suffered a 9.85% year on year decrease in circulation to 1.4m copies. The Times lost 2.33%, The Guardian 2.95% and The Daily Telegraph 5.64% of circulation year on year.

More and more of us are doing our shopping online, communicating online and getting our news and information online. So it is naturally the place advertisers want to be. It all adds up to a rapidly growing internet economy that no one should be missing out on.

Presidential campaigns cost a lot of money and while a large chunk of the Republican’s budget this time went on clothes, advertising is always the most expensive part.

Traditionally, going back to the 40s and 50s, TV spending has been the biggest portion of any candidate’s budget. But online ad spending is clearly on the rise. Obama’s campaign spent $16 million on internet advertising in 2008, $7.5 million with Google and $643,000 on Facebook.

The figures represent record sums for White House campaigns and indicate Obama’s understanding of the importance of being online and advertising online in the modern world.

Compare McCain’s spending. At $3.5 million the defeated Republican candidate may have thought he had pushed the boat out, but clearly it was grossly inadequate compared to Obama. Result – the Democrat won the important online marketing battle.

So the overriding point to take from this is that anyone wanting to build a brand in the modern world must be online. So much of the marketplace is now online that to not have a web presence means to miss out on a huge chunk of the market.

A big thank you must also go to our partners and clients for doing business with us and trusting in our ability to serve them faithfully.

I truly believe that UKFast continues to prosper because we focus on the important things. Our values are all about employing the best to deliver the best service and support to clients. The businesses that host with us demand top performance and reliability and they stay with UKFast because we can meet their expectations. And that is very satisfying.

But we never rest on our laurels. To do so would mean to lose focus and drive and fall below the excellence we demand of ourselves. So in 2009 we plan to drive the business to even greater heights.

We have a raft of new products and services to bring to clients to enhance their UKFast hosting solutions even further. We will also continue to expand our team of dedicated account managers, sales executives, technicians etc. to empower us to offer more added value to clients. We also hope to continue to expand our network that already exceeds a quarter of a million websites.

And we believe that the business climate will be right to support a great year. E-commerce is growing every year and 2009 will be no exception. Research suggests that next year UK online sales will climb by 14.4% to £68.4 billion, compared to £59.8 billion in 2008.

So businesses need to be online in 2009 and if they choose a dedicated server from UKFast they can ensure the best performance and reliability on the market.

Bring on 2009, it’s going to be a great year!

A combination of lower overheads, convenience and flexibility to react rapidly to market forces empowers online business to weather the recessionary storm.

Take for example the online travel industry. Various data and research shows that this industry is continuing to prosper even though it is one of the most exposed industries. First of all, major online travel companies Expedia and Lastminute.com have continued to increase profits in 2008, bucking the experience of many high street travel outlets.

Then there is the analytical evidence from online user behaviour. As we detail in the spotlight section of the UKFast December newsletter, the key trends remain positive.

They are:

1. The travel industry’s overall percentage share of all internet traffic has remained constant.
2. Searchers are looking for cheaper, domestic destinations.
3. Online brands have strengthened and gained user loyalty.

The online travel industry continues to get as much traffic now as it did this time last year. This shows that users are as interested in making travel plans online as they were in pre-recession times.

Secondly, research on key words shows that online surfers have switched from looking at foreign destinations to domestic destinations. The motivation on the part of the consumer is cost savings. However, the data also shows that online companies have the flexibility to adjust their marketing easily to continue to capture the prevalent market.

Finally, point three is very encouraging for online travel businesses. The fact that Expedia and LastMinute.com have both seen a 10% increase in the success of their brand names in searches indicates that the online travel brands are becoming more familiar and trusted by customers.

So the conclusion that we can take away is that doing business online affords you opportunities that the high street cannot, opportunities to adapt rapidly to challenging conditions to remain profitable.

Interestingly, it is not Google that Interflora is suing but two British companies who have been bidding on the ‘Interflora’ trademark. Apparently, the suit argues that sections 10(1) and 10(3) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 are being breached by Marks & Spencer and Flowers Direct because they have been bidding on the Interflora name and appearing as ‘sponsored links’ on Google searches of ‘Interflora’.

Although it has taken over six months for Google AdWords to spark this legal battle, it is not surprising that it has come. Since the early weeks of the year firms have been screaming that the considerable money they have spent setting up and developing their brands would be devastated overnight by Google’s money making antics.

What is surprising are the targets for Interflora’s wrath. Most industry commentators expected companies to attack Google for establishing the profit generating system that disregarded trademarks but Interflora has chosen to go after the rivals using the system instead. The key, experts suggest, is cost and the fact that it is cheaper to try and scare opponents out of bidding than to instigate a full scale legal battle with Google.

So the suits are likely to just be scare tactics but if they were to go to court the legal conclusion would be of huge importance. Ultimately, it would come down to a decision on whether bidding on a term on an internet search engine is the same as commercially using the term.

If the judge agreed with Interflora Google would be stripped of its lucrative strategy and a bit of its aura of infallibility, while companies would have to revert to old AdWord bidding strategies. However, if the suit was cast out Google would kick back and relax as firms continued to piggyback each others’ brands.

More and more of us are doing our holiday gift buying online as the convenience and cheap prices are increasingly making the e-street more attractive than the high street.

In fact, according to research from IMRG and Capgemini, online sales are expected to be up 15% on last year even though we are experiencing an economic downturn. And today, Monday December 8th, is predicted to be the single biggest day of online spending with Brits handing over £320m in the space of 24 hours.

The figures suggest that the peak shopping hour has already happened between 1-2pm today when an estimated £28 million was spent online. IMRG and Capgemini say that this is double the amount spent on the web during the peak hour of 2006, at midday on Monday 11th December.

Although the peak may well be today, the online shopping curve is sure to stay sky high right up until Christmas as online businesses offer next day delivery right up until the last few days.

And it is not too late for retailers wanting to get in on the act. With a Hyper-V e-retail server solution from UKFast any e-commerce initiative can be up and running within hours.

The problem is that these measures don’t look as great when scrutinised. The VAT cut will apparently be funded by a hike in a few years time, while the business community says the property tax provision is too little, too late. So are these tax moves really to help British people and industry or just political spin?

Either way, there are measures businesses in the UK can take that will truly help to reduce the financial burden during the recession.

As UKFast reported in early September, there is a little known piece of Government legislation which offers business rate reductions for qualifying small companies. Businesses using a property with a rateable value of less then £10,000 are eligible and could save thousands.

In conjunction with rate relief campaigners leaseholdersunited.com, UKFast launched a major PR push in early September to alert small businesses in the Manchester area to the £16m of unclaimed tax rebates available.

At the time we urged rapid action as the deadline for backdated claims ran out at the end of September 2008. However, I am delighted to say that this deadline has been extended to September 2010. So as the recession bites hard for some, small businesses should make sure that they claim now to get the rate relief that they are entitled to.

To find out if you are eligible to make a claim or to get details on how to claim, visit leaseholdersunited.com.

Either Obama or Clinton would have represented change and as a result the Democratic nomination was a very close run thing. However, after 8 years of Bush’s brand of Republicanism, the American people were ready to embrace a fresh approach and so Obama v McCain virtually became a non-contest.

In fact, never before in US political history has the handing over of the Presidential baton represented such a launching pad for change. Political analysts are already hotly speculating the impact of Obama’s new direction.

For example, stem cell research, such a promising branch of medical science, is expected to be freed from its religious shackles. The US is also expected to front up to its environmental responsibilities and to work on improving its international standing.

If Obama does succeed with these policies, the US electorate will have used their power to invoke change to benefit all of us.

Scaled down a bit, the message of looking to change for a better deal can be equally applied to the business world. We are now familiar with the idea of ‘shopping around’ for our car insurance or phone provider but the same can be true for our hosting provider.

Not every ISP offers the same hardware and they certainly do not offer the same level of support. To get your hosting right you need the best of both. So don’t feel as though you have to stick with a bad choice. If you need dedicated, 100% reliable server hosting and your current supplier cannot deliver this, make the change.

Changing to the right hosting company can be the catalyst to success. Just like changing to a visionary new leader.

The awards look to recognise the top Manchester businesses of 2008. There were six category winners at the ceremony held in Manchester’s Midland Hotel and we fought off very tough competition to win in the category of businesses that had revenue of under £10m per year.

In fact, the high standard of entrants for this year’s awards makes our win all the more pleasing. The judging panel said the competition had “attracted one of the strongest fields in the event’s history, with all the finalists showing impressive leadership and innovation”.

We certainly know how tough it was to just make last night’s shortlist of three. Our entire business came under scrutiny by an expert panel, and our MD Lawrence Jones then gave two impassioned presentations to them. So, after a lot of work and some nervous nail biting it was fantastic that the rollercoaster ride came to such a brilliant conclusion.

But, the event was not just about our success. Looking around the room last night, it reaffirmed to me that Manchester and the North West boasts so much business talent and vision. The judges were impressed with the quality of the local firms in the competition and said as a business region we should be collectively proud about what we are achieving.

Even in difficult times, Manchester is a booming economic centre and we are very proud to be recognised as a leading Manchester business.

Get more details and see pictures from the Awards dinner.

Countryside dwellers, such as those in Huntingdon, Cambridge, are hitting back with concerted pressure on the Government and Ofcom to bring the misleading broadband providers to heel.

The classic problem is the ‘up to’ capacity advertised by broadband companies. Most, not surprisingly, state the maximum speed available on their network prominently. Meanwhile, talk of possible geographical limitations is relegated to the small print. The result is disappointed customers in areas that are a long way from the main local exchange, such as any rural community.

Residents in Huntingdonshire believe that instead of the 8MB broadband that is promoted, they are in reality only getting 512KB, one sixteenth of the headline speed.

All this grief and disappointing performance is because Huntington is not located on a broadband superhighway and that got me thinking about the parallels to the ecommerce industry. Quick and reliable service is essential for any Web business. Customers will not wait for slow loading sites.
Furthermore, Google rankings partly rely on speed ratings, so again slow websites will lose out due to poor Google listings.

So the lessons for ebusinesses are to ensure that their server power is up to the job and that their hosting company is located on a major hub of the broadband network. ISPs, such as UKFast, who occupy a position right on the broadband superhighway can offer more.

So to be in the ecommerce fast lane make sure your hosting provider is right in the middle of the action.

Now these figures do cover a period before the credit crunch truly kicked in but the slow down was already starting and confidence was already falling, so they do reflect behaviour in belt tightening times.

The main headline is that when the advertising market as a whole is cutting back, internet spend continues to rise. And why is this? It is because companies know that online advertising is affordable, accountable and effective.

Online ads have the potential to reach a world of consumers and many online ads only cost per click, so you don’t pay for ineffective advertising. Meanwhile, pay-per-click campaigns and banner leads alike can be monitored to record the direct correlation between advert – interest- spend, so scrutinising management boards can see the tangible results of advertising on the net.

So even when businesses need to cut overheads they have learned that to do so online is a false economy. In my view, if cuts can be concentrated elsewhere they should be because a continued investment in an online presence will always deliver a strong return.

In fact, a bold policy of actually injecting extra online advertising investment now could be the best business decision an MD makes all year. Imagine having your brand all over the internet when your rivals are hiding behind the office photocopier.

And those with an online business should be equally bold. Promote your business and be prepared for extra traffic by ensuring that your hosting solution is up to scratch. Don’t run the risk of downtime when the online marketplace is at the fore. Invest in a dedicated hosting solution to ensure that you are equipped to beat the crunch.

The great strength of the internet is its accessibility but unfortunately the trade off is that this can also be its vulnerability. Providing access to legitimate Web surfers also means potentially providing access to those who would wish to do harm. So it is vitally important for any online business to ensure that they are doing all that they can to protect themselves and their customers from malicious cyber attack.

Most of you reading this blog will probably be thinking that you are totally covered, that you have the right level of protection in place. However, I’m sure that this was what global business giants ING Direct, New York Times and YouTube were thinking as well. According to the research from the Princeton group, all three were found to be vulnerable to attack because of weaknesses in their website coding or configuration.

A common theme to the problems the three websites experienced was data extraction. Cyber attackers were able to obtain important information of visitors to ING Direct, The New York Times and YouTube, which could be later used to obtain further crucial private information.

The realisation that such major organisations can become open to attack is very troubling but by taking the right precautions you can stay ahead of the online criminals.

The first piece of advice in such a situation is always – be proactive. Keep up to date with cyber attack trends and technological developments. Review your security software to ensure it is up-to-date and equipped to deal with new styles of online attack. Old security software is a waste of time.

Second, make sure that access to your website is properly monitored and protected. You obviously have to allow online traffic access through your server portals but procedures can be put in place to block tell-tail unscrupulous originators. Arm yourself with effective zero day protection systems.

Finally, talk to your hosting provider. All good hosting companies have comprehensive security procedures in place to ensure that their clients are fully protected. Make sure that your provider is delivering the protection you need, including appropriate security shields such as Cisco Guard.

It is a constant battle to defend your website from the attacks of online criminals but with proper attention and the right hosting support you can win the fight.

In an interview at the IBC technology conference, the former Channel 4 and BBC man reportedly said operators such as YouTube, Google and Joost are “parasites” living off the TV shows and content created by the commercial broadcaster. However, he also added that he did not feel threatened by such entities.

The attack and then immediate brush-off smacks of desperation to me. Particularly as it comes from a man who finds himself steering a ship in increasingly troubled waters.

If ITV is not worried about Google then the organisation has its head in the sand. For a start, online advertising is already a bigger market than broadcast advertising. Brands are increasingly finding the internet to be a better shop window than TV and the reduction in ad revenue is at the core of the troubles commercial TV companies like ITV are facing.

As Google seems to be successfully siphoning off much of ITV’s ad revenue, I think Grade should not only be concerned about them but also prepared to learn a few lessons. Furthermore, Grade should actually embrace the positive opportunities that outfits like YouTube represent.

No one is going to watch whole pirated ITV shows on YouTube, however the broadcaster could have enticing two minute ‘taster’ clips available that will actually drive viewers to ITV’s portfolio of broadcast mediums.

With the right attitude, parasitical relationships can become symbiotic ones. In my view, Grade and ITV should be actively seeking YouTube exposure.

Google has jumped 43% in the last year climbing into the top 10 while the other growing brands flying up the list include Amazon, Apple and Nintendo. Microsoft and IBM are both in the top three with Big Blue controversially nudging Microsoft into third this year.

As businesses look at the ways they can improve their ROI in this time of economic uncertainty the Internet has proved to be the most popular area to still achieve growth. So right from the top down we are seeing online focused enterprises remain on an upward curve.

At UKFast, sales of managed hosting are mirroring this trend. More and more companies are looking to their dedicated server solutions to give them a solid online presence that attracts a level of interest that is simply not evident offline.

It’s not surprising then that the hardware companies like HP and Dell are also growing in line with this demand. At UKFast we have noticed that dell in particular have made their solutions much more attractive to those buying on a large scale and this allows hosts to pass on the cost saving, increasing the ROI of the businesses residing on their networks.

The UK Government holds to the laughable position of trying to convince us that a crime survey of a cross section of society is a more accurate reflection of crime in the UK than official police figures. No doubt this is because the perceptions of most of those surveyed are favourable to Brown and co. Then there is the SNP holding off on a vote for Scottish independence because they know that right now they would lose. For them timing is everything.

So why am I on about surveys? Well this week a survey from security firm Finjan http://www.safedns.co.uk/news/businesses-now-most-worried-by-cybercrime.html states that online businesses are now more worried about cybercrime leading to data loss than downtime. Don’t get me wrong, cybercrime is a very important issue that we at UKFast take extremely seriously. We use state-of-the-art security and firewall applications to ensure that our clients are totally protected. However, I am surprised that cybercrime would concern online businesses more than downtime.

The potential threat of downtime is at least as serious as cyber attack if online businesses use cheap and unreliable hosting. And downtime can be just as devastating to an internet business as a serious cyber attack. An online business needs to have a reliable online presence. If potential customers cannot access a website they can, and will, go to a rival at the click of their mouse. Then, once they have sampled the online services of the rival, they may never come back.

So we have considered the results, what about why the reasons for them. Firstly, businesses are rightly very concerned about cybercrime and data loss and so many would vote for it as the major concern at any time. However, other crucial factors probably included the spate of recent high profile news stories about UK Government data losses and the fact that the company carrying out the research is an online security specialist.

Online businesses should be serious about protection against cybercrime but they also should be serious about ensuring that downtime doesn’t happen. A dedicated server hosting solution will massively reduce the threat of either problem. For even greater reassurance, a total managed solution offers expert support and monitoring 24/7.

Now, more and more website administrators are offering personalised landing pages to users as the next level to this phenomenon. The most high profile example of this is the BBC which allows visitors to extensively customise their very own home page. They can chose what aspects of the BBC home page appear when they arrive, what orientation it appears in and they can even assign the background colours.

Other sites go a step further. For example the UK version of the NFL website asks for a few personal details so that it can offer a personal greeting to visitors. ‘Welcome Jonny’ certainly feels like personal service. Nfluk.com also allows the user to input their favourite team so that the news section can be refocused from general sport wide news, to news related solely to that team.

The attraction of this strategy to the sports industry is clear. Sports fans have already established allegiances and a website that has the flexibility to cater to these allegiances and effectively ‘decorate’ its home page with the fans’ team colours is certainly at an advantage.

So why are website increasingly going down this personalised route and how easy is it to do?

Personalising allows the users to improve their experience while also saving time. It offers the opportunity for providers to build a closer relationship with users, which is likely to precipitate a longer relationship. All of this equates to more visitors, greater visitor loyalty and a better bottom line.

The best bit is that it is not hard to do. All you need is some asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax). “An Ajax application eliminates the start-stop-start-stop nature of interaction on the web by introducing an intermediary between the user and the server,” says Jess James Garrett of Adaptive Path. The Ajax engine allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously — independent of communication with your dedicated server. So Ajax offers the flexibility for the end user to customise their experience.

So there is nothing holding you back. Get closer to your visitors by offering home page personalising.

Linux’s obvious bonus is in the cost. With open source software there are no licensing fees. Linux is also renowned for its stability and for its diversity. Every “flavour” or “distro” offers strengths in different areas, so users are able to choose one to put to a specific purpose. However, some people see the amount of Linux flavours as counterproductive as they dilute the open source market and put off new users.

Linux applications are modifiable to suit your needs and with online open source forums help is readily available. Because Linux can be modified, less space is taken up with pre-installed, often-unnecessary control panels and applications.

So why has Windows long been the more popular choice? The obvious reason for this is its immediately recognisable branding. Microsoft is known the world over.

Knowledge of Windows’ easily navigable control panel is transferable throughout every application so systems are user-friendly. Every Linux desktop can be tailored to look and act differently which may be confusing. However, more experienced Linux users tend to find this a positive.

With regards to security the vast majority of spyware and viruses affect Windows systems. Windows users should be vigilant and use preventative patches, firewalls and updates to keep their servers safe.

Both systems have their pros and cons. Linux is the safer, more secure, cheaper option – which is the reason for its current growth whilst Windows is more user-friendly but it is expensive.

With regards to business servers, if you’re investing in a managed option, you won’t have to deal with scary Linux control panels anyway. Nor will you have to deal with extra Windows security issues.

When you sign up for a solution make sure you discuss your needs thoroughly with an expert advisor – you may find you need a multi-faceted, cross platform clustered solution. Because every online business is different, every solution should be too.

For those of you who don’t know what Google StreetView is, it is the 360 degree photographing of urban layouts to produce a complete online photographic record of any given point within the StreetView map network.

Currently, a host of cities in the US and France have been photo-mapped and uploaded to the Google Maps website, allowing any internet user to view any street included in the network at any time.

With the arrival of the mapping cars in the UK, the same visual access to our streets is imminent and this has resulted in the previously mentioned front page headlines. Privacy campaigners are appalled by the StreetView concept and they argue that it is a massive invasion of people’s privacy.

However, Google has responded by saying it will blur the faces of anyone captured on film and that it will abide by all relevant UK laws.

So are the privacy issues really a concern?

I don’t believe so. Our identities will not really be betrayed by StreetView and while the opponents do have some valid points, I strongly believe that the positives significantly outweigh the negatives.

One quick test of the new application and the fantastic potential of StreetView leaps out at you. I found myself looking at US cities to get a flavour of whether they would be interesting to visit in person. So this technology is a great way to research potential holiday destinations or even to research home purchases. It can also be used to locate sites or to visualise journey routes.

And of course the potential going forward is immense. An interactive feature could expand the possibilities vastly, while StreetView could even become a totally new concept in communication.

As long as the understandable privacy issues are fully respected then I believe StreetView will be an exciting addition to the ever expanding potential of the internet.

One more thought. Whatever happens with the development of this technology, what is sure is that companies employing it will have to ensure that they have the server power to support it.

Increasingly companies are turning to dedicated server solutions to meet increased processing requirements. As a global leader Google will undoubtedly be running its StreetView technology on dedicated servers, so those looking to capitalise on the exciting new potential should definitely consider a dedicated server solution.

There was a time when telephone purpose cables and dial-up internet connections were all that were needed to get us speeding along the super highway. But then, when the internet’s popularity took off and its massive potential started to be fully realised, we needed more capacity.

Along came broadband (the cyberspace equivalent to expanding the M6 from 6 lanes to 66 lanes). We could once again speed along the highway but this time in huge trucks full of wonderful cargo such as music and film downloads, online games and other capacity greedy items. Now, however it seems as though our vast broadband super highways are once again clogging up, this time with juggernaut traffic jams.

The doomsday advocates say that our insatiable appetite for online video watching will break the internet by about 2010. However, don’t start panicking just yet. In reality the worst case scenario is that online video streaming use will just slow the internet down to snail speeds, so essentially taking us back to the dial-up era, the metaphorical stone-age of the internet epoch.

It seems that we cannot add capacity quickly enough to deal with increasing usage demand. According to Larry Irving, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, (from The Observer April 6, 2008) “estimates show US internet traffic increasing at more than 50% a year, with capacity expanding at only about 40% a year.”

While online video surfing has been identified as the catalyst for increased internet capacity demand, experts seem to be divided into two groups with regard to the reason for the new capacity congestion problems.

Some feel that a lack of foresight is to blame. That is to say that the rapid increase in online video usage was not anticipated. The other camp blames market forces, arguing that infrastructure providers are not willing to make the necessary investments to keep up with demand.

If the first is true then the benefit of hindsight will ensure that capacity is geared up to cope with the internet video era soon. As for the second, well it seems to always take the industry time to realise the commercial potential of internet developments. But they will eventually and when they do, the necessary investment in infrastructure will follow.

So it might look as though video is grinding the internet to a halt, but in reality the internet will adapt as it has always done – until the next big thing that is!

In case you are not familiar with the case here is the background.

US broadcasting company Viacom alleges that YouTube infringes its copyright law by allowing parts of its programmes (such as the Late Show with Jon Stewart) to be shown on the YouTube website.

To prove its case Viacom had asked the US courts to grant it access to YouTube’s data. In response YouTube’s owner Google argued that granting this request would compromise end-user’s privacy.

So which got its way? Both and neither it seems!

This week Judge Louis Stanton from the New York district court ruled that Viacom can have “full access” to the YouTube logs. However he rejected Viacom’s request to see the YouTube source code.

So limited access has been granted. Does this represent a well balanced decision? Google, not surprisingly, is not happy and to be fair I think it has a point. Although the US courts have denied access to certain data it is not clear what end user information will be exposed.

The logs to be divulged include information on when each video gets played. However, attached to each entry is each viewer’s unique login ID and the Internet Protocol address for that viewer’s computer.

Viacom says it will not see this information but as Google is still petitioning to mask the personal data, this aspect of the situation is clearly not yet fully resolved.

The key point is not whether Viacom wants to see this data or not. It is that it may be afforded access to it anyway by the US courts and that sets a troubling precedent.

Upholding user privacy is vital for the continued viability of the internet. If users think that their personal data may be accessed either directly or as a by-product of lawsuits and alike then confidence in the internet will take a hit and that would be a hugely detrimental development.

Successfully building a brand identity costs a lot in time, thought and money but the rewards are massive. A recognised brand is great advertising in its own right, it can instantly convey quality or suitability and alike. Ultimately it identifies your company and your products so the consumer is in no doubt about whom they are dealing with.

Well that was until Google and ICANN came up with their bright ideas for the ‘improvement’ of the internet experience.

Take for example hair accessories company GHD. Its ‘GHD’ brand is so strong that the company gets vastly more internet traffic from searches on its brand than for searches on the generic term ‘hair straighteners’. This is very unusual and it reflects just how strong the GHD brand is.

Unfortunately Google and ICANN’s new rules will undermine all of GHD’s hard marketing work.

Back at the start of May Google changed its Adwords rules to allow anyone to bid on any term. As a result companies have been able to position themselves at the top of Google search listings for their rivals, thus undermining the value of rival’s hard earned brand position.

Now ICANN, the US-appointed guardian of internet domains, has decided that it is a good idea to have a free for all. So just about anything is possible after the dot now. For example, .nyc for websites that want to be associated with New York City or .zoo for zoos maybe.

All very sensible and useful, but the decision, as I understand it, also opens up the possibility of firms registering domains under their rivals’ names, for example Asda using .tesco or Toyota using .honda. So yet another opportunity has been created for a brand to be high-jacked.

Reported by Brand Republic, Jonathan Robinson, the chief operating officer of NetNames, agrees. He has described the move as “the equivalent of opening a can of worms in terms of online infringement and cybersquatting”.

Then there is cost to consider. ICANN is a non-profit organisation but the reseller market will make millions out of the rule changes with the most popular suffixes literally going for millions each.

So when the changes kick in in 2009 it will be even harder and more costly for companies to protect their brands from online high-jacking, while users are likely to have a poorer experience. Nice work ICANN!

According to the BBC , overall profits for Euro 2008 are about 35% higher than for Euro 2004, due in part to a major increase in ecommerce, and with a full week of the tournament still to go UEFA had reported 1 billion hits on its Euro 2008 website, far exceeding the total number of visits to its official site four years ago.

These impressive figures reflect the fact that European football’s governing body has now fully realised the commercial power of the internet. While in the past a website was seen as a secondary thought to pay lip-service to the online medium by an industry focused on broadcast revenue, now UEFA has cottoned on to the fact that a good website can deliver financially.

Take a look at the Euro 2008 home page , the commercial opportunities are everywhere. A sponsor’s banner adorns the top of the page in prime view. There are additional, dynamic adverts on the page and features are also sponsored (i.e. ‘Castrol Stats’) to add a further opportunity for companies to get their advertising in.

Then there is UEFA’s own revenue driving content. Naturally there is an online store, but the most interesting addition this time around is the Pay-per-view facility. This is a real departure for UEFA as it looks to take advantage of the modern broadband age. With this service visitors can pay to watch live games or replays streamed through the official website.

The live streaming in particular is interesting because it shows just how powerful the internet has become as UEFA is willing to irritate its traditional broadcast partners to pursue online revenues.

The internet has evolved past eye-catching novelty, past a begrudging support role, even past an established complimentary commercial endeavour. The internet is now a powerful sales tool in its own right, surpassing traditional mediums in many ways. UEFA has now appreciated this and it is reaping the rewards by maximising the considerable commercial potential of its Euro 2008 website.

This is a pretty contentious point. With the validity of the licence fee as a whole already a hot issue, the idea of Jonny foreigner getting a service for free because we are already paying for it is likely to make some blow a gasket. Furthermore, the fact that new revelations have shown that the BBC overspent £36m on its website in the year to March 2008 certainly doesn’t make the sell any easier.

But should licence fee payers be unhappy? Or should we see the BBC website as an asset for putting UK plc in the global shop window and therefore great value for our money whatever the cost?

In reality the funding situation is not as black and white as suggested above. In fact, foreign IP addresses that bring up bbc.co.uk actually see adverts on the pages. This is because the BBC is allowed to generate revenue from foreign use of its website. So we don’t pay alone for overseas users’ benefit.

However, to be honest I wouldn’t mind if we did because the value to us in the UK is worth the expense.

First and foremost this is because the BBC website, and for that matter the BBC, is a great ambassador for the UK as a whole. Having the BBC website broadbanded into foreign homes spreads the word about UK productivity at its best. The BBC is still revered around the world as the best broadcasting network and it is therefore a shining beacon reminding the world of the fact that some things are still done best in the UK. The reflected glory can benefit us all.

Secondly, the BBC website provides a conduit to other companies in the UK. That is to say it can effectively operate as an indirect advertising medium for UK business. Consider a news story about a UK firm’s great new invention or a feature article on why the UK is becoming a hub of web hosting. Such articles that indirectly promote UK business will be read by overseas users. So the BBC can help to connect UK business to a wider customer base.

Finally, and most directly for our interests at UKFast , the spanking new BBC website shows that the UK internet industry is a world leader. It demonstrates that we as an industry are amongst the very best at designing, building, functioning, marketing and hosting the world’s fastest growing business and information medium.

But what about the overspend? Well at a total price of £110m the BBC website still only costs £5 per licence fee household and when you consider that Eastenders costs about £250,000 per episode, the BBC could easily afford its website if it cancelled the limp London soap!

So, I think to spend what is still a small portion of our licence fees on the BBC’s online presence is money very well spent.

Why? Firstly, community messaging has the power to deliver a business’s ad direct to the audience. Secondly, using the wealth of personal data held by community sites, marketing can be targeted right down to the individual.

Thirdly, it avoids the potential problems that have developed in using email for advertising, such as spam filters and users recognising and rejecting marketing emails. And fourthly, it offers an exciting, new interface, which we could call ’partnering’ or ‘piggybacking’.

If we take Facebook as an example we can see the huge potential for online community messaging marketing.

Facebook has a number of features that offer an effective message service through activity linking. The most direct model involves creating a fan page of a brand or product and inviting members. As people join their network friends are automatically alerted to the action, which spreads the word about the brand. This marketing style generates what is known as ‘Fansumers’ and it has the added benefit that brands are not just promoted but also endorsed.

The ‘partnering’ message is Facebook’s latest initiative. If a user messages a friend with reference to a commercial entity, the business can pay to include an ad that accompanies the message. The example Facebook uses is a restaurant. A user messages a friend saying they have visited a particular restaurant and included in the massage is an ad for that very restaurant.

Online community popularity continues to go from strength to strength and it offers unique characteristics to help businesses get their message across. So a big part of the future of online marketing certainly involves online community messaging.

Our video producer Tristan has got in amongst it to get a little footage that should give you an impression of the atmosphere out there at the moment. I’ve put it up on our website.

I spoke to a BBC journalist friend who has been talking to the fans today and he was struck by the good nature of the day, shaking hands with everyone he spoke to. He pointed out that the feeling you get when observing such a gathering is like no other and I agree. It might be football that has brought people together today but it is a community spirit that drives the celebration.

As businesses we should all take note of the power of community spirit. Joining people together in common purpose, working together to a shared goal are hallmarks of a successful team.

Not sure how I’m going to get home tonight – but right now, I don’t really care.

Immediate reactions have been that Tesco does not want to dance to Google’s tune and that the move is designed to keep the cost of search engine advertising down. And Tesco would not be the only company in the UK commercial sector showing defiance to the US goliath.

Or does Tesco have something else on its mind. Naturally, if it appears to take the moral high ground and does not bid on names such as Sainsbury’s or Asda, it will want them to do the same. Just maybe, the market leader’s concerns of rivals diverting its intended online customer base are the real motivation.

This falls in line with Asda’s belief. According to Brand Republic , Rick Bendel, marketing director at Asda, said: ‘Tesco believes everything is for sale, except when it doesn’t suit it.’ This supports the view that Tesco thinks it will ultimately lose out from the adoption of Adword changes and is trying to manoeuvre to prevent it. However, Asda is not playing ball as it has not ruled out bidding on rival trademarks.

Search engine traffic diversion has become a major issue. The new rules allow companies to bid on rivals’ trademarks for the first time. While advertisers are not allowed to pass themselves off as their competitors, they can now appear quoting their own URL at the top of a search for a rival if they are the top Adwords bidders.

For example, a searcher who wants to do some online grocery shopping puts Tesco in as their search criteria. Asda has top bid on the Adword ‘Tesco’, so its advert appears top of the Google search list. This online shopper just wants groceries and is happy to click on the first link. The searcher looked for Tesco but ended up shopping with Asda. Tesco has lost out despite being the initial front runner.

It is surprising that Tesco would be that concerned about a price war on Adwords. It is the dominant supermarket in the UK and most likely to have the resources to win an Adwords price battle. However, as it operates in a convenience retail sector where customers are likely to opt for the path of least resistance, the possibility that Google’s new Adwords system will divert custom away is a serious concern.

This is also backed up by brand new research suggesting that under the new system search engine users get to their original search destination 8% less often compared to the old system.

I believe that Tesco’s true concern with Google’s new rules is not that it will have to spend more but that its competitors will now profit from piggybacking on its hard fought brand positioning.

The new Millward Brown list of top 100 brands is once again dominated by technology companies with 6 of the top 10 coming from the IT field. However, previous brand king Microsoft has fallen to third to leave Google as the undisputed brand leader. Or has it, according to an alternative list by Interbrand Google ranked only 20th in 2007.

The discrepancy seems to be down to just how rapidly the Google brand is growing. While the Interbrand 2007 list has Google in 20th place it also says the brand had grown by 44% over the previous 12 months, a figure that blows all of the other top 100 brands out of the water. It is therefore perhaps understandable that a year on Google would be the top brand worldwide.

The Millward Brown list is compiled by evaluating both tangible financials and intangible customer opinion. In terms of the tangibles, Google certainly made big waves last year. Profits were up 40% to $4.2 billion in 2007.

Meanwhile, what about the intangibles? Well ask a random person on the street to name an online search engine and chances are they will say Google. Similarly, ask them to describe the Google logo and, again, the likelihood is they can.

It certainly seems Google is king at the moment. Its impressive profits, extremely recognisable profile and market sector dominance undoubtedly makes it the Tiger Woods of brands.

Meanwhile, looking just at the UK sector, Vodafone has taken over as the top British brand and in doing so has provided a useful example that brand success and profits are not necessarily mutual. In fact, ironically Vodafone’s bottom line has taken a bit of a beating lately partly because it has been pursuing an aggressive acquisition policy to expand its brand strength globally. Time will tell if boosting its brand will work for Vodafone.

Also of interest is the continued recovery of Marks & Spencer. The British retailer has had an iconic brand for a long time, however its value has fluctuated a great deal in the last few years. Happy for it, the brand is looking in good shape again as M&S is the top British retail brand and the fourth highest overall.

The recover has been multipronged. To rebuild its reputation M&S has revamped its stores, refocused on core product lines and, of course, delivered a highly successful ad campaign that reports suggest brought in £2.5 for every £1 spent. Other successful strategies included a remodelling of the company website, which resulted in a 78% increase in online Christmas sales last year. The morale of the M&S story seems to be: keep it fresh and current.

The logic of the move is clear to me: by teaming up both Yahoo and Microsoft can, for the first time, realistically take on search engine leader Google. This is a strategic view that I’m sure is appreciated throughout the IT community with the exception of Yahoo’s senior management it seems.

In fact Yahoo’s tactics appear to be to go the opposite way completely, by teaming up with Google in a deal that can surely only strengthen the search engine king’s grip on its throne. Yahoo has agreed to enter a trial of using Google AdSense, which will deliver relevant Google ads alongside Yahoo’s own search results. Yahoo is also reportedly in talks to take over Time Warner’s AOL internet assets. All this, it seems, to thwart Microsoft.

But why? Is it because Yahoo is fiercely independent? Or is it just fiercely opposed to being bought by Microsoft? Either way I believe that Yahoo has its sense of who is its biggest competition badly skewed.

By partnering up with Microsoft, Yahoo would have the ability to take on Google for the status of the largest online search portal worldwide (and the financial prizes that come with it). Instead, by teaming with Google and taking on its technology, Yahoo is effectively announcing that Google is better. This amounts to Google standing on the summit of Mount Internet Search Engine and then Yahoo handing it a Yahoo branded box to stand on.

Yahoo would no doubt argue that it is not just a search portal and that being number one in that regard is not the be-all and end-all. It may even add that a tie-up with Google will help drive traffic to its other portal services thus strengthening its overall standing. However, for me, it seems as though business sense has given way to good old-fashioned pride. Yahoo likes being a big fish in its own pond and it does not want to be a small fish in Microsoft’s vast silicone sea!

And meanwhile, everyone else with a vested interest in the internet, from managed hosting providers to mortgage advisors , lose out. Google is already starting to throw its weight around by changing its Adword rules to glean higher profits and now Yahoo has demonstrated that it is safe to continue its anticompetitive policies.

Google intends to allow open keyword bidding on trademarked terms for the first time in the UK, a move that will effectively allow any company to gatecrash the pay-per-click efforts of others under what I would consider false pretences.

Basically, the outgoing system ensures that if a searcher includes a trademarked term anywhere within their search criterion, the company holding the trademark will appear at the top of the sponsor links (if they have placed a bid). However, under the incoming system the highest bidder, regardless of whether they are the trademark owner or not, will come top.

For example, in theory if BMW top bid on the term ‘Audi’ it would appear top of a search for ‘Audi’, above its rival even though Audi’s name has been directly used in the search box. Google says its new rules will ensure that BMW could not quote Audi or Audi’s URL in its ad, instead it must quote the address the link goes to and that searchers will be able to discern the situation from this. However, I totally disagree.

My understanding of searcher behaviour is that they go to Google because they fundamentally trust the accuracy of its results. Because of this, I believe searchers will automatically click on top matches without appreciating the reason for their top listing.

And it is not just the searcher who is losing out. Online companies will also lose out because the top bidders will be effectively stealing their traffic, leaving them with the only option of handing over more pay-per-click cash to Google to keep on top.

Google has defended its policy change, saying that it will offer searchers more choice in the sponsors’ results section. However, cynics, including myself, aren’t buying this justification. The fact that this revenue driving change comes as Google has been experiencing a reduction in its Adword income for the first time is more than a coincidence in my opinion.

In fact, far from improving the choice available to customers, we at UKFast believe that search results will actually be compromised by the new rules, as searchers will be getting more generalised returns than before. They will actually be getting the returns the big spending advertisers want, while Google will be getting the financial returns it wants.

These new rules leave Google’s ethos, of delivering best quality search matches, in tatters.

It is a clever film and a great watch – but ten years later, it would never work. Why? Because the internet would easily have exploded the myth Hoffman created. And millions and millions of people today are influenced by the information they access online. The television is still of course a massively important conduit but the internet like never before has the capability to create a majority. Few understand this better than the US Presidential candidates who are well aware that there is an online battle to be won.

In this battle Barack Obama appears to have the upper hand – as well as a little help from his friends. The Viral Video Chart reveals that a new video posted just 6 days ago has already been viewed by over 5 million visitors. It has been linked to by more than 2000 sources and commented on across all social media platforms by many more. The video is the ‘Yes We Can’ Obama Song by Will.I.Am.

As The Campaign Spot (National Review Online’s blog) points out and as De Niro knew a decade before, Hollywood can provide a very powerful message. It is no wonder that 18-30 year olds (the millennial voters) are turning out in record numbers. It is also no surprise that Barack Obama is winning the majority of this vote on nearly every occasion.

Google is vocal but not quite uniform in its response. One minute, MD for UK Sales Mark Howe is welcoming the competition and the next, senior vice president David Drummond is appealing to competition commissions that a merger will give rise to unfair dominance.

Naturally, the online marketing community is welcoming a long overdue challenge to Google’s advertising strength but there’s more to this bid underlying Google’s concern than many realise. Focus has been placed on the online applications side of a deal but Microsoft has for a while now been developing its demographic ad/search capabilities and has only one rival in this area – Yahoo!.

It is difficult to get hold of accurate figures, but Wikipedia cites Windows Live Hotmail as having 260million accounts in existence which means a hugely valuable database of user information activated when users browse after login. In recent statistics, comScore places Yahoo as the web mail leader with 255m accounts so while something is a little awry it is clear is that Microsoft – with the addition of Yahoo’s user data would indeed be a very formidable force in the digital advertising market.

With Google’s sign up email (gmail) tiny in comparison, the ability to target ads to the right demographic is one of Google’s weaknesses within the market. And with the search leader’s DoubleClick acquisition moving forward Microsoft needs to do something to avoid being left behind entirely. The Yahoo! bid brings it back in the eyes of all involved as a force to be reckoned with.

I for one am very excited about how this will develop over the coming weeks and months.