It’s clear what they do from their annoying adverts. It’s interesting to see how far they go in order to rank highly for certain keywords like Sell Used Car.

More often than not, copy is created for a website based on the message that it needs to communicate to people, in order to aid a buying process or funnel visitors through to a certain place. Optimising a page includes important keywords for that page within the body copy, so that search engine’s calculate that the page is important and relavent to that keyword.

During the process of selling my Fiat Punto recently, I noticed something strange about the copy on webuyanycar.com. This page which attempts to communicate how selling your car through webuyanycar.com works, actually is a pretty well optimised page for several keywords.

The interesting thing here isn’t that the page is optimised, it’s that it’s been over optimised. This means that it reads well for search engines but when the genuine audience reads it, it doesn’t really sound like normal content.

Here is a quick example:

Find out more about used cars here on our used cars website for used cars. Used cars are the most interesting type of used cars on the used car market.

See how many times I have managed to cram the phrase used cars in here… crazy for human readers, but great for search engines. The titles within the page have also been filled with used cars phrases, which almost make them irrelavent.

What is this doing to our internet? It’s making websites and web pages very focused on a specific keyword or phrase, and in some cases almost changing the real content, meaning, and use of a page into something else. Are these pages useful other than for search engine optimisation?

Whatever the future holds for pages of website content, I managed to find out what the website was about and sell my car!

Related posts:

1. Completed Project: Quartz-Lite
2. Measuring Website Dimensions Easily and Quickly with FireShot

I don’t really like football as a whole. I like the occasional kick about, and the in-depth analysis at half -time and full-time where they show the best bits of the game, but that’s about it.

My brain doesn’t seem to have the capacity to watch a full game and find it interesting. Truth be told, i’d almost rather be doing something else.

There are a couple of reasons, however, since the start of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa why I do like football.

1. Empty Roads

The roads are extremely quiet. Need to go on a long journey, enjoy motorcycling or taking your convertible out for a spin? – When there’s a game on, it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge and take advantage of the open roads and lack of other road users.

2. Quiet Office

It’s a great chance to get some work done. The office goes quiet for an hour and a half, and the endless stream of emails slows to less than a snails pace. It’s almost like turning the internet off, but still being able to access it for work purposes.

3. Good atmosphere

Generally, having something which the whole country is aiming for, striving and supporting, is good for the overall happiness and feel-good-factor of the country. It’s a common goal which everyone is focused on, which almost dominates conversation. It’s nice to have something everyone thinks and talks about. Even if you’re not that interested, you can still take part!

4. Another excuse for celebration

It is a good excuse to celebrate. Beer, wine, BBQ’s, or general enjoyment. Again, it’s an excuse for everyone to get together and have some fun.

Well, these are four of the reasons why I like football tournaments on a grand scale. So how can we make these things come around more often to reap the benefits over and over again! If you love football, then you’d love it. If you don’t like football, then you’ll still love it!!

Image by timsnell

No related posts.

I took some time out to visit the Dieter Rams exhibition at the Design Museum. Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams is in it’s last weeks, an I wanted to take a look before it moved on or disappeared forever. I thought it might be a good place to see some of his products in the flesh and take a few photos.

I’ve been aware of Dieter Ram’s design ethos since studying product design. His ten principles of good design are taught to design students around the world, and provide a firm basis for professional industrial designers everywhere.

Dieter Rams is most famous for working with Braun for over 40 years and developing the unique style within the brand. His aim is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to the best possible advantage. The instantly recognisable result is functional products with a simple and elegant style.

The range of products Rams designed with the Braun family cover record players, radios, hair dryers, video cameras, flash guns, coffee grinders, heaters, a watch or two and many more. The open, honest and truly functional product designs each have their own qualities and individual personalities. A few of these above and below.

The exhibition at the Design Museum has been a great chance to take a closer look at the products. Many of the little details which can’t be seen in books, photographs and even within videos are clearly visible. Each of the products work on their own, or displayed within a group. It’s clear that these beautiful products have set a trend, philosophy and direction which is used by modern greats such as Jonathan Ive, Jasper Morrison and others.

If you’d like to know more, check out the design museum or Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams the book. Exhibition is on until the 9th March 2010.

All photography by me.

Related posts:

1. Decode: Digital Design Sensations Exhibition at the V&A Museum

Snow in the UK generally means that the country comes to a halt. Planes are grounded, cars stuck in their driveways and trains in the station. During the snowy and icy conditions, the national rail system blames delays and cancellations on ‘adverse weather conditions’. But how long before adverse becomes normal?

Adverse describes something which is acting against or in a contrary direction. So, in the case of a train journey attempting to get from A to B, adverse weather conditions are forces which are acting against these efforts. This is mainly because the weather is abnormal, unexpected, unprecedented and improperly forecast and prepared for.

How long will it be, and how many weeks or months of the year does it have to be snowy, icy and adverse weather conditions, before it’s considered normal. If it snowed every day of the year we’d all have snow tyres. If it snowed every day of the year, I expect the trains would have snowploughs on the front. So why not build it in anyway.

This year, it snowed for around 2 weeks in some areas of the country. That’s about 4% of the year. I would estimate that anything around 10 to 20% could be considered expected. 20 to 40% could be considered normal and 40% plus could be assumed as probable.

So, what can we do about it? My answer is be prepared to spend a little bit of time and money on tools, equipment and clothes to help us prepare for these scenarios. When they come along, everyone is prepared!

Photo by Richard Stowey

No related posts.

The end of the year usually gets me thinking about the future and this year is no different. Current technology and the demands for unique content seems to be growing at an ever increasing pace, and nothing shows this more than the accelleration of mobile devices with their app stores. Apple iPhone App Store, Google Android Market, Blackberry App World, Nokia Ovi Store, and everyone else who is following suit at the moment. But where does this app business all lead? And what does it get us?

The manufacturers have provided and are building on the platforms, and it’s up to the users to create the content, for themselves or for other users. The greatest solutions and answers permiate their way to the surface and become the most well known and widely used.

So, what does the future hold for the app?

The movies depict a future of robots being delivered to our houses, as in iRobot or A.I. and arriving as a close representation of our human selves, capable of everything we can throw at them. Capable of cooking, cleaning, administering medication, mending and making things… but how long would the development and perfection of all of these things take? How long would the development of all the apps in the iPhone store have taken if Apple developed them all before the release of the iPhone? Well, probably a lot longer than it has taken.

Perhaps all we need is numerous organisations to develop the framework, build the platforms, invent the language and create the rules which can be the blank canvas for others to use as a test bed onto which they can throw their ideas. Robot owners can download their applications, test and rate them and provide feedback. Survival of the fittest.

A competitive environment similar to the app store environment of the moment, but with robots and applications which use their motor and processing capabilities, will throw up interesting results.

So, what will happen for the future? How long will it be before robots are available to everyone, like mobile devices are today. Will there even be a time when everyone has their own personal robot assistant? Only time will tell!

Photo by alliewiki

No related posts.

I’ve been using my HTC Hero, which is powered by Google Android, for a few months now and really like the jump i’ve taken from my previous Sony Ericsson K810i. It’s quite interesting to use something with such a technology jump, and it’s amazing how easily I have become used to the advances. But there are a few things I would change…

I gladly accept the fact that I can check where I am with GPS and google maps, send twitter updates from the train, broadcast video live on the move, check my emails and upload a picture of what’s in front of me straight to facebook.

But there are a few things which I believe could come in handy in future iterations. These mainly lie under the category of the predictive text. The predictive text simply improves the likelyhood of typing sensible sentences by guessing what the word should be when various letters are pressed in sequence.

In comparison to traditional keys which are physical, where one can touch the key to locate a finger or thumb, and then press the key in two separate actions, the use of a touch screen forces a locate and confirm in one action. This, some might argue, enforces a greater reliance on improved predictive text, as opposed to traditional keyboards which require no predictive text at all.

So, what needs to be improved?

1. Improve hardware spec
2. Additional or subtrational letters within words
3. Optional spaces

Due to hardware issues and the occasional slowdown, the phone often thinks that the keys are pressed for longer than they actually are. This leads to a number or symbol appearing within a word and the predictive text stumbles. Symbols and numbers should be interchangeable with letters within the predictive text.

Additional letters are often pressed by accident or missed out altogether. The preictive text within the HTC Hero should give additional options based upon adding or subtracting letters.

Spaces are critical to a sentence. I will often type two words, one after another without spaces in between. It would be nice if the Android predictive text would offer two-word alternatives when two words are typed next to each other.

So, there we have it, a few worthy upgrades to the Android / HTC Hero predictive text system. Probably, all of which have been addressed in versions of Android above 1.5. Roll on the next version, please!

Photo by Patrick He

No related posts.

It’s always struck me as strange, that the colours of the orange juice in ASDA seem to like being a little different. They used to be green, but recently they have decided to change the packaging to a predominantly blue colour (it is blue. picture is off colour). Now is it just me, or does this go against some sort of industry standard of orange juice being orange? And if there isn’t one, can one be invented?

No related posts.

I recently purchased a new Samsung SyncMaster T220 monitor. It’s a significant size and resolution enhancement over my laptop screen. An increase from 15.4″ to 22″ is quite a large jump, and very refreshing.

I was intrigued by two of the warning icons on the plastic software CD packaging. What looks like a baby and an adult with the plastic bag over their heads and choking. I quite like them because they are simple, effective and quite fun even though the message is strong and important.q2feakbnzq

No related posts.