Updated portfolio

I’ve just updated my web design portfolio page. Please take a look! Has anyone got any suggestions as to why wordpress won’t let me upload Flash files?!

Scams Awareness Month – Staying safe online

Get Safe Online are currently working with the Office of Fair Trading to promote Scams Awareness Month.

With the credit crunch biting they are seeing a rise in the number of internet scams as fraudsters attempt to prey on people’s money worries.

What can you do to stay safe online?

These are some simple tips to follow including:

• If you’re shopping online look for clear signs that you are buying from a reputable company (secure website, privacy and return policies, do they have a real-world presence?)
• On auction sites make sure you understand the auction process, rules and safety advice, check seller feedback and pay in a safe way through PayPal or credit card
• Never disclose private information, shred documents before throwing them out and ensure your computer is protected against viruses and spyware

Further information on all of these and more is available on the Get Safe Online blog.

First email banner software launches

Aimed at businesses that combined send thousands of emails each day, Glooq are launching their ad-banner provider in the UK. (Source: Brand Republic)

 The software allows a business to set up various advertising images which are then shuffled within the email. Stats are then available to show the number of times the banners are clicked.

 Glooq’s client base includes big names like Audi and Motorola, which leaves me confused…

 Every business has an advertising budget and simple Flash/HTML banners aren’t complicated to produce – so apart from simplifying the production process, the businesses that take up the Glooq software are surely lagging behind modern advertising conventions?

Finally I join the Twitter brigade

After weeks of mulling over whether to sign up to Twitter I have finally given in. I enjoy reading what others are ‘Tweeting’ and see the huge benefits to journalism in immediate news, but there’s just one problem… my life is pretty average and there’s nothing that interesting I’ve got to report about.

Anyway feel free to follow me on Twitter. Any suggestions of what to Tweet are very welcome!

Google eye-tracking study

TechCrunch have picked up on Google’s recent insight into the habits of people scanning search results. The video below shows some of the results – it’s interesting to see just how fast eyes scan around the results. And another reminder of just how important it is to be ranked highly.

Google’s blog of their eye-tracking study can be read here.