digiCreative Blog
Gather Conference
We'll be at a tech / creative community conference called Gather on 30th June in Auckland (previously called Auckland Barcamp). Feel free to have a look at their website to learn more... we went last year, and definitely recommend going if you're wanting to learn more about technology. It's a little too late to register now, but if you missed out on a ticket perhaps it's something to put on your calendar for next year.
Google's New Privacy Policy
Google has introduced a new privacy policy, which comes into effect today. This simplifies things by providing one privacy policy for their many products. As a user of Google search, maps, email, docs, analytics, YouTube, and more, I’m no longer presented with 6+ different privacy policies.
Google has come in the media spotlight for their new privacy policy, but I don’t think it’s much different from other technology companies. Yes, in short, Google tracks my use of their services to provide “more personalised content and advertising”. If it sounds too much like Big Brother, then I don’t need to use their services, I could always go back to using the “unpersonalised” Yellow Pages.
Perhaps I’m a little too pragmatic, but so long as Google’s service works well and my details are kept secure, then I’m ok. However I’d be in trouble if Google went down in a similar fashion to Kim Dotcom’s MegaUpload. I use Google’s email system, and I don’t have my own backup of my inbox with them. Sure, Google keeps backups, but if Google were taken offline like MegaUpload, then I’d lose the files.
Which poses the question of why MegaUpload got shut down, when users can just as easily share copyrighted files on Gmail or Google Docs (and indeed I'm sure such files are sometimes shared on Google’s platform). I think the difference is Google pays taxes in the US, and is playing nice with the powers-that-be. A company’s privacy policy is secondary to their relationships. And as such, I’m happy enough with Google’s new privacy policy.
That said, if I really want to keep something private, it would be best for me to use a New Zealand provider, that houses its servers in the country, so it’s governed by New Zealand law. That's one of the many reasons why we run our own web servers, which are housed locally in New Zealand.
Joining Forces With NetValue
We're pleased to announce that digiCreative will be joining forces with NetValue Ltd (www.netvalue.net.nz). This merger enables us to focus on creating websites and optimising them for search engines, while leveraging NetValue's admin, software, and server team. As such we’ll be able to offer a broader range of services, including Facebook campaigns, cloud hosting, and software development.
Safari top browser for site
This is an analysis of the browsers that have visited a client's website over the past 30 days. It's interesting to see that Safari is beating Internet Explorer!
How much is it costing you not to be at the top of Google?
Telecom XT Data Weirdness
I've been using a bit of mobile broadband recently on Telecom XT, and wanted to check my data usage. So I login to Telecom's website to check:
Kane joins the team
digiCreative would like to officially welcome Kane Hall to the team!
Kane joins us with a strong background in web design and development, gained from completing a Bachelor of Media Arts (BMA) from Wintec in 2008 and then completing freelance design work. He has come into digiCreative keen to further grow his skills and is already enjoying bouncing creative ideas around with the team. Kane proudly describes himself as a determined, focused, and passionate designer, and he is looking forward to working with all of our fantastic clients on their web development projects! He is always happy to talk web, but also enjoys other creative pursuits like music (DJing at local venues), gaming, and concept art. Be sure to say hello when you’re next dropping by the office, and make him feel welcome.
Email Newsletter Usability
Internet users generally have a higher emotional reaction to receiving newsletters than general web surfing, usually seeing internet sites as a tool to quickly use then put aside. Newsletters allow us to create positive interactions within clients, creating more of a bond than a website alone can. However, if done wrongly, they can create problems which have a negative effect on customers.
The layout and writing of a newsletter both need superb usability to retain the user's attention as well as being seen as helpful and relevant. This will reduce one of the stresses of modern life and improve the connection between businesses and clients. You can read the full details at this interesting article from Nielson Norman Group
Even if you're on the front page of Google, ranking still really matters
So you see your rank really does matter. Being in the top 3 is really much better than being somewhere further down the page, even if you do rank on that first page of Google results.
500 million searches on Google daily
Today more and more people are using the Internet. Every day, 500 million searches get processed by Google. There are around 110 million unique websites, and more than 1 trillion individual pages.
The challenge for businesses is to get found amongst this huge number of websites. The solution is to have a market-niche that ranks well on Google. An effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) campaign puts a website at the top of Google’s results, ensuring that it is seen by a large audience.
For tips on how to do this, see our blog posts Using the Right Words and Eight Website Promotion Tips. Otherwise you can contact us to get us to do the hard work for you!