A colleague recently introduced me to the phrase ‘Golden Hammer’ in relation to software development. I’d never heard the phrase before, though the actual concept it represents is all too familiar in web and software development circles, and in fact, anybody who is halfway to being IT literate can probably identify a company that is applying […]
Archive | Technology
I am not Harry Potter
Contrary to some schools of thought, web design does not require one to gather rare and enchanted items into a bubbling pot and mutter secret words of magic in the hope that if the stars are aligned correctly and you got the potion just right that somehow a beautiful and functional web site will appear […]
Doing no evil?
Google recently launched The Data Liberation Front. A typically – for Google at least – bold move that has the aim of, and get this, making it easier for users to leave Google and take their data elsewhere. You might at first think this to be a counter-productive move, surely Google wants to stop users leaving and taking […]
Why have an intranet?
If you are thinking about building an Intranet it is critical to understand and communicate to others why you need one in the first place. Intranet projects initiated without a clear set of goals and priorities are almost certainly headed towards failure from the start. The success of an Intranet essentially stems from any cost […]
Google keyword rant
I use Google Webmaster Tools to try and figure out how my site performs in terms of keywords. It just makes sense. If Google wants to tell you what 100 keywords it thinks you have, you should probably go and take a look. Recently though, I discovered something that made me stop and think about how […]
Sharepoint Competition Comparison
Not long ago I mused on the possibilities of Open Source, and yes, I took a swipe at Microsoft, but I’m a great believer in the right tool for the job, and as such, if you want an out-of-the-box jack of all trades (intranet, enterprise content management and web content management), then without a doubt, I’m […]
When one website is not enough
Many businesses have a main web site. A digital corporate presence into which Internet users can delve to retrieve all sorts of information about the company, the products or services that it offers, or its personnel and ethos. Occasionally though, a single web site may not easily cater for the wide range of people who visit a corporate web […]
Is search really dead?
Unless you have been living in a dark cave for the past few years, you will have noticed the inexorable rise of Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,Bebo and countless other social networking sites. Social Networking has been The Next Big Thing for a long time now, and whilst Google et al have been holding on to our hearts and minds, they […]
On the Benefits of Open Source
Given recent political events in the UK, it is not surprising to see that there are many groups organising a push for more open and transparent government. There is a definite feeling that the people of the UK have a right to know what is happening in the corridors of power, not only in government, but also in the financial […]
Twitter succumbs to Denial of Service attack – lessons to learn?
I’d noticed that Twitter was running slow yesterday only because by pure coincidence I had registered an account on the site the day before (for the purpose of tweeting about WhizzyDigital). Having tried to log on at a few different junctures during the day, it became obvious that there was something seriously wrong. Now the BBC reports that Twitter, Facebook and possibly Google (specifically Gmail and YouTube) were […]