Kate Garraway came up with the idea and name Goodypass.com after she set out to find ways of developing a long term business that offered something real and of value to her fans.  Her idea was that celebrities get freebies so why shouldn’t the general public and these values also suit the sites aims to push products in a socially authentic way. Kate has also signed up twelve other celebrities to help her promote deals on the site and each will have their own portal which will include videos, photos and a blog, from where they can recommend deals. These celebrities include Alison Hammond, Lynda Bellingham, Aldo Zilli, Lisa Faukner and Laura Hamilton to name just a few. The site also intends to donate 5% of all profits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for kids.  

Goodypass joins a growing number of social commerce sites best illustrated by LivingSocial and Groupon which has been a massive success in America and has recently been valued at over $1 billion. It could perhaps be questioned that the online voucher market is becoming a crowded market place but having celebrities making recommendations does tend to give the site an exciting edge.

How does Goodypass work and what is on offer?

Goodypass.com works with a wide range of national and local businesses to source deals which offer members access to discounts on various goods and services including beauty treatments and designer clothing and accessories.  To buy a goodypass deal all you have to do is click, buy now, register, pay and you are sent an email with a link so that you can print your voucher. Your voucher will then detail exactly what you need to do to redeem it.  Once you’ve tried it out you might want to tell your friends all about the company and Goodypass are offering £5 credit to members who refer a new member providing your friend buys a deal within 72 hours of receiving your invitation.

So how does Goodpass.com make a profit? As well as negotiating discounts which are passed direct to consumers, commission is also negotiated for the company. This percentage helps to cover the cost of running the businesses and it is hoped this will eventually allow the business to make a profit. Until then celebrities involved will laso take a share of the commission in return for their involvement.

Potential influence of Celebrities on Social Commerce

Using celebrities to promote offers to a mainstream audience does seem like a smart move.  What makes Goodypass different is that it allows consumers to communicate directly with showbiz personalities. Most offer sites are set up with no pre existing brand or audience, however Goodypass is already an official discount partner of Ok magazine and Kate is very active on Twitter and blogs every week.  Kate only joined Twitter last year and already has over 38,000 twitter followers and Angela Griffin has 43,422 so Goodypass has an opportune audience base.  

The offers aren’t available for every city yet, but the company is growing very quickly. The website states that if you can help get any Goodypass.com deals in your city to get in touch.  The sector of celebrity and social commerce definitely seems like one to watch.  It is currently free to sign up to Goodypass.com so I’m definately tempted to give it a go!

Goodypass.com: A group buying site offering members a slice of a Celebrity Lifestyle Online is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

Key Findings from the Study: Gender differences uncovered

The study indicated that 38% of men own a Smartphone compared to 29% of Women and 60% of Women use Facebook, compared to 52% of men.  Time was also identified as a potential factor with women being more likely to engage in the social elements of a retailer’s Facebook page, whereas men might look to speed up the purchasing process via a mobile. Mobile Commerce does seem to have made more of a connection with men, as 14% of men surveyed revealed that they use phone apps which support shopping, compared with just 8% of Women.  In contrast consumers have yet to become engaged with brands and retailers through their Social Networking medium, as just 9% of all consumers indicated they follow brands on Social Media and just 6% make a purchase.  

37% of the survey’s respondents said that they didn’t see the point of brands using Social Media and 18% said the same of retailers. The research does clearly confirm that younger consumers in the 16 – 24 age range are far more likely to engage in Social Media activity whereas none of the 55 plus age group indicated they followed any brands or retailers. From the consumers who indicated that they do engage in Social Media activity, 32% revealed that the main reason which resulted in their decision to follow a brand or retailer on Social Media channels was to feel part of a group. 29% of consumers follow them to share their thoughts and be part of forum.  A further 10% sign up to benefit from discounts, vouchers and promotions and 6% of consumers joined just to make a complaint.

What can Retailers take from this research?

The overall message amongst the findings is that there are some clear opportunities for retailers and brands through Social Media and Mobile commerce, but getting this offering right is more difficult than it seems. The figures in the study do suggest that the gender and age divides revealed in terms of Social Media shopping platforms and Mobile Commerce could be put to good use by retailers to better target and engage their customers. Social Media has previously been used in more of a supportive role, bringing traffic to retail websites which provide the actual online shopping experience. However the encouraging response to innovate offerings such as Facebook Deals and Facebook Places does tend to confirm that Social Media is now fast becoming a more viable channel for online shopping.

There also seems to be a barrier in shopper’s minds as to why should they communicate directly with a brand and why brands would want to communicate with them. Brands must therefore work harder to connect with shoppers and then maintain their attention. They need to create a social network space, which not only generates brand interest but also provides visitors with a reason to return.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the findings of this study!

Gender Divide in Online Shopping Revealed? is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

The time period of website assessment included November 2010 through to January 2011, thus including the problematic Christmas Shopping season, the adverse weather conditions and resulting Royal Mail strike action. Retailers can take a lot from this report which indicates there is clear room for improvement in terms of their customer service options and support they provide.

Overall Performance – 51 Retail Websites Benchmarked

The study generally reported relatively high scores across the board for the 51 sites reviewed. The percentage scores allocated refer to the weighted average, so a maximum score from surveyors for the end to end customer journey would have resulted in a 100% score.  From the nine categories assessed in the study, Figleaves was revealed as the top performer with 89%, closely followed by Amazon with 87.9% and Dorothy Perkins with 86.2%.  The Figleaves site was praised for its engaging website which offers stylish and informative product pages along with an intuitive shopping basket.

In contrast H&M’s newly launched e-commerce site finished at the bottom of the table with a score of just 64.8% which is understandable considering the vast amount of user experience issues which have been reported with the site. WH Smith and Play.com completed the bottom three scoring sites with, 65.4% and 70.3%.  

Customer Journey – Findings & Results

The chart below indicates the retailers who performed best and worst across the customer journey.    Exceptional customer Service clearly proved to be the main differentiator for websites assessed during the festive period.

Christmas Delivery Issues

The study clearly shows the impact of the weather during the assessment period with just four from the 51 sites benchmarked managed to score 100% for on time deliveries, compared to the 38 retailers who managed to achieve this in the same study completed in the Autumn of 2010.  Of the top performing sites in this section, many had their own delivery network including Tesco, Littlewoods and Interflora. Although 26% of orders placed on Figleaves by eDigital’s mystery shoppers were late during the festive period, the retailer excelled in contrast to other retailers in the categories for email and telephone customer service contact, an area where online retailers tend to struggle to rate highly.

Customer Service Options

Overall scores in this category were the lowest of the entire survey, although many of the problems encountered were a direct result of the adverse weather conditions and some retailers coped much better than others.  Managing customer expectations was crucial during this period and many retailers were able to do this through clear homepage message and some chose to bring forward their deadline for guaranteed Christmas orders as they didn’t want to make customer promises they couldn’t keep.

Common problems included sites making email addresses difficult to find resulting in customers having to fill in contact forms with slow response rates. From the 51 sites reviewed only 14 of the retailers scored more than 50% for the speed of email response and worse still 10 actually scored less that 10%.   The speed of response is vital maintaining levels of customer satisfaction and Figleaves were able to excel here and scored 81.6% for customer service contact and 76.9% for the speed of response.  At the other end of the scale Asda direct, New Look and Play all scored 0% as no email contact facility is provided.

For telephone customer service Figleaves came a close second to Interflora who provided a clear contact number, polite and knowledgeable staff and a callback option for when their agents were busy.  In contrast WH Smith was rated at the worst performer and ASOS did not offer this as an optional service. Nevertheless ASOS did score well for email and also has a dedicated Twitter customer service account, an area which was not covered in the survey.

Retail Website Usability Survey ranks Figleaves No.1 is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

Facebook

According to Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, the traditional concepts of privacy are no longer a social norm and have instead been replaced by an even greater sharing impulse.  Critics tend to argue that Facebook’s policies have regularly changed to push you into revealing even more information.  Although Facebook have a taken a new measure making groups private by default, you still need to be proactive to protect your information. To control how third parties see your data go to Account>Privacy Settings>Applications and Websites from your own Facebook homepage.

Google

On Facebook, you can state you like particular people, music, TV programmes and activities etc, however Google knows what you really like and want.  Although before you sign into Google its memory is rather limited, it is only when you actually sign into an account that it knows more.  Signed in, Google keeps an extensive history of your searches.  This data is so valuable is because Google is an advertising company.  Although Google are adamant that they handle your info carefully, they say they never sell it on to advertisers and as a rule, don’t share data between their own services.

Amazon

You will have probably purchased something from Amazon previously and will no doubt be used to receiving their emails which include product recommendations including some items of particular relevance to you.  Although like Google, they don’t share data with other businesses, it is more valuable for them to keep it consistently feeding back in an effort to make you buy more. If you read down to the small print of these emails, there is an option to opt of this kind of consumer manipulation.

Expedia

With the travel reservation website, you can unknowingly be sharing your data with ad networks. Although many of these harmless trackers are cookies, small pieces of code attached to your browser, they are useful allowing shopping sites to remember what you have stored in your basket.  It is possible however to find out how many of these ad networks are tracking you and you can select to opt out if you wish.

Online Banking

Accessing your online band account using unsecured Wifi can leave you vulnerable to cybercriminals.  If you don’t have the adequate protection set up, other could perhaps access your hard disk, view the URL you’re visiting, or even read your emails. You can protect yourself from most of this by having decent firewall or HIPS (Host – based Intrusion Prevention System) software on your laptop.

Privacy Predictions for 2011

In the Econsultancy’s digital predications for 2011 and beyond, privacy was identified as a key topic.  It is thought that the debate is likely to heat up this year as the privacy issues have to be regulated and there will need to be consensus between regulators and the industry about the scope of personal information which forms an online identity.  Online activities such as Cookies, digital fingerprinting and behavioural targeting are expected to come under strict surveillance. With this in mind, here are just few top privacy tips for you to bear in mind next time you are surfing the net.

Top Tips for your Online Data Protection

1. Take advantage of privacy protection tools – There are plenty of ways you can deflect the cookies and common technologies that are used to track your every move online from dedicated programs to browser based plug-ins.  The latest versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer also offer private browsing functionality that is easy to take advantage of.
2. Use different Browsers – Using different browsers may also be a good way to help defend your privacy.  For instance you could use one browser for all your social networking activities and another browser for everything else you do online.
3. Opt Out – This often not easy to find but many sites do let you opt out of them gathering your data or sharing it with third parties. Check out the Network Advertising Opt – Out tool, Google’s Ads Preferences, Yahoo’s Ad Interest Manager and read the privacy policies of the sites you use regularly.
4. Change your Passwords – Ideally change your passwords every two to three months, so that they are harder to crack.  Always use different passwords for different sites.
5. Don’t always select to click Run – When downloading files, save them to your hard disk instead of running them immediately. This gives your security software scan for threats and alerts you to their presence before you open the can of worms.
6. Stay in safe places – Be careful of international domains such as China (.cn) or Russia (.ru), which are often used by cybercriminals.
7. Look for the padlock – A padlock symbol in the bottom right hand corner of your browser is a good sign the site is secure.  Alternatively use a free browser ad-on such as Browser Defender, which warns against or blocks potentially dangerous sites.
8. Don’t give out too many personal details to Social Networks – Most sites should only require your basic contact details to register.

Protecting Your Identity Online is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

Tablet Computing

A rush of new tablet devices are expected to arrive in the New Year, with the Android operating system expected to be emerging as the major competitor to the iPad. Several manufacturers have announced intentions to bring Android tablets to the and it is also forecasted that over the next year we should see a definitive focus on business class tablets from major technology partners including Lenovo and Hewlett Packard.  The tablet market is set to become very cluttered over the next few months.

Ipad 2

Although the iPad has provided a success, with recent price drops and sceptics yet to be convinced by the device, a revamped second version is set to be launched in 2011. There is speculation regarding what features will be added including a USB port and an SD card reader. Early leaks indicate that it will least have a camera, which makes sense with Apple’s recent Facetime virtual product strategy.

BlackBerry PlayBook

Although Blackberry tends to be regarded as the underdog in the Smartphone race, the company have remained on course while shipping out BlackBerry’s in bulk quantities. The company’s first tablet, the Playbook is set to continue to capitalise on this. The PlayBook is expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2011 and with their knowledge in the enterprise market; this is where the PlayBook is forecasted to make its biggest impression.  It is though that corporations are likely to snap up the PlayBook instead of the iPad, providing it integrates with their existing IT infrastructure.  The PlayBook however might not be as big of a hit with the consumer market.

Additional Rumoured Gadgets for 2011

The Sony Playstation Phone

Although information is vague and proof of the mobile is yet to be revealed by the manufacturer, the phone appears to be a combination of the PSP and an Android Smartphone, combining the Sony handset with the ever increasing functionality of Android. Apple currently have the mobile gaming field to themselves right now and there are only a few Android games worth talking about, but there are a vast amount of PSP games available. Therefore if Sony is able to combine the mobile power of Android with the gaming library of the PSP, there is potential that it would instantly capture a significant proportion of the Android market share.

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo’s glasses free, 3D handheld device was announced early this year and is due to launch in Japan on the 26^th of February and in the US and Europe in March.  The introduction of mobile 3D gaming by Nintendo represents a major technological leap in tech terms. The inclusion of a screen capable of projecting a 3D image without glasses could mark a major shift in the direction the gaming takes.

Android Honeycomb OS Tablet

Google’s current versions of Android have so far not been set up for tablet computing, however Android version 3.0 is set to change that.  The Motorola Droid tablet is set to be the first device to feature this new interface, hoping to correct many of the downsides of the current Android tablets available.

Apps

In 2011 it will almost be impossible for consumers to own a device that doesn’t support apps. More and more Smartphones, eReaders, Televisions, Blu-ray players and other consumer products are utlising apps. What started out as an iPhone novelty will soon change the way we perform most electronic tasks.

Check our blog next year to see our reviews on the launch of some of these gadgets.  From all of us at WMpS we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Gadget Predictions for 2011 is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

Referred to as the Zeitgeist, meaning the spirit of the times, Google have captured this spirit through exploring the year’s new and exciting search terms.  The results provide a glimpse into the big events, memorable moments and emerging trends which have dominated 2010. The data was collected anonymously and was calculated by looking at the aggregation of the most popular and fast rising search queries typed into the Google.co.uk search box.

Key Findings from our 2010 Searches

One of the biggest trends appears to be the rise of social networking with the search results indicating that the video-chatting site Chatroullete was the fastest rising search term of the year, followed by Q&A website Formspring and ABC3. The top overall searches however tended to be dominated by larger sites, with the top three comprising of Facebook, the BBC and YouTube. Google’s list does however raise some confusion regarding internet user’s basic web searches as the results revealed that users are tending to search for these sites rather than type their names into the address bar. This also provides further insight in relation to who is really using the internet and for what purpose.

Some of Google’s most popular Searches this year:

Tickets to see Take That were the most commonly searched for in their category, closely followed by Wimbledon and Glastonbury.  Perhaps reflecting the higher voter turnout at this year’s general election than in 2005, the top two searches in the news category were, Election 2010 and Register to Vote. Furthermore consumers affected by the credit crunch tended to search for cheap flights and holidays, while cakes, curries and pizza were among the top food term searches, suggesting a nation in need of comfort food.

Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Ellie Goulding and Katie Perry were among the fastest rising searches for famous people. The untimely deaths of television presenter Kristian Digby and fashion designer Alexander McQueen also resulted in a sudden surge of searches.  High profile divorces earned their own category this year with web users seeking gossip about Cheryl Cole’s separation from footballer Ashley, along with Tiger Woods and Eva Longoria.

How can you use this Information for your Online Business?

The Guardian indicates that although the Zeitgeist does reflect the popular culture of today, this is not to say that Google doesn’t play an active role in deciding what we actually consumer online. For instance through its elaborate ranking systems, Google is able to actively shape what we have access to and what we know about the world. Despite this SmartCompany suggests that businesses operating online should monitor the trends revealed by Google. They even go as far as suggesting they could be incorporated into your own business to gain new traffic as the searches provide great information for businesses on how they can address current events and take advantage of gaining some additional traffic from search.  It is advised however that you shouldn’t be using these trends as keywords if your site content is irrelevant but retailers are being urged to incorporate these search trends in order to increase sales.

Google indicate that around a quarter of the search queries it responds to on a daily basis are new, meaning the search engine has not seen that search before.   This indicates the sheer demand on the Search Engine from internet users and how our search habits are influenced by daily trends and occurrences.  As 2010 draws to a close, what will we all be searching for in 2011?

Our Top Google Searches of 2010 Revealed is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

What was Google’s motive for the launch of Boutiques.com?

According to the econsultancy although Google may be the most dominant search engine, as search continues to evolve  Google will have to do more to compete with other players for dominance in key vertical search markets. With this in mind Google have ventured into a new Fashion based vertical search effort with the launch of Boutiques.com.

Google’s justification for such a project originated from the observation that whereas online shopping has now become more standardised for products such as electronic gadgets,  shopping for fashion related items online hasn’t so far matched up to the visual offline experience.  Therefore Google’s intentions for Boutiques.com was to bring together elements of the offline experience to online shopping, while also helping to drive traffic to retailer’s websites and generally make the prospect  of online shopping for fashion products more exciting and interesting. Unsurprisingly given Google’s ownership of the site there is also an advertising based business model for Boutiques, where merchants are charged to include products on the website in most instances.

How does it Work?

Boutiques.com is a product developed from the original idea of Like.com, a visual search start-up which was acquired by Google earlier this year.   The influence of Like.com is clear as Boutiques doesn’t look like a typical Google product and has a more sophisticated rather than cutting edge design.  Search is not a prominent part of the site; it just looks like any other clothing retailer’s website with a few additional features.

Google put together a team of computer vision experts along with fashion designers and stylists and the end result was Boutiques.com. The site lets users create they own personalised online store by showcasing their style and brand preferences. Users can search for items with a mix and match attitude, based on their own likes and dislikes, rules of personal style provided on the site can also be applied.  Boutiques software then analyses tastes and recommends items the users would like or accessories that would go well with the item selected.  Users can also bookmark items of choice, share the information with friends or even tweet about an item with a link back to Boutiques.

Although visitors cannot make transactions on the online boutique itself, instead they can click through to a brand’s online store or a retailer who sells the product.  What the site gains in terms of algorithmic excellence and social interaction, it loses in terms of actual attractiveness, usability and effectiveness.  Although the site might help users to find new products and will also add more information to Google’s algorithm, it does not currently present an outstanding shopping experience.

How to get Started

To get started creating your own personal online store, first of all you need to create an account so that Boutiques can store your clothing preferences.  Then once you are signed up, you can start creating your own personal collection by either checking out different clothing items listed by type or alternatively rating the clothing presented in one of the celebrity boutiques.

Will it be a Success?

As Fashion is a hugely competitive industry, Google’s Boutiques is certainly one to watch and it will be interesting to whether it will be a hit with followers.  Encouragingly despite the competitive nature of other online platforms which also allow web users to create e-boutiques, several high profile celebrities, designers, retailers, fashion bloggers and everyday Web users have already set up their own e-boutiques.  So far Google has not attempted to integrate integrated Boutiques.com in any way with Google.com to boost its ranking position, so we will have to watch in anticipation as this may provide a clear indication in terms of how the site is performing.

It is questionable however regarding the proportion of people who will actually buy clothes from online retailers based on the recommendations from Boutiques. While the site may help you find an item you like, you can’t be too sure over what the items will look like without trying them on.  Boutiques marks Google’s move into the Fashion industry and at present it is available only in the U.S, although they have limited experience in dealing with Women’s clothes, they do hope to expand their services soon.

Google Launches Boutiques Fashion Venture is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

Queen Elizabeth’s Facebook page

The Facebook page is more of a corporate affair rather than a personal profile for Queen Elizabeth II, so the Queen will not be filling her page with a list of friends, poking subjects at random, or amending her status.  Alternatively by ‘liking’ the Queen, fans will receive updates about new photographs, videos and speeches through their news feeds.  The public will however be able to post comments on the page and send the Royal Family messages by writing on the Queen’s Facebook wall.

The page itself provides information about the Royal Family, their schedule and photographs.  The page features a hi-tech Court Circular of the Royal Family’s prior day’s official engagements  and allows users to comment on their arrangements. A ‘Near Me’ location based application also lets followers find upcoming Royal events in their local areas.

So far the Monarchy has posted information and photos of the Queen’s meeting with the Emir of Qatar, along with pictures of Prince William and Prince Harry. There are 29 photo albums available for viewing on the page.  Although the Queen will not use the site itself, it is one of the tools her communications staff will employ to keep the public informed, thus making her more accessible to the small world at large.  It has been reported however that the Queen was personally involved in the decision to add a Facebook account and is perhaps one of Britain’s most famous internet users.  The launch of the Facebook page also shows just how keen the British Monarchy is keen to take advantage of new developments.

Public Appeal

According the Telegraph more than 40,000 users liked the Monarchy’s Facebook site within its first hour.  The Monarchy’s Twitter account also has more than 72,000 followers and TheRoyalChannel on YouTube has 32,418 subscribers whose films have been watched 8.3 million times over the past three years.  By comparison, the Abolish the Monarchy UK group has just 861, indicating the strong public opinion of the British Monarchy.

The British Monarchy is not alone in its foray into Social Networking; other world leaders are taking advantage of Social Media too. Early in 2009, the Vatican launched its own YouTube channel to offer video and audio clips of Pope Benedict XVI’s addressed, along with news about the pontiff. The U.S Senate also has its own YouTube channel.

The Queen joins Facebook is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

US & UK Retailer Comparison

A Halloween focused Internet Retailer Holiday Shopping Survey polled more than 2,000 consumers and found that 71% of U.S online shoppers expect to spend within the region of $25 and $100 on Halloween items.  Another Internet Retailer survey revealed that 29% of U.S adults shopping online for Halloween specific items have used their mobile phones.  This may perhaps be explained by the skew of Halloween shoppers leaning towards younger consumers and any perceived risks of purchasing via a mobile may have been alleviated noting the one off usage and value of Halloween related products, thus making it more of a low involvement purchase decision for consumers.

In contrast to US retailers who have mainly tended to start their marketing efforts, the Econsultancy suggests UK Halloween specific campaigns have been rather few and far between and even begin to question whether Halloween is such a big deal after all? Most notable offline campaigns in the UK include Tesco’s affordable range of products including Pumpkins, Costumes and Films and expect to sell £55 million worth of goods during the run up to the occasion.  Ribena are also planning to launch a new website this month and intend to time the launch to align the brand with seasonal events after introducing a range of Halloween themed drinks.

Digital Halloween Campaigns

Halloween provides retailers with a hook to help engage consumers through their marketing campaigns. Social Media platforms also tend to see increased usage with users searching for the most original costumes and sharing their experiences with their friends. The Telegraph revealed that the teams at Facebook typically see a 20% increase in photo sharing during the week of Halloween. I’ve taken a closer look at some of the best Halloween themed campaigns running, as we move even closer towards the 31^st of October, a clear theme I’ve spotted throughout is that of Zombies!

Sears: Where have all the Cool Zombies Gone?

The most impressive Halloween campaign I’ve come across is that of US department store Sears.  They have made a real effort to promote their costumes and decorations this Halloween having launched a website for the undead and have combined this with offline store makeovers around the Zombie Shopper theme. The site features zombies in place of the living models, zombie version of ads and even offers a Zombie gift guide. The gift guide invites consumers to search for a gift based on your zombie’s preference of brain or Blue Zombie Crew that are your trusty undead experts. Sears have even gone as far as implementing a Zombian language in some ads. Having already adopted social shopping, they have even set up a dedicated Twitter feed to help new zombies to shop.  A series of videos to support the campaign have been posted on YouTube and have proved incredibly popular with one even recording 68,000 views.

Converse Frankenpic Facebook Campaign

In an attempt to engage their target consumers, Converse have fun and easy to use app present as an additional tab on their Facebook page. It is possible to transmogrify your profile photo for Halloween and share the results with your friends.  The app also states that you can use webcams to achieve the best experience and additional hidden secrets can be unlocked by liking the app.

Yahoo Zombie Game – Shambling Hordes

Yahoo has launched a zombie themed game just in time for Halloween. Although it is seasonally appropriate it is the social game is also intended to help players master the principles of game theory, advanced mathematics, classical economics and budget allocation.  The game is simple enough to play but it is also the kind of game that could challenge you to use some strategy. A round of Shambling Hordes takes around 15 minutes depending on the map you choose and the number of battles you enter.

If any of you have tested out any of these apps and games let us know what you thought!

Halloween themed Digital Campaigns is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.

With a minimal campaign budget, the event has been sponsored by several high profile partners including the BBC, Google, Sky, Facebook and Microsoft to name just a few.  Google have even produced and printed a simple yet not over patronising booklet, explaining why the web offers benefits for everybody and how to get online.  According to Fox, projects as simple as these are crucial in encouraging more people to get online and new technologies including web TV and the increasing usage of Smartphone’s are all helping her case.

Benefits of going Online

As approximately 30 million people in the UK use the internet everyday according to government statistics, there are some clear economic and social benefits of going online. Research conducted by YouGov found that 78% of web users think that it saves them significant time and money. Furthermore more than half of the respondents also revealed that going online has enriched their lives.  Offline households not only lose out on approximately £560 a year, they also miss out on the job advertisements posted, educational materials and all the other fun associated with the online world. The key benefits of going Online marketed in this campaign include saving money, staying up-to-date, keeping in touch, looking for a job and enjoying your hobbies and interests.  Now more than half of all leisure travel is booked online and 90% of all new jobs require at least basic internet skills, so there are some clear advantages for people who are able to use the internet.  According to Martha Lane Fox ‘being able to use the internet is now as basic as being able to read’.

Reasons and Solutions preventing you from going Online

Get Online Campaign statistics have revealed that if you were born before 1945, there is a six in ten chance that you won’t have tried out the web.  That is also true for a third of us who earn less that £10,400 per annum and close to half of us who left school without qualifications have never tried it. On some of the other blogs I have read regarding Get Online week, it is clear that some people are skeptical that it will not be possible to get the whole population online for numerous reasons including age, location and the actual price of a computer and costs incurred with connecting to the internet.  Additional factors include poor internet connectivity speeds due to location, internet security and fears of fraud.  However for those who of you who have a fear of the unknown which is putting you at a disadvantage, in the UK Online centre’s and libraries nationwide you will find free courses full of internet newcomers all in the same boat. Also for those of you concerned about the risks of going online, if you use your common sense and make sure your security software is up to date, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about!

A new world awaits you on the net so to find out more about any events running in your local area visit http://www.ukonlinecentres.com/.  If you have attended any of the events in your local area so far, let us know what you thought.

Get Online Week 2010 is a post from WMpS, your one stop digital agency.