The New BBC Homepage
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Design/Creative, Useability
A little creative thought for a Monday morning.
As per my usual routine of coffee and a quick update on the weekends events, my chrome address bar is pointed at the BBC homepage. As ever, it knows who I am and why I have returned. I can browse the results from the rugby while skipping across the latest Science and Nature discoveries, all because like an old friend it knows what I like to talk about… but whats this… “Explore the new BBC homepage”. Oh dear, I have seen this all before, just when you are happy they want to change it.
“Try out our new homepage design”
Navigating through to the new design, I am immediately hit with the volume of content, everything from CBB’ies to the latest Eastender catchup. The page is headed by a large horizontally scrolling wealth of content, you will find all that the BBC has to offer with a quick left to right. Different size images give different weight to different content articles. It definitely looks clean and crisp but where is all the content that I know and love? It tells me I am in London, and that the weather that I can already see outside my window is slightly overcast, but other than that I could be anyone.
In short it would seem the BBC are following their own strategic ambitions of what content I find… not my ambitions. The BBC Homepage currently enjoys the accolade of “Most referenced site” when anyone wants to build their own company site. I fear they will loose this altogether if the beta site becomes a reality.
Any customer facing interaction point should be striving more and more to the utopian “one-to-one” conversation theory, you know who they are, and they know exactly who you are. It would seem the BBC are stepping in quite the oposite direction, as will I… iGoogle here I come.
Check out the BBC beta homepage at http://beta.bbc.co.uk/
Person Profile: Tim Young – Purestone Web Developer
Filed under: Agency, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationship Management, Design/Creative, Uncategorized
Tim Young recently joined Purestone as a web developer within the design and development team. Here are his thoughts on what it takes to be a developer and what he has been working on so far at Purestone….
What did you study, and why?
My education was more in the art and design side of things. I did an illustration degree but ended up doing more graphic design. After a couple of early IT related jobs I learnt to code websites. One of the interesting things about the web is just how much is out there that you can teach yourself.
Did you always have a career in digital in mind?
I think I was lead down this path by my geeky love of design and technology. I believe a mix of technical and design sensibilities gives you a great position from which to solve digital problems. I remember as a kid having a go on a friend’s computer with a photo program and being hooked.
What is your current role at Purestone?
At Purestone I am part of the web development team consisting of designers and web developers. I am what is known as a front end developer – the person who builds websites using code.
What is a front end developer and what does it involve?
The role of a web developer can be separated into the ‘front end’ and the ‘back end.’ The front end is the design, images, colours, buttons, forms, animations and content. Everything that a user of a website can see. The back end is the bit that you can’t see, the code that makes websites work. Once the web designers have created the flat visual images of how the website will look they hand this to the web developer who then works out how it is going to be built. Developers break the designs up into components and start to build them into a website using code. The website then needs to be tested in all different web browsers and mobile browsers to make sure that the site is accessible to everyone.
What skills does a web developer need?
A web developer needs to understand the best way to break a design into sections and code in HTML and CSS. They also need to be able to edit images and graphics in Photoshop. There are often design considerations that need to be added to during the build process. Its very important to think about the user when you approach a new project. Understanding the systems you are building within and optimising for the platform you are building for is another important skill.
What sort of projects do you work on at Purestone?
At Purestone my work can vary a lot. The majority of my work comprises of building websites but can also involve microsites, mobile sites, apps, games or anything online really. I can be working in a long project with a team doing a variety of tasks, or just working on my own on smaller projects. Most recently I have been building a new promotional website for a leading workwear and corporate clothing brand.
The Company Blog & Looking After Rabbits
To blog or not to blog?
Many months ago when planning the latest iteration of the Purestone website the inevitable subject of the company Blog arose. A furious debate ensued…
Pro Bloggers:
“We HAVE to have one. We’re a digital marketing agency for christ’s sake. We need to suck our own sweets.”
“It will help our SEO.”
“It gives the company a face, personality and tone of voice well beyond what the website can.”
“It empowers people within the business and gives them an open avenue in which they can communicate and express themselves.”
“I run my own blog and contribute to others so it’s second nature for me.”
Anti Bloggers:
“If it’s not updated on a regular basis it will do far more damage than good.”
“Why should we conform? We’re not an industry sheep in how we go about our business so why start now. Unless there’s a business case and justification for it then surely it’s just a pain in the backside?”
“I’m worried about someone saying the wrong thing and making us look bad or like we haven’t got a scooby.”
“Just who’s going to administer it? Add to it? I’m not, I can tell you that for free.”
By virtue of the fact you’re reading this then clearly we opted to have a company blog.
Above are just some of the soundbites from what was a colourful conversation. Of course, this situation, is by no means unique and we’ve sat in many, many client meetings watching and chairing this exact debate. There’s no simple answer. It needs discussion and it needs an eyes open approach. The potential risks and dangers of running a blog are significant… which nicely leads me onto the main point of posting this entry…
If you’re going to set up a commercially focussed blog then it needs regular content and a marketing strategy of its own to generate interest and traffic. Now, the more observant of you and those who regularly visit Purestone will be thinking ”you need to look at your own blog mate”. You’d be right. We have fallen at both these hurdles.
Now I could say that we did this on purpose as part of an experiment to gauge the damage an unkempt blog can have on a company. No one would really believe me though. The truth of the matter is that despite starting with the best intentions it’s fallen away and the distance between posts has grown. It reminds me of when I was 8 and I wanted a rabbit. “James, you will look after it and feed it every day won’t you? I don’t want to have to be looking after it when you lose interest’… “Yeah, of course, I’ll make it the happiest rabbit ever.” After 6 weeks ‘Pluto’ (my new rabbit) was not happy. His feeding wasn’t probably as clockwork as he’d have liked and his claws (?) were getting a bit on the long side.
When we discussed the blog there were many people in the room nodding enthusiastically and commiting themselves to getting a new rabbit/blog. The difficulty is that we live and breathe digital, day in, day out and we’re so busy doing this for clients that we inevitably fall down the priorities list. Not ideal by any stretch but a reality that most companies are faced with.
So if you’re considering a blog please read and heed the above.
Pluto died at 8 years old, he was a happy and content rabbit after my Mum intervened and looked after him.
James Smee.
Bad Rabbit Keeper of the Year – 1985 – 1993
Pluto the rabbit