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Friday Apr 28, 2006
Think local
If you live in Wales, you subscribe to digital TV and can be mostly found watching rugby. You have a pre-pay mobile and don't have a landline.If you live in Scotland, you have access to high-speed broadband, you use your mobile phone loads and watch digital telly more than anyone else.
If you live in Northern Ireland, you send lots of text messages, rely heavily on your mobile and don't have very good access to broadband.
If you live in London, you almost definitely have access to high speed broadband, and use your mobile for phone calls more than texts.
All this comes from an Ofcom report into the uptake of different technologies across the UK's countries and regions. What can we make of all this? (Apart from the conclusion that a quick blog post can do real injustice to a thorough piece of research.)1. Broadband availability may be ubiquitous in terms of exchanges set up to deal with it (99.9% according to BT), but it's no good if you live more than 5km from an exchange - which is quite possible if you live in rural areas. Interestingly, the report says that internet take up in rural areas is actually higher than in urban areas. So the demand is there, just not the high speeds. For website publishers like us, it's a crucial point: we'd love to develop exciting, bandwidth-heavy services but if it stops many users from accessing it, then we just can't do it.
2. Apart from in London, most people use their phones for texting more than calling. Considering this was a service that none of the mobile strategists predictied, it's a great example of how users and their behaviour can surprise and flummox the "experts". What technology is going to next come from left-field?
3. Who watches what on digital TV? Midsomer Murders is big in the West of England, Doc Martin in the South West of England, Heartbeat and Emmerdale in Yorkshire, Hogmanay Live in Scotland, Wales on Saturday in Wales, EastEnders in London and Coronation Street in the North West. So what? Well it shows that local content still rules (although there's no excuse for Doc Martin, anywhere). As a London-based organisation whch covers the UK, we need to be aware of these regional differences.
Posted by Dom Waghorn ( 1:41 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]Top 5 conference hates
When was the last time you came back from a conference and thought, "Excellent - a day really well spent"?
The voluntary sector has always been conference-rich. But weirdly, new media conferences, which you might think would be considered rather un-web 2.0, seem to be multiplying.
My top five conference hates:
1. The ministerial speech (in which the least informed person in the room reads a speech written by a civil servant)
2. The host chief exec's speech (in which the most excited person in the room tells you how excited they are and tries to make jokes)
3. The host chair's speech (at least it's normally shorter than the chief exec's)
4. Lunch (goujons anyone?)
5. Ice breakers (no phrase spreads more dread)
Feel free to add your own list of hates. Or, (who knows?) what you love about conferences.
Posted by Tom Green ( 8:53 AM ) Link to this post Comments[5]