Website design newsletter
Every month we publish interesting news articles relating to website design, search engine trends and other exciting changes happening online.
Current issue: April 2008
Contents
New online payment method soon to be available in NZ
Hamilton homeowners use internet to rent during V8 race weekend
Internet to overtake TV as biggest advertising medium
Google and Virgin April Fools day prank: Virgle Mars expedition!
New online payment method soon to be available in NZ
7 April 2008
Back in 2006 ASB were the first bank to launch digital cash payment service, called Pago. Since then 20,000 people have signed up to use Pago as a payment method on auction website Trademe and to send money to friends and family using Pago on their mobile phones.
Now ASB are preparing to launch this as a secure online payment method to website owners in New Zealand. The payment solution package features: no set up fee, no monthly account fees and lower transaction fees than a traditional hosted online merchant account.
Pago online will be able to be integrated into ecommerce websites from mid June 2008 onwards.
More info: www.pago.co.nz
Hamilton homeowners use internet to rent during V8 race weekend
7 April 2008
There’s just 10 days to go before the big race weekend in Hamilton City and some visitors to the City have probably still not booked accommodation. The motels and hotels in the City were fully booked long ago so visitors from out of town are having to spend more time looking for a place to stay. Some visitors have booked rooms as far away as Cambridge and Te Awamutu.
A quick look on www.trademe.co.nz and www.sellmefree.co.nz shows that there are some enterprising Hamilton homeowners still hoping to rent out their properties to last minute bookers.
One property is available for the 4 days (17 – 21 April) for a total $3,600. Or there’s an apartment available overlooking the track for $1,000 per day.
More information: www.v8supercar.co.nz and www.visithamilton.co.nz
Internet to overtake TV as biggest advertising medium
8 April 2008
The internet will usurp television as the biggest advertising medium in Britain by the end of 2009, according to a report published yesterday. Britain has the most developed online advertising market in the world which the report by the internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), PricewaterhouseCoopers and the World Advertising Research Centre said was worth 2.8 billion pounds (NZ$7 billion) in 2007.
It said last year's 38% online advertising growth was driven by the rising number of people online, the introduction of cheap laptops and the growing popularity of catch-up TV on the internet through services such as Channel 4's 4oD.
"With broadband speeds on the up and consumers spending more time on more sites, the outlook for online advertising is rosy - we expect it to overtake TV in 2009 when it will become the UK's biggest medium," IAB chief executive said in a statement.
The report said the internet was the biggest driver of overall advertising growth in 2007, with the entire sector in Britain experiencing 4.3% growth to 18.4 billion pounds (NZ $45bn).
Online advertising spend had a market share of 15.3%, up from 11.4% in 2006, but behind display press advertising at 19.9% and TV at 21.8%.
Display online advertising, such as banners and video, grew 31% while paid-for search marketing was "maturing, but not slowing" as marketers and brands learned to secure a greater return on their investment through "key phrases" and accurate targeting.
Advertising spend on search grew 39%, in line with overall growth, to 1.6 billion pounds ($4bn), while its market share remained largely the same at almost 58%. Classified advertising showed 54% year-on-year growth.
Among the different sectors, recruitment led the market with 25.7% market share, ahead of the automotive sector and technology, which overtook finance for the first time.
Source: www.nzherald.co.nz
Google and Virgin April Fools day prank: Virgle Mars expedition!
1 April 2008
Google took time and effort to come up with a creative hoax for April Fools Day this year…. If you happened to use the Google.com search box on 1 April, you would have seen a link: "A Cool World: Enjoy a rosier future as a Virgle Pioneer"
If you clicked on the Virgle Pioneer link, it took you to the Virgle website ... complete with details such as a 100-year plan, application form, and FAQs on how this grand and elaborate vision will come true.
The Virgle Pioneer Project website: www.google.com/virgle/
Plus the admission from Google that it was an April Fools Day hoax: http://www.google.com/virgle/error.html
