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Opinionaided

By Cheryl | Posted in Android, Apple, website | July 19, 2011 – 11:33 am

OpinionaidedSometimes all we want is an opinion; whether it is on a new haircut or pair of jeans.

Opinionaided helps users gather the views of friends, family and the public, on the topic of your choice; the key being that all feedback is in real-time. Simply post a yes or no question along with an optional photo and sit back and watch as users vote on their preferred answer.

As of June, 1.2 million users had submitted a question which was met with over 90 million responses. The company have noted that people are using the site for 2 hours and 33 minutes on average per month, with posts almost doubling since March.

Currently still working on the Android version, the app is available for free on the iPhone or via the web. The company has recently released figures showing that more than 90% of their user base accesses the app via the mobile platform.

So, if you’re unsure if you should buy that expensive gadget, or if you’re just having trouble choosing the right colour for your bedroom; give Opinionaided a go!

http://www.opinionaided.com/

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Mobile Development in 2011

By Cheryl | Posted in Android, Apple, Blackberry, Coding, Design, Mobile, Twitter at 12, website | March 7, 2011 – 1:03 pm

iphoneEvery year people look ahead to what they think will be the big trends in the upcoming year. So, how do we think web development will change in 2011?

Gartner, the IT research company, has predicted that within three years, over half of all internet users will be accessing the web via their mobile phones and other handheld devices.

As the demand for Smartphone’s rises, the need for cross platform websites and applications follows suit. Statistics show that the mobile web has grown 110% in the US and 148% worldwide last year, meaning the need for mobile compatibility is extremely high.

Last year was the breakthrough of tablet devices, such as the iPad and the Android Tablet PC, both making their way on to the market to huge interest. It’s these tablet computers that will be one of the main consumer interests in the coming year, making it a learning curve for designers and developers.

Mobile development isn’t new by any means, but these days it’s a lot more advanced. A few years ago the screens were a lot smaller and excessive images on mobiles didn’t work well because the connections were so slow. These days, Smartphone’s have the ability to handle images a lot better, have a larger screen and run 3G for a faster network connection.

Is it difficult to transform your website on to a mobile or tablet platform? One of the main areas that can be a struggle for developers is screen size. Think of the amount of mobile phones on the market and you will see a varied screen size, whether it be height or width. In the development stage websites must be fully tested to allow for these types of occurrences.

The main point to always consider with mobile websites is simplicity is key. Although the design and layout is extremely important, there’s nothing more discouraging to a user than a slow website.

Wikileaks – We Open Governments

By Cheryl | Posted in Twitter at 12, website | December 15, 2010 – 12:59 pm

Wikileaks has been in the news a lot lately, but what exactly is it?

Wikileaks was launched in December 2006 and is a non-profit organisation that publishes content of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks. Unlike Wikipedia, the content posted on Wikileaks cannot be edited after it has been published.

The company, which has volunteers around the globe, releases confidential government documents including ground-breaking stories on the Iraq war and Kenya’s judicial killings.

Through all of its stories the site has been highly criticised, especially by the US government, who declared that the release of such documents could put diplomats and others at risk. Although through this controversy, Wikileaks has been seen as a positive step by many, and has been rewarded with many award wins for its stories.

Some of the most notable posts:

  • In April 2010, Wikileaks posted video from a 2007 incident in which Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. Forces
  • In July 2010, Wikileaks released Afghan War Diary, a compilation of more than 76,900 documents about the War in Afghanistan not previously available for public review.
  • In October the group released a package of almost 400,000 documents called the Iraq War Logs in coordination with major commercial media organisations.

The details

Wikileaks currently has no official offices and has five full time staff and 800 volunteers based around the world. Its only revenue is through donations with expenses coming in at €200,000, mainly for servers and bureaucracy. The website is currently home to over 1.2 million documents.

Cyber attacks

Using their slogan ‘We Open Governments’, the company has battled against many cyber attacks on their website. The attacks are aimed at bringing down the site and are from far and wide, some of the latest are believed to be from China.

Controversy from within

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has recently found himself on the end of criticism from disgruntled former employees who decided to leave the business after they had become disillusioned with the companies policy over the release of leaks.

They claim the company was founded with the aim of releasing leaks no matter how big or small, believing that all information should be made available to the public. The ex employees now say that Mr Assange ignores the smaller stories, instead choosing to release more sensational headlining grabbing stories that will gain him more attention.

The founder, who was born is Australia, has also been criticised for choosing stories aimed at the USA. So, what did the man himself have to say about these claims?

“We are definitely concerned about that perception, but it’s important to stress that such a perception is not correct,” he said. “Over the past four years we have published leaks from more than 100 countries, from New York to Nairobi. We always prioritise our releases based on their potential impact and the timeliness. The next release will be relating to Afghanistan. After that we will probably do some smaller releases of a timely nature.”

Ten Most Addictive Sites on the Net

By Jemma | Posted in Fact Friday, website | December 10, 2010 – 1:02 pm

How many of us could not survive without the internet? I know I couldn’t…

But what are the specific sites that you just couldn’t survive without?

We did our best Columbo impression earlier this week to find out what are the Top Ten Most addictive Websites out there at the moment.

1. Youtube

Youtube is like Pringles ‘once you pop you can’t stop’. This site can keep you entertained for hours with videos from music to even how to clone yourself a Big Mac. It currently gets around a staggering two billion hits per day. Our favourite video at present would have to be the one and only Keenan Cahill from the US. Check him out here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm_n3hg-Gbg

2. Fail Blog

This is a great site that will definitely raise a few laughs. It is basically a site were people upload their amusing pictures for all too see. Take a look at this if your boss can’t afford a Christmas tree this year – http://work.failblog.org/2010/12/02/job-lols-also-you-can-forget-your-christmas-bonuses/#comments

3. Overstock

Similar to Amazon, Overstock is fantastic website where you can buy goods at a discount price. You can be looking through thousands of products all day and night. Take a look – http://www.overstock.com/

4. Totally Looks Like

A very fun site that does exactly what it says on the tin; compares famous people to other famous people (which can be quite amusing). I got really confused between these two because he totally looks like the guy off Strictly Come Dancing – (scroll down the page)

http://totallylookslike.icanhascheezburger.com/

5. Facebook

Everyone knows what Facebook is and what it does, we also know how addictive it can be. From keeping your farm up and running to finding out the latest gossip, this is most definitely worthy of being in the Top Ten.

6. Cute overload

This has to be the cutest website well……EVER! It is basically a collection of really sweet and comical animal images that would put a smile on anyone’s face. Especially loving this one http://cuteoverload.com/2010/12/04/lets-check-in-on-boo/149245_478965538253_80329313253_5710148_160413_n/

7. Twitter

Tweeting is now generally a part of everyone’s daily routine – it’s even a real word in the dictionary! Where else can you find out what your favourite celebrity has had for breakfast or see a pic taken backstage at the T4 Awards? It’s a great way to be nosey in our opinion…

8.  F*** my life

This site allows you to vent your anger and frustration at whatever disaster may have occurred that day. You can also sit for hours reading through other people’s miseries and misfortunes. (Harsh but genuinely entertaining).

9. Ebay

Similar to an auction, EBay allows you to bid on goods and whoever has the highest bid gets the product. This is one of the main reasons why this site is addictive, you have to keep checking to see where your bid is upto, also to see if your own items are doing well.

10. 2Leep

2Leep Brings people and blogs from around the world together on one site. You can read all kinds of different blogs and view the same amount of weird and wonderful pictures from the globe. Here is a fine example, Art made out of pencils http://www.dumage.com/no-way-these-are-pencils/

So that was our Top Ten addictive sites; lets see how many of you go on many of the sites listed purely out of curiosity, we know we will!

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Notable

By Cheryl | Posted in Application, Twitter at 12, website | December 6, 2010 – 12:57 pm

Notable is a fast and easy way of getting feedback on website screenshots or mockups.

Usually designers have to rely on their own opinions and input from those around them, however Notable allows a wider audience to have their say on the look and feel of your site.

The website allows a private or public showing of your site, giving you the ability to control who views your project.

What can you do?

*        Design – See how people view your website’s look and feel.

*        Website Copy – Make sure your copy is informative and straight to the point.

*        SEO Metadata – Let the professionals help you deliver professional SEO.

*        HTML/CSS – Check and verify your website coding.

How can Notable benefit you?

*        Ideal for individuals or groups of people to provide feedback on websites.

*        Share notes with other users.

*        Keep URL public or private.

*        Everyone is able to make comments and upload images.

*        Being web based allows you to view and make changes from anywhere.

*        Make notes on websites HTML, CSS and SEO.

Notes

Rather than people telling you their feedback, Notable incorporates a notes system, allowing users to leave a summary of changes that they feel are needed with notes posted around the problem area.

How much does it cost?

Notable offers a lot of packages based on number of users allowed access and total storage limit.

30 day Free trial on paid accounts

Personal – Free

Basic – $24/month

Plus – $44/month

Premium – $69/month

Max – $199/month

Ever wondered if blondes have more fun or what is the secret to happiness?

By Jemma | Posted in Fact Friday, website | December 3, 2010 – 12:54 pm

We all have our whys, wheres and hows of the world but what are the most common? In this week’s Fact Friday we share with you the ten most unanswerable questions in the world, according to popular search engine Ask Jeeves.

These are based on over 1 billion questions and queries from back in 2000 when Ask Jeeves was first launched. The site also said they may be bringing in an ‘unanswerables’ page to show the questions that are impossible to answer.

1. What is the meaning of life?

2. Is there a God?

3. Do blondes have more fun?

4. What is the best diet?

5. Is there anybody out there?

6. Who is the most famous person in the world?

7. What is love?

8. What is the secret to happiness?

9. Did Tony Soprano die?

10. How long will I live?

Any of these seem familiar to you?

Here at QuadroNation, we have a few more unanswerable questions of our own…

Why does it always rain the day you have been to the hairdressers?

Why does the bus always go really slow on the mornings you want to get to work early?

And why do you always see an item of clothing you really want in a shop when you have no money?

YouTube – The facts

By Jemma | Posted in Fact Friday, Google, website | October 1, 2010 – 12:04 pm

YouTube logoYouTube enables millions of people from all different walks of life to share their stories with the world.

It was established back in 2005 by three former PayPal employees and is now based in San Bruno, California, were the team uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos.

QuadroNation takes a look at how this extremely popular site has grown over the past five years…

  • The founders registered the domain name and started work on February 14th 2005.
  • The first ever video uploaded onto the site was entitled “me at the zoo” and shows Jawed Karim, one of the co founders, in front of some elephants. It was put on in April 2005.
  • There are 3 co founders Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and they all used to work for PayPal.
  • By July 2006 YouTube was getting 100 million video views a day and 65,000 video uploads a day.
  • In June 2007 YouTube was launched in 9 different countries.
  • 10 hours of video uploaded every minute by January 2008 and by the end of the year there were over 15 hours of video being uploaded every minute.
  • In October 2009 there was a live stream of a U2 concert.
  • By May 2010 YouTube exceeds 2 billion views per day.




    • It is fair to say YouTube has become one of the most famous sites on the web and its success can only grow…

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    Five New Account Wins For Digital Marketing And PR Specialists Quadronation

    By Nicola | Posted in Marketing, News, PR, website | September 22, 2010 – 1:21 pm

    QuadroNationLeading digital marketing and PR specialists QuadroNation have won five new accounts adding to their ever-expanding portfolio.

    North West bar and club chain Baa Bar, vehicle rental firm Bank View Hire and SGG Environmental Services Ltd have all signed major contracts with the India Buildings based firm, which will see them designing new websites, devising bespoke mobile phone applications and developing innovative online marketing strategies in the next few weeks.

    The QuadroNation team will also be working with leading London-based gallery IAP Fine Art and also the official information website for renowned artist Chris Gollon, who has exhibited with the likes of Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk.

    Technical Director Andrew Hilton said: “We are delighted to have such an extensive list of strong brands on board. We recognised the demand from businesses for fresh and dynamic ideas and their need for online and offline activities that make a direct return on investment.

    “Despite what many have seen as a difficult market, we are achieving a rapid growth, which I believe will continue in the forthcoming months.”

    QuadroNation, whose total client base has now reached more than 30 businesses, specialises in a range of services within Design, Development, Marketing and PR and aims to point clients in the right direction when it comes to their online strategy.

    Andrew added: “We definitely have a busy few months ahead of us and the future of QuadroNation is looking extremely promising. For us, it’s about having that competitive edge and providing measurable results to our clients on a regular basis.”

    For more information please contact Nicola Rowlands at QuadroNation on 07507 652 026 or at nicolarowlands@quadronation.com

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    Can Bebo make a comeback?

    By Cheryl | Posted in Entertainment, Internet, Twitter at 12, website | September 20, 2010 – 11:43 am

    Bebo was launched in 2005 and with 34 million users and 7 billion monthly page views, it became a huge hit. The site allowed users to customise their profile by posting blogs, music, videos, photographs and questionnaires.

    AOL acquired the site at its peak in 2008 for $850 million, but was soon overtaken by other sites, most notably Facebook. After interest continued to wane, AOL announced in April 2010 that it was planning to sell or shutdown Bebo, eventually selling the site to Criterion Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum (rumoured to be less than $10 million…ouch!).

    AOL CEO Tim Armstrong had this to say about the deal:

    “The deal will allow Bebo’s users to remain within the social platform that they know and love, while enabling a new owner to bring new possibilities and experiences to bear. Criterion Capital Partners are specialists in facilitating growth plans and turnarounds and are well placed to drive Bebo’s effort to strengthen its foothold within the highly competitive social networking arena”.

    Despite over a 50% drop in unique visitors in the span of a year, CCP believe that they still have a strong user base, with the UK currently being home to their largest number of users.

    Can Bebo’s luck be turned around?

    Can CCP turn around a company that has a declining user base and ad revenue? You don’t see it happen often so it’s very much a hit-or-miss situation, especially as it would be in direct competition with Facebook (and their 500 million users). With details of how they plan to rejuvenate Bebo’s fortunes not yet released, people continue to wonder what they can possibly do to drive people back.

    Will it work?

    With social network giants such as Facebook and Twitter, I don’t fancy its chances…

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    Flock – The social browser

    By Cheryl | Posted in Social networking, Twitter at 12, website | August 31, 2010 – 12:01 pm

    Flock BrowserIs it a bird, is it a plane, no it’s a…flock?

    Flock is a Mozilla based web browser that integrates the sharing of photos, news and blogging into the browser interface.

    The browser lets you easily drag and drop to share videos, text or links and is equipped to keep you up to date with your contacts from Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, etc; while also allowing easy subscriptions and management of RSS feeds. From the browser you are able to track information from friends including status updates.

    Other features include a powerful web search toolbar that provides a quick results and a quick glance at the most relevant results.

    The web browser doesn’t have many extensions, but users are able to use the add-ons from Firefox as this is a Mozilla development.

    What makes it different to other browsers?
    Flock is an ideal browser for keeping you up to date with your online social contacts. It currently supports Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, Flickr, Photobucket, del.icio.us, WordPress, Movable Type, Blogger and other online services, as well as any RSS feed.

    Will Flock overtake other browsers?
    It’s unlikely. Flock is better as a secondary browser to keep in touch with friends rather than a main web browser. That’s not to say it’s a bad browser, it may just be a bit too much for general internet browsing.

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