The new product from Google ‘instant’ has been hailed as ‘search at the speed of thought’ and is currently being rolled out across Europe this week.
The new search function allows the search results to change and refresh instantly as you type your query.
This is search at it’s fasted and is sure to be a defining moment in search as we know it. See the demo below.
As an online marketing person, my initial reaction was awe, then, as it sank in what the update would mean, I began to think about the impact this would have on my campaigns, and the online marketing industry, as we know it.
Could this be the death of SEO? How will this affect the sponsored search model – does every impression still get noted even if the ad was shown in a partly typed word, which was not relevant? These are all questions that have yet to be answered.
In the mean time though, we can just marvel at Google’s new toy. This latest update has some what redeemed the last two failed launches, you know the ones.
The other day I heard somebody refer to the long forgotten and somewhat archaic phrase “web 2.0”. In my head the mere mention of this phrase transported me right back to 2007, when everybody who was anybody in the digital industry was wetting themselves over ‘2.0’.
2007 was a magical age in the internet industry where only a handful of people were aware of the existence of Twitter, and everybody thought that Facebook was just another Myspace, to be replaced by the next big player.
Of course today, web 2.0 still exists, but we call it ‘social media’ now. I put the two terms into Google Trends, and it’s interesting to see how our terminology as an industry has evolved.
It just goes to show that there may be a day where we look down our noses at the term ‘social media’ and the platforms we class as the cutting edge in digital networking… Myspace anybody?
Thursday 27th May saw the official re-launch of the Creative Times website at The Cornerhouse, Manchester. A limited ticket event, with some live acoustic music from I Am Kloot.
Creative Times, in their own words, is an online magazine for the creative community – produced by and for people working in the creative sector. They want to showcase creative work and talent, but also want to be community driven, so it’s their members who write articles and push for content.
Add to the magazine format a forthcoming diary, job board and a directory, and you can see how Creative Times would start to be a first port of call for creative types who dwell in the North West. Long term, these kind of things live or die by content, and I hope the community does well to provide and engage through it’s own content. Read more…
This year I had the great honour of being a Foreman and juror at the D&AD Student Awards 2010, which was held down in Olympia, London.
For those of you who don’t know, a D&AD award comes in the shape of a pencil. As a creative, a Yellow Pencil is one of the highest honours bestowed upon you by your peers. It’s career defining, and can only be bettered by a Black Pencil…
However, I only had a hand in awarding “Baby Pencils“, a slightly vertically challenged version of the full professional award, but nonetheless, the honour of being asked to take part in the Student Award judging, and to be a foreman for the two briefs I was judging was incredible. Read more…
So, as with any digital agency worth their salt, we obviously spend a lot of time talking shop, whether it be industry news or projects on the go. However, there is also a big chunk of conversation that goes on, which I thought I would keep tabs on for a week. Here are the top trending topics.
It’s almost two months since I joined the JayPees as Technical Director. It’s been fast, furious and fun. Outside of work I’ve been adjusting to becoming a dad for the first time and embarked on renovating a house. However, juggling these two ‘major projects’ is nothing compared to the variety of tasks thrown at me since joining JP74.
In the few weeks I’ve been on board, I’ve been involved in the release of a large multi-lingual site, an accompanying mobile site, an iPhone application, the introduction of a new development process and implementation of an office wiki. We’ve also kick-started a project to develop info-boards for an office reception, plus internal projects to migrate email to a new provider and improve our backup strategy. To top it all off, I’ve had to learn the studio rules relating to the stereo. Read more…
So as the departure of Joanne draws nearer and nearer (at a frightening pace!) we all went out for a meal in her honour.
Group opinion led us to Koh Samui Thai Restaurant in Manchester, with a few drinkies before and after. The food was fantastic, and we all had a great laugh, but these things aren’t remembered unless someone ends in tears… Read more…
We’re rather pleased to announce that our Interactive Director, Jake Smith, has been asked to be a foreman for the D&AD Student Awards 2010, participating in the Digital Design and Interactive Design briefs.
The occasion will involve a long day at the London Olympia venue, pouring over entries and imparting words of wisdom… we hope.
I managed to get through 30 minutes without committing social hari kari or making too bigger tit of myself. Pat Lauke was in full on Opera and HTML5 brainwash form, but energetic and interesting enough to be different from Chris Mill’s session at Leeds. The coup de grâce was obviously Simon Collison of Erskine Design, with his In the Pursuit of Magic presentation, and fair play to him for being drugged up but persevering and putting on a really thoughtful and inspiring presentation. Read more…
Thursday 27th May saw the official re-launch of the 
