In Ryan Florence’s excellent post comparing jQuery’s approach to Mootools’, he makes a number of interesting comparisons about each framework’s approach.

One area where jQuery provides an elegant solution is its use of anonymous functions to set DOM properties, as shown in the following snippet.

This is something that I certainly missed when working with Mootools, but fortunately there’s an easy, quick solution.

Ryan proposes the use of the setEach plugin to solve this issue, but to me, this doesn’t seem necessary. You can work around the issue by using a function that executes immediately, as follows.

The key here is the extra pair of parentheses after the function definition, which forces the function to execute straight away. Simple, quick, and it gives the same functionality as the jQuery equivalent without having to add the overhead of a plug in.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for site launches in the 360innovate office!

Multi Table Tournament Poker are a company that hold poker tournaments across Scotland. They hold regular (nightly) events, as well as regional and national tournaments. They came to 360innovate looking for a complex bespoke website development, involving many different league tables, a content management system, and a forum.

The main aims for this site were to ease the administrative burden on MTTP’s staff (allowing them to expand their business more easily in future), and to provide a focus for their already-strong community of players.

MTTPoker have big plans for the site, and planning for phase 2 of the development is well under way!

You can check out the site at mttpoker.com.

Regular visitors to our site might have noticed that we have tweaked the header/menu area this morning.

There are a couple of reasons for this little facelift. Firstly to tie the main menu closer to the rest of the design from a visual perspective.

The second reason is to prepare the way for future additions to site which are part of the phased approach we took when creating the site.

When we first put the site live a few months back we did so with great pride but we also had many ideas during the build that had to be shelved due to time constraints (pesky clients!).

Along with the visual changes we also had certain tweaks and additions to the site which needed rolling out so we decided to bundle them into one update.

We’ll keep you posted when we make further additions to the site.

Companies and individuals get social media wrong all the time. It’s rare, however, to see the type of PR disaster that enveloped Gillian McKeith yesterday.

If you missed the debacle, here’s a summary:

• A user of Twitter expressed excitement at reading a chapter of Dr Ben Goldacre‘s book, Bad Science, devoted to McKeith’s practices.
• McKeith (or someone tweeting from her official Twitter account) responded to the user accusing her – bizarrely – of bigotry against Americans. (Since McKeith’s PhD was gained in America.) Crucially, she also inferred that Dr Goldacre was a liar. (A very serious, and indefensible defamation.)
• At this point, the sceptic community on Twitter began picking up on the issue – tweeting with hashtags such as #Iherebydefamegillianmckeith and #gillianmckeithhasnophd
• She quickly became one of the top trending topics on Twitter, and as the momentum started to build, she made an incredible move – her tweets moved to the third person, and she wrote a load of tweets that were sharply deleted (They are captured for posterity here). Links to her Twitter account were removed from her official site, and she tweeted “Do you actually believe this is real twitter site for the GM?” Unfortunately for her, the link to her Twitter account is still visible in the source code of the site, at the time of writing.

What could she have done differently?

Assuming that @gillianmckeith is the woman’s real account, or is at least under her control, there are many lessons to be learned from this story.

Firstly, nobody likes a bully. McKeith is renowned for being somewhat litigious and silencing her critics through legal threats. This approach is anathema to the way social media operates, where engagement is key. Your critics provide invaluable feedback, and should be regarded as an opportunity to improve your product offering.

As an example, imagine if she had sent a complimentary book to the original tweeter. Instead of creating the storm that she did, she would have come across as looking to present her side of the story; listening to her critics and reaching out with generosity rather than insults and threats.

Secondly, her response to the crisis was disastrous, to say the least. In claiming that the account was not associated with her (when clearly it had been), she showed real contempt for the online world. Dishonesty and backtracking will get you nowhere, and in any case, the situation had been captured by numerous sources – the caches of search engines, and the screenshots of many users. Links to these spread like wildfire, and will irreparably damage your reputation.

Assuming again that Gillian McKeith (and people working with her) are responsible for this situation, she has given us a prime example of why employing a professional social media management company is money well spent. If you don’t thoroughly understand the opportunities and pitfalls of social media, the damage to your reputation can be incalculable.

Please note that comments do not represent the views of 360innovate. Defamatory comments will be deleted.

The Internet boasts a wealth of opportunities many of which are entirely free, but just because it comes without a price tag is it necessarily worth it?

With the importance of social media shouted at every opportunity plus the dozens of success stories splashed across every industry blog and news sites it is very easy for anyone to get caught up in excitement and rigmarole of it all.  Businesses have wisened up to the fact that customers are online and that they need to join the conversation.

What can they learn or benefit from doing so?

• They can receive  valuable feedback
• Create meaningful relationships with the target audience
• Identify any upset or complaining customers and help
• Communicate the brand message to a wide audience
• Promote their products and services

So, from the outset, it would make good business sense utilise every direct channel to the consumer.  The, its free so what’s the harm, approach to online marketing, whilst having good intentions, is not the best approach to producing effective results. Social media requires time, above everything else, and as we all know time is money so whilst your Facebook profile will come without a price its success will not.

Something for free is nice, but when it comes to building your online presence remember that creating multiple profiles can cost in multiple ways; time and reputation. Any online profile bearing your brand should be kept up to date and to engage your target market this will require constant attention, if a profile is created and abandoned then this will have a negative impact upon your brand image.

It is very easy to set up a page, profile or channel on every social and business network you come across, but before doing so it is worth considering the real value it will bring to your online presence. These online tools are not generically suitable for every business, it is worth remembering that a certain type of people are using them for a reason, and whatever that person is using that website for does it necessarily fit in with your business?

Before any business embarks on an online marketing campaign thorough research must be performed into the marketplace; who are your customers and what online media are they using? Embarking on a wild social media crusade without any planning or preparation will only result in wasted time and effort. Rather than juggle multiple accounts and profiles, each of which will no doubt require a different strategy, opt to streamline all energies into one cohesive social media strategy that may not be entirely free but it will provide a much more pleasing ROI.

We are delighted to announce the launch of an exciting new web project:

OSS – On-Site Scanning

OSS is a document management company specialising in document scanning and Digital Mailroom solutions. Currently without any online presence  OSS required the development of a website.

Particular attention was paid to the company’s target market and nature of work, requiring a very professional looking website that portrays a high level of trust and competence. The website demonstrates the various services the company provides. Visitors can sign up to the monthly newsletter and source specific information using the search functionality.

Like what you see?

For further information about 360innovate’s web design services please contact us on 0141 241 6190.

This morning’s chat in the 360 office was all about the World Cup.

It involved taking a pop at the BBC World Cup Predictor, and having a discussion on who’ll win it, get to the final and be top scorer etc.

In the spirit of this I had a look to see who were the favourites for the golden boot, and in particular searched for England’s number 9; Peter Crouch.

It was a fairly specific search; “odds on peter crouch to be world cup top scorer”.

Most of the big boys had paid search visibility; Betfair, Blue Sq, VC, William Hill, Boylesports, Totesport and Bet365 and many more were all represented.

I expected this; what I didn’t expect were the horrendous ads and subsequent landing pages that this search returned.

“Best Prices & Fastest Payout. Join Asia’s Leading Online Sportsbook!”
“Sign Up & Get a £25 Free Bet on all Football Bets at William Hill!”
“Bet On Your Favourite Sports with Boyle Sports. Bet £20 Get £20 Free!”
“20% Better World Cup Odds Online. Join Now & Receive Free £25 Bet!”

Now I’m not expecting every single ad to be spot on with regards the user’s intention, however you’d expect that the landing page would be based around their sports book for World Cup top scorer?

If not a bare minimum would be the World Cup betting page?

Even if a trained monkey was to put together a PPC campaign based on World Cup top scorer betting, the worst he could do would be to point the ad at a football page?

No! Around half of the ad’s led to a generic landing page which means nothing to the user who wants to have a punt on Peter Crouch.

My personal favourite ad was:
“Up to £200 Free in World Cup Bets. Bet on Peter Crouch for Top Scorer.”

Good sign up offer and World Cup, Peter Crouch and Top Scorer all mentioned.

The landing page however was a standard in play betting screen. No mention of Peter Crouch and barely a mention of The World Cup!  There certainly were no strong calls to action.

The best landing page would have been William Hill’s.  Their ad wasn’t particularly strong, however they grasp the landing page basics well, the World Cup and more specifically England specials were easy to navigate to and had clear enough calls to action.

On the whole the online gambling market is missing a trick here.  The people who bet on the World Cup aren’t just the audience that they speak to and engage with in non World Cup summers.

National pride and the whole “England expects” nonsense get people excited, and similar to other events such as The Grand National  the World Cup attracts spontaneous gamblers who are just as likely to bet £5 on England winning Silvio Gazzaniga’s beautiful trophy as they are picking a team from the office sweepstakes.

Any online gambling brand that spends money on pay per click advertising, and has a well designed set of landing pages with intuitive navigation & strong calls to action to easily allow the non serious gambler to have a flutter should clean up this summer.

Which is more than can be said for Rooney and co…

*In case you were wondering I predict an England vs. Argentina final.  Argentina going on to become champions and possibly Milito as top scorer.  I also hope than England do well even though I’m Scottish!

**If you are looking for a certainty, get your money on the commentary team getting 1966 into the conversation within the first 3 minutes of the opening game between South Africa & Mexico.  The bookies might not give you odds on that!

@davorgoldie

As the festival of football that is the World Cup draws ever closer, one key deadline looms over the 30 man provisional playing squads.

The first of June is D day for national team managers and their playing personnel.

It’s on this date that players will be “over the moon” or “sick as a parrot”.

It’s on this day that managers need to make tough choices as thirty into twenty three won’t go.

FIFA require a final twenty three man playing squad for the World cup, and since the season broke up thirty two groups of thirty players have been performing in their own version of the X-factor.

Spotlights have been replaced by floodlights, the pitch is their stage, and the songs of the faithful are their backing tracks.

There is no Simon Cowell and unfortunately for Ashely no Cheryl Cole.  Just a manager and his coaching staff making a decision that can reduce grown men to tears; if evidence is required ask Glenn Hoddle how Paul Gascoigne reacted to being told he hadn’t made it past the judges.

What does this have to do with agency life?

Pre qualifying questionnaires, tenders, requests for information, requests for proposal = requests for a lot of time and effort.

No matter what the discipline or what the balance sheet reads most agencies welcome new business.  Our approaches differ in how we go about acquiring this new revenue.  Some excel at networking and are well connected.  Others write fantastic documents and presentations.  Some are lucky enough to win more than their fair share by referral.  On the whole though we all are interested when the phone goes or an email drops with a request for something or other.

Therein lays the problem.

Just like the final pitch process with it’s song and dance and showing of leg, the process of getting through the provisional list to the final performers is fraught with danger.  Clients that don’t truly understand their own requirements, aren’t  willing to meet in advance, give you a high level brief yet want detailed specifications or expected results.  Each of us has our own stories to tell.

In a previous life I recall helping a client host two different stakeholder meetings so we could help them write a brief for a tender.  Problem was that before the project was awarded there were changes at the top and our response, which was word for word a perfect answer to their challenge and came in under budget and inside the timeframes ended up like Spotty from Superted; tossed aside like a piece of rubbish.

This isn’t just my sad tale of writing a losing tender.  We have all spent untold hours researching, analysing and compiling responses, often pulling technical resource to help with the finer points.  In the case of losing tenders this time is lost in a black hole and you are never able to get it back.  For the lucky winning tenders it’s fairly well assumed that it’s then up to the Account Director to get these billable hours back.

Is this the right way to work?

There are some tenders and pitches where we all know who has won before the process has started, thankfully in some cases freedom of information and accountability has seen these numbers fall.  In the private sector we all know that there are often hoops to be jumped through in order to get down to the nitty gritty.

Over the last 5 years I like to think I have learned something; I like to think that the wiser heads I have worked beside have taught me to be more cautious when confronted with a request.  Even though we are keen, we can say no to filling in what a client sends over.

Obviously there are some situations where there are hard and fast rules governing the tender process; however some warning signs for me are:

• Client has a very high level brief yet wants a very detailed specification or likely results, cost model and delivery time.
• Client will not agree to meet in advance, and in some cases won’t take calls or correspond with you at all.
• Client has taken some form of EU approved, rubber stamped pre qualifying questionnaire and shoe horned their brief into it.  Even though it’s blindingly obvious that it doesn’t fit.
• Client is a jumper. These ones are fairly easy to spot. They often have moved between agencies very frequently and believe that relationships or partnerships are a one way street.

Anyway these are just a taste of the challenges we all face when we choose to answer a request.  Next time one drops ask yourself these questions;

• How many tenders have I won?
• Did any of them make me rich?
• Did any of them make me famous?
• How many agencies are likely to be involved? (The chances of a win decrease with each contestant)
• How much effort is involved on behalf of my team and I?
• Can I actually service the client profitably?

Once you have the answer to these questions you will have a far better understanding if you are making the cut.

@davorgoldie

Colour is a major factor in all aspects of design. It can create moods, styles and can evoke feelings and actions within people. Colour is a truly fascinating area, one which is constantly evolving and inspiring us to create new and refreshing designs.

Gone are the days where there were certain rules  with colour such as never mix red with pink, now we can put any colours together and still achieve a well balanced and stimulating design. But what if we start to limit colour in design? Instead of splashing colour about without much thought, what if we refine colour back to the very basics and only use what is really necessary.

Limiting colour in designs can create a more coherent and consistent look, making them more defined and altogether stronger. Using a limited colour palette doesn’t mean restricting the design, rather it can create emphasis on content, branding and messaging. It can also make a design more creative and intuitive, focusing on typography, imagery and layout.

Black and white is commonly used to create this limited colour scheme, however any colours used in isolation can be manipulated for this type of style. For instance take our very own 360innovate website, where we employed the dark blue as the primary colour with only white included for text and purple and orange used very sparingly for some content headers. This gives the site an easily flowing design, pulling the information together giving it a clear sense of purpose.

Below are some examples of other websites employing the effectiveness of limiting colour:

It is commonplace for bloggers to receive gifts and samples from brands hoping to receive a cheeky review or name drop. Being a fan of fashion blogs it is a regular occurrence to read about bloggers receiving boxes full of clothes from high street retailers and designers which they then go onto model and discuss.

If that same scenario happened in a glossy magazine, the magazine would be required to clearly state that the article was in fact an advertisement or advertorial.  Within the UK the use of advertorials, without making it clear that the trader has paid for the promotion, is in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and could result in a fine (OUT-LAW). In terms of blogs it is unclear whether these regulations would apply.

In the United States the Federal Trade Commission has released guidelines stating that any blogger or brand that fails to disclose sponsorships could potentially face a fine of up to $11,000. The main intention of such guidelines being to provide the consumer with a level of protection from misleading blog posts. Considering that online reviews are one of the most influential factors in the online decision making process it is easy to see why the FTC is keen to prevent brands from disguising sponsored messages as genuine blog posts and reviews.

In terms of business conduct and advertising in the UK the ASA dictate that companies have a corporate responsibility not to mislead, harm or offend consumers. Writing a paid for or sponsored blog post without stating so would clearly fall within this definition; but given that anyone of any age can set up a blog the diverse range of individuals which this rule would have to apply to would  make it somewhat difficult to enforce.

With there being no official code of ethics we are dependant upon bloggers being honest and clearly stating when a blog post is paid for. However, in doing so it’s possible that the blogger may compromise their credibility; will their readers trust the review of a product that has been gifted or paid for? That’s up to the reader to decide, even if the reader knows the blogger received the product for free they may still decide they like it and the brand still manages to expose the product to the consumer. On the flip side, by not disclosing a blogger could still face losing the trust of your reader and fellow bloggers, as what happened in the case of Royal Caribbean.

Receiving payment or gifts as payment or thanks for content is in no way unethical, it is common practice across a broad range of  industries. The main issue is the power and influence a brand can have on the consumer through the use of an ‘independent’ blog, where the readers are not made aware of any affiliation.

The introduction of a formal code of conduct will not only help to protect the consumer from such influence but it will also help to protect the blogging industry, who stand to suffer at the expense of a small few whose non disclosed affiliation will make consumers less trustworthy of online content in general.

How to moderate bloggers disclosing gifts and payments is beyond me. I imagine that it would be no easy task, each case would be pretty unique; perhaps rather than focusing entirely on blogs we should be looking to moderate how brands engage with blogs… If and how the issue is to be resolved is unclear, but one thing is for sure that with the FTC taking action Stateside such regulations will no doubt be slowly introduced within the UK.

Some further reading:

PR 2.0 Blogging- Should Bloggers Accept Gifts?

Econsultancy

Joel on Software – Bribing Bloggers

Web Pro News – Key Perspectives on the FTC Blogging Guidelines