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This month we also confirmed a sponsorship deal with Airwaves Ducati – the current Champions of Bennett’s British Superbike racing. The collaboration is great for the UKFast brand and hopefully we’ll be able to take a few of you along to some race days during the coming season. And there’s more… The ISPA shortlist for the 2006 Industry Awards has just been published and this year UKFast is not only defending the Best Hosting trophy, but we are also in the final against Pipex and Zen Internet for the Best Business ISP. We’ll let you know as soon as we know. But for now – fingers crossed. In the meantime, the new 24/7 support line for server clients is about to be instigated, further streamlining the process for out of hours calls. The team will be contacting you all direct between now and the next newsletter. But right now, let’s get stuck in. |
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January @ UKFast – The cream of the Network announced A little later than expected, here are the results of the 2005 Network Awards. The competition was fierce and our panel had to wear protective clothing as the nominees battled it out. A full report can be found on the UKFast site, just follow the link at the bottom of the article. Here, in brief, are the winners, runners-up and some commended combatants. Runner Up – Blue Rabbit for www.ourkidsports.com
It has been a fantastic opportunity for us to appreciate just how talented the people on the network really are and we can’t wait to receive entries for the 2006 awards, which we will be opening in June to cater for the growing size of the network.   Get a clean drive this year IBM spoke out this week about user responsibility. The technology giant is putting the onus on the user when it comes to PC security and protection. In addition, a recent survey by the Financial Services Authority suggests that 25% of all computer users do not remember when they last updated their security software. So, it’s time to make yourself the first line in the fight against Phishing, Pharming and other ‘ph’ dangers! As we are moving into a new year, give your hard drive a spring clean. Our tech team have plucked the best of the web to help you out. These 3 free and efficient systems will scan your PC, identifying and removing offenders. Check out their websites to find out which one appeals best to you, then download and blitz that PC! Vote for UKFast
Build your profile with sponsorship Following UKFast’s new sponsorship deal with Airwaves Ducati the Marketing Minute this month highlights the main benefits of sponsorship as part of company's marketing strategy. Sponsorship, the material support of an event, activity or organisation by an unrelated partner, is a good way of increasing brand awareness. This helps to generate consumer preference and foster brand loyalty. It is important to capitalise on your sponsorship: -create positive PR Before sponsoring an activity, make sure the event/organisation has a proven track record and a strong chance of success. Make sure it is aligned with your brand and business objectives. Remember that the organisation receiving your sponsorship can benefit enormously from both financial support and other forms of backing provided you agree a set of common objectives that underpin the sponsorship. Spotlight on the Client – Packets of inspiration for Monday 9am What I do believe is that there are people out there streaming some inspirational media online. Chief among these are Nic Askew and Robbie Lockie with one of my favourite sites on the UKFast Network – www.monday9am.tv If like me 1’s and 0’s are just a bit too mind-bending, perhaps it’s easier to consider those simple questions like why are we here? What should we be doing with our lives? Or, getting right down to it - what makes us really happy? These are the questions that Monday9am makes easier for us all. Nic is a film maker and Robbie a Web designer. Nic tirelessly produces short documentary films revolving around inspirational individuals. Athlete Roger Black, Arctic Explorer Ben Saunders and Heather Bradley (who is classed as 95% disabled) are amongst those who have contributed to great effect so far. “Our hope is that monday9am is quietly provocative, entertaining and that YOU work out what makes you feel truly alive,” says Nic. Robbie creates the online environment and introduces us to a new film every Monday morning at 9am – just at the time when so many people feel in need of a little reminder of who they are and what they are doing. I’d recommend a good look at the site. Five minutes should convince you of the passion they have for their work and for life. To watch the films you need to register, but this only takes a moment and you don’t need to sign up for any extra emails, donate money or reveal postal addresses and telephone numbers. Just one piece of advice – while you’re watching, don’t think too much about the 0’s and 1’s you’re seeing because that really would be ‘too much information!’  The 100 Top Brands of 2005 have been announced this month by BusinessWeek and Coca Cola maintains its top spot once again. Technology is strongly represented with Microsoft, IBM, Intel and Nokia in the top ten. Also bolstering the list are the world’s richest banks and investment companies as well as an array of car manufacturers, fashion houses and multinational food brands - the world’s super brands. Most interesting however is the building profile of the Internet Company. New entry Google leads the Online brands in 38th place, with Ebay 55th, Yahoo! 58th and Amazon 68th. To be considered for the list you must have a value greater than $1billion and make at least 20% of your revenue outside your home country, so these guys have become very powerful indeed. With the Web changing the way consumers think and consequently, the way businesses target consumers, these companies represent two different examples of the way the Internet is adapting the Super Brand. We all know that you can buy cheaper online. Online shopping boomed this Christmas, while the high street struggled. Amazon and Ebay with breadth of choice and volume of users are clear market leaders. However, they are unlike the other Top 100’s. They are different in that they do not manufacture their own primary products. Instead they create an arena where you can get hold of other companies’. Ebay, especially, has built its brand on the fact that it offers other brands more cheaply than going to the brand itself. Without the web, enterprise on this grand scale is impossible. It’s a new super brand sure to build it’s presence in the list as Internet dominance continues. And more are likely to follow. Yahoo! and Google also create a new brand type that would not be possible without the Web. While they have built brand loyalty through their search systems and free Internet related services, they have skyrocketed their brand values by making a whole new form of advertising essential to businesses all over the world.If the Internet is still in its infancy, I wonder how many more Web pioneers will begin to infiltrate the 100 Top Brands in 2006 and whether more brand types will find ways to reach the heights of the elite super brands through the power of the Net. The 100 Top Brands can be found at BusinessWeek. As we start a new year, let’s look back on the history of the Web. Tim Berners-Lee released the Web onto an unsuspecting public just over 15 years ago Our top ten this month comes courtesy of the kind folk at CNN. 20,000 people voted on the order for this top ten of the most significant moments in the World Wide Web's history. 10. Live 8 on AOL (0.5% of vote) 9. Skype(2%) 8. Webcams and photo sharing (3%) 7. WiFi hotspots (4%) 6. Lewinsky scandal (6%) 5. Hotmail (6.5%) 4. Napster goes offline (7%) 3. Tsunami and 9/11(11%) 2. Boom and bust (18%) 1. Google (42%) You can see the full article and number of votes here. So 2006 is underway and it looks like it will be even more productive than last year. As ever, I hope the Newsletter has provided a useful insight into UKFast. I look forward to speaking to many of you perhaps even before tomorrow! 
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Best Web Design 
You can stream all kinds of media online nowadays and it always amazes me that the pictures we see are created by little ‘packets’ of information. And I am a child of the technological revolution – so they tell me. But then, they also tell me that the Internet is totally made up of 0’s and 1’s and if they think I’m going to believe that they’ve got another thing coming. 
- Moments in Web history 
