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December Newsletter
Dear Newsletter Subscriber
Welcome to the last UKFast Newsletter of 2007.
We’re keeping it as brief as possible this month as we know time is at a premium for everybody. It has been a great year for us at UKFast and we hope we have helped you by providing a platform that allows you to compete at the top of your field online.
The big news this month is to announce the winners of the UKFast Internet Awards. We have seven terrific winners and you can find out more about them in the Spotlight section. There’s also a quick round up from City Tower, a tech tip about support over the festive season and an inspiring marketing interview with Chris Moss the mastermind behind the launches of both Orange and 118 118.
As ever, please get in touch with any comments on this newsletter or with suggestions for next year's editions.
In this months issue
December@UKFast
Here at UKFast we won’t be halting during the festive season! Our 24 hour support line will be available to all dedicated server clients and our offices will be open from nine until six every day (excluding bank holidays).
Last month we mentioned our text alert service and we’re pleased to announce that our R&D team has now upgraded the Alerts Manager system. Our new and improved system gives you the option to choose new server monitoring alerts as well as which contact you want them to be sent to, be it one person or a whole host of people.
And finally, after much deliberation our judges have chosen the winners of the 2007 UKFast Internet Awards. The judges had a particularly tough time this year as the number of nominations put forward has more than tripled and the quality of each website is exceedingly high. Check out the Spotlight to discover who has won.
Keeping your server safe this Xmas
With Christmas on the doorstep it’s important to keep your server safe from hackers.
The bad guys don't even stop at Christmas! Patches and updates to software will continue to be released throughout the festive period so for those who aren't on the UKFast maintenance plan, please ensure that you are still keeping up to date with any security announcements that occur over the next couple of weeks.
It's a good thing the good guys at UKFast don't stop at Xmas either, 24/7 support is always available for all dedicated server clients.
Brand Building with Chris Moss
At the end of November, I recorded a podcast for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce from the Business North West Expo at Manchester Central. Angie Robinson, the Chamber’s CEO interviewed Chris Moss the marketeer responsible for building brands like Virgin Atlantic, Orange and more recently 118 118.
The interview has been distilled into a 23-minute podcast which is crammed full of amazing anecdotes and inside stories that lift the lid on the world of brand building. Particular highlights are Richard Branson’s hypnotic negotiations with the President of Airbus and Chris’s advice on building a small brand with a tiny budget.
You can listen to the mp3 direct or for those who want to fast forward through to the bits you want, go to our podcast page and listen with programme notes.
Internet Awards Winners!
I’d like to extend our thanks to everyone who entered the UKFast Internet Awards this year.
Our judges, Lawrence Jones (MD of UKFast), Chris Barry (Business Editor, Manchester Evening News) and Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks and England Rugby Player) assessed each site from marketing, business and consumer perspectives and were massively impressed with the standard.
We had a very tough time getting each category down to a shortlist this year. The response was huge and the entries of a very high calibre. In some cases it was so close between first and second that we have chosen a winner and a highly commended runner-up. In others a clear winner emerged.
Newcomer
As a new category we were astounded to receive as many entries for this award as our more established awards. The shortlist suggested very bright things for the UK online economy.
Winner - CSI Media for www.leasing4u.co.uk
Lawrence Jones highlighted the conviction behind the site as a strong motivating factor.
“Websites today can harness technologies that allow them to compete very quickly with online leaders and CSI Media has created a site that allows this newcomer to enter the market in a very strong position.”
Web Design
This year we saw some very impressive sites from law firms, a positive suggestion that the sector is making big changes online. However, it was an agency that shone through.
Winner – Imajica for www.imajica.co.uk
Chris Barry was impressed with the visuals giving the site a strong sense of achievement. “When looking for a service online I want to see who else a company is working with.
Testimonials and case studies are crucial within the creative sector and Imajica does more than enough to encourage you to pick up the phone and investigate further.”
Web Functionality
It’s the key to turning a visitor into a client, or paying customer. Navigation on a winning site has to be excellent.
The crucial thing is that the ease of use gives a visitor no chance to consider that they could get a better deal elsewhere.
Winner – Selesti for www.holdenmobility.co.uk
Charlie Hodgson thought Selesti’s site ticked all the right boxes. “The site guides you directly to products you want to see. Not only are images readily available, but once clicked on, they use videos to show how products can be used. As a consumer, this is a really important part of turning visitors into customers.”
Community Site
The best community sites use techniques that grow their subscriber base and allow you to interact either with the site itself or through the site with the rest of the community.
Winner – Future Publishing for www.linuxformat.co.uk
Lawrence Jones is a big fan of niche community sites punching above their weight. “While Linux is a big subject within our industry it still has a niche audience.
This site encourages contributions from all over the world. It is a key online resource for the open source OS and it understands its audience perfectly.”
Highly Commended – Parkmatic Publications for www.landlordzone.co.uk
Charlie Hodgson was a strong advocate for Parkmatic’s resource. “It’s crammed full of diverse information, possibly everything a landlord needs to know! It didn’t win the trophy because it doesn’t incorporate enough interactivity with its audience.
We look forward to seeing how it grows this element in the future.”
E-commerce
Two years ago less than 12% of all websites employed e-commerce functionality. As we move into 2008, things have changed dramatically. The winners of our two awards operate in very different industries and are both highly successful.
Winner Best E-commerce Site – 11 out of 10 for www.globalgizmos.co.uk
Chris Barry judged the finalists on their range of products, ease of use and transaction process.
“It was a tough choice here but we felt Global Gizmos had a streamlined yet plentiful product range coupled with a sophisticated payment process informing you all along the way of delivery times and availability.”
Winner Best Enterprise E-commerce Site – Caunce O’Hara for www.caunceohara.co.uk
The judges saw an industry leader here capitalising on the web to boost its annual turnover by more than £3.5m. “Professional insurance is a new service to find its way into the e-commerce world,” said Lawrence Jones.
“This site proves that with the right site and marketing plan you can sell anything online.”
Internet Innovator
Every year we search for businesses on the network changing the way we view an aspect of life or even the internet itself.
This year’s winner has created a product that allows businesses to show transparency in their process and build trust within their community.
Winner – Historic Futures for their product 'String' (Supply Chain Traceability)
The judges all felt that Historic Futures had made incredible steps to transforming the way consumers view manufacturing companies. Lawrence Jones said; “It’s fantastic to watch a company like Historic Futures grow.
They are now in talks with some of the world’s biggest companies to supply ‘String’ and many have already signed up.
Find out more about 'String' on their website – www.historicfutures.co.uk
Highly Commended – My Job Group www.myjobgroup.co.uk
My Job Group is winning awards non-stop at the moment for breaking into a very competitive market place and delivering firm tangible results for thousands of people across the UK through their plethora of city specific sites.
Congratulations to all our winners and thanks again to everyone who entered this year. We truly are humbled by the quality of the businesses we host and it’s further proof that the UKFast Network is home to the UK’s most competitive businesses.
Please get in touch with me if you would like more information on any of the articles mentioned above.
That's it for 2007. See you next year!
Best wishes,
Jonathan
For more information on the range of UKFast products and services go to http://www.ukfast.net
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