Wednesday 30 December 2009

The Office Arms Race

Article Source:The Office Arms Race

Do you have a war commencing in your office?
Draw the battle lines and arm up. Whether it’s Sales vs. IT or Designers vs. Techies you will want the best equipment to make sure you come out on top! Here are some of the best weapons available.

The Great Office War from Runawaybox on Vimeo.

Heavy Duty

Nerf N-Strike Havok Fire EBF-25
If you need to set up a defence position next to the printer or phones, you want to make sure you have this gun at your side. The Nerf Havok Fire is a, fully automatic, dart cannon and can fire up to three darts per second. It comes with a tripod to hold all that power down which can fold away for easy transportation. You can also change it to single shot mode for precision firing. It only holds 25 darts in a chain so be careful you don’t unleash all your ammo too quickly.



Available to buy from The Toy Shop.

Elite Hasbro Nerf N-Strike Basic Blaster
This weapon gives you three guns in one. You have the Scout IX-3 blaster which has three darts for precision aiming; the Hornet AS-6 blaster unleashes a hail of bullets for rapid fire. But for those long range instant kill shots you have the AS-V.1 blaster which can fire up to 60 feet. This is a great weapon for your lone wolves who like to go off on their own and cause mayhem behind enemy lines.

Available to buy from Toys r Us

Nerf N-Strike Longshot Blaster
This gun is an all-in-one and can be used separately or together. This is the equivalent of a sniper with a built-in scope and a bi-pod for accuracy. It also includes two clips which slot in to the side for extra fast reloading. The foam darts can be fired up to 35 feet so you can lie in wait for the tricky sales guy.

Available to buy from Rassad.

USB Devices

USB Missile Rocket Launcher
Keep your computer secure with this USB Missile Launcher. It plugs into any standard USB port. You can control the missile launcher from your PC with a 180 degree turn and a 45 degree elevation.

Available fo buy from Gadgets.co.uk.

Wireless USB Rocket Launcher
This is an updated version of the USB Missile Rocket Launcher and has superior fire power, accuracy and 2 x range. It can be set up remotely where you can wait in ambush for your enemies.

USB Wireless Rocket Launcher

Available to buy from Think Geek.

USB Webcam Missile Launcher
You thought the wireless USB rocket launcher was a good update from its predecessor, well check out the webcam version. It uses MSN messenger to control the launcher with directional arrows to aim. It has a 10ft range and much better accuracy than the two launchers above but has a cable so you can’t put it in a remote location.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Rifles and Machine Guns

Nerf N Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster
This rapid fire assault rifle is a must in any office war and can tip the battle in your favour. It has a drum cartridge with a clear front so you can see how many bullets you have left; the drum can hold 35 bullets.
It also has a pump action handle which lets you control your rate of fire from blasting mode to multi shot. The butt of the gun has a shoulder rest that minimises recoil.

Available to buy from Toys R Us.

Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6
Build your own gun with five interchangeable parts that can be taken apart and reassembled any way you want. You can create the tactical rail, flip-up sight, dual-mode light beam and the shoulder stock. This is the gun for the SAS or Navy seal office recruits - the most hardy of office workers.

Available to buy from The Toy Shop.

Tommy 20
This is a modern approach on the Tommy gun and is great for firing from the hip. It can fire 20 foam darts in rapid succession which is impossible to avoid. It is very cumbersome so it isn’t easy to jump around out the way of incoming fire, but this isn’t necessary when you can use office juniors as protective shields. This is the ultimate weapon for your boss.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Rapid Fire Foam Disc Shooter
Instead of using your conventional foam bullets the rapid fire disc shooter uses revolutionary foam discs. Foam discs are better for rapid fire but can be less reliable for accuracy. You have a range of 20ft which will reach across most of the office. It comes with two clips which each hold 20 discs so you have enough ammo for the battle.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Speed Loader
The speed loader uses brute force to annihilate the enemy. It holds eight foam darts which it fires simultaneously at rapid speed. This is especially good for firing into a crowd of designers because they get confused with the numbers.

Available to buy from the Science Museum Shop.

Cosmic Thruster
The Cosmic Thruster is a simple mechanism but it packs a punch. It holds six balls and to fire you pump the front handle. With good accuracy, range and power this is a mean machine and any office worker should fear it.

Available to buy from the Science Museum Shop.

Double Shot Dart Blaster
You can’t beat a good old double barrel shotgun. It might not be the most practical weapon but you do feel some kind of superiority when holding it. It can only fire two bullets before having to reload but it does have a lot of power. This has to be my favourite weapon.

Available from Firebox.

Side Arms

Nerf Maverick
The Nerf Maverick is the ultimate sidearm for serious office recruits. It holds six foam darts at once and is very quick to reload. It also comes with a tactical light which will give you the edge over your enemy at night. This is by far the best side arm and it’s so good you could use it as your primary weapon.

Available to buy from Think Geek.

Disc Shooter
The Disc Shooter is a state-of-the-art foam disc-firing gun. Once switched on, it will shoot up to 20 foam discs randomly in front of you. With limited accuracy it isn’t very good for long range shots. It is very effective for firing into a crowd of office workers and will cause a panic amongst them.

Available to buy from Prezzies Plus.

Atomic Blaster Space Gun
The Atomic Blaster Space Gun has an identical design to the Pop blaster but instead of using balls it fires missiles. This makes it more accurate, longer range and more powerful. Range can vary but can travel 10 - 40 feet.

Available to buy from Mojo London.

Rockets & Grenades

Blast Bazooka Foam Gun
This is a devastating weapon and can make your enemy run in fear. To work the gun push the bazooka down inside and pump the handle up to eight times then fire away. It takes a while to load but has a good range and accuracy.

Available to buy from Amazon.

Ram Rocket
This can fire up to 100 feet and will easily reach across most office spaces. It uses compressed air which is what gives it the power. It also has extremely good accuracy which is great for taking out the opposition’s leader who might be hiding at the back.

Ram Rocket

Ram Rocket

Available to buy from Office Playground.

Sonic Grenade
This brings a whole new aspect into the office warfare of disorientating your enemy. This simple grenade produces an ear splitting sound which forces your target to hold his hands over his ears. Once you have disarmed your enemy you can go in for the kill. It has three pitches of skull shattering sound.

Available to buy from Firefox.

Misc Weapons

Airzooka Air Gun
This weapon fires a ball of air at your target which is surprisingly accurate. It doesn’t require batteries, electricity and most importantly ammunition it can also reach up to 30 feet. It might not be able to take the enemy down but it can distract and annoy.

Available to buy from Think Geek.

Whomp It
This is a simple but effective handheld weapon. It uses air filled technology to annihilate your enemies. Whomp It works particularly well against IT staff because of its ability to smash glasses. Its downfalls are it can easily be burst and leave you defenceless.

Available to buy from Office Playground.

Tuesday 15 December 2009

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1

Visit the Facebook Group

Are you getting fed up about the possibility of ANOTHER X-Factor Christmas No.1? ...us too...so we're going to do something about it!

We are all buying a download of 'KILLING IN THE NAME' by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE right NOW! until the end of Saturday 19th December (23:59pm).

LET'S GET RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE TO THE CHRISTMAS NO.1 SPOT THEN!

We cannot mass message all members. Facebook disable that option on large groups!

Q: So how do we do this then?
A: Take your pick(s) of the digital providers below. It should take you to the page where you can purchase your copy of KILLING IN THE NAME. in most cases it's track#2 but check before you click!

Q: Why have you used shortened links?
A: It gives us a ROUGH idea of how we are doing on sales. I can get a click count this way.

Q: But there's other websites now offering RAGE for Xmas links?
A: Yes, but these links right here were created by the creators of the whole campaign themselves. They are not 'affiliate' links so therefore nobody gets any sort of 'commision'. You don't need to go anywhere else.

Q: When do i buy 'Killing In The Name'?
A: NOW until Saturday 19th December at 23:59pm

Q: Can I buy loads of downloads?
A: In a nutshell no. If the Chart company see unusual selling patterns they can ignore the bulk purchases or worse still remove the track completely. As admin I cannot be seen to encourage this

** DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT 10 TIMES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT...IT'LL JUST GET ANNULLED FROM THE CHART **
read- http://bit.ly/dontbuyloads (interesting from James)

read- http://bit.ly/lessonlearnt (BBC news article)

================================== Direct linking approved by the Official Charts Company. I spoke to them personally on this

Price Comparison site - http://bit.ly/comparedownloadprices

iTUNES - 99p - track #2 (click on 'view in itunes' on the right)
http://bit.ly/ratm-itunes

PLAY.COM - 65p - it's the only track on the page
http://bit.ly/ratm-play

7DIGITAL - 50p - track #2
http://bit.ly/rage-7digital

HMV.COM - 79p (careful - this is track #1)
http://bit.ly/ratm-hmv

TUNETRIBE - 49P - track #2 - LIVE version (yes it counts)
http://bit.ly/ratm-tunetribe
or http://bit.ly/rage-tunetribe (Studio Version)

TESCO DIGITAL - 67p - track #2
http://bit.ly/ratm-tesco

AMAZON - 29p - YES IT COUNTS: CONFIRMED
http://bit.ly/rage-amazon

WE7 - £1.07p - track #2
http://bit.ly/ratm-we7

Friday 11 December 2009

Yahoo responds to Google with Twitter integration

Google recently integrated real time results into is search queries so Yahoo have responded by including Tweets in its results.

Yahoo hasn’t gone as far as Google because they only include Twitter results with the hottest topics. I still don’t think real time search is that useful and actually prevents you finding what you want to know. Yahoo has also added it to the bottom of their results instead of the middle.

I think this is something Yahoo has got right instead of Google but I would like to use their feature a bit more. I will have to start using Yahoo for once to test this out.

Thursday 10 December 2009

Google US Domination!

In the four weeks ending Oct. 3, 2009 Google has managed to get over 71% of all searches made in the US. This a huge piece of the market for one company to have which is scary but you can see why. Bing hasn't brought anything new to the search engine world and to be honest I would prefer Google to be in charge than Microsoft.

Google has recently brought out real time search in the US and the UK to battle the new search engine Bing. I think Google has won for now. They have also rolled out the personalised search so you no longer have to be logged in. I am sure Microsoft will be thinking of new ideas for Bing to contend with Google but I think they are a long way off.

Here is the Percentage of U.S. searches among leading search engine provider taken from Hitwise.com

Domain

August 2009

September 2009

Month-over-month percent change

www.google.com

70.24%

71.08%

1%

search.yahoo.com

16.96%

16.38%

-3%

www.bing.com*

9.48%

8.96%

-5%

www.ask.com

2.37%

2.56%

8%

Note: Data is based on four-week rolling periods (ending Oct. 3, 2009, and Aug. 29, 2009) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users.

*This includes executed searches on Bing.com, Live.com and MSN Search but does not include searches on Club.Live.com.

Source: Experian Hitwise

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Whiteboard Friday-Content Categorization for SEO



www.seomoz.org. This week, Rand discusses various methods of Content Categorization. Placing some time and effort into your info architecture can make a huge difference in both rankings and user experience.

Real Time Search is now in the UK

Google has now introduced real time search into the UK. This is a good come back to Bing’s recent progress and shows the World that Google is still the number one search engine.

It will also benefit social sites like Twitter and will make them even more important in marketing campaigns. I can’t wait to try different searches to see how it will affect the clients I will work on.

Here is a link to the official Google post on real time search: Relevance meets the real-time web

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Google's Personalised Search Good or Bad?

Google has recently rolled out its personalized search so it no longer depends weather you are logged in or not. Here is a snippet from Google's blog:

Today we're helping people get better search results by extending Personalized Search to signed-out users worldwide, and in more than forty languages. Now when you search using Google, we will be able to better provide you with the most relevant results possible. For example, since I always search for [recipes] and often click on results from epicurious.com, Google might rank epicurious.com higher on the results page the next time I look for recipes. Other times, when I'm looking for news about Cornell University's sports teams, I search for [big red]. Because I frequently click on www.cornellbigred.com, Google might show me this result first, instead of the Big Red soda company or others.

You can disable personalised search but it is easy to miss or you can disable cookies but most users will leave it on. I personally don't like the idea but I am in the SEO industry and I don't use Google like the average user. I think for the average Joe it will be beneficial. One example would be my Dad who uses Google for everything; if he wants to visit the John Lewis website instead of typing www.johnlewis.com into the URL bar he will type John Lewis into Google. Another search he does is 'football' to find the BBC football site which is the 7th or 8th listing in Google. Now this would benefit him because after a period of time it will push the BBC football page to the top.

It also makes me slightly concerned on how it will affect new websites ranking. The great thing about the web to me is the variety of ideas and different views which might get narrowed and reduced by the personalised search. I have not fully tested the personalised search and I will only find out the answers after fully using the new feature.

I would love to hear other peoples opinions so please email me.

Here is a link toGoogle's Official Post: Personalized Search for everyone

Monday 7 December 2009

SEOmoz – The Must Have Online Marketing Resource

SEOmoz serves as a hub for search marketers worldwide, providing education, tools, resources and paid services to help every SEO to be the best they can be.

Looking for the best tools and techniques to improve your rankings? Join hundreds of other Search Professionals who know that SEOmoz PRO Membership provides exclusive access to SEO Tools, Tips and Premium Instructional Guides that are invaluable to anyone trying to learn the secrets of achieving top rankings.

Visit SEOmoz

Sunday 6 December 2009

Rogers Estate Coffees - Care for Coffee Farmers

The speculative, worldwide, coffee market creates boom and bust cycles that wreak havoc in the lives of coffee farmers. The Rogers Family Company has taken a unique and compassionate approach to this problem.

Wednesday 2 December 2009

The Office Arms Race

Article Source:The Office Arms Race

Do you have a war commencing in your office? Draw the battle lines and arm up. Whether it’s Sales vs. IT or Designers vs. Techies you will want the best equipment to make sure you come out on top! Here are some of the best weapons available.

The Great Office War from Runawaybox on Vimeo.

Heavy Duty

Nerf N-Strike Havok Fire EBF-25 If you need to set up a defence position next to the printer or phones, you want to make sure you have this gun at your side. The Nerf Havok Fire is a, fully automatic, dart cannon and can fire up to three darts per second. It comes with a tripod to hold all that power down which can fold away for easy transportation. You can also change it to single shot mode for precision firing. It only holds 25 darts in a chain so be careful you don’t unleash all your ammo too quickly.

Available to buy from The Toy Shop.

Elite Hasbro Nerf N-Strike Basic Blaster This weapon gives you three guns in one. You have the Scout IX-3 blaster which has three darts for precision aiming; the Hornet AS-6 blaster unleashes a hail of bullets for rapid fire. But for those long range instant kill shots you have the AS-V.1 blaster which can fire up to 60 feet. This is a great weapon for your lone wolves who like to go off on their own and cause mayhem behind enemy lines.

Available to buy from Toys r Us

Nerf N-Strike Longshot Blaster This gun is an all-in-one and can be used separately or together. This is the equivalent of a sniper with a built-in scope and a bi-pod for accuracy. It also includes two clips which slot in to the side for extra fast reloading. The foam darts can be fired up to 35 feet so you can lie in wait for the tricky sales guy.

Available to buy from Rassad.

USB Devices

USB Missile Rocket Launcher Keep your computer secure with this USB Missile Launcher. It plugs into any standard USB port. You can control the missile launcher from your PC with a 180 degree turn and a 45 degree elevation.

Available fo buy from Gadgets.co.uk.

Wireless USB Rocket Launcher This is an updated version of the USB Missile Rocket Launcher and has superior fire power, accuracy and 2 x range. It can be set up remotely where you can wait in ambush for your enemies.

USB Wireless Rocket Launcher

Available to buy from Think Geek.

USB Webcam Missile Launcher You thought the wireless USB rocket launcher was a good update from its predecessor, well check out the webcam version. It uses MSN messenger to control the launcher with directional arrows to aim. It has a 10ft range and much better accuracy than the two launchers above but has a cable so you can’t put it in a remote location.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Rifles and Machine Guns

Nerf N Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster This rapid fire assault rifle is a must in any office war and can tip the battle in your favour. It has a drum cartridge with a clear front so you can see how many bullets you have left; the drum can hold 35 bullets. It also has a pump action handle which lets you control your rate of fire from blasting mode to multi shot. The butt of the gun has a shoulder rest that minimises recoil.

Available to buy from Toys R Us.

Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 Build your own gun with five interchangeable parts that can be taken apart and reassembled any way you want. You can create the tactical rail, flip-up sight, dual-mode light beam and the shoulder stock. This is the gun for the SAS or Navy seal office recruits - the most hardy of office workers.

Available to buy from The Toy Shop.

Tommy 20 This is a modern approach on the Tommy gun and is great for firing from the hip. It can fire 20 foam darts in rapid succession which is impossible to avoid. It is very cumbersome so it isn’t easy to jump around out the way of incoming fire, but this isn’t necessary when you can use office juniors as protective shields. This is the ultimate weapon for your boss.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Rapid Fire Foam Disc Shooter Instead of using your conventional foam bullets the rapid fire disc shooter uses revolutionary foam discs. Foam discs are better for rapid fire but can be less reliable for accuracy. You have a range of 20ft which will reach across most of the office. It comes with two clips which each hold 20 discs so you have enough ammo for the battle.

Available to buy from Firebox.

Speed Loader The speed loader uses brute force to annihilate the enemy. It holds eight foam darts which it fires simultaneously at rapid speed. This is especially good for firing into a crowd of designers because they get confused with the numbers.

Available to buy from the Science Museum Shop.

Cosmic Thruster The Cosmic Thruster is a simple mechanism but it packs a punch. It holds six balls and to fire you pump the front handle. With good accuracy, range and power this is a mean machine and any office worker should fear it.

Available to buy from the Science Museum Shop.

Double Shot Dart Blaster You can’t beat a good old double barrel shotgun. It might not be the most practical weapon but you do feel some kind of superiority when holding it. It can only fire two bullets before having to reload but it does have a lot of power. This has to be my favourite weapon.

Available from Firebox.

Side Arms

Nerf Maverick The Nerf Maverick is the ultimate sidearm for serious office recruits. It holds six foam darts at once and is very quick to reload. It also comes with a tactical light which will give you the edge over your enemy at night. This is by far the best side arm and it’s so good you could use it as your primary weapon.

Available to buy from Think Geek.

Disc Shooter The Disc Shooter is a state-of-the-art foam disc-firing gun. Once switched on, it will shoot up to 20 foam discs randomly in front of you. With limited accuracy it isn’t very good for long range shots. It is very effective for firing into a crowd of office workers and will cause a panic amongst them.

Available to buy from Prezzies Plus.

Atomic Blaster Space Gun The Atomic Blaster Space Gun has an identical design to the Pop blaster but instead of using balls it fires missiles. This makes it more accurate, longer range and more powerful. Range can vary but can travel 10 - 40 feet.

Available to buy from Mojo London.

Rockets & Grenades

Blast Bazooka Foam Gun This is a devastating weapon and can make your enemy run in fear. To work the gun push the bazooka down inside and pump the handle up to eight times then fire away. It takes a while to load but has a good range and accuracy.

Available to buy from Amazon.

Ram Rocket This can fire up to 100 feet and will easily reach across most office spaces. It uses compressed air which is what gives it the power. It also has extremely good accuracy which is great for taking out the opposition’s leader who might be hiding at the back.

Ram Rocket

Ram Rocket

Available to buy from Office Playground.

Sonic Grenade This brings a whole new aspect into the office warfare of disorientating your enemy. This simple grenade produces an ear splitting sound which forces your target to hold his hands over his ears. Once you have disarmed your enemy you can go in for the kill. It has three pitches of skull shattering sound.

Available to buy from Firefox.

Misc Weapons

Airzooka Air Gun This weapon fires a ball of air at your target which is surprisingly accurate. It doesn’t require batteries, electricity and most importantly ammunition it can also reach up to 30 feet. It might not be able to take the enemy down but it can distract and annoy.

Available to buy from Think Geek.

Whomp It This is a simple but effective handheld weapon. It uses air filled technology to annihilate your enemies. Whomp It works particularly well against IT staff because of its ability to smash glasses. Its downfalls are it can easily be burst and leave you defenceless.

Available to buy from Office Playground.