Zible

Adverts are being shown on the BBC website for the first time ever.

It's shocking to see 2 large banner ads dominating what was a masterly crafted design.

The BBC website used to be the only high quality advert-free news service in the world (Wikipedia is the closest free equivalent). But due to the last Charter Review it now looks like all the other news websites of the world: distracting adverts, cluttered pages and messages encouraging us to consume, consume, consume.

It's a cop out. Another nail in the coffin for alternatives to capitalism. The BBC was a bastion; living proof that there are better alternatives to private businesses providing news and entertainment.

Four reasons why this is wrong:

1. No longer for sharing

Only people outside the UK should* see the adverts. Foreigners don't pay towards the BBC, so apparently it's fair for us to show them adverts to help pay for it. But we don't need any more money! The whole point of the BBC is that it is funded through an annual License Fee. The British public pay £135.50 for their TV license. If we're already paying for the content to be created, why not just let the rest of the world benefit from it too? The BBC is something that we have always shared with the world. We should be proud to continue sharing it, rather than pimping it out.

2. Destroying values

Adverts devalue your image and turn people off. By placing adverts on your website, you turn into a salesman. The relationship between your visitor and you changes. No longer are you providing something for their benefit free of charge. It reduces trust and it reduces the perceived value and credibility of your service.

3. Conflict of interest

BBC.com managing director, Kym Niblock, said:

"To have these global brands [British Airways, Airbus and Hublot] on board as our launch partners [advertisers] is a great validation of the thinking behind BBC.com. We're looking to generate revenue for the BBC by monetising its international traffic and these advertisers show the hunger that's out there for the audience we can offer."

Do you think that the BBC is likely to publish a negative news story about any one of these companies now that they are receiving £millions per annum in advertising from that company? If you are funded by the public, you will serve the public. If you are funded by advertisers, you will serve the advertisers.

4. The beginning of the end

This could be the beginning of the end for the BBC. It's historic success has been made possible by it's unique method of funding.

If an increasing share of it's funding comes from advertising, the BBC will become just another broadcaster chasing the advertising dollar. Let's not let that happen. At the next funding review in 9 years time, let's change the funding sources to public money to preserve the values of the BBC.

*I can see the adverts from my house in Reading, Berkshire. The BBC's ad-serving technology uses your IP address to determine whether or not you are in the UK. The system is apparently 99.96% accurate, but it mistakenly thinks that my computer is outside the UK. I've reported this so that I stop seeing the ads.

We've just moved in to our new house Reading, Berkshire. It's a nice little place with plenty of space for the two of us. Paul has done an amazing job of renovating it throughout.

Sophia is turning one of the rooms downstairs into a yoga and Pilates studio. She is teaching private classes and group courses of up to 4 people. She had her first booking yesterday!

If you have friends in Berkshire who are looking for a Pilates/yoga teacher who can work wonders, please point them to these pages on Sophia's website… yoga in Reading and Pilates in Reading.

Have you watched the latest Dairy Milk advert? It has absolutely nothing to do with Dairy Milk chocolate, but it is an outstanding production.

Why did they do it? In the producers words…

Well it just seemed like the right thing to do.

I saw the advert on TV over the weekend and mentioned it to Neil "The Sport" Monnery yesterday who was also raving about it. Everything makes this advert outstanding – the choice of music (In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins), the special effects, the mimicking oh human behaviour, the filming, the timing, the irrelevance.

Web marketers will also nod in approval that the advert (deservedly) has it's own website www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com and is supported by an Adwords campaign. Search on Google for Dairy Milk Advert and it ranks as the first sponsored result. Good attention to detail.

When little Joey was expelled from school at 15 years old for burning down the science blocks, he said he wanted to be an electrician. The school careers advisor never liked Joey, and that's why he sorted him out with the most important electricians job in the world…

Sophia and I are engaged!

I've not told anyone other than my parents and sister yet. I mean, how are you supposed to announce a huge piece of news like this, especially when you are away from home. So hey, how better than via my blog?

I bought Sophia a diamond (online of course) and used it as bribery to persuade her to accept my proposition. I can't believe she fell for it! We've since visited a few jewellers in KL and her band (ring) is now being crafted.

We have not decided on a wedding ceremony yet though it is likely to be in Asia. It won't be a typical British or Chinese wedding, it will be something different and meaningful. The important thing is that I've found an amazing person and I want to spend a lot more time with her

The local milkman just knocked on my door trying to drum up business. Hats off to him for putting in the leg work to win people over. Face to face contact is what local communities have revolved around for centuries. But that's changing and our milkman left my door without making a sale.

He said that he wanted to keep the local round going. Without more customers, it might go bust. Nobody likes to see long-held traditions die out, but businesses have to keep up with the times. As the years go by, British milkmen are going to come across more and more people like me.

Although my previous experiences with milk delivery has been good, one thing always bugged me – I am out of control of our business relationship:

• I have to remember to write notes on scraps of paper when I want more or less milk. (My memory is next to useless).
• I have to remember to cancel the milk when I go on holiday.
• I have no idea how to contact my milkman (although there is probably a number on www.yell.com).
• I have to write a cheque (or leave cash by the door) to pay for my milk. Who writes cheques in 2007?
• I don't know how much each months bill is going to cost.
• I don't know what other products my milkman can deliver.

I told the milkman that he needs to get a website. He laughed and said "no thanks". But he has no idea how a good website could transform his business…

• Every customer would have total control over their orders and change them whenever they want.
• His sales would increase dramatically as people discover all the other things he sells.
• He can email all his customers and build stronger relationships with them (most people have virtually zero contact with their milkman because they deliver the milk so early in the morning).
• He would be paid on time by Direct Debit or credit card. No more chasing bad debts.
• He would have a record of all the deliveries he needs to make every day, so he won't get orders wrong.
• It could become his accounting system and stock control system.

I love the fact that milkmen reuse the glass milkbottles. I am impressed that they have used low-emission electric milk-carts for decades. I like the quirky British idea that milk should be freshly delivered every day.

But it's not enough to make me buy their milk. They need to make life easier for me. Businesses must innovate to survive and British milkmen will go bust unless they catch up with modern life.

One of the reasons that we always build websites that use email address as the username is because it's easy for the user to remember. I've just remembered another reason – if your website becomes seriously popular, you run out of good usernames.

I just tried all these names while trying to register on Last.fm (Alexa 344):

jake
brumby
jacket
orangutan
simpleminds
nenehcherry
joshuatree
fishandchips
monkeytoes
dogbreath
giblets
chickenfeet
chickenfoot
monkoid
Spatula
frangipan
mugwump
flobadob
jinglejangle
qwertyuiop
asdfghjkl
yoyoyoyoyo
thisiscrazy
crazyusername
nomoreusernames
iamstuck
aaaah
aaaaah

And then I found it…

aaaaaah

BBC journalist, Alan Johnston, was kidnapped 7 weeks ago in Gaza. The good news is that the BBC has information to suggest he is in good health. It has called upon bloggers to help raise awareness of Alans abduction. He is one of the few remaining journalists in Gaza risking their lives to report news from the lawless territory.

You can show your support for his release by signing this petition.

"We, the undersigned, demand the immediate release of BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston. We ask that everyone with influence on this situation increase their efforts to ensure that Alan is freed quickly and unharmed."

The world will breathe a sigh of relief when George Bush finally leaves the Whitehouse on 4th November 2008. The decisions made under his presidency have fuelled global terrorism and led to the deaths of thousands of people around the world. At best, he has been a miserable failure. At worst, he is guilty of war crimes.

Who worse to step into his bloodied shoes than all-out Iraq war supporter, John McCain? The 70 year old Republican senator yesterday launched his campaign to become the next president of the United States. Like Bush, he too has a special way with words. When I heard his speech on the radio, I couldn't quite believe what I had heard. So I've checked, and he did indeed say…

Today, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I do so grateful for the privileges this country has already given me; mindful that I must seek this responsibility for reasons greater than my self-interest; and determined to use every lesson I've learned through hard experience and the history I've witnessed, every inspiration I've drawn from the patriots I've known and the faith that guides me to meet the challenges of our time, and strengthen this great and good nation upon whom all mankind depends.

That's right, he believes that "all mankind depends upon this great and good nation".

Since when did mankind depend upon the United States, let alone any other nation? You might suggest that mankind depended upon the US for its help in the Second World War but that is not true because "all of mankind" was not involved in the Second World War. So what is mankind dependent upon the United States for? It plays an important role in furthering our scientific knowledge and its corporations have created products that have raised the standard of living for billions of people. That's an outstanding achievement. But in no way whatsoever does the mankind depend upon the United States. If the country were to sink without trace, the rest of us would get by just fine.

Come down from cloud cuckoo land McCain and talk some sense will you? Arrogant, self-opinionated and downright ridiculous statements such as this parade you as an idiot. See what it has done for Bush – he has beaten all 53 men before him to become the worst President in history.

Let's have a look at Bush in action…

The clever chaps over at A List Apart have come up with a cunning plan for us webby people to find out more about our industry and each other. They have created the first ever survey for web designers, information architects, usability experts and all the other website professionals. I am looking forward to reading the results some time in June.

Take the survey.