Ratemyplace Wordpress Widget I’m a massive fan of Wordpress and like what Stuart Harrison has done with Ratemyplace so I thought I’d get my hands dirty and write my first Wordpress plugin. It’s really rather simple - I didn’t wanna get too in depth on my first plugin outing. It creates a Wordpress widget for showing the Latest Inspections javascript badge that you can grab from the Ratemyplace site. There’s also an options page so you can decide which local authority you want to show from the ones available, or if you want to show all of them. I’ve tested it with a standard...

What part of your privacy does Google StreetView encroach upon? Google StreetView car by I See Modern Britain   Right from the start I’ve been fairly dismissive of privacy concerns over Google StreetView. In my view, Google are just snapping what any general member of the public can see in that place at that time anyway. It’s already “in the public domain”, so to speak. I haven’t had the fortune to come across a staunch opposer to StreetView yet, but if I did, as I commented over at MySociety, I would ask them, “What part of your privacy goes Google StreetView encroach upon exactly?” Sunbathing...

The Twitter settings update as a lesson in web usability Twitter went a bit potty today over a change made to the services settings. Yesterday, Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, blogged the change saying, “Based on usage patterns and feedback, we’ve learned most people want to see when someone they follow replies to another person they follow… however, receiving one-sided fragments via replies sent to folks you don’t follow… is undesirable.” See it yet? He said most people. That means a majority. It means that some aren’t like that. That means changing it will be bad for that minority. Consider...

Google News registration is an easy win (Guest post) Experts say that the internet has levelled the publishing playing field. Yes, the big guns can still throw their weight around, but now the little guys and girls can punch well above their weight. No longer can the mass media claim someone else’s exclusive from the regions in the way they’ve traditionally done. And there’s one reason for that - Google News. By grouping stories on a theme together in a Google News search, you can clearly see who has broken the story, and securing that top spot can be a lucrative move which gives your site kudos and credibility.....

A step backwards? New service makes it hard to e-mail people Usability is all about making things easy to use. That’s common sense though, right? Maybe not. I came across a new service today called Scr.im. It’s (very noble)  aim is to help prevent spammers getting hold of your e-mail address by scraping it off of web sites (such as forums) where you might have reason to post it. The service replaces your e-mail address with a nice URL, like http://scr.im/hiphilipjohn (and you’re welcome to try that link out) that spam bots can’t get past. When you click on the link you’re asked to complete a simple test,...

But 37signals are just neglecting their customers There’s been a bit of a spat between 37signals and Get Satisfaction today, after Mike Stanley took offence at Get Satisfaction’s efforts to get companies to take notice of their customers. I really admire Get Satisfaction for the way it sort of shames companies who don’t provide good customer service. I’ve never experienced 37signals’ customer support but plenty of people seem to think it’s top notch, so I can understand why the wording on Get Satisfaction would be hurtful to their reputation. To their credit, Get Satisfaction have realised...

The internet will make you accountable for your actions I wouldn’t normally advocate reading The Sun, but as much as it pains me to do so I need to make a point. A woman has apparently initiated divorce proceedings against her husband after spotting his car outside another woman’s house, on Google Street View. “Top media laywer Mark Stephens” was quoted saying, “I suspect the husband’s lawyers will claim it was an invasion of privacy that will cost him his marriage and Range Rover.” He may well lose his marriage and precious shagg wagon but it’s not Street View that’s brought that...

How MPs can use Twitter to their advantage I’m pleased to say that my local government is pretty good at this whole internet thing. The Lichfield District Council web site should definitely be looked up to by other councils and they’re also on Twitter along with the tourism folks. But as recent talk has shown, some MPs don’t quite get social media and aren’t quite doing it right. They can’t see the benefits, which is probably one reason for the Government’s search for a Director of Digital Engagement to co-ordinate public engagement through the use of digital technologies. In the...

Government asks for 2Mbps, Virgin offers 200Mbps First, let’s forget those who don’t want broadband for a second and consider only those who have and use broadband services. I’ll keep this short. How can the UK Government possibly think that asking for 2Mbps in it’s preliminary Digital Britain report is anywhere near acceptable? Virgin, theoretically, can achieve 200Mbps with their fibre (aka FTTC) network. Though the actual speed is unlikely to be that high in reality, they do quote a minimum of 100Mbps downstream. They’re still likely to end up beating BT to it in any case, completing their...

Reasons to use Twitter: Real life user experience feedback This is the first of (hopefully) many posts highlighting ways in which businesses can use Twitter. I’ll be trying to use examples whereever possible. First: Real-life user experience feedback. Frustration at Google AdSense led @tonypiper to tweet, Adsense has got very confusing recently. A great opportunity for the AdSense team at Google to get instant feedback on what people are finding difficult so that they can make some improvements. There could be lots of people talking about your product or service not just on Twitter but throughout the web. Are you finding them...