gdp's Comments

Blue Snapper : Kizoom MyRail Lite off the tracks - for now

Fri, 14 May 2010 08:09:32 +0000

Hi Wilson (real name, I wonder). Thanks for the info. Very interesting and puts a very different spin on the whole affair.

Cycle4Sobell : We're nicked! Kevin Whately takes on cycle4sobell

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:55:11 +0000

Thx Charles. Interesting. Didn't know that. Makes sense though. Maybe John Thaw lived in London and production would be nearby so much cheaper and convenient for non-Oxford specific shoots.

Cycle4Sobell : We're nicked! Kevin Whately takes on cycle4sobell

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:17:40 +0000

Maybe not Lewis himself, but there's a whisper that we may get a real police escort from St Ebbes school (South Oxford) when we set off this Thursday 22nd April at 09:00am...I guess TVP wants to make sure we get through the first mile or so on their patch unscathed

Cycle4Sobell : Clarkson Charity Cycle Ride Hoax

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 14:46:03 +0000

Hi Susan. Thanks for your support - he might come around eventually. PS I prefer the little one too - much cuter. Though the one with the long hair might be more fun to be with as he likes model trains and lego and stuff. PPS there is a Facebook Group you can join: Vote Jeremy Clarkson to cycle from Oxford to Paris with Cycle4Sobell”: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10524732284...

Cycle4Sobell : Clarkson Charity Cycle Ride Hoax

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 14:42:09 +0000

I have a feeling that "cold day" and "hell" might spring to Mr Clarkson's lips. But we're willing to compromise: he could follow behind for a few miles in a Bugatti Veyron.

Cycle4Sobell : Clarkson Charity Cycle Ride Hoax

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 14:39:46 +0000

I can't possibly say who in the team fell for it as it might embarrass them - but I can say Nick was one of them.

Cycle4Sobell : Jeremy Clarkson Cycles to Paris for Charity

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 09:43:48 +0000

Yeah. He does a lot for Helen & Douglas House Hospice - www.helenanddouglas.org.uk - he helped raise £123k for them in just one event

Cycle4Sobell : Jeremy Clarkson Cycles to Paris for Charity

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 09:40:05 +0000

Probably driven by Hammond...

Cycle4Sobell : Jeremy Clarkson Cycles to Paris for Charity

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 09:39:17 +0000

Hi Jam. We don't know yet but I've been told that it WON'T be a road bike. Likely be a mountain bike as I believe he does a fair amount of off-road in the Cotswolds.

Cycle4Sobell : Chris Boardman, Olympic Cycling Legend, Supports Cycle4sobell

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:20:29 +0000

Hi Kevin. That sounds like a thinly-veiled request for a discount! Anyone from Halfords care to comment?

Cycle4Sobell : Chris Boardman, Olympic Cycling Legend, Supports Cycle4sobell

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:17:45 +0000

Hi Sally. It's bound to be one of the competitive 3: Dave, Jimmy or Jim G. I think we should ask Chris to drop down to Oxford for a time trial with them. I suspect though they may be washing their hair that day.

Cycle4Sobell : Chris Boardman, Olympic Cycling Legend, Supports Cycle4sobell

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:13:01 +0000

Hi Rich. thx for your comment. The way Walt's going on training though, you'd need to be in a car to pass him...

Cycle4Sobell : Sponsorship Update - £1,700 and rising!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:06:43 +0000

Hi Grace. Yes we can. We'll be starting off from St Ebbes on 22nd April.

Cycle4Sobell : Extreme Planning

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:13:42 +0000

Why has Nick got his finger stuck in his ear?

Blue Snapper : Google Caffeine gives SEOs the Jitters

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:28:13 +0000

Hi Rob. Thanks for your comment. Without any guidelines from Google, page-load speed is subjective. Providing you use tools such as Google's page speed or www.webpagetest.org to assess whether you have an issue and then optimise as much as you can, you should be on track. It's well known that visitors bail if a page doesn't load quickly enough but its not often a priority fix unless it's really bad; it makes sense that Google is making this an SEO issue as a sloooow loading page will mean a poor search-experience for the user.

Blue Snapper : Internet Browser Statistics

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:52:16 +0000

Hi Paul. Nice to hear from you and thanks for your comment. The W3 disclaimer on the accuracy of browser statistics (and stats in general) is very valid. Trends are important rather than absolutes. However, though our actual figures differ, the W3 stats do support my own B2B data: - that averaged over 2008, FF had the No. 2 spot. W3 data now shows FF as being the dominant browser (July 2009). - that in November 08, IE had more market share than FF but after the well-publicised security flaw in Dec 08 (and FF being promoted as an alternative), FF started to pull away from IE. Coincidence? I think not. W3 data for July indicates that FF has more market share than IE (all versions they track) compared to my 2008 average but, as they point out 'Different sites attract different audiences' and I suspect a lot of visits to the W3 site will be from techies - a group that I know favours FF. I do intend to do an update on this post covering points raised in all comments so far and using B2C data I have access to - when I get the time though!

Blue Snapper : Internet Browser Statistics

Thu, 7 May 2009 15:52:25 +0000

Hi Sarah. Thanks for dropping by and for your comment. I'll look into splitting out the next round of browser stats as you suggest.

Blue Snapper : Kizoom MyRail Lite off the tracks - for now

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:30:56 +0000

Thanks for the info Nigel

Blue Snapper : Kizoom MyRail Lite off the tracks - for now

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:35:34 +0000

Hi Nigel. Thanks for your comment. I wasn't aware of an NRE app on the AppStore but you've hit the nail on the head: NRE is trying to montetise/monopolise their data. They are probably also concerned about 3rd party apps reducing the revenue they receive from the ads they run on the website; their app (developed by Agant) will provide a MyRail replacement and they get to offset any ad revenue loss and likely make more this way at £5 a pop. I don't think it's very 'customer-centric' move to charge rail users to access information about the service they've already purchased. How about buying something on Amazon then paying extra to find out when we can expect delivery? Or sending a package by tracked delivery and have to pay to see its progress. in my opinion the app should've been seen as a service improvement, the development cost absorbed, and the app freely distributed. In any case this will be the only iPhone app in town from 1st April as Kizoom, the developers of MyRail, will be discontinuing its feed on 31st March 2009. Andy

Blue Snapper : Improving Google AdWords quality score - part 1

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:25:33 +0000

Hi Janice. Thanks for your comment. You're right about page optimisation though it's complementary for both SEO and PPC landing pages. It's all about keyword/offer relevance whether it's to a search query or to a click on a PPC ad. Apply this approach and you'll find your AdWords quality scores and SE traffic rising naturally! Andy