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Bastille Day And Our Trip To Paris

posted by: Alex  /  29 September 2011

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day. Celebrated on 14 July of each year, Bastille Day was formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly known as Le Quatorze Juillet (the fourteenth of July). The day commemorates the 1790 Fete de la Federation, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; storming the fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the rising of a modern nation.

Anyway, being the biggest celebration of the year in France, we had a vote and thought we would give it a go, and we were sure glad we did.

An early start ensured we were all on the Eurostar for 6am and walking out of Paris Du Nord station by 9am. Splitting into four teams, we set about winning the main competitions of the day, which involved a number of set creative team tasks.

It seemed the Bastille celebrations kicked off the moment we arrived and just got bigger and better as the day progressed. The people were warm and we all had a great time (and of course, we all pretended we could speak French).

The food and wine sampled during the day was simply sensational and amongst the very best we have ever had.
The city, sights, and the general cultural vibe, was truly intoxicating and all of us vowed to return one day in the future.

As our day came to a close, we all homed in on a magically Parisian restaurant called Le Grand Colbert, which gave us the perfect end to a worthwhile trip.

Magnificent food, delicious wine and more than a sprinkling of fine Champagne all ensured we had a day we will remember for a very long time... Vive La France

 And well done to Elizabeth, on organizing a great day for us all.

The Future of Search

posted by: Alex  /  01 November 2010

UK Internet users now spend 64% more time using Search Engines than they did three years ago - in April alone a staggering 31 million hours were spent using Search Engines in the UK. The Search Engine has long been a portal for reaching otherwise irretrievable information, products, services and features - however they have never yet been so powerful and vital, and of course none have as tight-a-hold on the Worldwide search market as Google.

A well optimised site has fast become a necessity rather than a luxury as online competition becomes more 'clued up' on the huge benefits of increased visibility through Search Engines. A quick scan of recent UK market statistics reveals that 30% of companies now spend up to £5,000 on SEO each year, with some spending over £1million on Search in a year. The chart below gives a breakdown of these statistics: 

With Search Engine usage rising substantially year on year and so many companies now employing SEO techniques and campaigns, can any business now afford not to consider SEO?

Mobile Search Statistics 2010: Google's Estimated Share Near 100%

posted by: Kim  /  01 August 2010

With Internet browsing devices continually becoming smaller, more portable, faster and easier to use it comes as no surprise that mobile search is on the up, and it will undoubtedly continue to rise as technologies improve further still.

What also fails to surprise is Google's domination of the mobile search market - However, with figures currently suggesting an almost 100% market share Google seem to be going further than just dominating.

Google, unlike Yahoo!, Bing and the other search engines included here, actually have a higher market share in mobile search than web search, whereas Yahoo! and Bing have a significantly larger market share in web search when compared to their mobile search figures.

Google have a firm belief in mobile search as the future - Erich Schmidt, Google CEO, said in a recent Q&A session "Fast forward 5-10 years. The answer should always be mobile first." - With Google's share of the mobile search market currently at 98.29% they seem to be making all the right moves to secure their future in a 'mobile first' society.