Business musings...

Many people in the UK struggle with sub-standard broadband connections and when trying to resolve issues with their internet service provider (ISP),  the ISP can sometimes be guilty of fobbing its customers off and starting a blame game with BT. However, help may be at hand.

I was reading an article today by Chris Dannen of Fast Company about a sophisticated broadband diagnosis website launched by Google and two non-profit organisations. The new website is called Measurement Lab. Apparently it still needs some work but check it out anyway – it may give you a slightly stronger hand when dealing with difficult ISPs.

Have you ever had that frustrating experience with your mobile phone?  You’re in the middle of a call to somebody and the next thing you know, without warning, you’ve lost the connection.  Well, I came across this little piece of technology from Vodafone the other day: the Sure Signal box. If you struggle with getting phone signal in your home or office, take a look. It creates your own mini Vodafone network and connects to their network via broadband; so no more taking calls in the corner of one particular room or sounding like you’re on the train, when in fact you are in your office!

The main disadvantage is that it only works for Vodafone; however, it looks likely that other operators will join in by providing their own ‘Femtocells‘ in due course.

In the meantime, alternative solutions are available if you are really ’signal-less’. Mobile signal boosters, otherwise known as cell repeaters, use an ariel (possibly external to your office/house), boost the signal and create an upgraded signal within a certain radius of the transmitter. Signal boosters are also available for vehicles, so if you travel a lot and/or regularly travel to remote locations with poor signals, it could provide you with the extra range you need.

The Google AdWords concept is very simple: connect a customer who is looking for something with a company that is selling something. The better the match, the happier both parties are.

But for people who are less familiar with Adwords and the technology behind them, this concept can sometimes be quite hard to visualise and understand.

Last week, I was attending an initial meeting with a client to explore whether they would like me to update their Google Adwords campaign and drew a brief sketch to take with me explaining how Google Adwords works as a marketing concept. They loved the sketch and we found that it really unlocked the concept in a way that just wouldn’t have happened with words. So, I thought I’d share the pictures with you here…

(To view the full size image, just click on the picture. Depending on your browser settings, you might need to click on the picture a second time to get it full screen width.)