World Watching

Google seem incapable of not making the news of late, usually for all the wrong reasons (street view, google books etc) but as one famous hollywood type whose name i have forgotten said “all publicity is good publicity” It seems google is battling on none the less.

The lastest brainwave of the internet giant is apparently called ’shop view’ where it seems they are trialling something similar to the much hated street view, just inside shops now. Coupled with an aquaintence bemoaning how it seems google are ignoring the noindex tags on his website, this got me thinking, If you don’t invite google or any other search engine to index your site i.e submit your url to them… do they actually have a right to be indexing your site, docs and pictures that you may have on the server at all?

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yes? whats stopping you? If the answer is along the lines that, its expensive to set up a credible online store and make a little cash working from home then read this e-commerce article because the truth of the matter is, that it can be done for free… yes FREE and no, i’m not trying to sell you anything either all information provided on the worldwatching website is totally free of charge. 

The credit crunch may still have it’s fangs into the country and economically times may still be hard, recession still causing hardship, ebays fee’s still high and the future uncertain… BUT if you can set up a small online business and make a small success out of it now the law of averages says it should be a bigger success in better times.

The fact of the matter is people are still shopping online, albeit a bit more prudently than in the past… So if your going to sell to them you have to keep your costs down and if that means axing ebay fee’s from your overheads it can be done.

The abundance of online payment processors today also totally negates the need to have business bank accounts etc until such time as you actually find your business has grown and a business bank account is a realistic option.

The usefulness of twitter to business has been called into question at the Chicago SES 2009 conference by site logic’s Matt Baily.

Do you think twitter is a business tool or gadget?

WebProNews.com interviewer, Abby Johnson talked with Baily about whether or not Twitter was a viable and useful channel to pursue for the average business.

Watch the WebProNews video here

Bailey feels like businesses feel an unwarranted pressure to ‘get someone on Facebook or Twitter’ without fully understand why they are doing it – aside from the fact that some marketing expert told them they needed to. – WebProNews

Early comments on the WebProNews site seem to suggest that Baily is not alone in his views.

While driving home an hour and a bit ago… i had the radio on in the car and quite by chance while searching through stations i decided to listen to the BBC World Service.

What do you think about Global Warming?

The feature was about Global Warming, Not unusual you may say.. given that the Copenhagen International Climate Change Summit is kicking off today. The key part of the feature was an international survey carried out by somebody (i forget who it was now) which recorded results that around the world there is far more concern within populations about global warming and its effects than there was last year.

Are you concerned about global warming?

What i couldn’t believe i had heard was that in two countries, China and the USA there are reported to be fewer people who are concerned about Global Warming than there were just 12months ago. China and the USA are also coincidentally the worlds two biggest polluters.

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Philip Laing, the 19 year old yob who pissed over a wreath on a First World War memorial in sheffield has escaped jail, but landed up with 250hrs community service.

Does community service really act as a deterrant to others in this day and age?

Philip, who was on a commercially organised pub crawl operated by Carnage UK, consumed copius amounts of alcohol at £1 a drink. The company was critised by the judge who suggested that maybe someone from the company should also have been in the dock.

Should Companies like Carnage UK be held to account for scenes like this and if so, to what degree?

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At least it appears it has said no on the piece of legislation used by the OFT. It also appears that the judge has hinted in his ruling that the OFT could potentially have a case however if it uses another clause in the Unfair Terms and Conditions in Contracts laws (UTCC).

Many who have been trying to reclaim bank charges levied against them by the banks to the tune of up to £40 for going even £1 overdrawn on their accounts were evidently disappointed but even more determined to carry on the fight.

One spokesman for the banks has been quoted as saying “enough is now enough and it is over”.

However the website moneysaving expert run by Martin Lewis has declared that although today’s judgement was a blow, that a ‘Phoenix has risen from the flames’ thanks to the judges hints.

• Should Banks be made to repay the charges?
  
• Should free banking for some be funded by those who can least afford it?

At the moment it sounds like the issue is far from dead in the water.

This time it’s in Switzerland, the reason? Street view! how long is it going to take for the morons and bone heads at google who dreamed up the concept of being an internet peeping tom to get it through their caveman like skulls that people don’t like the concept of not only themselves but their homes and children being photographed and posted on the internet.

The BBC is reporting that the swiss data protection commissioner Hanspeter Thuer is asking the Swiss courts to order the immediate removal of all Swiss images from street view until a judgement is handed down on the issue.

Caution: Critical comments ahead!

I have come to the conclusion that postal workers strikes make some of ebay’s sellers outright dishonest and lazy.

Just the mention of a possible strike is enough to have my inbox bombarded with messages from some sellers stating that they simply “cannot post an item because i might not get it”

What kind of muppet do these idiots think i am? do they believe that somewhere in the heart of every sorting office there is a mail munching troll that eats mail posted in the run up to/or during a strike?

That said, i have also had some of the most speedy deliveries during these strikes as well.. either the management are really pulling out the stops or support for the strikes has not been as strong as claimed.

Having had enough i replied very abruptly to one such work shy lackey, pointing out that if they got off their lead laden arse and posted the item first class as i had paid for, given that the strikes were not due to start for another 4 days i would receive it before any disruption started.

Guess what happened… It arrived in the post next day!

Having recently attended a Goals (Gaining Opportunities And Life Skills) course, which is touted as being a motivational course i have to say, i have never heard so much verbal diarrhea trotted out and represented as fact as i did during those two totally wasted days of woolly hat, politically correct crap and attitude.

Put it this way, If i had paid for that course myself.. i would be suing to get my money back.

Need motivation? My advice is go ask your boss for a pay rise in the middle of a recession… If the response doesn’t give you motivation then nothing will.

French MP’s are currently holding a series of hearings surrounding the future of the Burka in the country. The Muslim garment has been a flashpoint issue in many countries recently including here in the UK because it covers all a womans facial features except her eyes.

Many have called for it to be banned on a variety of grounds ranging from security issues to the fact that it represents the oppression of women.

French Urban Regeneration Minister Fadela Amara has been quoted as saying that she:

“in favour of the burka not existing in my country”.

The French government created the comittee after French President Nicolas Sarkozy stated that the garment was “not welcome” in France, which is home to Western Europe’s largest population of Muslims.

In 2004, France controversially banned Muslim headscarves and other “conspicuous” religious symbols in state schools and by public employees.