Yahoo Chief Executive Fired Over the Phone

Carol Bartz, the Chief Executive of Yahoo has been fired after two-and-a-half years in the top position. 

Ms. Bartz was hired to run Yahoo in early 2009, taking over from co-founder Jerry Yang.  To make her mark she made significant changes to the management team and cut jobs to save on costs. She also shifted the focus of the traditionally search-oriented firm towards more personalised content. 

However, in 2011, Yahoo is still struggling to increase its market share, as it faces increased competition from rivals such as Google and Facebook.  Without the internet company making significant strides in search or social networking, two of the most lucrative segments of the market, they are still a long way behind their rivals. 

Carol Bartz leadership came to an abrupt end as the Chairman of the board ended her term over the phone with immediate effect.  Larry Magid, a technology analyst at C-net, justified the move stating that the company has not seen enough of a turnaround under Ms. Bartz's leadership.

Tim Morse, Yahoo's chief financial officer, will take over from Ms Bartz. Yahoo shares jumped more than 6% in after-hours trading after news of the firing broke, indicating they would trade higher when Wall Street opened for business on Wednesday.

It’s Official – SmartPhone’s Are Easy Targets

According to the latest Security Industry Report, SmartPhones and Social Networking sites are likely to be the next big target for cyber criminals.

According to Symantec, known vulnerabilities in mobile operating systems rose from 115 in 2009 to 163 in 2010.  Those who are particularly vulnerable include users of Facebook, Twitter and Google’s Operating System, Android.

Whilst Symantec's annual threat analysis warns that the technologies are increasingly being used to spread malicious code, the number of attacks remains small compared to other online crimes such as e-mail phishing.

Android systems has been hit hard recently with the suggestion being that criminals now view SmartPhone hacking as a potentially lucrative area.

The widespread availability of "attack toolkits" is being blamed for the dramatic rise in attacks.  These are the software packages that allow users with relatively little skill to design their own malicious software, and are available to buy online for just a few pounds.

Globally, the well respected internet Security company recorded a 93% increase in the volume of web-based attacks between 2009 and 2010.

Call us NOW to organize mobile security protection against Viruses and e-mail phishing: 0115 9701471

A Nation of ‘online-a-holics’

72% of adults update their social networking profiles from under the duvet according to a survey conducted by Travelodge.  On average, we tend to spend an average of 16minutes per night checking Facebook, Twitter and other social sites.  The peak time for all this bed-based social networking was found to be 9.45am. 

The survey also suggested that Britons also spend an average of nine minutes per night sending text messages to friends and family.  You are in the majority if you check your mobile phone for texts or emails, before anything else on waking up in the morning. 

"We have become a nation of 'online-a-holics'," said psychologist Corinne Sweet. “But there is a time and a place for social networking, and that’s not between the sheets, as it can be detrimental to our wellbeing.  “By texting, tweeting and surfing the web in bed, we are nodding off with a busy mind which impacts upon our quality of sleep during the night.”

The results of this study came in last week, alongside the news that The Prime Minister was joining forces with Boris Johnson in a personal plea to Twitter to base its European HQ in London.

An essential marketing product for all

In tough times marketing budgets are often hit first which is why Nottingham-based reseller Tim Glynn is hoping industry peers will pick up on a new idea to help generate awareness and sales. 

It’s an online tool called VBook which allows resellers to create a page turning brochure, sales leaflet or newsletter for a fraction of the time and cost it would take to produce a printed version.  Once produced the VBook can be emailed to clients and prospects.  It is also a useful awareness raiser for charity promotions. 

“As a small business I can see many uses,” Said Glynn.  “It also fits in with our Adodo Community initiative raising money for charities and good causes.”  You can trial the VBook using this link:  My VBook

Wi-Fi for ‘Glampers’

With more people opting to holiday in the UK this year, there has been a significant rise in ‘glamping’, also known as glamorous camping.

This has led to an massive rise in Wi-Fi usage at UK holiday sites. According to figures released by BT Openzone, this explosion of Wi-Fi usage took the figures up 350% in the first two weeks of the summer holidays.

During the unpredictable summer weather it is thought that holiday-makers turned to there iPhones, iPads and other smartphones for inspiration and entertainment.

How Technology is Changing Language

It is fair to say that technology has had a "significant impact" on language in the last 10 years, but just how significant has it been to you?



Whilst you might not use the terms TMI (Too Much Information) and WTF (have a guess) in your everyday internet correspondence, both of which can now be found in the Oxford English Dictionary, I bet if you hear someone say “I’ll Google it” – you’ll know exactly what they mean.


It’s official, 'To Google' has become a universally understood verb but not only that, many countries are actually developing their own internet slang.


One example of this is evident in Ukraine, where a written variation of the national tongue has sprung up on internet blogs and message boards called "padronkavskiy zhargon" - in which words are spelled out phonetically. It is often used to voice and emphasise disapproval towards another commentator.


David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Bangor, believes; "The internet is an amazing medium for languages". He claims that new colloquialisms spread like wildfire amongst groups on the net.


"Language itself changes slowly but the internet has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly."


It still takes at least five years of public usage before a word is introduced to the Oxford English Dictionary, so how long have we got before OMG (Oh My Gosh) and the noun ‘app’ (programmes for the smartphone) is accepted?

Facebook’s biggest rival’s are now fully funded

Four Student’s from a New York University have just raised $200,000 (£136,000) to build an open alternative to Facebook called Diaspora.

Describing itself as a "privacy-aware, personally-controlled, do-it-all, open source social network", the project came to light amongst the international privacy attacks on Facebook.

Over the summer the team plan to write the software that will permit the creation of a social network where each user stores their own data and, crucially, has control over that data and who it is shared with.

Learn more here

Your Community Needs Your Help!

Once upon a time, people were happy to help. Neighbours were friends, businesses were local and all elements of the community worked together. With progress comes change and whilst these things have changed significantly, for Adodo the story does not end here. [Continue reading]

10 years of Broadband!

2008

Virgin launch 50Mb product

Europe passes US in WiFi use
Bebo acquired by AOL for $850 million

 2009
UK Broadband penetration is 14th highest worldwide
50% of UK households now connected to broadband
One in seven 18-24 year olds now watch no live TV at all, choosing to watch video via the web
2010
Adodo join the Social Networking phenomenon, you can now find us on Linked In, Twitter, YouTube and Blogger.com
By the end of this year, it is thought that mobile broadband will take over from wired broadband.
Adodo now offer competitively priced Broadband options including ADSL, ADSL2, SDSL, Ethernet First Mile better known as EFM and Leased line depending on your business needs.
For the future....watch this space.


See the last ten years of broadband here.