Mel the Great

By Super Administrator
Published: 25 September 2007
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RailsConf: Day 1

This year the European Rails Conference was held in Berlin with over 500 like-minded developers from around the world gathered to discuss, network and learn about the Ruby on Rails framework and Ruby in general.

Having been to a few physics conferences in the past I'm used to being among groups of techies who feel more comfortable communicating with computers than those around them, so I was quite surprised that there was a real buzz and enthusiasm at the conference. Maybe it was because few people were older than their mid-thirties and the vast majority were Apple Mac users. Everyone seemed to be excited about being able to use technologies that enabled them to do cool stuff on the web.

Behaviour Driven Development with RSpec 

The three day event started with two half-day tutorial sessions. The first was about the relatively new Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) technique that aims to provide a more meaningful testing framework for your application whilst also defining a natural language specification of what it should do and how it should behave; the business and technology sides of a project should refer to the same system in the same way. I'll be posting another article about this and the RSpec framework in more detail shortly.

Adobe Flex and Rails 

The second tutorial session was an introduction on how to use the Adobe Flex platform with Rails applications to create a rich dynamic user experience in Flash. Adobe is really pushing the Flex platform as option for building Rich Internet Applications (RIA) despite the increasing sophistication of Web 2.0 Javascript libraries such as Prototype/Scriptaculous and jQuery/UI. An interesting shortfall was that the speaker couldn't really give definitive examples of 'killer' flex applications out there already, which confirms the feelings of many that Flex is still a niche technology.

Keynote: The Art in Rails

The first day ended with an inspiring keynote by Dave Thomas, one of the key figures within the Ruby and Rails community. His talk "The Art in Rails" was based on the analogy that software engineering is like art in that a programmer can suffer the same problems as an artist, such as writers block, knowing when to stop and satisfying the customer.

His solution to the first problem is to use exploratory testing to rapidly prototype ideas in order to work around conceptual blocks - even work through the problem the old-school way using bits of paper and a pen.

The second problem of knowing when to stop can be controlled by breaking the development process up into fixed chunks of time and functionality, which are refined through iterations. The result of each iteration should be an application that can work with the functionality defined so far, which is a core concept of Agile Development.

His final point on knowing how to satisfy the customer was illustrated with a selection of famous portraits. A great artist will look beyond the surface of their subject, which might not directly reflect reality but does capture the meaning and personality of the person within. In software terms this means getting into the nitty-gritty details with the client by asking why again and again. Often a client's initial project request is quite different to what they actually want and need.

Dave wrapped up by saying that there is art in engineering and there is engineering in art; Ruby is the canvas and Rails the paint. He ended by suggesting to everyone to
Treat your next project as if it were a work of art”

- quite a challenge!

Photo credits: Duncan Davidson and Zeno Crivelli

By Tom Beddard
Published: 19 September 2007
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Royal Mile Residence website

One of our developers is a very happy chappy today as the RMR website went live after a long development process.

www.royalmileresidence.co.uk  

By David McGilvray
Published: 12 September 2007
1 Comment

UK online ad spend predicted to rise 25% to top £2.5bn in 07

This year will see UK online ad revenues surpass £2.5bn, according to the latest forecast by Opera Media.

The healthy state of the industry will reportedly continue, with predictions of online revenues increasing by 25% during 2007. This rise will see online, which stood at 12.3% of the total advertising market in 2006, account for 15% in 2007.

Within online advertising, search is continuing to make massive gains. It now accounts for 58% of the UK's total online spend.

Google continues to be the main driver behind search, with an 80% share of the search market. Its nearest competitor is Yahoo! with 8%.

The mobile ad sector has potential to generate further revenue, with 54% of mobile owners accessing the internet every week via their phone.

(Source: NMA magazine)

By Melanie Russell
Published: 11 September 2007
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Developers in the Apple store!

Andrew, Cam and Colin in the new Apple store on Buchanan Street, Glasgow!

By Colin Frame
Published: 25 August 2007
4 Comments

Design, win awards, play Wii

Due to our ever expanding client base in both London and Glasgow, we're seeking an inspirational web designer and junior/middleweight to work in our studios.

Senior Creative - Digital

WHAT?
The tictoc famly is looking for an inspirational web designer to work on our ever increasing, forward thinking, web projects from clients in both London and Glasgow. Working alongside our existing creative team, you'll also work closely with our Technical Director and web developers to really push the boundaries and explore what's possible, online.

WHERE?
The position could be filled in either our Glasgow or London offices with the option to attend briefings and client meetings in both locations and spend time working closely with the team on lots of exciting projects from brief to completion. You must have at least 4 years experience in the creative industry and be passionate about emerging trends and technologies.

WHO?
We like to think our offices have a real family feel (hence the name!) and keep things friendly and laid back (tictoc Burns supper / tictoc Wine Festival, baby head wetting nights etc!) therefore we're looking for people who can happily fit into this mindset!

YOU?
You must be able to fulfill the following:
• At least 4 years experience in web design
• Passion for all things web and an eye for what's new and upcoming
• Enthusiasm to challenge our developers as to what's possible and be challenged by their ideas
• Ability to take on certain developers at Wii Golf!!

To apply for the role, please email job@tictocfamily.com including links to sites you've worked on and a CV.

Salary: Depends on how good you are!
Location: Charing Cross, Glasgow or Westbourne Grove, London.

CV and examples of sites you've worked on to job@tictocfamily.com

Junior/Middleweight Designer - Brand/Digital

Enthusiastic and extremely creative individual to work on projects from our Glasgow and London offices as part of our creative team. Interest and experience in digital an advantage, you must have experience of working in a design agency environment.

Salary : Experience/level dependant
Location: Glasgow 

Send your CV to job@tictocfamily.com stating which role your interested in in the subject line.

**STRICTLY NO AGENCIES**

By Melanie Russell
Published: 9 August 2007
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They want your 'pod', eh?

By Super Administrator
Published: 9 August 2007
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Photo Friday

By Melanie Russell
Published: 8 August 2007
2 Comments

tictoc Glasgow gets a makeover and a Wii!

There's all sorts of developments going on here (to say nothing of wallpapering the toilets with back issues of the Broons and Oor Wullie - legendary Scots comics to keep you entertained!!) to make sure the tictoc Family are all happy in their workspace - the Developers requested plants for their office which were duly provided - little do they know it's down to them to look after them!!

We also felt lunchtimes were just not challenging enough so have invested in a Wii to add to the daily fun and games here at tictoc Glasgow! Here's Tom and Alan, watched closely by Andrew and Colin, playing a quick round of Golf before heading back to an afternoon of developing!

By Melanie Russell
Published: 31 July 2007
2 Comments

Women love the web

The internet is becoming increasingly indispensable for women, with over two thirds (66.1%) saying their lives would be disrupted if they had to go without the web for a week.

A study of 1,800 women aged 25 and over found four out of five females go online between 7am and midnight.

A majority of those aged over 65 go online before 7am. A third of women say they use the net during normal hours for primarily personal use, but that climbs to 52% between 4pm and 7pm, when one in 10 women go online for family-related content, and to 70.8% between 7pm and midnight.

In a finding that will pique the interests of marketers who have long targeted the spending power of women, who are seen as controlling the purse strings in many family homes, 54.5% of females said the internet is their primary resources on products they are considering purchasing, beating family and friends (10.9 percent), newspapers and magazines (9.9 %), TV (5.8%), brochures (5.1%) and radio (1.3%).

And some 51.4 % of women of all age groups used the web to do shopping in the last year, mostly for travel (37.5 percent), adult clothing (32.4 percent), health and beauty products (27%), children's clothing (18.8%), financial products (15 %) and groceries (14.9 %).

Some 43.6% of women said their daily routine would be "significantly" impacted upon if the internet were removed from their lives.

Source : Burst Media

By Melanie Russell
Published: 31 July 2007
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Web Trends 2007

Information Architects Japan have released an update to their very interesting Web Trends map of 2007. Based on a representation of the Tokyo Metro map the 200 most successful websites are ordered by category, proximity, success, popularity and perspective to create an interesting image.

While the focus is still on English language websites (because that is where it's at), we have added some Japanese sites (a mystery to most of you gaijin), some German sites (yeah, there are some popular ones) and a Chinese line (the second Internet)"

Each trend line follows a theme, e.g. the technology line has the tech sites, the design line the design sites. You can download the map in various formats and even use the interactive version as your browser startpage. 

By Tom Beddard
Published: 20 July 2007
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Hello to the newest member of the tictoc Family

One of our longest standing Family members became a Daddy for the 2nd time at 5am (ish) this morning with the arrival of Iona!

Huge congratulations to Alan, Jen and big brother Aedan from all of us here! (Glad to see she was born with more hair than her Daddy!)

By Melanie Russell
Published: 16 July 2007
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Online shoppers trust reviews

By Super Administrator
Published: 12 July 2007
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Web Acronyms

DYJHIW people LOL and end up RAOF and you have no idea why?

My suggestion to them is TANSTAAFL and tell them to GBTW

More bizarre Acronyms!

If you know of any others, or want to discuss this ridiculous subject in more detail, give us a call!

By Melanie Russell
Published: 10 July 2007
1 Comment

3-D Secure

3D Secure is a new technical standard developed by Visa and MasterCard to further secure CNP (Cardholder not present) transactions over the Internet.

Online purchases continue to grow at a higher rate than they do in the physical world. While there is no doubt that the number and value of internet transactions are increasing, it is also clear that concerns remain regarding the potential for fraudulent use of payment cards on the Internet. Consumers are increasingly seeking the convenience of online shopping but are demanding the same security protection that exists in the physical world.

How does 3-D Secure work?

Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode - 3-D Secure - requires the cardholder to provide a personal password or pin number when paying for goods online with their credit card just as they would provide a pin on the high street. This ensures that the shopper is who they say they are when providing card details to an online shop. Cardholders can sign up to the service with their card provider at no cost and are reassured that their card is protected from fraudulent use on the internet.

3-D Secure enabled merchants immediately benefit from a chargeback liability shift on all qualifying transactions. This means that merchants are no longer liable for chargebacks where the cardholder claims fraud or non participation (including transactions where the cardholder is not yet enrolled for 3-D Secure).

If you're interested in discussing this further, please get in touch with us as we'd be happy to help out 

By Melanie Russell
Published: 7 July 2007
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Account Director joins the Family

Kerry Reid has joined the tictoc Family in the role of Account Director with the key task of keeping all our lovely clients happy! Having worked with Kerry on the Client side almost since inception 8 years ago, both sides were very familiar with each other therefore Kerry was the perfect choice for the role. Her experience client side will mean she has a real understanding of what clients want and need from an agency and will ensure projects run smoothly for the duration.

She's been spending this week trying to work out how on earth a mac works (former PC slave!) hence the studious nature of this pic! 

By Melanie Russell
Published: 6 July 2007
1 Comment

CMS training session

By Super Administrator
Published: 3 July 2007
1 Comment

Patonz & P Diddy, ay

By Super Administrator
Published: 2 July 2007
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