"We don't get the web and we don't care" I am considering buying a car (since my bike has not turned up - see below). So one of the first things I do is to visit the websites of major insurers to see how much it'll cost me. During this research I try several online "Quote Calculators". All is well. Then I visit Axa Insurance, click 'Get Quote" see this message presented on a plain HTML page. "We continue to increase the numbers of people we insure in Ireland on a daily basis and we have found that we can best meet your needs by speaking with you directly and tailoring the cover and price that best suits you." Which translates as... "We couldn't really be bothered making it easy for you to get an online insurance quote. So, just give us a call and then we can do things just the way we prefer. Thanks!" Is this really how one of Europe's biggest insurers tries to attract customers online? Not only is it naive, it is ugly. It doesn't even have any of the branding stuff that marketers usually fret so much about. At first, I didn't read the text. I clicked 'back' because I thought it was a HTTP error message or something. I had to reclick 'Get Quote' 3 times to convince myself it was a real page. Unbelievable! Looks like they don't get the web as a means of doing business. And guess what? They don't get my business either.

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike! But, I can't. Some sod has stolen it! If you see a very nice Swedish Kronan 3-speed bike (brown in colour) with the number plate "IM216" on the streets of Dublin, please contact me. I am lost without it. Getting around is so much more difficult.

Chapter 2 (abridged) now available for free In my Xmas video I promised to make an abridged version of The Website Manager's Handbook available for free. As a first step, Chapter 2 Website Maintenance is now ready for download. Download Chapter 2: Website Maintenance (abridged) (pdf 570kb) So, why am I doing this? Well, I want to help Website Managers, Webmasters, Editors, etc. to improve the administration of their sites. To this end, I decided to make my advice and research into the core concepts of Website Management available to anyone who wants it. Of course in an effort to keep things short I have had to cut out a lot of detail, examples, illustrations and discussion. If after reading the free version you decide you want to learn more, you can buy the book to get a complete overview. Next up, Chapter 3 My next move will be to redo Chapter 3 Website Development. However, as that chapter is quite long, it may take some time for me to prepare. If necessary, I will publish it in sections depending on how busy I am. Following that I will be Chapter 4 Website Governance and finally Chapter 5 Website Infrastructure. As a rough guess, I hope to have it all done before the middle of this year. PS - Chapter 1: Website Management Model (pdf 34kb) is already available for download in its complete form. Other downloads are also available, e.g. table of contents.