Well OK, not quite, but it is only 8 weeks away – and fast approaching as people begin to get into the festive spirit. So we thought we had better give you a heads-up on what are expected to be top of the Christmas lists of boys and girls up and down the country.The UK toy industry is still one of the strongest sectors of the economy with an 8.4% growth between January to August 2010, compared to last year, taking total sales in that period to £1.2billion. Here’s why:

Last year it was toy hamsters, in previous years it has been Teletubbies, Thunderbirds and Tamagotchis. So what will parents be clambering for as 2010 draws to a close? We consulted the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) list of Dream Toys 2010:

Top Toys

Another ‘T’ is expected to be popular this year. The summer release of the Toy Story 3 film has seen a huge range of spin-off toys but the poseable action figures of Jetpack Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody are expected to be the toys all the boys want and many of the girls too. There is even a Toy Story Barbie for those more girlie girls and both are expected to fly off the shelves as quickly as they are placed there.

There are lots of old favourites too. Sylvanian Families, the tiny character animal toys with their own houses, schools, cars etc have been around for decades but this year the Sylvanian Families Motorcycle and Sidecar is featured in the Dream Dozen -the top 12 toys suggested by the TRA. With older roots still, is Lego, and this year the Lego City Airport (with a recommended retail price of £84.99) is expected to be the most desired make-it-yourself toy.

Meanwhile, some other more traditional favourites are also back with new twists. Monopoly Revolution will create family competition this Christmas in many households. The new version dispenses with the issue as to who plays banker by replacing paper money with electronic cards and a chip and pin type machine. Boggle, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit also all have new ‘versions’ out this Christmas.

Last year’s must haves, the Go Go Hamsters, have lots of new fun places to go too. Also on the Dream Dozen is the ZhuZhu Grooming Salon for the hamster who just has to look right. Animals feature heavily in the top toys listings with the FurReal Go Go Walkin’ Pup hopefully being sold with the promotion of the fact that a dog is for life and not just for Christmas (or when its batteries have run out).

Toys for Big Kids

So that’s some of the things the kids will expect to be waking up to on Christmas morning but what about the big kids? Well economic times might be hard but toys and gadgets for grown-ups are expected to sell as strongly as ever.

Top of the list for a bit of fun is Dave the Funky Shoulder Monkey. A cute simian friend who will sit on your shoulder and perform as you instruct via a tiny remote control. Make him act shy, wave, sleep or make outrageous sounds – this is the choice for the person who has everything including a sense of humour.

Aimed at smaller kids, the big kids and fans of ITV’s The Cube will probably have hours of fun bouncing a ball into a cup – that is the basis of Cuponk, simple but set to be very popular according to the experts. Last year virtual guitars were popular and the latest incarnation of these the Paper Jamz Guitar is set to be the gift of choice for many ‘big kids’ to strum along with.

Must-have Gadgets

All that, plus there is the return of the original home robot Bigtrak, no doubt numerous requests for an iPhone 4 or HTC Desire HD mobile and some deep-pocket hopes on an iPad or Samsung Galaxy tablet computer.  The Kymera Magic wand – a remote control featured on BBC TV Dragon’s Den – is proving a big hit for online retailers while the gaming world awaits the arrival of Microsoft Kinect for the Xbox 360 next month offering ‘controller-free gaming’ and with demand sure to outstrip supply.

The ultimate present?

Of course, here at 123-reg we continue to have the ultimate gift for the person who has everything! Choosing a personalised domain name, perhaps linked with our simple to use SiteFusion package, is a perfect way to show you’ve put some thought into a present, even if it hasn’t taken much effort.

What’s top of your list for Christmas?

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So you’ve got yourself on Twitter. You are communicating two-way with customers and potential customers and seeing some benefit, but are you making the most of Twitter?

Here’s three tools you should be using for maximum effectiveness:

Hootsuite

There are lots of options when it comes to software that makes using Twitter easier and more efficient. If you have a smartphone you no doubt have one of the hundreds of Twitter apps that have led the drive forward in the app market in recent years. But using your phone is not always easy or allowed in a work environment plus with the mobile phone companies becoming tighter on data usage sometimes a smartphone app is not the most convenient. If you are logged in at a desktop or laptop there are plenty of  desktop applications around that you can use like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, but in an environment where you don’t want to download additional software or aren’t able to, the latter offers a great web-based app alternative. Of course, you could just login to the Twitter main page, but Hootsuite offers a full range of features to monitor trends, organise more than one account, and also manage other social media accounts too.

Listorious

Even if you are using your Twitter account purely for business, you will probably have one or two people you follow just for the sheer interest value too. Be they celebrities or perhaps speakers in your field. If you are looking for new people to follow Listorious has plenty of ideas. It promotes itself as the place to find and interview the experts using the medium of Twitter to put you in touch. You can find your expert and then ask your question of them via the Listorious system meaning they are more likely to respond, plus the system then stores questions and answers up and arranges them like a magazine article.

Addict-o-matic

Want to keep up to date with what the buzz is in your industry? Addict-o-matic is an aggregator of various social media sites and tools. It looks like a search engine – type your search term in the top box and click create. Addict-o-matic will then create a personalised page for you with feeds from twitter, blogs, news sites, Flickr, Youtube, etc and all customisable. You can then follow trends in your business sector or even what people are saying about your business.

Nothing earth-shattering but tools that really can improve the way you use and the way you benefit from your Twitter presence. Give them a try.

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We’ve got a new deal to get your teeth into.

Have you seen our domain Count on the 123-reg home page? Our Halloween offer has .me domain names for a spooky £6.66. Always fancied your own .me (perfect for a personalised domain) then this offer (.me is usually priced at £14.99) must be an omen.

With a .me domain name you can let people know exactly who you are and it is so easy to remember. Buying for yourself or as a gift for somebody else? It doesn’t matter ‘witch’, this wizard of an offer is too good to miss.

You’ll have to hurry though – the offer won’t live on forever.

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After celebrating the harvest and just before we start gearing up for the goodwill of Christmas it’s about the right time to be thinking of helping others.

The government-backed Get Online Week has had plenty of coverage in the mainstream media but the success of the campaign will only be seen in a few months time when the numbers of new people getting online are looked at. We’ve been pleased to be involved however and with our prize-draw will hopefully get at least 10 lucky winners to set-up their first internet presence.

Yet, as the official week of getting new faces online ticks by we thought it was worth remembering that there is never a bad time to help your friends, relatives or even strangers to take their first steps on the internet.

Not spoken to that elderly aunt for a while? Why not pop by and say hello and offer to help do her grocery shopping – online. Why not offer to help organise Christmas presents for the family and show her how easy and how much cheaper it can be doing it all – online.

Obviously, that is just an example, but there are plenty of people out there who with a little guidance and patience would probably love to get online and embrace it once they know what it is all about.

On the subject of Christmas presents, a personalised domain name can be the perfect present for the person who ‘has everything’. Even if they are not yet online, what more encouragement could there be than buying them theirname.com with a working email account – and with 123-reg it’s a very affordable option and quick to set-up.

Have a think. How much easier and fun is your life now you are online? Now see if  you an spread that fun and efficiency to someone you know.

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We have just 66 days to go until Christmas.

Times are hard and consumers are being even more prudent with what they are buying this Christmas, which means they are on the hunt for a bargain. There are plenty of offers out there if you look hard enough and we thought you might like a few tips as to how you could help boost your own site traffic and possible income by helping consumers find those bargains.

Sign up for to become a 123-reg affiliate. The programme is simple and free to join. Once you have signed up you can choose from a wide-range of pre-prepared buttons, banners and links to use on your site advertising 123-reg products. If your visitors click through to us from them and make a purchase, you can then benefit from commission based on those sales.

Other sites offer similar schemes. As well as banners and buttons, online bookseller turned superstore also offers Amazon widgets to use on your site. These rich, interactive mini-applications bring Amazon functionality to your website. Select a preferred look to the widget then customise your widget to offer the kind of goods you think your visitors will be interested in. Then just insert the small piece of HTML code into your page. You’ll need to have an Amazon associates account to use the widget functionality.

If you are keen to offer a hub with a diverse range of product links consider signing up for an affiliate account with a multi-advertiser programme like Commission Junction. Via their programme you can earn commission from sales via websites, big brand and high street names including our sister web hosting company Webfusion.

If you are not as concerned about earning commission directly and are more interested in helping people find a bargain why not add an RSS feed to your site from one of the many bargain hunting sites. HotDealsUK offer both an RSS feed and a Twitter feed which can easily be incorporated into your site using free tools like Twitter’s own Profile Widget.

Christmas is a great time to bring in new traffic, as more and more people are expected to go online to look for inspirational present ideas. Remember not to clutter your site up too much with banners and links directing people elsewhere or you will detract from your own products or services, but offering that ‘added benefit’ to your visitors is a great way to get them coming back again in the future.

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The fact that you are reading this means that you are already on line, but we hope this blog will inspire you into helping others as we gear up for Get Online Week that begins on Monday next week.

Running between 18th and 24th October 2010, the whole idea of the Government-backed Get Online Week initiative is to help people get started with computers and the internet.

Did you know that there are some 9 million people in the UK that are not online?

That’s a lot of people who may not even know the fun, opportunities and wealth of knowledge that the internet has to offer. Here at 123-reg we are getting involved with Get Online week and encouraging our customers to do the same. Our experienced team will be helping out at local UK Online centres teaching people from all walks of life and ages how easy the internet can be and how helpful it can be for paying bills, carrying out research and just stay in touch with friends and family.

We will also be offering people a chance to “Get online” by offering a free draw offering 10 hosting packages to encourage the to take the step online – more about this next week.

If you think you might want to get involved but are looking for some inspiration we’ll be offering more next week but in the meantime why not check out the Official Twitter account @UKonlinecentres. If you are on Twitter and talking about the initiative don’t forget the hashtag #GOLW. There are also Facebook pages, a Flikr account with inspirational photographs and a YouTube channel with hints, tips and heart-warming stories.

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After the last of the 33 Chilean Miners and their rescue team made it to the surface in the early hours of this morning the book deals, documentaries and Hollywood films were probably already being signed. Yet, the ‘media’ tale of the miners’ ordeal will not be the reminiscing, archive-type traditional methods of documenting historic occasions, but one of real-time coverage and the way it brought the modern world together.

The full rescue was broadcast live on TV channels, radio stations and websites across the world. As each miner arrived to the surface their first glimpse of the world 69 days on was not necessarily their loved ones waiting in the wings but the array of lights, microphones, cameras of the assembled 1300 journalists. And while all of those journalists spoke back to their audiences in their traditional print, audio or video format, the majority also expressed their own personal opinions via social media accounts giving a real insight into the emotions running high at the rescue camp: Camp Hope.

Award-winning Chile-based journalist Jorge Garreton was a popular source of insight and local knowledge as the events unfolded while the BBC’s man on site Tim Willcox also reflected in a more personal way than he was able to on camera. Even the Chilean president Sebastian Pinera tweeted as the rescue unfolded and it would be interesting to know how many of the 247,000 followers he now boasts had even heard of him prior to the miners plight becoming world news.

The success of the rescue mission seemed to touch everyone that followed the news. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was one of the world leaders tweeting messages of support while the celebrity Twitterati were also busy relaying their thoughts. Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden was one hooked to the TV coverage while teen pop star Justin Bieber reflected “Just found out the miners of Chile are being rescured!! Happy for the families being brought back together. Miracles do happen.” Fashion guru Gok Wan had similar sentiments “So very happy for the miners!!! Its truely an amazing moment! X” while comedian Al Murray tried to lighten the moment: “I am told (by@Aug24) that the pressure shift means they will all definitely fart on the way up in the lift”.

Whether the soon to follow Hollywood film will feature such Twitter reaction we will have to wait and see. What is almost certain is that the spoof Twitter accounts like @Chilean Miner – which clocked up nearly 14000 followers with a black-humour take on the miners’ ordeal – won’t be featuring on a big screen near you.

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You may have seen stories last week about National Poetry Day but were you aware this was just one event in a week long celebration of the English language?

As part of the same celebration, today is English Language Day.

What?

English Language Day is part of the English Project and is apparently “an opportunity for you to share your community’s English”. So it is a celebration of accents, regional lingo and how what you say and how you say it defines who you are. It is a time to show pride in your dropped h and the like.

Why?

Way back on the 13 October 1362 the then Chancellor of England opened Parliament with the first speech in English. In that same Parliament, a Statute of Pleading was approved that permitted members to use the English language in debate and in the courts. Until then French had been dominant due to the ancestry of the noblemen of the time. The new Act complained that because the French language was relatively unknown in England outside of the nobility, the majority of people had no knowledge of what is being said for them or against them in the courts, which used Law French.  From then on it became law that everything “be pleaded, shewed, defended, answered, debated, and judged in the English Tongue”. Thereafter English became the dominant language and as a result 13 October symbolises the survival of English and its development as a world language.

So how can you get involved?

The English Project and Ordnance Survey have linked up  to compile an Alternative Gazeteer of Britain, The Great British Collection of Nicknames for Places or what they are calling Location Lingo.

From today they inviting details of nicknames and petnames for places and landmarks even road-junctions or roundabouts or roads. They can be well-known, popular nicknames or private petnames used amongst a few friends. Old or new. There is an element of fun in it but also something serious as they hope that the compiled listings could help  Emergency Services who are often puzzled when people phone in with reports of incidents using a nickname to describe the location.

The Rules

To be classified as Location Lingo by the English Project and Ordnance Survey a nickname or pet name for a place in Great Britain must:

1. must not be an official name or does not appear as a name on the maps in the map viewer
2. have been in regular and recognisable use amongst a group of three or more people for at least a month
3. have not been devised for this project.

As well as the nickname or pet name they are also interested in the story behind the name. Why did a place acquire that nickname? If you know, then let them know.

We can’t wait to see the final results as we have a feeling there could be a rush to register domain names for the list of nicknames.


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In an example of the power of social media as a business feedback tool, clothing retailer has reverted back to its former logo as a result of criticism it received about its new one via Twitter and Facebook.

The familiar “Blue Box” design is to return after the new “more contemporary, modern expression”version of black writing on a white background with a smaller blue box being overlapped in the top right corner. Gap’s Facebook page announced in the early hours of this morning UK time:
“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowd sourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight.”
They also issued a press release to the same effect.

Despite the money ‘wasted’ on developing a new logo that now won’t be used, Gap may well have avoided brand disaster by responding so quickly. In days pre-social media, such a a backlash would have perhaps been more subdued and certainly slower to reach the powers that be within the company. So while many may fear the power of social media when business decisions are so publicly criticised, the positive side is that instant feedback also allows for instant reaction.

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