Thinktank says UK will have problems providing broadband for all

Broadband thinktank Point Topic found that nearly 30 per cent of all households in Northern Ireland and more than a quarter of homes in Wales are currently unable to achieve internet speeds of two megabits per second, which the Government promised would be available to all homes by 2012.

"Towns such as Basingstoke and Milton Keynes which people might expect to be well connected have notspots," said Tim Johnson, chief analyst with Point Topic. "The scale of the task is massive and in order to achieve it there needs to be co-operation between government, the regulator and operators such as BT," he said.

Point Topic has produced a regional breakdown of areas that currently do not have much net speed. The thinktank has produced a map showing which areas of the country lack the infrastructure needed to deliver the high-speed broadband access outlined in the recent Digital Britain report.

The report’s author, Lord Carter, pledged that every UK home would have access to broadband by 2012, and set a minimum speed level of two megabits per second, a speed which the Government has determined would be sufficient for the delivery of online services.

But critics have warned that unless the internet infrastructure throughout the UK is sufficiently improved over the next few years, the Government’s target will remain unobtainable.

"We think that fibre is the right way to go. That will provide the UK with a future-proofed network," said Mr Johnson. BT has pledged to provide fibre to around 40% of the UK but with the caveat that "market conditions must be right".

The report, the full version of which is due in May, laid out the government's commitment to broadband and suggested that some of the gaps in coverage could be filled with mobile broadband.

But mobile broadband has met with criticism too, as it can be expensive, slow and service can be affected by the volume of users. “There are issues with the network and services drop off the more people who use it,” said Alex Salter, from broadband measurement site SamKnows.

Internet usage has become almost universal across middle Britain and over 15 million households have broadband. The average broadband Brit now spends more than 16 hours a week online and downloads can be 200 times as fast as in the last millennium. Many now rely on it as a tool to work fulltime from home or anywhere.

“Now we’ve reached the point where losing your connection or just being in ‘slowband land’ can be incredibly frustrating. Fast internet access has changed the way we work, listen to music, watch TV, stay in touch with our friends, shop and plan our lives, “Johnson points out. “It has touched every corner of our lives not just everyone’s life.”

“If you live in a densely populated area in the UK, chances are you’ll have access to over 2Mbps of bandwidth. About 84% of households are in the right place to get reasonable speeds according to our analysis,” says Johnson.

Practical tips on creating a work area at home

More than 20 million people work from home at least once a week in the U.S., according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2008 there were more than 2.5 million home based businesses in the UK.

Wireless technology has made this easy at a time when a struggling economy has forced many people to spend more time at home.

If you work at home full time or just require a place to sort mail, pay bills and check your e-mail, having a dedicated space to get the job done is essential.

Most people who didn't have a computer at home ten years ago have one now. A working area or office space when buying a house has now become a serious consideration for many. More and more people need a dedicated place at home to work from.

If you're short on space look for an unused pocket of space that can be fitted with shelves, cabinets, (electrical) power and a chair. Use your imagination! A Washington D.C. architect converted a bedroom cupboard in her apartment into her work space. She removed the clothing rod and installed shelves and a countertop that flips down as needed.

She also removed the cupboard door and replaced it with a bookshelf on wheels that's connected to a ceiling track. When she wants to close up her office, she simply slides the bookshelf in front of it. (For the non-architects among us, keeping the door works, too. So does installing a curtain rod to hang a pretty panel in place of a door.)

If that converting your cupboard sounds like a it of a gargantuan task, then consider smaller adjustments such as placing glass over an old table with an uneven surface, so you can keep the table and transform it into a functional desk.

Think beyond boxes for storage. Use jars and trays to hold supplies, or coloured boxes or plastic drawers on wheels.


Whether you have an entire room, a converted closet or a tiny nook carved out of a corner, the basic essentials for any well-run office are the same. You need a desk, a comfortable chair, storage, paper and pen, and proper lighting. You don't have to spend a lot.

Don't overlook vertical space, where tall bookcases or hanging shelves can provide extra storage. Using vertical space makes a space look cleaner, neater and less cluttered.

Have you got any useful tips for creating a working area at home? Write in and tell us! Share your ideas and mistakes, what you saved money on and what you indulged in.

Help with free self-promotion on the internet

If you're starting a new business or project and want to create more awareness about it on the web, but aren't quite sure how to go about it, then Launch your Project is a good place to start.

Getting a new site or information about yourself into search engines can be quite a task, let alone getting awareness of your project on the web.

Launch your Project aims to help you by publishing your press release or a good description of your project on their site with free links. This will help you to get quality links, better traffic and more awareness of your project on the web.

The site is run by a php developer who says of himself: 'I have tons of ideas, and not enough attention to get people to use them. I don’t have a lot of money, so I have to make people notice by making a lot of noise. This project is one of the ways I am making noise.'

This is a free service as of right now, to help people get their project noticed. If you need help getting people to see your project or just getting it off the ground, give this site a try, you will be surprised. Plus its a free article about your site, and a free link to it too!

At Work Anywhere will certainly be using this as a promotional tool, what a great idea! We hope to pass the word on to as many people as possible who want to find work, post work, network, market themselves or create opportunities for free. Our beta version will belive in March, come and have a look!

Searches in the UK for home-working positions on the increase

As more people have internet access and understand more about the world wide web, and as technology progresses and continues to develop, so working from home or anywhere, being a mobile worker has moved away from the niches of media and IT into the public domain.

Fuelling this is the global recession which has led to the highest level of unemployment in 17 years in the UK and inflation hits an all-time high, a figure which is likely to rise as more job cuts are made. The result is more people working from home, or searching for home-based jobs.

According to UK job search website TipTopJobs.com, figures released in February show that people applying for home-working positions on job boards have almost doubled in the past month.

Applications for home-based roles during the month of September leapt to 1,673 from 1,176 in August – an increase of 42 per cent.

As 26 per cent of individuals cited family responsibilities as the main reason for seeking home-based employment, it is evident that worries over child care costs and lack of work-life balance are the key factors behind the increasing volume of home-working job board applications.

Home-working job searches may indicate lack of confidence in economy. Corinne Dauncey, Careers Expert from TipTopJob.com, said: “We forecast an increase in home-based applications as it’s becoming more acceptable to work from home. However such a sharp rise is not in line with our predications. We believe it’s another worrying sign that consumer confidence is low and that candidates are worried about the current economic turmoil.

“Economists believe headline rates of inflation are now set to fall back, with oil prices having recently dropped, so it will be interesting to see what happens to these applications, whether they continue to rise or fall in line with inflation.”

In the meantime, for those looking to work from home, there are a wide range of vacancies available through online job boards and job search engines. As long as workers have access to the internet and a telephone, it has become an ideal solution for those struggling with a long commute, redundancy or childcare issues.

Visit At Work Anywhere in March to see our beta version. We are all about connecting people and creating opportunities.

Working from home: Pros and cons

Working from home has a lot going for it. For a start, you don't have to put up with office politics or people standing over you. And the only commute you have is from your bedroom to your desk.

That said, working from home is not for everyone. You need to have a certain sort of mindset to be able to work on your own, without people around you. And there are some pitfalls to watch out for. Read more on the Sydney Morning Herald blog.

I find working from home is a bit of a double-edged sword, but I think the pros out-weigh the cons, horses for courses.

The freedom and flexibility I now have are great, my work/life balance is greatly enhanced, I don't miss the commute or the office politics, but I do miss the camaraderie, the banter, talking work and kicking ideas around. These are things that can be covered over the internet but it isn't the same as human interaction.

On the bright side you can take as much holiday as you want, when you want. If you work over the internet and are going somewhere with a good connection, you can take your work with you. On the other hand, you don't have paid leave, sick leave or compassioante leave. You don't work, you don't earn - simple.

It can be distracting to work from home as there is so much going on around you, wheras an office is simply a workplace. Therefore I find a certain amount of self-discipline is required if you are to be productive, motivated and focused.

It's a good idea to leave the house at least once a day, and to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have the space, keep your working area seperate so you can walk away at the end of the day. Try to maintain a routine, but change it every now and then.

Lots of tips and advice like this will be on http://www.atworkanywhere.com/ when the beta goes live in March 2009 and we'd love to hear your opinions!

Do you work from home? Do you prefer it from office working? What advice would you give other people working from home?

Government releases help package for UK businesses

The Government has released a help package for British businesses. The range of new help is being made available for those who need it, from people seeking employment or training, to small businesses with cashflow problems and larger businesses needing working capital.

There is a range of free support to find finance, raise productivity, or save money by reducing waste and saving energy. Whether you need to increase cashflow, keep your staff on, improve their skills and flexibility, or simply reduce costs, you can get help to keep your business healthy.

The support outlined in the 'Real help for business now' PDF guide helps to secure credit and finance for businesses by helping with managing your business in more difficult times and provides help with investing for the future.

You can get information on the packages of support available to businesses by visiting Business Link or by contacting your local Business Link adviser by calling 0845 600 9 006.

If your business is based in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also get access to
real help with finance, managing your business and investing for the future through your local
business support networks:

• Wales: Flexible Support for Business: http://www.business-support-wales.gov.uk/realhelp.aspx or call 03000 6 03000.
• Scotland: www.bgateway.co.uk/realhelp or call 0845 609 6611 and http://www.hiebusiness.co.uk/
  or call 0845 609 6611.
• Northern Ireland: www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/realhelp or call
  0800 027 0639; and http://www.investni.com/ or call 028 9023 9090.

Or, to use an online interactive tool to identify for yourself areas of your business that could improve, click on the ‘Get a health check for your business’ link at Businesslink.

Website review for teleworkers - Directgov

Are you employed and working from home or thinking about it? A question commonly asked is, ‘What are my rights?’

This page on Directgov (UK government website) explains the difference between homeworking and teleworking, and the pros and cons of each. It also covers security risks related to your work and the equipment you use.

Whether you want more flexible working hours and a work/life balance or not, Directgov provides information on working time regulations and contracts of employment, as well as a section and links on where to get help.

Genuine work from home schemes damaged by scams

This month the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) launched its 2009 Scams Awareness Month to raise awareness of mass marketed scams, which cost the UK public £3.5billion a year. Every year an estimated three million UK consumers fall victim to scams sent by post, email, text, the phone and internet.

One of the main target groups in the UK are work from home scams, particularly in the current economic climate when many are desperate to find a new or extra income to make ends meet. Often the schemes sound too good to be true and target the inexperienced work from home contractor.

Caution should be exercised on any proposal which requires the homeworker to buy into a scheme prior to them receiving any work.

"Only 2% of people who get taken in by these scams actually report them," said Mike Haley, Director of Consumer Protection at the OFT. "Our research shows that over 300,000 people each year are falling victim and it's on the increase because of the economic climate.

At Work Anywhere supports the OFT initiative and believes that such scams are incredibly damaging to the genuine 'buy in, sell on' opportunities.

These scams are also affecting the entire credibility of working from home/anywhere over the internet which is reaching out to non-traditional internet workers who need as much encourgement and assistance as possible. Crediblity is the keystone on which this potentially large market will be built upon.

What can I do?

OFT's advice to anyone who thinks they have been drawn into a home working scam is to contact them at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk or 08454 040 506.

The OFT is warning consumers to be vigilant during the economic downturn as scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at using techniques to exploit personal and economic difficulties.

The OFT's advice to consumers who receive a possible scam offer is: 'Stop, think, and think again'. Do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know. How likely is it that you have been specifically chosen for this offer? Millions of people are likely to have received the same offer. Think again - read the mailing carefully. If you are unsure, speak to family or friends and seek advice.

More on the BBC.

Recruiters are using Web 2.0 tools to find new talent

Entrepreneur.com has written an interesting article about how internet tools such as social networks, blogging and other Web 2.0 networking tools are becominging increasingly popular to hire people. As employers learn more about how to use these tools, the way recruitment is done looks to change radically.

Case studies include San Francisco PR entrepreneur Jason Throckmorton, founder of $5 million LaunchSquad, Ben Swartz, co-founder and president of Chicago-based interactive marketing advisory firm Marcel Media, estimates he's hired three-quarters of his 21-person staff using Web 2.0 resources.

InsidersReferral.com Inc.'s job site Jobirn (jobirn.com) hooks up candidates, employers and recruiters via IM rather than conventional but slower e-mail and TheCareerMole.com sets up a channel for current employees to mentor candidates and provide information about company culture and jobs.

Some people believe that nothing will replace human recruiters, and I certainly agree that nothing replaces a face-to-face conversation as there is only so much you can learn from a piece of paper, the rest emerges from body language for example. However, so much can be gained from Web 2.0 recruiting.

It can save time, money and facilitate rapid communication; by checking out a person on a social network you can see who they are connected with and there's an old saying that you can judge a man by the company he keeps.

The world is a small place, by checking out those connections, you're bound to know someone who knows someone who you can make discreet enquries of. You have access to timely and accurate information, time can be saved by quick responses by all parties.

Increasingly, large and small companies are encouraging employees to maintain their own blogs - yet another thread in a potential recruit's history.

At Work Anywhere intends to harness a lot of these concepts and we're including them in our product - live at the end of February. You can register and have a look now while the site is under development, feedback is welcome!

vixdw.atworkanywhere@blogger.com has shared: Recruiting 2.0 - Entrepreneur.com

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To commute or not to commute - for that is the question

What are the benefits of working from home? What makes it different from working in an office environment? Is it that moment of irate and carbolic fury upon the discovery that your crucial delivery deadline is likely to be stalled by the idiocies of your broadband provider, who naturally cannot be reached other than via a longwinded call centre in India?

And as charming as the young lady is in her endeavours to assist you, your fury is only increased when she informs you how wonderful the weather is at her location in comparison to how foul and cold it is at yours.

Or is it that moment when your oldest child decides to go cross-eyed, spurt quantities of blood from her nostrils and promptly passes out in a flopping backward motion across your dressing table whilst trying to explain, ‘Mummy, I don’t feel very well’.

Of course, had I been working in an office, after a two-hour commute through the lightly snow-covered excuse for a railway infrastructure, I would have arrived to find that our internal network was down due to a scheduled upgrade the previous evening and to be told by the IT support fascist that of course all my files would be safe and that the system would be up and running in the near future. The word future conjuring up decades of delay rather than minutes.

Then there is the moment when the spotty IT geek goes a slight shade of pale, gulps, apologises for the inconvenience whilst whispering on his mobile phone to his supervisor, smiles, and departs rapidly. Needless to say the network revives itself after four hours to which my workstation looks remarkably clear of the clutter that usually is strewn across the screen.

This would seem a bonus if the same did not apply to the ‘My Documents’ folder. Upon contacting the IT department as to where my files are, a quiet all-pervading silence is their only response and ‘We are working on it’ before the phone is put down.

At which point my daughter’s school has finally got through to me and the first lines of the school nurse, ‘Ah, Mrs Player, it’s so good we’ve been able to reach you. We have a slight problem, we believe that your daughter might be carrying a bug and we therefore would be grateful if you could remove her from our establishment as we wish her not to infect the rest of the school.’

The realisation that my workday has now just been cut in half at the cost of half a day’s leave and the damage to my professional reputation due to a lack of deliverance on commitments due to a combination of circumstances out of my control dawns on me like the resounding thud of an unwanted tax bill.

All of this is topped by the scintillating garnish if another commute back home.

Rewind, phew, that could have been my day, but it wasn’t, for my partner and I work from home developing a site for people who work from home or anywhere (www.atworkanywhere.com).

My daughter did pass out with blood spurting from her nose (she’s OK now), but my husband was able to accompany her to hospital for a check-up while I laboured in peace curled up under my warm duvet.

I did experience problems with my internet, but fortunately didn’t lose any work or miss any deadlines as the issue turned out to be a minor inconvenience caused by an OS upgrade conflicting with our router which did not affect Vista but crashed XP.

After completing my daily quota, I cuddled up with my oldest daughter on the sofa, lit the fire and watched some dubious TV. About to go out training now and tomorrow is another day and another dollar. I think the benefits of working at home outweigh the considerable tribulations of working in an office, despite days like this.