Saving money is something that everyone loves to do; you

About the website.

LoveOnlineDeals.com describes itself as a completely unique and free to use web based service designed specifically to enable deal hungry users (such as our self) to keep an easy track on all the great group buying daily deals on offer to them within their city or location of choice. We noticed that most deals featured on the site have on average savings between 50-90% on a whole range of activities within the health, food, leisure and fashion industries.

Navigating throughout the site as well is beyond user friendly, with a nice simple layout, straight to the point and it contains no extra added promotional hype forcing you to buy or try the deals.One more use full point that should be noted is that the website features a daily email feature, where you can sign up to your location and be sent the deals available to you on a daily basis which can be enjoyed reviewing over your morning coffee.

What we thought.

Group buying is very popular and can get users some really great deals. Compared to many of their competitors we quite like this site as it tries to stay on track without loads of extra advertising. They are obviously keen to get you to sign up but as its free to do so we don’t see any harm in getting an email a day from them. If you are looking for some good regional deals why not have a look at the website and see what you think.

For many people renting somewhere to live is the only option, particularly if they are taking a job in a new city or town and don’t know how it will go so we thought we’d put together a review of one of the best flatmate and house share websites available, called Spareroom.co.uk we’ve taken a bit of time to look at the site and also checked out feedback from users.

About The Website

Spareroom has been specifically designed to put renters in touch with each other, the one thing you notice about the site is that it is about people rather than places which we liked. Users can either advertise a room or post a room request by simply registering on the site. The profiles for each let you set preferences such as pets etc as well as tell accommodation hunters what the costs are.

Searching the website is really easy and you can do it without registering (which is free anyway!!), just put in what you are looking for and where and hey presto the right sort of places come up.

The added advantage to using the site rather than just going to a traditional letting agency is that it gives you a chance to check out your potential housemates.

What We Thought

We liked the spareroom.co.uk website as it was very easy to use and has thousands (if not millions of users) so the choice is endless. The searches are pretty easy to use and the amount of information you can access is spot on which means no more endless wandering from rental agent to rental agent. We’ve made the website one of top rated and it’s the first for 2011 !!!

If you are looking for a new place to live and want to hook up with people who share your ideals take a look at spareroom.co.uk.

To find out more about Sportsvibe take a look at our previous review.

The label operates by signing acts through a traditional A&R selection process, before placing a sample of their music on the website.  The acts are then promoted to music fans who ultimately decide whether the act will raise the £100,000 necessary to take things to the next level. Fans can choose to invest anything from £10 to £1,000 in the artists they like and then get a percentage of the profits once the performer has been launched. Since its launch the website has already secured over £300,000 of fan investment across the launch roster.

We will be taking a closer look at the website in a few weeks time but for now if you want to be the next Pete Waterman this may be the place to start.

The upgrades are designed to help make planning a UK holiday much easier as well as finding out more about what is available in the area from shopping to nights out. According to the company the upgrades have increased site visitors by over 65% in just a few days and will set them on course to beat last year’s impressive turnover of £2.2 million.

Marcus Simmons, managing director at iknow-uk, said:  “It’s exciting to start the New Year with a new look, and we’re really pleased with the results of our design overhaul.  Feedback we’ve received so far is great, and we’ve been able to further improve the user-experience by making our regional websites much clearer and more straight-forward.

Developed in conjunction with ecommerce specialists, Chapter Eight the new mobile website makes it much easier for customers to buy gifts whilst they are on the move.

Trevor Pervin, MD at The Gift Experience comments, “The launch of the mobile site highlights our commitment to providing our customers with the best possible service. We’ve seen a 700% increase in revenue through mobile devices, this year compared to last, so it was important for Chapter Eight to capture all the features of our website on this new platform, while still retaining all the important aesthetic elements of the brand.”

Commenting on the launch of the new business Paul Joseph, Director of Health and Fitness Travel said “The culture of society is growing in self-awareness and we are becoming more conscious of the very limited time we have in our lives to look after ourselves. Holidays that promote discipline in key areas of health and fitness gradually change our attitudes in promoting a healthier lifestyle for us”.

“The average person puts on 4 pounds of weight after every inactive holiday*, meaning investing more time in exercise when they return home which is counterproductive. By hand picking the finest resorts around the world and tailor-making individual programs, we offer a one-stop shop for everyone wanting a perfect health and fitness experience on their travels”.

We will be taking a closer look at the website in a few weeks so look at for the review but in the meantime if you are looking for something to keep you active on your next holiday take a look at Healthandfitnesstravel.com

For all those Royalists out there we thought we’d give a quick mention to one of the opportunistic websites that launched in the past few months, called Theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com the site is one of the better ones with lots of content.

About The Website
There is no real reason to explain what the website is all about because it says it in the name. Nicely designed you can find facts and trivia as well as buy memorabilia. Taking a look around the website it’s well laid out with lots of content and isn’t jam packed with adverts. The website developers have taken a bit of time to make sure the content is accurate and it may be fairly useful for anyone who is thinking of arranging a street party on 29^th April particularly if you are thinking of organising a quiz on the day to keep everyone happy.

What We Think
Compared to many other websites that have sprung up we did like this one. It was well laid out and is regularly updated with all the latest news. If you want to know more take a look at the website at Theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com

1. Google and Bing will offer app search – with millions of us using smartphones the search engines will want to start pointing out relevant apps for download based on search terms.
   
2. Display advertising will mirror search – marketers can expect more sophistication, control and results from a new era of display advertising.
   
3. Google v Bing – It is likely that competition will hot up in 2011 with each of them introducing more functions and features to out smart the other
   
4. Duplicate content will be penalised – we all know that Google doesn’t like duplicate content but it is likely they will start penalising sites that do too much

If you would like to know more about the Greenlight predictions for 2011 then take a look at the report here

Commenting on the growth of registrations Mike Howes of Usefulstudents said:” The Useful Students website is achieving two objectives – it is providing employers with a pool of highly qualified and committed temporary workers and at the same time enabling students to earn some valuable extra income.”

The UsefulStudents website is completely free to use for both the students and job providers and many jobs present the opportunity to earn more than minimum wage.

Since the launch Usefulstudents estimate that they have helped students earn over £100,000.

The appointment comes after eHarmony announced that they had received over 1 million registrations since they launched in the UK.

Rosenberger said: “he online dating industry is a dynamic and fascinating space. I am excited about helping to grow the eHarmony brand in the UK and replicating the phenomenal success the company has seen in America. My goal is to bring the consumer focus I’ve developed from years of working on top brands to eHarmony’s UK business”

Michael Birch, co-founder of Bebo, commented “It’s exciting to see CitySocialising operating in a unique way within the Online2Offline space by successfully combining online social networking with genuine relationship-building in the real world around events. They’ve made great progress so far in organically developing a loyal and mobilised community and I’m looking forward to working closely with them to innovate further and realise the full potential of this space.”

PROfounders is backed by some of the UK’s most successful tech entrepreneurs, including Brent Hoberman and Michael Birch. The firm has a focus on the next generation of online businesses with previous investments including Made.com, TweetDeck and Keynoir.

Tim Loughton, Minister for Children and Families, announced the certification today during his keynote speech in London at the BETT Show, the biggest educational technology exhibition in the world.

The Kitemark for Child Safety Online has been developed through collaboration between The British Standards Institution (BSI) – one of the UK’s foremost certification companies – the Home Office, Ofcom and representatives from ISPs and application developers.

The website, which has been put together in partnership with Tesco, also has lots of challenges designed to get peoploe to do something different including trying sports, lifestyle activities or products that may not have been considered previously.

As an additional bonus by taking part in the challenges perticipants who sign up for the diet plans could be in with a chance to train with the team in their bid to win a medal in 2012.

For more information take a look at DoesMyBumLookBigInThis.com

New Year’s resolutions are great, give up smoking, get fit, do more for charity, even decorate the house but let’s be honest without some sort of support by the end of January most of these are out of the window especially the get fit one. Therefore we’ve taken a look at a new website which helps you meet your fitness and weight goals, called Iexerci.se (yes that is the address !!!) we’ve signed up and given the website a quick go for our readers.

About The Website
Iexcerci.se is a subscription based website that provides customised personal training and diet plans for users. To try out the website they have a full access 21 day trial so you can give it a go first before you subscribe and it is fairly simple and easy to follow.

When you first register on the website you put in some of your personal details, such as age, height, weight, and if you are super keen add other things such as your body mass index (BMI), blood pressure etc. These are all used in the next step which is setting your goal. We decided weight loss was a good one (too much Xmas pudding!!) and then set the target date to achieve your new weight by.

The system then works out what exercise you need to do and sets up your personal training programme for you to take along to the gym or do at home. The website also has loads of other function such as diary to track food and booze intake as well as offers handy diet recipes. We’ve not had time to use all the bits and pieces yet but it is fairly comprehensive and the more you use the site the better the benefit.

What We Thought
We liked Iexcerci.se as it pretty much had everything you’d want. It still takes personal motivation to meet your target but unlike other websites everthing is under one roof. We think the web address Iexcerci.se may put people off at first as it is an unfamiliar format but it’s totally safe to use.

The annual subscription of £35.99 is nice and low so there really is no excuse not to at least give it a go. If you would like more information visit Iexerci.se

 Joe’s role will include working with the in-house technology team to manage data issues as web traffic increases.

 Commenting on the appointment Nilian Peiris, said: “We are delighted to welcome Joe to work with us at HolidayExtras.com. Joe’s experience, track record and huge following on the web speak for themselves. I am very pleased to have someone like him in the building on a regular basis.”

Holiday Extras is one of the leading providers of pre-booked airport hotels and airport parking, taking bookings for over 6.8 million travellers each year. Their customer services team has been recognised in The National Business Award shortlist for Customer Focus and The Online Retail Awards.

Harvey Mason, managing director of Domains.co.uk, said: “Whilst the idea of leasing domains has been around for a while, I’d like to think there isn’t another service that offers it as an option in the same way we do, with flexible monthly fees and considerable legal protection. Our service offers an attractive option for domain registrants.”

For more information take a look at domains.co.uk.

 

 We all know that there are now loads of recipe websites where you can download some really tasty options but many of them rely on you knowing what you want to eat and what ingredients you have. One website which is slightly different is 1click2cook.co.uk which offers users a range of menus designed for their tastes rather than them trawling through endless lists so we thought we’d give their website a review.

About The Website

The first thing to note about 1click2cook.co.uk is that it is a subscription site although they offer a one month free trial initially. The website itself is well laid out and your first step is to create an account. Once you have the account you set your preferences from the number of meals you want through to how many people are eating and any likes or dislikes. The site then generates the menus which are pretty easy to follow.

In addition the site also produces the shopping list so there is no need to hunt around the cupboard looking for the ingredients or find you haven’t got something. In the trial we set up we found this was quite a time saving especially as once we had the list we simply cut and paste into our online grocery shopping site.

What We Thought

We liked 1click2cook.co.uk as it was pretty easy to use and we found pretty much everything we wanted. The downside is obviously the subscription but at less than £2 per week it’s not that expensive and they do claim to help save up to 30% on shopping bills which in a year can rapidly add up.

The recipes are easy to follow and we thought the concept behind the website was very useful especially as it is both a time and money saver. If you’d like to know more take a look at their website at 1click2cook.co.uk

What makes the website very different from other “comparison” websites is that users cannot book the cruses directly with them. Instead once they have made their choice they visit the website of the cruise operator.

Commenting on the launch Danielle Fear, managing director, said: “This is a really exciting time for everyone involved in the launch of CruiseCompare.co.uk. We have a great team working on the site and we plan to become the leading cruise website for research and bookings, as well as one of the UK’s top 25 travel websites.”

Cruisecompare compares over 10,000 different cruises from all the major operators as well as offering some completely exclusive to the site. Prices range from £49 to £49,000 so there is lots of choice.

To find out more visit Cruisecompare.co.uk and look out for our full review in a few weeks.

The survey, which was conducted through the website, also found that rather than people not just being bothered there were a number of reasons why the resolutions were not being kept including:

• Lack of money
• Not enough time
• Too many responsibilities
• Don’t have the confidence to go for it
• I don’t know where to start
• Lack of energy
• Keep putting it off
• Need inspiration

In order to break the cycle of giving up before you start the website, which is all about sharing your online goals, has launched their new S Plan for users. The plan helps set realistic and achievable goals, make a deadline for when it will be achieved and share it with friends.

Guy Eaton, from Sedogo.com, commented on the results of the survey saying: “Whatever your New Year’s resolution, from losing a bit of weight, getting a new job to going on an adventure, most of them don’t make it past the end of Jan because life just gets in the way.”

For more information about the survey and to set your own goals visit Sedogo.com.