I read with interest that New Zealand online advertising has grown by 23% in 3 months. Businesses and individuals had spent the best part of $41 million in Q3! That takes the total year to date spending to $98.6 million. Estimates are that the yearly figure will exceed $120 million.

When you think about it, though, it’s not a great surprise. With so many more websites out there it is getting harder to stand out in traditional search engines and online directories. One report by IBM Global Business Services says that 30% of ad revenue now spent on traditional media will shift to online ad exchanges such as Yahoo and Google.

In the US, online ad spend on newspaper websites grew 21% in Q3, or US$773 million. The digital revolution is far from disappearing. Growth in New Zealand is expected to continue for some time yet, considering overseas Online Advertising figures are still in double digit growth.

There are many ways to spend your money in online advertising - search directories are an option for New Zealanders. And what better time for me to shamelessly shout from the roof tops that NZS.com is a great choice! As the number one NZ-based search directory, with more than 300,000 unique visitors a month and over 80,000 listings, we’ve got plenty to shout about.

For options on Sponsored Listings, Marketing pages or Site Sponsorship click here for more information.

This week I heard about the Dancefloorguru hip space tune ‘Moving To Mars.’ The music video is epic and the song rocks, so you absolutely have to check out the video below. The lads from Dancefloorguru are based in Dunedin and do gigs there and around Queenstown, but one day I think they could go INTERSTELLAR!



Post your comment at YouTube.Check out other talented New Zealand bands on NZS.com.

Hark the Christmas angels sing!

It’s that time of year again. Almost. When trees are brought inside and decorated with shiny baubles and lights, when Christmas carols are played on repeat, when children leave cake out for Santa, and Christmas gift shopping pushes us to the edge. Oh, and the birth of Jesus the saviour is celebrated!

To help you make the most of the Christmas holiday season, we’ve got everything you’ll need for Christmas:

• Christmas gifts - how to shop for the perfect gift, including a top ten of festive pressies.
• Christmas trees and decorations - how to bring Christmas cheer to your home.
• Christmas carols - how to find a local Christmas carol sing-along, plus some alternative Christmas songs.
• Christmas recipes - how to wow your guests with your Christmas baking skills.
• Christmas holidays - how to escape the madness of the silly season during the summer holidays.
• Christmas parties - how to be the host with the most for your Christmas shindig.

We’ve got the holiday season covered, so you’ll be at your stress-free best to enjoy time with family and friends.

Twenty-six days to go!

Once we’re over Christmas, another exciting event is on the horizon: the Big Day Out 2008.

Or should I say THE BIG DAY OUT. That’s how big it’ll be.

I, along with hundreds of others, am looking forward to it. Butterflies in the stomach kinda thrilled about it, actually. Don’t tell anyone, but this is my first time. With a stellar Big Day Out lineup announced, this year’s event is sure to be a winner. Alternative songstress Bjork is my top pick, but Liam Finn (the bearded boy wonder), Phoenix Foundation (ah, the songs of Kiwi summers) and indie-stars Arcade Fire are also high on my list of must-sees.

Playing at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, on January 18th, will be:

Local bands and musicians:

The Phoenix Foundation, Shihad, Katchafire, The Clean, Liam Finn, SJD, Motocade, Cut Off Your Hands, White Birds and Lemons, Op Shop, Pluto, Scribe, Die! Die! Die!, Tiki Tanne, Havoc, Collapsing Cities, Bleeders, Supergroove, The Checks, Young Sid, Antagonist, Dam Native and other New Zealand bands.

And of course, international music acts:

Rage Against the Machine, Bjork, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Spoon, Brand New, Anti-Flag, Carl Cox, Kate Nash, Shy Child, Enter Shikari, Operator Please, Unkle, Krafty Kuts & MC Dynamite, The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello acoustic), Dr Octagon with Kutmaster Kurt, Aceyalone, Dizzee Rascal, Paul Kelly, Battles, Hilltop Hoods and Billy Bragg.

For a day of summer sun and music, book your ticket at the official Big Day Out site, any Ticketek outlet, Real Groovy and selected music stores nationwide.

Can we have a round of (canned) applause for TV 3? They took out the major awards in the 2007 Qantas Television Awards on the weekend.

Outrageous success for Outrageous Fortune
Robyn Malcolm (remember her in a sensible nurse’s uniform on Shortland Street?) won Best TV Drama Actress for her role in hilarious New Zealand comedy Outrageous Fortune (yes, you read that right). And just to prove Outrageous Fortune really is getting the laughs, that show also grabbed the number one spots for Best Drama, Best Actor (Antony Starr) and Best Script.

Best news and current affairs
For newsy things on the box, 3 News was the winner on the night. Duncan Garner, 3 News political reporter, received a nod for TV Journalist of the Year and Best News Reporting. 60 Minutes was winner of Best Current Affairs Series (and perhaps Most Sensational too?). Mark Sainsbury won the coveted Best Presenter award for his role on Close Up, in which judges said he displayed a “direct and engaging on air manner.” They did, however, also notice that it’s always Movember for Mark, and suggested that his monstrous mo’ “could do with a shave.”

Top comedy, entertainment and sport TV programmes
Comedy show Pulp Sport took out the top Comedy award and that slightly disturbing series, Dancing with the Stars, topped the Entertainment category. The long-suffering consumer justice campaigners at Fair Go won Information Programme of the year, while Let’s Get Inventin’ earned the Children’s television prize and coverage of the America’s Cup in Valencia was awarded best in Sport.

If you’re having trouble planning your next fix of small screen goodness, visit our New Zealand TV Guide category.

The new Windows operating system (OS for short), Windows Vista, was launched on the 30th of January 2007 in what Microsoft described as “the most significant product launch in Microsoft history.”

Since then, early adopters have been buying Windows Vista and most new PC’s on the shelves in New Zealand stores are pre-loaded with the operating system.

The NZS.com statistics from October 2007 show that 8.59% of Windows users are accessing NZS.com from PC’s with the Vista OS and a whopping 84.09% are still using Windows XP.

So, what are the differences in the new(ish) Windows Vista OS?

• Easy on the eye - the new Aero interface is visually enticing, with a clean, modern look.
• Desktop search functionality - this helps users find information on their PC’s and organize them using handy virtual folders. It’s easier to identify documents using their icons, which now display the first page of the document.
• Advanced document framework - XPS makes it easier to use and share documents between a variety of devices.
• Enhancements for portable computers - including better power management, support for external displays and improved wireless networking capability.
• Better security - Vista incorporates defence tools to protect your PC from spyware, adware, phishing attacks and other electronic threats. It also includes better backup facilities for your files and defaults to a User Account Protection mode, meaning password authorisation is required for any changes that will affect your OS.
• Entertainment and multimedia tools - there are excellent new versions of Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker, as well as new applications like Windows Photo Gallery and Windows DVD Maker.

And what’s with the name? Well, according to Microsoft, the Vista branding comes from a desire to bring users an OS that lets your PC “adapt to you and help you cut through the clutter to focus on what’s important to you. That’s what Windows Vista is all about: bringing clarity to your world, so you can focus on what matters to you.” So, you can look through your own personal, customised Window.

Browse the directory for New Zealand computer stores.

Apparently desk dining is a common phenomenon. I know I’m guilty as charged, but are you one of the many hardworking, office-air-breathing employees staying put during your lunch break and eating lunch in front of your computer?

I know I’m a fitness junkie outside office hours, so the odd slug-like lunch break doesn’t bother me. Fitness is one of those things that’s brilliant for physical and mental health. Now (even if you’re a desk slug) you can have the best of both worlds with online fitness training!

Yes, that’s right. Let’s hear it for online personal trainers and fitness information. They’ll set you up with a personalised fitness programme to get you on the way towards your goals - whether you’re wanting to improve your fitness, lose weight or tone your body. This is often supplemented with nutrional advice, motivational tips and other useful advice to keep you motivated and on track.

Check out these online fitness training resources:

• ActiveSmart - your online personal trainer will give you a fitness plan to suit your lifestyle, plus nutritional advice, a schedule and weather forecasts to boot.
• What Defines Me - a forum and community site for Kiwis who are nuts about fitness training and being uber-healthy.
• GetSet2Go - a service that offers exercise motivation and inspiration direct to you by text message or email.
• adiRun - alright, so you have to buy a pair of shoes… but once you have, you get free advice on how to train and eat right.

If you can’t motivate yourself with these, try a professional NZ personal trainer, in person.

Here we grow again, adding more members to the NZS.com team…

This week we welcome Dean Stirling to the role of Sales Executive. Our latest addition comes with over three years experience in B2B sales in Web and Internet marketing. Dean is passionate about the Internet and the part it has to play in companies growing their business, and is looking forward to working with the many websites within New Zealand to improve traffic to their sites.

Dean is also inspired by the outdoors - he plays golf, wakeboards, cycles, surfs and is now turning his hand to kite surfing. Along with enjoyment of outdoor recreational pursuits, Dean is an avid sports fan, with Formula One a winner and coaching his son’s rugby team a close second.

If you’re looking for a new job, browse our selection of job vacancies in New Zealand.

How fast are your thumbs? Not to harp back to the good old days, but it wasn’t so long ago that kids used thumbs mainly for grabbing things they weren’t allowed to touch, pinching other kids and picking up food with their hands at the dinner table.

Kids today are increasingly dexterous with their digits - hours spent playing games on Playstations and Xboxes, feeding tamagochis and texting on mobile phones has brought new thumb strength to the younger generation.

Now a Dunedin teen has proved he’s the best at txt in the world. I’ve already proclaimed my love for the Guinness Book of Records, so I’m over the moon that we’ve made it with this latest record. Or should I say ovr th mn?

Seventeen-year-old Elliot Nicholls broke the world record in Dunedin, texting a 160-character message blindfolded and finishing in just 51 seconds on his second attempt and 45 seconds on his fourth try. Both times were slick enough to beat the standing record, set by an Italian at one minute 23 seconds. Elliot fitted practice around his studies, learning off-by-heart the phrase: “the razor toothed piranhas of the genera serrasal musand pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. in reality they rarely attack a human.”

Ah, I love quirky things.

So, what are you waiting for? Get txting on your NZ mobile phone!

Yet another sporting loss for Kiwis, and a so-close-yet-so-far moment for the Silver Ferns and New Zealand netball fans. I know it’s only a game, but it’s a game that’s tied up with our national pride!

The Silver Ferns put up an excellent fight in the 2007 Netball World Championships final against a strong Australian team, eventually losing 42-38 in a gripping finale.

The two teams (rivals going way back) were evenly matched, but Australia played an uncompromising game to beat the well-prepared Ferns. In a match that was marked by a lack of free-flowing play, the Ferns battled hard and kept the eyes of the 7,000-strong crowd glued to the court.

The Kiwis began the match with a fast paced, assertive attack, taking the early initiative against their long-standing rivals. Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk fought for dominance against Australian shooter Liz Ellis, but the team failed to keep their stronger Australian counterparts at bay for long.

In the third quarter a New Zealand win looked possible once again, but Australia fought hard to regain control of the game. Fighting back in the final quarter, the Ferns failed once more to halt Australia’s advance, eventually losing by four goals to hand the Netball World Championship title to Australia.

Van Dyk said of the loss:
“Everybody was disappointed, everybody shed a tear. We worked so hard for it but in some ways that’s better because we did all we could.”

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aiken backed this view, saying:
“I feel hugely disappointed for the players. They gave it their all. It was an amazing game. We kept coming back but couldn’t quite do it when we needed to. I am very proud of them but absolutely devastated.”

I’m sure she’s not the only one feeling that way. Seems like it’s not a sparkling year for New Zealand sport…