Taking a 10-minute online break during the working day helps to reduce stress and can sharpen the mind, according to research published by PopCap Games.
Companies that frown on such activity could be contributing to a loss to UK Plc of up to £4bn every year, the casual games firm claimed.
PopCap reached this formidable figure by multiplying the recorded productivity increase identified in its PopCap Break Report 2008 by the 2008 UK turnover figures for services and highly skilled jobs.
Recent research conducted by employment law firm Peninsula found that seven out of 10 companies now ban access to social networking sites, and are considering banning personal internet access altogether.
However, PopCap’s study suggests that taking a 10-minute online break benefits the employee and the company as a whole.
Far from distracting employees from their work, these “electronic breaks” actually increase staff efficiency and morale.
The findings are based on psychometric trials carried out on a cross section of UK businesses under the supervision of Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a psychologist at Goldsmiths University.
The trials suggest that spending 10 minutes on activities such as puzzles, casual games, social networking, personal email, online shopping and general ” life admin” can have a positive impact on productivity.
“Work days are becoming longer, workloads are becoming more demanding, and UK bosses are introducing internet bans to help combat alleged productivity losses and inappropriate use of workplace resources,” said Dr Chamorro-Premuzic.
“Yet bosses are missing a trick by introducing e-bans. Allowing workers more freedom at the PC can benefit morale and boost company profits.
“In addition to allowing their mind to switch off from their work worries, employers can foster a more trusting and enjoyable environment.”
Source: Ian Williams vnunet.com
The uVme.com website is currently being updated with some helpful features, such as:
- Games can now result in a draw. If this happens, the prize money will be equally split between the two players.
- If an inactive Associate’s games site link is used, the site will redirect to the site of his/her sponsor.
- Extra anti-fraud measures have been put in place.
- Several games have been cheat-proofed.
“I’m so confused! What is “social networking” and why should I be doing it?”
“I went to some of the sites you told me about, and I’m just completely lost! They all seem so different, and I have no idea how to use them!”
“I feel like I’m swimming, or better: drowning in a sea of information, and most of it seems to be irrelevant. How do I make sense of it all?”
These are some of the things I hear when I’m teaching about social networking. If my student has had any real exposure to the web lately, they’ve heard the term. They know it’s new, they know it’s important, even vital. But they have no idea what it means, or how they should be a part of it.
Let’s face it, there are a Whopping Lot of social networking sites out there. Even though they all are places for people to communicate with each other and interact, they all function a little bit differently and that makes it all very confusing and overwhelming. Let’s sort through the chaos and bring a little order and clarify by sorting them into a few simple categories. Sites and strategies within the same category can be approached in similar ways, and that makes them easier to understand.
- Blogs
When blogging started out, it really wasn’t a social networking phenomenon. It was more a “personal publishing” thing. You create a blog, you write in it, other people find it and read it. But there’s been a lot of changes to the whole realm of blogging that have made it truly interactive, truly social.
First of all, as you write, you develop a following of readers, who comment and link back to you. They subscribe to your RSS feed and follow what you have to say. Blogging host sites will often have directories and interlinking systems to help visitors find new blogs. Sites like Technorati.com and other blog aggregators and blog search sites serve as a focal points for finding new bloggers. Pinging services help you keep the listings of the blogs up to date. Blogging is truly interactive and social now.
- Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking sites allow you to share your favorite sites, articles, and information with the world. On a basic level, you create a profile which lists the sites you like best. Others can find your profile, and see the sites you recommend. As you try and promote your site, it’s possible to encourage others to post your site on their social bookmarking profile page.
One of the easiest of the bookmarking sites is Sqidoo. Here, they say that “Everyone is an expert on something”, and you create a page (called a “lens”) that focuses on your area of expertise. You include links to other sites that are of value to that audience. Other sites in this category include Digg (and microdiggs, which cover specific subjects), Del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon
- Communities
Communities are simply places where people gather. The earliest versions of these were the forums. These sites are also commonly called “message boards”, and the practice and the technology was in place for these even before the world wide web was active. Email groups, easily found at Yahoogroups.com and other website-based forums and boards provide a place for people with similar interests to gather, share information, spread rumors and gossip, and generally have a great time interacting.
From the forums evolved more elaborate communities like MySpace and Facebook. These are huge general interest communities. There are also more specific communities, like Linkedin (which is more of a workplace networking site) and classmates.com (for finding old classmates and military buddies). Recently, a site called Ning has allowed individual users to create their own focused social networking sites.
Also, blending online gaming and virtual reality and social networking is a site called Second Life. It creates an entire virtual world where you can create a persona and interact with others.
- Hybrids and “Others”
Lastly, there are a few social networking systems that seem to defy categorization. The biggest of these is Twitter. This is a twisted blend of many different systems. You get friends (called “followers”) like MySpace, you post thoughts (called “tweets” or “microblogs”) like blogging, and it happens immediately, like instant messaging or chatrooms.
With these categories in mind, it’ll be much easier to discuss the individual strategies and approaches of each site or system. You’ll know what approach each one takes to the age-old task of finding friends and making connections. Because now, more than ever, people prefer to do business with their friends.
Mark is the co-director of http://seotrafficmagnet.com, the search marketing consulting arm of Clickincome (http://clickincome.com). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.
Research shows that adults, kids and parents spend nearly as much time gaming as they do watching TV
A new report entitled Video Gamers in Europe 2008 from ISFE-Nielsen research claims that gaming is now the most popular leisure activity for people aged between 16 and 49 across Europe.
Gaming now rivals even TV in terms of the hours we all spend doing it, the report says. People claim that gaming is a fun way to spend their time that also stimulates their imagination and helps keep them mentally fit.
The research states that 40 per cent of Europeans now play games for between six to 14 hours per week, and that the activity is recognised for having unique benefits.
81 per cent of parents who play are said to do so with their children.
In addition, half of those who claim never to play games simply cite lack of time as the reason
“Our research findings cement what those who work in the industry understand as a given, namely that videogames hold a recognized place in today’s entertainment culture,” ISFE chairman Jens Uwe Intat stated.
“The people that are video gaming today are of all ages, of both genders and of all nationalities. As an industry, we offer a huge variety of entertainment choices for all tastes and skill levels, and adult tax payers, grandparents and kids alike are playing in the way that suits them best.”
Source: Ben Parfitt -MVC
Casual games are making connections with social networks to make a play for even bigger audiences.
The reach of online casual games is already impressive: One-third of people ages 6 to 44 have played them, according to market tracker The NPD Group. Globally, casual games on PCs, game systems and hand-helds, played online and off, generate about $2.25 billion annually, according to the Casual Games Association.
By playing nice with social networks such as Facebook, expected to hit 100 million users by year’s end, the casual game category can only increase the stakes, says CGA President Jessica Tams. “The introduction of platforms which create opportunities for accessible and family play have raised the awareness of the fact that games are played by everyone, everywhere,” she says.
In the past two months, two new online gaming hubs, Cafe.com and Mytopia, have launched with features that let players connect with friends on the Web and through various social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, as well as Bebo and Hi5.
Cafe.com features drawing game “Sketch-It!,” along with the more traditional “Concentration” and “Sudoku”; players can buy game “boosts” and outfit “Mini-Me” avatars. Mytopia.com focuses on traditional games such as backgammon and dominoes, and also has virtual currency for prizes and upgrades. Mytopia founder Guy Ben-Artzi says he created the hub to “build bridges” between online islands like Facebook and MySpace.
Two popular existing networks, Zynga and Social Gaming Network, have begun adding their games as applications on social networks. More such combinations are on the way, because the revenue potential from advertising, subscriptions and virtual items “is enormous,” says Ross Popoff-Walker, an analyst with Forrester Research. “It’s a huge audience, (and) there are a lot of different experiments on the Web taking on elements of gaming and the traditional social network.”
Source: Mike Snider - USA today
There’s a Sea of Troubles in store for our aquatic friend Bob the bubble in this new version of uVme’s classic game “Bubble Trouble“, out now on uVme.
Bob’s troubled journey to the water’s surface now seems so much more real, with beautiful pre-rendered graphics and Bob’s grimacing face! Will he ever make it through all the mines and pesky red bubbles to reach the top?
At least now there are checkpoints that he can reach, marked by the new flashing beacon indicator on the left side of the screen… and then, even if one of his three bubble lives is burst, he doesn’t have to start from the very bottom again, just from the last crossed checkpoint. This new version also features power-up expiration timers and extra bonuses:
With the start of the new Business Cycle (BC6) next week, uVme’s regular “News and Events” email update will be expanded into a more in-depth newsletter, to be published monthly in the first week of each new BC. The first issue in this new format will be sent out around Friday, 30th May.
In addition to these regular, end-of-cycle newsletter updates, we will continue to issue news and events emails for important happenings as they occur - for example, when a new game is launched or a new event is planned, an immediate bulletin will go out in the email template using the header above.
Click here to register for all the breaking uVme information…
In e-lotbidder’s second-to-last auction before closing down for redesign later this month, Julia Cook won the Nintendo Wii with her lowest unique bid of £7.00!
Julia said, “I have been so close so many times, and despite having four powercuts in the last hour of the auction, I won the Wii!”
Because there were only two remaining auctions to use up their bids, Julia’s partner James Holden said, “We thought we may as well use them up.
He added, “Even with four power cuts during the final hour, Julia still managed to win it - what were the rest of you doing?!?”
Russian uVme Associate Valentine Savchenko takes V-ing down the aisle! While he and his apparent bride-to-be are serious uVme fans, in fact Valentine was not taking his vows lightly…
He has an editorial job for a wedding magazine in Japan and says he was “so excited about the news from the company in Tuesday’s web conference that I was sharing the opportunity with the photographer and the models, and after we did all the shooting I started explaining about the ‘Where Can u V’ competition we have in the company.
So we did this V with another girl model in the wedding set in Tokyo - she was also very excited about the opportunity!”
You’ve only got three minutes to pot as many balls as you can… just one of the new twists in uVme’s Speed Pool game!
As promised Speed Pool was live on Friday and within hours it had been played thousands of times! Will it be a Fruit Frenzy beater, that is the question…?
“The best online pool game I’ve ever played.” — Tom Brodie
It’s like nothing I have ever seen before!” — Mark Davies
What makes Speed Pool stand out is that it has true-to-life motion in it… you can screw the ball around other balls, for example. You can do trick shots and extra controls have been added to upgrade from the original uVme 9-ball Pool game.
There are also now volume settings, and you can set what part of the white ball you hit to effect your shot.
The tension is pumping, adrenalin flowing… this is not a sedate Sunday tap-around on the pool table!