Search Sense

In September 2005 six Spannerworkers climbed the tallest free standing mountain in the world, and raised a lot of money for one of Spannerworks chosen charities – the Amani Kids home in Tanzania.

So this year…we are going back for more! On September 1st eight Spannerworkers are beginning the long climb. The team consists of Jonathan Stewart, Tom Morphy, Alex Asigno, and David Coats, all natural search strategists. The team also includes Tom Kingsley and Will Lockie, account managers, Doug Platts, a natural search analyst and David Hughes, a data strategist. David has yet to give us the exact excel formula to fully optimise our mountain route, but is working hard on it.

Our goal is to raise £10,000 for the children’s home – so they can buy a playground, and also help with their family reunification programme.

We’ve been up to all sorts to raise money – there have been 10K runs, half marathons, and an exceedingly long bike ride. There has been a steady supply of mouth watering food, baked and sold to co-workers. There was even a half time fancy dress race at Sussex county cricket ground.

To cap it all off, and for which we are eternally grateful, there have been incredibly generous donations from all of our clients. We are holding a raffle for some brilliant prizes, so if you fancy winning a holiday, a mountain bike, or some limited edition speakers for your stereo – head over to the official Kili climb site and enter!

So, before we go, we would just like to say thanks to everyone, everywhere, who have been kind enough to help us, sponsor us, donate gifts to take to the home or just plain put up with us while we bang on about cakes, climbing and the perils of altitude sickness.

Technology permitting, we’ll try and post live to the Kili climb site as we go, so check in to keep tabs on our progress..and we hope to see you back in the UK soon!

Asante!

Hot on the heels of news that Linden Lab, the firm behind virtual world Second Life, are setting up in our hometown of Brighton & Hove the Financial Times yesterday ran a piece noting the city’s vibrancy as a new media hub:

With a trendy reputation that appeals to creatives and mavericks, a younger population than the regional average and a well-educated workforce boosted by an uncommon number of university graduates that remain in the city after their studies, Brighton has all the attributes of a creative hub.

We’re looking forward to Linden Lab’s arrival in the city of Brighton & Hove - it will strengthen the ecosystem of web businesses in the city and is a great validation of the vibrancy of our technical and creative community.

So for fun, here are the top five things I think Linden Lab employees will have to tempt them out of Second Life and into RL while working in Brighton when the office opens:

1. The beach: it may be pebbled, but Brightonians know that that is a user-friendly feature which means you can spend lunchtime on the beach without getting sand everywhere. Plus it’s WiFi’d up if you need to continue trading your Linden dollars and checking on your latest Second Life creation.
2. The Duke of Yorks Cinema: for some big screen action the town’s arthouse cinema is a legend. Big seats, impeccable sound and innovative shows - they’ve taken to broadcasting live HD broadcasts of opera from New York recently as well as satirising films like March of the Penguins by having comedians do voice overs for them.
3. The Lanes and the North Laine: you have to love the Lanes and the boho North Laine - a few steps from the office door and you’re able to lose yourself in the bustle of cool shops, bars and cafes.
4. Red Roaster: Seattle may have given birth to Starbucks, but Brighton’s keeping Red Roaster all to itself. The cafe roasts and brews its own blends of what many are happy to claim is the best coffee in the world. It also hosts the RSA-inspired Coffee House Challenge debates for those who feel like exercising their rhetoric after a coffee or two (I know I often do).
5. The Brighton Festival: if they’re hiring now the first employees should be able to be in Brighton for the festival in May which makes the most of the City’s eclectic charms and foibles, kicking off with the rag-tag children’s parade and often including street theatre spectaculars like people strapping massive pyrotechnic rigs to their backs.Those are some of my favourites. Would love to hear of any others fellow Brightonists would like to add…

: : By the way, for more of Brighton & Hove, check out the Brighton Daily Photo blog by our Dean Harvey.