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Paul Miller, a technology blogger, is trying life without the Internet for a year.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Maybe it seems like the fastest way for a gadget-and-technology blogger to commit career suicide, but Paul Miller gave up the Internet at midnight Tuesday.

Miller, who was and still is a senior editor at a tech news site called The Verge, plans to stay offline for a full year. When he needs to post something to the website that employs him, he will hand his editors a thumb drive with his stories saved in offline files. If he needs to look up a phone number, he'll get on the phone and start calling people -- who hopefully know people who know the person that he's trying to reach for an interview. There's no other way without access to professional websites and directories, he said.

"I'm going to try to use the six degrees of separation a little bit," he said on Tuesday afternoon in an interview -- by phone, of course. "I have a lot of co-workers and they know a lot of people and so anybody I can get a phone number for I'll call that person and maybe they have a phone number for another person. So I'll have to follow that sort of chain."

Why go to all this trouble? For years, the idea of a digital sabbatical has appealed to the hyper-connected set -- people who spend most of their days in front of computer screens, checking blogs, reading Twitter and somehow trying to figure out how to get their work done in between. At the office, they dodge dozens of click-me-now messages per minute, each demanding instant attention.

Even away from work, phones chime and vibrate to the point that, according to a market research study from Martin Lindstrom, the buzz of a vibrating phone is now one of the top three "most powerful, affecting sounds" -- after a baby giggling and the Intel chime, he wrote in The New York Times.

Depending on your perspective, it may be either surprising or fitting that a technology blogger would get so caught up in the online tornado that he would quit, completely, and for a full year.

On one hand, the Internet is Miller's passion and livelihood.

"I love the Internet," he said. "It allows people to interact in really deep and meaningful ways and to create awesome things and do awesome things. I think it's a wonderful invention and I have no ill will against it."

The rest is here:
Blogger: 'I'm leaving the Internet'

Paul Miller, a technology blogger, is trying life without the Internet for a year.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Maybe it seems like the fastest way for a gadget-and-technology blogger to commit career suicide, but Paul Miller gave up the Internet at midnight Tuesday.

Miller, who was and still is a senior editor at a tech news site called The Verge, plans to stay offline for a full year. When he needs to post something to the website that employs him, he will hand his editors a thumb drive with his stories saved in offline files. If he needs to look up a phone number, he'll get on the phone and start calling people -- who hopefully know people who know the person that he's trying to reach for an interview. There's no other way without access to professional websites and directories, he said.

"I'm going to try to use the six degrees of separation a little bit," he said on Tuesday afternoon in an interview -- by phone, of course. "I have a lot of co-workers and they know a lot of people and so anybody I can get a phone number for I'll call that person and maybe they have a phone number for another person. So I'll have to follow that sort of chain."

Why go to all this trouble? For years, the idea of a digital sabbatical has appealed to the hyper-connected set -- people who spend most of their days in front of computer screens, checking blogs, reading Twitter and somehow trying to figure out how to get their work done in between. At the office, they dodge dozens of click-me-now messages per minute, each demanding instant attention.

Even away from work, phones chime and vibrate to the point that, according to a market research study from Martin Lindstrom, the buzz of a vibrating phone is now one of the top three "most powerful, affecting sounds" -- after a baby giggling and the Intel chime, he wrote in The New York Times.

Depending on your perspective, it may be either surprising or fitting that a technology blogger would get so caught up in the online tornado that he would quit, completely, and for a full year.

On one hand, the Internet is Miller's passion and livelihood.

"I love the Internet," he said. "It allows people to interact in really deep and meaningful ways and to create awesome things and do awesome things. I think it's a wonderful invention and I have no ill will against it."

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Prominent blogger: 'I'm leaving the Internet for a year'

According to Randstad Canada's latest global Workmonitor survey, the majority of Canadian workers are not blocked from accessing the internet in the workplace.

TORONTO, May 2, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Findings from Randstad's latest Global Workmonitor, surveying employees in 32 countries around the world, reveal that most Canadian workers have access to the Internet at work, and nearly half own a private smartphone or device.

According to the survey, most Canadian employees report having access to the Internet at work (76%). In Canada alone, 13 per cent of employees say they have a smartphone which includes e-mail that is provided by their employer, while another 47 per cent of respondents report owning a smartphone privately.

When it comes to employers limiting access to the internet at work, Stacy Parker, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Randstad Canada says employers should rethink their assumptions about internet usage."The use of email and the Internet has become an integral part of today's workplace. They offer a great deal of benefits to corporations, such as improved communication among employees, improved customer support and research capabilities," says Parker.

"For a lot of companies, including our own, instant messaging is a legitimate work tool that allows for quick communication between colleagues, helps avoid inter-office voicemail-tag and cuts down costs on long distance charges," says Parker.

The overall global results indicate most employees around the world are also provided with Internet access in the workplace, especially in Japan (83%), India (93%), China (93%), and Malaysia 89%). Belgium is at the low end with 66 per cent.

Additionally, nearly half of all global respondents say they own a private smartphone which includes email from work, while the number of employees with a Smartphone that is provided by their employer is significantly lower. In China (84%), Hong Kong (79%), India (71%) and Malaysia (71%), smartphone ownership is much higher than average, while Belgium (26%) and Czech (25%) sit at the lower end of the spectrum.

While there are plenty of positives to having internet access in the workplace, Parker does acknowledge that organizations have valid concerns about security risks, and employee productivity. "Many employers are concerned, for instance, that employees will waste time "browsing", rather than using the Internet efficiently and productively. But it's important for companies to harness the comfort levels their employees have with Internet-based resources," she explains. "Failure to do so could very well lead to the loss of top talent and can open the door for competitors to gain an advantage through a better equipped and enabled workforce."

Source: Randstad Canada A complete press report, including detailed regional differences, is available on http://www.randstad.com/press-room/research-reports

The Randstad Workmonitor: After the successful introduction of the Workmonitor in the Netherlands in 2003 and more recently in Germany, the survey now covers 32 countries around the world, encompassing Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The Randstad Workmonitor is published four times a year, making both local and global trends in mobility regularly visible over time. The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire among a population aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per country, using Survey Sampling International. Research for the first wave of 2012 was conducted from January 20 to February 14, 2012.

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Internet at Work: Global Survey says Most Canadians are Granted Access

CHESTER, United Kingdom, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

SEO Consult, an award-winning UK based agency specialising in organic search engine optimisation, have just announced a new high profile client acquisition in the form of Virgin Balloon Flights, the number one provider of hot air balloon rides in the UK.

Virgin Balloon Flights are looking to unify their online marketing strategy under the guidance of one agency, and SEO Consult's range of creative solutions and innovative SEO strategies made them the ideal candidates. SEO Consult hope their results-driven approach to search marketing will help Virgin Balloon Flights achieve higher rankings in the search engine results pages, and also increase non-brand traffic to their website through organic search and PPC.

SEO Consult are renowned for delivering sustainable results by blending creativity and experience, with their range of internally developed technologies, allowing for a highly targeted SEO campaign. Through this methodology, they have acquired a client portfolio that is now 350-strong, including a number of leading brands from a range of industries, and they will be aiming to make the Virgin Balloon Flights account another success story.

Alexander Ferguson, Head of Communications & Marketing for the Virgin Balloon Flights said, "After a rigorous selection process, involving existing suppliers and a number of other agencies, SEO Consult were the clear winners. They provided an extremely thorough audit of our current position and a comprehensive strategy for future success, building on our already strong natural rankings. They also demonstrated a deeply analytical approach, a high level of expertise and, more importantly, a real passion for our brand. We have been impressed by their creative approach so far and we are looking forward to a long, profitable partnership."

"We've developed a really strong client portfolio here at SEO Consult, and acquiring a prestigious new client like Virgin Balloon Flights is a real indication of the progress we have made as an SEO agency. Our client retention rate currently stands at 97%, and I think that is a testament to how committed we are to achieving quality results without sacrificing transparency. We intend to provide Virgin Balloon Flights with an unparalleled quality of service, and help maximise the chances of success for their search marketing campaign." said Geoff Parker, Client Services Director at SEO Consult. "We believe the range of creative solutions we are able to offer our clients make us a great fit for businesses looking to develop their search marketing strategy. We are confident that this results-driven approach will help deliver a quality of service that exceeds Virgin Balloon Flight's expectations."

For more details about SEO Consult, visit their website at http://www.seoconsult.com or call +44(0)845-205-0292.

About SEO Consult:

SEO Consult is the specialist SEO division of Click Consult. Established in 2003, Click Consult is a leading provider of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) solutions, including PPC Campaigns, Web Design & Development, SEO, Reputation Management, Social Media Marketing and Mobile Web Builds & Marketing. With over 100 staff in Cheshire and London, the Google AdWords and Microsoft adExcellence certified company now has over 350 clients and an impressive portfolio of page one results.

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SEO Consult® Announce Online Marketing Partnership With Virgin Balloon Flights

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