Internet use continues to expand

An article from the BBC News Website confirms: "the average Briton is not only using the net more they are going online faster than they used to."

In addition to this Britons continue to use more of all forms, new and less recent, of mobile technology.

Some other quick statistics:

- In 2002 the average Briton used the net for six minutes a day - now that has hit 24 minutes.
- Mobile use has doubled from five to 10 minutes per day.
- In 2002 barely 4 per cent of households had broadband but five years later the figure stands at 58 per cent.

For more facts and figures see Communication nation - facts and figures.

Please fill in a questionnaire on employee uses for the Internet.

Some social networking statistics

Until a just a year ago it was the blog that seemed to be commanding a great deal of statistical Internet based research.

The year 2007, however, appears to be the year in which interest in social networking websites appear to have surpassed previous attention vested in rise of blogs and blogging circa 2004 to 2007.

An example of research into the rapid up-take of social networking sites is provided by Comscore (see figure for more details - visit my blog if you are reading this posting in any other form).

Details summarised by Comscore include the following:

- The European social networking community stood at 127.3 million unique visitors in August – reaching 56 per cent of the European online population.

- U.K. participation in social networking usage proved to be the highest in Europe, with 24.9 million unique visitors – 78 percent of the total U.K. online population – now belonging to the country’s social networking community.

- Usage of social networking sites in the U.K. proved heavier than the European average in terms of hours spent, pages viewed, and the number of visits per month.

- The average visitor to social networking sites in the U.K. spent 5.8 hours per month on those sites in August and made 23.3 visits.

- This was a significantly heavier usage level than in France, which averaged 2 hours per month and 16.8 visits per visitor, or Germany, with 3.1 hours per month and 13.8 visits per visitor.

For more details see U.K. Social Networking Site Usage Highest in Europe.

Migrant work in the UK

Most people who work in the UK today can take comfort in being the main benefactors of labour movement struggles over the past century or so.

However, even if most of us are protected by laws, trade unions or just plain and simple custom and practice, spare a thought for the latest wave of migrant workers who rarely do.

An article by BBC News (England) today comments on the plight of migrant labour employed by the farming/food processing industries.

An excerpt from the article includes the words of a migrant labourer:

"I was known by a number and not my name, as we all were...

We had to put a sticker with our number on all the trays we packed and that is what the supervisors would call us ... I was known as 137...

We weren't allowed to talk to each other either. Eating was also a problem, there was no refrigerator and we only had one or two toilets for 100 workers."

The words of one person I accept. Similar to many reports from call centres, no doubt. However, is it a sign of a civil society where everyone who comes to be there is entitled to the same basic rights?

For more details see Migrant worker calls for reform by Heather Hinchley.

And some news on lateness just in...

According to a recent survey, "More than 11 million hours per year are lost to lateness in the UK as a result of transport delays alone, and the true figure for tardiness at work is thought to be much higher. The total cost to the UK economy for transport-related lateness is estimated to be £7.7 billion per annum".

Those most likely to be late include men, those with children, younger workers and those with no educational qualifications.

The findings also discuss the "carrot and stick" approach to tardiness.

There's nothing particular new about their findings except to say that this is just more evidence that many people are fed up with their jobs.

See Better late than never? Not true. by Ben McConville of The Scotsman for more details.