The report (pdf), by the Public Accounts Committee, finds that the public sector has some work to do on the usability of its websites - which it says have barely improved since 2001.

A working party of data protection officials from members states last week sent a letter to the search giant demanding justification for its policy of keeping hold of users' identity and search patterns for up to two years.

The search site partnered with Arizona, Utah, California and Virginia so that "information that previously did not appear in a casual Google search will now appear when searching for results on relevant topics ranging from education to health to property records or regulations", Reuters reported and Google announced.

The effort will reportedly see Experian create, build and manage a database of UK voters for use in permission-based e-mail and marketing campaigns.

Although 50% of all adults live in a home with 'broadband', according to a recent Ofcom report, the Broadband Stakeholders Group warned that current speeds will be too slow to handle the requirements of the most bandwidth-hungry businesses by 2012.

Some 2,441 survey respondents to the Internet Safety: The State of the Nation paper reported an average £875 loss in 2006.

Among measures proposed by the Home Office, visitors to the country would receive a text message reminding them when their visa is due to expire.

Martyn Lewis of Moneysavingexpert.com appeared on TV to report how hundreds of users of his site's forum had claimed up to £1,000 because their homes were incorrectly banded.

That prompted an avalanche of search traffic form rate-payers Googling for more information, according to data from Hitwise.

Francois Bayrou, leader of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), spoke of his appreciation for wikis and said he wants to create "a society based on shared culture, science and knowledge".

This has raised eyebrows in E-consultancy Towers, as it is a large sum of money for a site which currently covers only a small geographical area, and has established competitors in the market, such as Eventful.com, Meetup and Upcoming. 

The Guardian reports that the BBC is considering bringing in ad revenue from overseas viewers of its website, though BBC staff have previously voiced their opposition to online advertising.

Mark has eight years' experience in writing various newsletters and his article contains 31 tips in total: 10 on managing your content, plus another 21 to give you ideas for your newsletter’s content.

There are about 10 places left, so consider this a last call.

We talked to iConcertina's Dean Russell to further investigate the study and the drivers behind it...