The blog of the MSN homepage team

Posted by Laura

What got you clicking

Big Brother fever swept Britain throughout June, so it's no surprise that this year's show, with its controversial characters and two housemates removed, has proved popular among you, our users. The axing of Dennis over the notorious 'spitting' row topped our most popular features. Other stories that had you enthralled were our TV editor's pick of the shows decency campaigner Mary Whitehouse tried to ban and an analysis of the future of diesel. Click on the slides below to revisit our top five stories.

What got your backs up:

Where Big Brother has the power to entice it also has the power to anger: a large proportion of negative feedback we received last month concerned how we dealt with evictions and nominations.

"I think it unacceptable that you place Big Brother spoilers in the entertainment section, ruining for a lot of people, including me, the enjoyment of the programme. Please refrain from doing this," said one disgruntled user.

Another inquired: "I would like to ask that you do not put spoilers for programs (sic) on the main page. I was disappointed when I saw on the page about the Big Brother housemates guessing the real couple, before it was shown on telly. It should be done so you don't have to see it."

We endeavour not to give too much away immediately after the programme has aired, but generally begin more explicit coverage of the evictee once it has been published in newspapers or elsewhere online. Are we right to assume most people will know the outcome, say, 12 hours after it has happened? Ian deals with this in greater detail in his recent blog post.

Another issue raised was our apparent lack of coverage of events based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We try to cover as broad a geographical area as possible, but are to some extent reliant on what is topical at the time. Because online news moves faster than print media, a story from Scotland or Wales that appears on the MSN homeage in the morning may not be there in the afternoon.

For instance, one user complained we had neglected to cover a story about a double murder in Scotland: "Does MSN news on all subjects whether it is general, crime, sport etc only ever cover whats happening in England? If there's a double murder in Scotland why does it not merit a mention? " This story was the lead in our news section for most of the day when the story broke, but as the news agenda changed it moved position on the page.

That said, we will endeavour to keep a closer eye on our balance. Keep letting us know if there are areas you'd like us to cover more.

And, finally, a small ray of sunshine to make our decidedly un-sunny month brighter: "MSN is a wonderful resource. It is always up-to-date, reliable and enjoyable. I would like to thank all the many people who obviously work hard to provide this great service. "

Thanks so much for all our feedback. Please keep it coming in.

Posted by Ian

"Are we facing a summer of discontent?" a BBC news presenter wondered, earlier this morning.

NOOOOO! If there's one journalistic cliche above all else that gets me riled, it's that one. Every single time there's industrial action in this country, or some people go on strike, no matter how localised or isolated, this particular hoary old lazy verbal chestnut is dusted down for another outing.

It's partisan. It's disingenuous. It's also very very bad reporting. In fact, there's a whole school of wayward and biased language that seems to be deployed by the press whenever there's an industrial dispute in the UK.

The people involved in the strike are always making 'demands'. They never 'ask' or 'campaign' for something. Stoppages are never 'discussed' or 'planned', they are always 'threatened'. Heads of trade unions are called 'bosses' or 'barons', to make them sound corrupt and unaccountable. The consequences of their actions bring 'chaos' and 'misery' - without any consideration given to the chaos and misery in the lives of the strikers that has driven them to take action in the first place. And everybody else 'suffers' from a strike, regardless of public sympathy or differing shades of opinion.

In short the entire media establishment has an in-built bias against people taking industrial action, using loaded language and judgmental terms that are on the side of business and employers and against workers and employees.

You might think this is how it should be. You might say: tell me something I don't know. Alternatively you might want to check out the work of the Glasgow University Media Group, who have been exploring and documenting this issue since 1976.

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Posted by Dom

Many of you will have logged on this morning and noticed a couple of design changes to the MSN UK homepage.

One of the biggest alterations involves our 'slideshow' at the top of the page, where we highlight three of the biggest stories from our channels with the help of photo editor Antony Bennison.

Previously, the slide line-up consisted of two main slides, a half-slide and some text links. If you came onto our page just for a quick browse, however, you could be forgiven for seeing just the one picture, thereby missing out on all our other great slide content.

So the change we have made is to allow you to see all our three slides at once, in thumbnail form, as soon as you arrive on our homepage. Hover over the small thumbnails to find out more about the specified feature; click on the thumbnail to see the slide in full. Then navigate as usual to the featured content by clicking inside the slide.

This new presentation allows us to show off our featured content far more effectively, helping you to go straight to the piece that interests you the most.

The text links that were on the 3rd slide have disappeared, as has the 'small picture' area we had below the slideshow. We now have four 'Today's Picks' where we'll highlight some of the other great stories from around the site, with text links.

Those of you who love a bit of personal customisation, meanwhile, will notice the new 'Change Colour' option on the right-hand side of the page. You can now choose to give your MSN homepage a new theme in a variety of different colours: you can pick from default blue, silver mercury, sunshine, lightning, pink petal and icy blue. Have a play around and see which theme suits you the best.

As ever, please get in touch to give us your feedback regarding what you like or don't like about the new-look page. We'll take your comments on board and keep working towards improving your experience on the MSN UK homepage.

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Posted by Ian

We always try to bring you the most important news stories of the day as quickly as we can. But there have been a few instances recently where we've had to think twice.

We know, from a few emails and pieces of feedback left on the site, that some people take objection to us revealing news to do with, for want of a better word, outcomes.

That is, the results of games, competitions and events. The winner of The Apprentice, for instance. The champion of the latest Formula One race. The name/s of the latest contestant to be removed from Big Brother. And so on. People object to us spoiling their fun, or ruining the surprise.

Does this really matter? We've had discussions (and disagreements) about it a few times. The nub of the thing seems to be whether we ought to treat the homepage like a 24-hour news website, where any and every bit of information needs to be published as soon as possible, or whether we should be more discerning.

A lot of people don't come to MSN primarily for the day's news. They come because msn.co.uk is the default homepage on their computer, or because they want to check their Hotmail or use Messenger. We're not like, say, the BBC news website, which has a self-evident purpose and an obvious audience. The homepage is a gateway to somewhere else, not strictly a destination in its own right.

Saying that, if we never revealed anything about anything ('Click Here For Result Of General Election!') we'd be cutting off our collective noses to spite our face. And we'd be a laughing stock.

Where, then, should the line be drawn? I think we can, at times, be too accommodating to the demands of the few. Others take a different view.

But would you rather we hadn't announced, say, the winner of the Wimbledon's men's singles title until this morning?

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Posted by Emily

He is Britain's number one, he seems to know exactly what he is doing and he has decent odds to make it to the next round. So why is Murraymania not conjuring up the same excitement as Henmania was back in the nineties?

In 1996, Henmania swept across Britain for the first time, having a large impact on the summer, and Tim Henman became the focus of public attention. But now, as Andy Murray is battling it out against Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the attention he receives from the British public does not compare to the coverage Henman attracted.

I am sitting at my desk with papers in front of me and all but one mention Murray. However, it still seems Murray is finding it harder to persuade the British to be on his side than it is for him to win his games.

Murray is getting media coverage all right, but perhaps not all of it is what he would like to read about. Today’s Daily Mail states the “major proportion of the viewing public” appears to name Murray as “a miserable git”. He also made himself unpopular among English tennis fans in 2006 when he said he would support any team playing England in the World Cup. So it's not really surprising some are hesitant to get behind him at Wimbledon.

All eyes are now on the Scot and although many people seemingly have little confidence in him as a person, I’m sure most will agree he is fit for the job. Murray himself has admitted he is prepared and he is “physically and mentally” strong. He even says he has been feeling more relaxed on court. So, it appears Murray believes in himself as a candidate to win the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon. This perceived arrogance, in my view, is one thing the English do not want to see.

Murray first came close to victory two years ago after beating Andy Roddick but was sadly defeated by Marcos Baghdatis. He has bounced back and is bigger and better than before and is the last remaining Brit in the singles. He even has the backing of Tim Henman, who says he “has been first class”.

Maybe one of the biggest reasons for Murraymania not quite matching the might of ‘Tiger’ Tim is his attitude. He has been playing tennis professionally from a young age and Britain has watched him grow on court. A few years ago he could get away with being moody but now as he has outgrown the teenage mood swings.

Could it be that Henman was a friendlier, more entertaining character than Murray? One observer in today’s Daily Mail went as far as branding him “downright boring”.

Maybe Murray doesn’t want to court the British public and become the nation’s favourite nearly-but-not-quite as Henman was. If he delivers the goods in this tournament, and succeeds where Henman failed, then no amount of sullen looks or angst will stop the press from claiming Murray as a British sporting success story – and surely no one will call him “downright boring” then.

Are the press and public less favourable to Murray than they were to Henman? Let us know your thoughts.

Posted by Laura

Today, this is the view from my desk. Granted, I'm a little further away than this image suggests, but as I look to my right I can see the Royal Standard flag flying atop  Buckingham Palace.

I've picked this image out as an example of a photographic icon of Britain -  and Live Search is asking you to do the same. Whether it's a building or landmark you pass every day, a famous figure, or a historic moment captured on film, now's your chance to nominate an image that means something to you.

Iconic Britain from Live Search invites you to search the web and submit your preferred images, and vote for those submitted by others. Voters have the chance to win Nikon Coolpix digital cameras and submitters could win a Nikon SLR camera.

All the votes will be collated and the top 100 images will form a chart of iconic images that define Britain.

Get searching for your favourite images now.

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Posted by Dom

Ian's recent blog highlighting the 'Switch Off Something' campaign prompts me to share a small but curious thing that's been bugging me the last couple of days.

My trusty TV blew up on Friday night, which is not exactly the thing you need after coming home from the pub wanting to just sit down and watch the Euro 2008 highlights. Seeing as I'd had it for nearly 10 years, though, it was hardly surprising, and it enabled me to go out on the Saturday and buy a new slimmer, sexier telly that would hopefully last me another good long stretch (I'm not exactly a crazy spender when it comes to electrical goods).

After loads of debating and mind-changing, I settled for for a 32-inch LG50 TV, which ticked most of my boxes in the fact that it looked sleek, wasn't ridiculously expensive, had good picture quality and was also apparently an 'energy-saving' model.  

Now I'm not exactly an expert on energy saving, and I'm not going to debate the claims made on the outside of the box for the model's environmentally-friendly credentials. One thing that I don't understand, though, is that this brand new TV, which looks attractive, packs impressive performance and is in all other techy respects top-notch, *doesn't have an OFF switch*.

Yup, the TV can only be put in 'Standby' mode, which, as many politicians and green-aware campaigners will tell you, is not exactly a good thing when you're trying to save electricity.

What's the reason for this? Is the TV so environmentally conscious that it doesn't need a mere Off switch to be a green powerhouse? Have the negative effects of leaving your television on Standby been exaggerated by the media? Is there actually a cunningly hidden Power button in some secret compartment on the telly? (I'm pretty sure this isn't the case).

I'm flummoxed, and the few reviews I've dug out on the internet of the LG model seem to be pretty puzzled as well. It just seems such a... weird omission when so much has gone into every other aspect of the telly.

OK, it's not exactly the end of the world. You can pull the power plug out of the TV, or switch the whole thing off at the wall (if you can actually get to the wall in the first place, which in the labyrinth of wires and cables at the back of my television, isn't easy).

All the same, I'm just surprised that in these energy-saving times, one of the simplest, most important devices to help you do your bit for the environment - the 'Off' switch - has been ignored on a seemingly state-of-the-art TV.

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Posted by Ian

It feels like we're heading towards a period of belt-tightening, sock-pulling, sleeve-rolling, penny-counting austerity.

With news bulletins increasingly full of references to prices and shortages, those with long memories can't help but draw parallels with the 1970s. Back then the Labour Party made great play of how the Tories' mismanagement of the economy had let to - gasp! the "three-shilling loaf". Nowadays you're more likely to be confronted with the thirty-shilling French stick.

The way things are going, shortages are going to become the norm. Fights will break out in corner shops over ownership of the last banana in the district. And the cost of operating a three-bar fire will soon reach the equivalent of that legendary benchmark of exaggeration, a trip to Timbuktu.

Hence it's high time to revive this memorable initiative:

Because there's not a moment to lose, I've taken the trouble of designing some publicity material, featuring the three "faces" of the campaign: Adrian Chiles (to show it's OK for blokes to be concerned about saving the planet), Carol Vorderman (to reassure the Countdown generation) and Rolf Harris (because official Parliamentary statutes declare he has to be involved in any state of national emergency).

Look out for these appearing on giant billboards near you soon:

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Posted by Ian

The Royal Mail has just released its latest set of commemorative stamps: a tribute to some of the most groundbreaking and iconic films ever made in Britain:

I'm talking, of course, about the Carry On and Hammer horror films. *What?!* the nation chokes. Groundbreaking?! Iconic, yes, but groundbreaking? Heavens no!

Well yes, actually, I do think both franchises broke new ground in terms of popular cinema. They shaped their own genre, created hugely successful mini-industries in seaside humour and gory suspense, and tapped into elements of the British love for sex and violence with an aplomb (and a very knowing humour) that had never been done before.

They showed that cheap could not only be cheerful but, well, inspirational. There's a human heart to the Carry On films that time seems unable to chip away. When things go wrong in Carry On land, they're always by accident or ill-fortune, never through malice or evil. As such the films are, well, an affirmation of the fundamental decency of people. And that's a quality looked down on by most of the film industry.

The Hammer films, meanwhile, are masterpieces of expertly-contrived, full-on terror fun-rides. Like the Carry Ons, you know what you're going to get, but that's precisely the point. You don't mess with a hit. In terms of production-line, star-encrusted scareathons, they can't be beaten.

So enough of the snobbery about these British institutions. Let's own up and admit we love a good Carry On and Hammer horror. Even if you were once a weak man. Because after all, once a week's enough for any man.

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Posted by Paul

A quick look at what you were clicking on last month and also what riled you.

Boris Johnson toppled Ken Livingstone to win the London mayoral election and you flocked in your thousands to read about BoJo's triumph and Gordon Brown's misery.

Not surprisingly, there was great interest in the first all-English Champions League final.

The eagerly-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV was released and it actually lived up to the hype. A series of fine articles from our Tech team gave it the lavish coverage it deserved.

Indy 4 also came out in May and although many loved it, there was no shortage of criticism. As well as the usual review, trailer and galleries, we took a look at director Steven Spielberg's greatest hits.

There was no shortage of comments regarding our coverage of The Apprentice in our inbox last month, or more specifically, our decision to regularly disclose the winner on the Friday after each episode. The following was perhaps the most vitriolic. 

'You idiots, you went and did it again! I haven't watched The Apprentice yet after being on nightshift all week and taping it, then you tell me that Sara got fired. Thanks for spoiling it for me', screamed one irate user.

Yes, we did it again and I'm afraid we will continue to reveal the result. Unlike most other news sites, we do not disclose the winner on Thursday, the day following the show.

However, on Friday, two days after the programme has been screened, when we are often promoting an exclusive interview with the losing contestant(s), we think it reasonable to reveal the result.

If users record the show with the intention of watching it several days later, it's probably best they avoid all news outlets, including MSN.

For this week's final however, we will reveal the winner on the following day simply because it is a major entertainment story and we think it is apt to have the winner's image on the homepage, so apologies in advance for that.

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Posted by Laura

Don't be surprised if those in the know have neglected to tell you that today, May 29, is in fact Pinch-Bum Day.  It's unlikely to be pre-printed in your diary.

Oak Apple Day, to use its proper term, is steeped in tradition. Far from being something sordid, or indeed another spurious 'national' ****** day (fill in the blanks according to what product you're trying to flog), it was once a public holiday.

According to Samuel Pepys, in 1660 "Parliament had ordered the 29 of May, the King's birthday, to be for ever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny and the King's return to his Government, he entering London that day". The event symbolised Charles II hiding in a tree after the Battle of Worcester, which enabled his eventual accession to the throne.

The holiday remained for around 200 years, being marked by the wearing of oak apples and sprigs (oak apples are mutations of the tree caused by wasp larvae). It became known in some parts of the country as Pinch-Bum Day because those not wearing an oak sprig (a sign of loyalty to the restored King) were liable to be set upon under threat of having their bottoms pinched.

Nowadays, even a jocular threat of assault for not being a monarchist seems ludicrous. Yet in small pockets of England people still celebrate the tradition of Oak Apple Day. The villagers of Great Wishford in Wiltshire today have an ancient right to collect firewood in nearby Grovely Wood. Chelsea's Royal Hospital in London, founded by Charles II, holds a ceremony usually attended by a member of the Royal Family. Castleton in Derbyshire also marks Oak Apple Day's passing - with a designated king and queen leading a procession on horseback.

A quick search of the net discovers possibly the farthest-afield celebration of Oak Apple Day - from The Bankgok St George's Society, who held an Apple-themed buffet and celebrations in 2005.

Do you remember Oak Apple Day celebrations from your youth - or know of any today? Let us know.

Above: The Prince of Wales visiting the Old Pensioners at The Royal Hospital Chelsea on Oak Apple Day in 1919.

Posted by Ian

Are you ready for this man as your Prime Minister?

It could happen at any point during the next two years. The way things are going, it could even happen before Christmas. We're all agreed the country's in a bit of a mess at the moment. But is he the man best equipped to sort it out? Really?

All governments have a natural life-span and the present run of Labour administrations, now 11 years old, had to end at some point. I'd always thought it would be followed by a hung parliament of some kind: no party with a majority and an awkward coalition of interests working together as some sort of 'national government' to cure our country's ills.

The polls and the press now suggest otherwise. Yet we hardly know anything about the current Conservative party. They have announced a couple of policies which appeal to very particular, niche voters: on stamp duty, and non-domiciles. They claim to want to "share the proceeds of growth", but don't talk about to get growth in the first place. Cameron has said he opposed the abolition of the 10p tax rate but at the same time says he won't bring it back. He's also said he wants less big government and more self-help and charity, like in Victorian times.

Never mind exhibiting as much substance as a used tissue, heavens above, surely the last thing the UK needs in the middle of a crisis is for its leaders to throw their hands up in the air and say "Nope, nothing to do with me, can't help you!" As witnessed in the United States, it's when the economy is on the ropes and people are feeling the pinch and banks are going bust that people *most* need big government.

Two years before power last changed hands in this country - May 1995 - the party that would ultimately win office, Labour, had already plenty of policies in the pipeline, despite its leader only being in the post for less than 12 months. Cameron's led the Tories now for two and a half years. I know more about my next-door neighbour, with whom I've never spoken, than my possible next Prime Minister.

Perhaps he'll turn out to be just what the nation needs. Perhaps he'll be the most divisive leader since Margaret Thatcher. Whatever, I just wish I knew more about what he stood for. Sure, the present government have failed. But don't tell me they should be simply replaced with another party that has no clue what it stands for.

David Cameron announced "the end of New Labour" last week - then boasted of how he was now building precisely the same coalition of support for himself. Make your mind up, Dave. The wellbeing of 60 million people is at stake.

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Posted by Paul

Dubbed the City of Discovery (after Captain Scott of the Antarctic's exploration vessel), Dundee is famous for many things.

Towards the end of the Victorian era, the city was renowned for its three Js - Jute, Jam and Journalism.

Then there's the magnificent Tay Rail Bridge, which at two miles long was the longest bridge in the world on its completion.

And locals still wax lyrical about the great Dundee FC who sent shockwaves through Europe in the early 60s and nearly became Britain's first European Cup winners.

And then of course there is William McGonagall.

He has been widely hailed as the writer of the worst poetry in the English language.

It was not uncommon for Dundonians to pelt him with rotten veg during a reading in the late 19th Century.

But the poetry of The Tayside Tragedian is this week set to go under the hammer at auction, and may fetch up to £6,500.

That would put his works in the same league as first edition copies of Harry Potter books signed by author JK Rowling.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Here's a sample of his most famous poem entitled The Tay Rail Disaster...

"So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay..."

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Posted by Ian

On Adam and Joe's superb 6 Music show the other week, the pair observed slyly just how well-timed is the release of Portishead's new album.

It's the group's first LP for 11 years - the first since their Britpop-buoyed emergence in the mid-90s when no discerning CD collection was without a copy of 'Dummy' and its ubiquitous single 'Sour Times'. It's also arrived, as Adam and Joe noted, in an atmosphere of economic kerfuffle and financial unease...just like the mid-90s, in fact, when the UK was groping its way through a currency crisis and all-round doom and gloom.

Portishead: The Recession-Friendly Band! They've consulted the stock markets and concluded that, yup, now is the time for another long-player of eerie bleeps and whispered high-pitched trilling.

Trouble is, Portishead are also a totem of, how can I put this, Tory Britain. They arrived in the midst and mayhem of John Major's administration...and now they're back, just as the papers are full of how the Conservatives are also back and set to 'trounce' Labour at the next general election. Ulp.

In the wake of the local elections several of us in the office remarked on how weird - and unsettling - it was to hear news reports on the TV chanting 'the Tories have gained' this and 'the Tories have taken' that. It took us right back to our childhoods, and in particular the 1980s.

Has everyone forgotten just what that decade was like? The best of times for some; sour times for others.

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