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Once upon a timeline….

Posted on May 4, 2012
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Apparently more people in the world have Facebook than they do kettles. I don’t know whether this is true or not but I want to believe it. I have a kettle and I have Facebook – this must mean that I’m a fully fledged member of the twenty-first century. Admittedly I couldn’t live without either. Well, perhaps that’s not quite true. Given the choice I’d keep the kettle – I wouldn’t be able to face the world, let alone Facebook without a cup of tea at 8am.

Whether you resisted or embraced the change, everyone of Facebook’s 900 million users has now been moved over to the new timeline format. I’m getting used to it. I think it’s rather good actually. People moan – they always do when Facebook alters/is temporarily unavailable. Perhaps Facebook deprivation is a greater torture than tea/coffee deprivation?

Timeline does offer the user a greater control … [Read More]

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Coming to a small screen near you…

Posted on April 30, 2012
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It is rare that I will use a desktop computer to browse the internet these days. My phone is just a more convenient option. I don’t have to waste time turning it on, and I don’t usually have to move to retrieve it, lazy as it sounds. Me and the few million smartphone users out there have the internet, quite literally at our finger tips. With more and more people using their phones to casually browse the web, companies are adapting their existing sites for the smaller (more lucrative) screen.

What are the benefits of mobile-friendly websites?

Improved user experience – websites adapted for mobile phone screens are much easier to navigate. Simple as!

Faster download time – mobile sites are compiled for mobile download speeds. Less time waiting, more time browsing.

Specialist mobile content – mobile sites can connect users to specific features, such as location maps and click-to-call … [Read More]

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Tweet-appeal

Posted on April 23, 2012
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How’s your tweet-appeal? These days, a company’s Twitter account needs to pack a punch.

Twitter is a powerful marketing tool. I have been using my personal account for about 8 months now. I do use it mainly to post bitesize snippets about my day (if anyone is interested!) but I have also used its magic networking properties to search for jobs and internships online. I have, on occasion been successful, in that Twitter has provided me with a link or a ‘heads up’ which ordinarily would have fallen under my radar. Whether you’re using your personal account or your company’s, taking time to consider the people you want to follow will really optimise your Twitter network.

There are a few specific pointers to consider when tweeting for a company or a business. The basics are a good place to begin:
1. Do your employees all understand the essence of Twitter?… [Read More]

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Pinning your hopes on the next big thing

Posted on February 9, 2012
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I met a futurologist once who was deeply embarrassed about his job title, but provided a fascinating hour-long chat on trend-spotting.

He said identifying the next big thing was as much down to probability and predictability than a sixth sense. You look at current trends and how they are evolving for an insight into what might happen next.

I likened his role to BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme, which served up a tantalising glimpse into the future that in hindsight was not always very accurate. But he shook his head and claimed to be far more conservative in his predictions than the BBC show ever was.

I was reminded of that encounter during the last few weeks as I took a look around Pinterest.

It is relatively new on my social media radar, but the site is actually two years old. Not exactly the new kid on the social media … [Read More]

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Don’t go changing…three words that don’t apply online

Posted on February 1, 2012
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Don’t go changing. The first three words of a famous song might provide sound advice in matters of the heart, but they make absolutely no sense at all when it comes to business.

And it is certainly true when it comes to doing business online. Standing still online is never an option.

Change is good. Change is what we should all embrace.

Yes, I know, that’s all well and good in theory but when it comes to practice we all have a certain amount of fear and loathing when it comes to change.

If we encounter something new when we ae expecting the familiar, our first impressions are not always positive. In fact, they can be downright hostile.

That is just as true online, witness the fall-out from any new developments and announcements from our favourite search engines or social networking sites. Twitter’s recent announcement on the “open exchange of … [Read More]

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