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May
5
0

Apple Still Leading the Way in Mobile Technology

By Richard Leo | Filed in Technology
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If you have any awareness at all in regards to technology, specifically mobile technology, you know that Apple’s line of phones, tablets, and other devices are extremely popular. A recent report published on Apple Insiders shows that there is no sign of them slowing down. For the first quarter of 2012 they held the top 6 spots for new activations. While other mobile devices like Droid by Motorola and the Samsung Galaxy provide variety in the market and keep the competition ripe, Apple is still carrying the torch and isn’t going to give it up without a fight.

Mobile devices have really opened the doors for both the business and social aspects of life. You can check email, conduct video chats, and manage your LinkedIn profile all from one device, no matter where you are. IPhones take it to the next level with all of the available apps and features. It’s one device you don’t leave home without.

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Apr
13
4

Facebook Relocates Seattle Office

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business, Technology


Facebook. By far one of the largest social media sites is growing; according to TechFlash.com . The Facebook Seattle office, which began with a mere 2 employees but now employees 90 staff members and is looking to high more, is the largest for the company outside of their headquarters in California. A leading innovator for social media, Facebook is right at home in Seattle which is known for its prevalence of technology industry jobs. The new office, which could rival some of the hotels in Seattle for its views, gives the company room to expand as they lead the social media revolution.

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Apr
2
4

Customer Complaints and Social Media

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business

What role does social media play in customer complaints management?  Well, rather a big one!!  People are voicing their opinions online, often through social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.  If it’s a problem say with your product or the service they receive then that’s bad enough.  But there’s the added complication that this complaint is often shared amongst their entire community which could add up to a lot of people.  Hold on though it does not stop there!!  People receiving the information can reshare the information amongst their own friends.  Before you know it the original complaint has been passed around and the effect on your reputation has snowballed.

So should your organization invest in a program to monitor your brand and organization name?  Do you need to know all the things that people are saying??  Well its always a good idea to take part in any conversation when individuals have issues with your organization.  The problems lies in the fact that there is potentially an awful lot of information out there – and how do you find the information that is important?

The key is to focus on your customers – those that you want to hear from and that are important to you.  There has to be a real concern – not just a throwaway remark.  So if a complaint come from the customer directly to your Twitter account it should be taken as seriously as a complaint made by phone or via a web form.  Response should preferably be made by the same method as the complaint.  Therefore if the complaint is made via Twitter then the response should be made on the same platform.  If an in depth response is required then it can be taken off live via phone.

So have a strong social media presence and use a method of monitoring escalating mentions.  If this happens join in the conversation and pay attention to what people are saying.  If it’s a formal complaint via a social platform then treat it as you would any other complaint you receive.  Listen to what your customers say via your customer complaints software and respond accordingly.

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Jan
9
4

Springsteen and a Turning Technology

By Richard Leo | Filed in Automotive

It isn’t that the basic construction of an engine has changed very much in the past twenty years, but something else entirely unexpected that has made the world of cars a very different place to be.  Anyone who grew up on Springsteen would relate instantly to the appeal of the idea of an afternoon spent getting your hands covered in grease.  If your buddy happens to miscalculate something essential, or even worse, forget the order of parts when taking something apart, so much the better, because that’s the stuff that childhood dreams get made on.  This is the heart of the romantic dreams of the early Bruce Springsteen, where specs in the lyrics are as common as any references to real love.  The shifts in the world since his first album have made this a significantly more distant place.  Today’s dreamer, longing for a Mary who can’t decide, can move his own dreams along faster with a chevrolet service manual download, and that was something never available in the time when the classic songs were written.

 

It’s probably important to make the distinction between the old and the new even more clear, in the case of Springsteen.  The fans who were born in the 90s may have a direct access to the music that’s as basic as it can be to anyone who’s heart is particularly attuned to his talents.  But there is a daily experience of culture that is very different when technologies shift the way people think about vehicles.  It’s certainly an easier world, as well as a much safer world, but it is different now that roadside assistance is more easily available, and cell phones make it almost impossible to get lost.  The previous generation knew the service manual as an object to be kept at all times in the back of the glove compartment, and now it’s a virtual tool that’s easy to access from anywhere.  This suggests that it’s really not as necessary to have the knowledge of gears from the inside out as it once was, and people don’t have to be as self-reliant as they used to be.  This is very likely very good news, in a larger sense, and does seem to fit into the more visionary nature of Springsteen’s writing.  Although songs like Racing in the Street appeal to a sensibility of the lone wolf, there are other songs, more engaging for younger audiences perhaps, that do refer to an idea of the world where we can depend on each other, and some of the technologies of his newest generation of fans makes it possible to depend in more radical ways than anyone could have guessed.

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Nov
30
0

File Size Matters

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business, Technology

We have all been there: you spend hours crafting the perfect presentation, finish merely minutes before the important deadline, and then realize that your file is too big to fit into an email. Unless you have a teleporter and a readily-available portable hard drive, this is a situation you do not want to find yourself in.

These days, many businesses revolve around large electronic files which they need to access and share. Presentations, reports, and website media content are usually guilty of being too large for e-mails. When time is of the essence, an efficient business would highly benefit from a large file transfer service. The service is in the form of a website which allows users to upload the content to the website and which then becomes accessible to other users.

Choosing the right large file transfer service is very important. First, you do not want all of your important, confidential, and personal files floating around all loosey-goosey on a website made by a computer science intern in Russia. For this reason, you have to make sure that the website is reputable and secure. Reputation is harder to check than security but you can start by asking other business owners which service they use or by researching reviews for large file transfer services. Look out for far-fetched and too-good-to-be-true claims, as these tend to be written by the service themselves. For security, stick to websites that begin with https, have the padlock symbol, or have “secured by” logo on the bottom from a well-known company.

Second, consider the ease of use and accessibility of the website. If you are tech savvy, think about the other users of the website. Would all of your business partners and employees be comfortable with the interface? Sometimes websites get so “techy” that only a select few people in the office know how to use it. If you need a degree from MIT to use the site, then it is probably not the best choice. Also, think about the click count. How many clicks and operations do you need to transfer your files? If it takes you half of the day to successfully upload a file, then you might as well drive over the big presentation.

Your files are important to you and your business so make sure they get to their destinations properly and securely by choosing the right large file transfer service.

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Nov
20
0

Small Business Consumer Information and Data Research

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business

As if there aren’t enough troubling factors with running your own business, managing your data can be one of the most frustrating. This is due not only to the various system issues, but also due to a lack of understanding how important quality data management really is. The demographic background information on your consumer base, activity levels and anticipation of future needs are just some of the areas in which quality data management tools are useful. And a basic example of this is scene in the smallest personal business structure, whether you sale Avon from your home or hot dogs on the street. Of course the following situations serve as a microcosmic example for larger and more complicated business structures, and the point here is to stress that data analysis and management applies to business tools for companies of all sizes and fields.

Mobile applications are an excellent resource for all businesses, whether you’re one of the technology partners , or a local start up. Major corporations have marketing tools and professional resources that most private business owners, frequently known as sole proprietorships, simply don’t have. And solid research into their consumer base and target customer areas are already in place well before the time they become the mega conglomerate that takes over a field. However, even the individual who invests in that hot dog cart considers where their largest potential customer base will be located. For instance, positioning themselves outside of the biggest arts and crafts fair in a city gives them a much better chance for success than setting up on the corner of the well-known vegan neighborhood. In addition, there are other zoning elements to consider, such as special licenses or permits that might be necessary for certain areas or events. The costs of these will interact with the difference in sales numbers. Sometimes a smaller area, such as a downtown street that is well known for its lunch our walking traffic, versus outside the local sports arena, is the better choice.

And while major mobile applications are not likely going to be a need for this small time hot dog vender, a general idea of the consumer base and local traffic flows is important. And a mobile application can come in handy here too. For instance, an application that displays daily specials, or reminds someone that you’re serving a particular place a particular time, and maybe even creating their ideal hot dog on their phone, can greatly increase your daily sales. Technology and its business aspects and tools is not just for major companies or corporations. Understanding your resources and using them to your advantage can maximize your profits and success potential regardless of your size, service or product offerings.

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Nov
14
0

The Importance of Information Technology in the Workplace

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business

Mastery in the field of information technology is something that requires your constant vigilance, because technological innovations are constant and unrelenting. Therefore, if you are going to work in the IT field, it is important to utilize continuing education even with an Online Bachelors Degree. If you stop following the path of technology with a critical eye, then you will surely fall behind. Take this from the guy who thought the world of the internet peaked with a dialup connection. He is still sitting at home waiting for his browser to finish loading.

IT employees are critical to the success of any workplace or office. Here is why: Lawyers need to spend all of their billable hours advising clients and filing motions and drafting cease and desist orders. Financial analysts need to follow economic trends and stock market dips without so much as batting an eye.  Therefore, the IT people are responsible for maintaining the functionality of the office, because if a hard drive crashes, the internet goes down, the printer falls off the network, or an email address stops working, then the IT guy is in charge of saving the day. After all, without a working internet connection, a functional means of web-based communication, or a means of printing wirelessly, most businesses would have a hard time staying afloat. In this sense, an IT employee is crucial to the day-to-day and long term success of any business.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of continuing education in the IT field is that many degrees can be earned in an online setting. While an online degree might seem to carry less clout than a degree that requires your physical presence, it can actually be more beneficial to obtain an IT degree by means of an online classroom setting. After all, as an employee of the IT world, you will be working mostly with technological issues and innovations that come about under the umbrella of the World Wide Web. Therefore, an online degree couldn’t be more fitting for anyone interested in the IT field. Any technical issues that you might encounter during your online courses can simply act as extra training. So, be an IT guy; the guy that everyone else relies on to get things done.

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Sep
15
1

Technology and Baby Boomers

By Richard Leo | Filed in Technology

We’re all aware of the incredible advances technology has brought with it in the last twenty years. Most of the people who grew up in the 70s remember when their family purchased their first home computer. In addition, they didn’t have cell phones, which didn’t exist for individuals of this, generation, and earlier, until they were into their adult years. And for all of us that sprang from these earlier generations, we well remember when email first entered our lives, which for most of us was our introduction to the Internet. As as we see Montel Williams money mutual commercials on Youtube and other Internet sites, we remember commercials and various other ads were once available in print and on television only.

My how things have changed, this is a common phrase people use to describe the world that exists in their middle-aged years versus the one that they grew up in. And while it seems to happen with every generation, much the same as the youth seems to become more “out of control” every twenty years, it’s difficult to fully understand the incomparable difference between this world and that of twenty five years ago. This is perhaps something that won’t be understood for a few generations, and this has to do with the way in which we are socialized. One of the ways that technology has changed our lives is that many of us are awakened by our cell phones, which also have one or two messages waiting for us and we’re basically connected to them throughout the day. Never before in history has our population been so interconnected to technology and the effects it’s having on our daily related.

by Denizen24

With this in mind, it’s essential that we dinosaurs don’t become lost in the web. In a world where basically every daily need, minus those direct physical ones, can be attended online, it’s important to understand how this can interact with our lives. Most people, even those well into their golden years, have email accounts, and there’s even quite a few Baby Boomers who have accounts on Facebook and various other social service networks. Meanwhile, transitioning all of our payments, bank activity and other financial activities online is something that the younger generation will take for granted, while we from the older generations still feel ill at ease applying for money mutual loans online, though in actuality, it couldn’t be easier or more safe.

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Sep
6
0

How and Why You Should Use SEO on Your Blog

By Richard Leo | Filed in Technology

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), being the method of escalating the website’s publicity to different search engines, aims to acquire first-page rankings if not the top rank in every search engine. As most Internet users would impatiently put it, they will utilize only the first few search results from whatever search engine they employ.
Tech savvy bloggers and Internet users would know that within a search engine, a so-called spider reaches out into the Internet as it comes across pages, recognizing only the words but not the images or the videos. With this, search is possible using words (called keywords) as the search engine pulls that up in its results; thus, the more keywords or combination of keywords, the better rank the webpage gets in the search.

The search engine spiders also refer to the title and meta tags on the page as well as to the heading and content to be able to link from one site to another. These areas should be stuffed with a sufficient number of primary keywords used to optimize your site; however, you don’t have to overdo it–pages get banned somehow by the spiders if they detect “keyword stuffing.”

Keywords: A preferred standard number of keyword density is about 2% to 7%. The relevance of the keywords to the content is also a factor; therefore, if the keyword sounds good and relevant to the content, it is all right to increase the keyword density to 12%. As a rule of the thumb, a webpage can be optimized by three keywords or phrases. It is also wise to put secondary or tertiary keywords or phrases that are related to the page. Using alternative keywords and phrases should be used in every webpage just like you use your main keywords.

Titles: Optimizing titles would mean making sure that your title is short and vivid and has the targeted keywords that are related to the site. Optimizing the titles will manifest good rankings in the search engine results. Therefore, the title should visibly describe your site’s content so that your readers will be interested to come to your site.

Meta tags: There are two-fold portions to a Meta-tag, namely, description and keywords. The description must be concise and should sound consistent and vivid to the reader. This is commonly the transcript perceived underneath the title during the search procedure. It would be wise to provide the reader an overview of the page. A text that will describe to them what page is pertinent to will somehow compel the readers to visit your site. The keywords are just the same keywords that you utilize for your SEO and are in the text of your webpage or blog.

Links: The spider counts it as a show of support when other sites link to your site. Higher ranking in the search engine results when more quality pages link to yours, and this can be attained if you happen to have a directory submission and/or if you have remarkable, unique contents in your page. If you happen to have these informative and fascinating contents, most likely other sites will be linking to your sites and will be enticed to make referrals for their visitors as well, thus populating your site with more visitors and links, thus giving a higher search engine ranking to your site.

The whole face of Internet marketing is continuing to change each day and with the emergence of more technology, 4G network phones and more computer tablets, SEO and conversion techniques will continue to evolve.

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Aug
28
1

India’s $99 Android Tablet

By Richard Leo | Filed in Business, Technology

For years tech companies in India have been claiming that they could one day produce a $100 tablet computer suitable for consumers — something powerful and useful — and it looks like that day has finally come. In fact, Lakshmi Access Communication Systems or LACS, makers of India’s affordable Android tablet have even beat out that previous $100 price goal by a whole dollar. According to After Dawn, the device will be called the Magnum Pepper Tablet, which certainly isn’t the best name, and will have 3G, Wi-Fi, 4GB of internal memory, a 4.3 inch display, and will all run on a 800 MHz processor. Clearly, the tablet’s specifications certainly don’t make it the best Android table on the market ,but for only $100 dollars or (Rs 5,000) it’s much better than most people expected. And as Hewlett Packard (HP) can attest can to after the recent fire sale of their tablet the HP Touchpad following a price reduction to $100, a good $100 tablet is practically guaranteed to sell. Any country would be lucky to have a well-built $100 Android tablet but in India – home to many of the tech hubs in the world – this tablet could be transformative for cities like Mysore and Bangalore. A company like Marlabs Inc which has offices in both Mysore and Bangalore, India  could one day see all of their employees with tablets.

On a related note, no doubt by releasing an affordable $100 tablet Android tablet, the mobile operating system market share of Android will no doubt grow. This growth is good news for any person or company that develops mobile applications like Marlabs as more and more people will be looking for quality Android applications as the platform continues to saturate the market. Additionally by putting Android tablets in more people hands that also means that there will be more people that will be motivated to create applications for Google’s Android OS themselves. What’s more, is that if the Indian market is saturated with tablet then it’s likely that the country may create even more tech hubs.

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