Four Tips For Data Visualization

A key focus of my blogging platform is technology. In today’s digital world, everything involves some form of data generation, analysis and processing. Regarding analysis, prepping the data so that it can be visualized by others is key in terms of communicating its meaning. The following contributed post is entitled, Four Tips For Data Visualization.

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Photo by Lukas from Pexels

Computing power has largely solved many of the problems relating to collecting and processing data. Computers have not, however, solved the problem of effectively communicating the results of data analysis. That still comes down to human skill and judgment. Here are four tips to help.

Start from the raw source data (if possible)

Starting from the raw data will eliminate the possibility of you repeating any errors which have been made by other people. It will also keep your data visualization from being skewed by any unconscious bias in existing visualizations of the same data.

As a rule of thumb, this is most important with older data. Studies that were considered cutting-edge in their day might be viewed as seriously flawed now. They might also have been interpreted in the light of outdated assumptions and perceptions. It does, however, still apply to data provided by modern analytical laboratory services.

Think about your audience

Data visualization is usually easiest when you have a clearly-defined audience of people with a similar level of knowledge. It doesn’t really matter if they know nothing about the topic or if they’re experts. What matters is that they all have approximately the same level of knowledge.

If you’re catering to an audience with a broad range of knowledge, then you probably want to create multiple data visualizations. Start with one which assumes no/the least knowledge and then work up from there. Signpost these clearly so people can see which one(s) are likely to be of most benefit to them.

Focus on clarity

One of the biggest errors in data visualization is to try to fill visualizations with too much information. This may be a legacy from the days when everything was on paper so printing costs were always a concern. These days, however, data visualizations will almost always be viewed on a screen so make the most of everything this offers.

Also, be aware of its limitations. With printing, you have complete control over the use of color. With digital visualizations, by contrast, you’re dependent on the screen to reproduce the color faithfully. High-end screens generally do this very well, but lower-end ones are unlikely to be so accurate.

This means that you should usually avoid relying on conveying fine details by subtle changes of color. Instead, you generally want to use as much contrast as possible. This also goes for the text and the background. Furthermore, all text should be in simple fonts. It’s fine to bold important words occasionally, but avoid italics and regular use of capital letters.

Look for ways to make visualizations interactive

This is only possible if a person is going to view a data visualization on their own device. This is, however, likely to be the case a lot of the time, so it’s always worth considering. Interactive data visualizations follow the same principle as having a person click on a link for more information. Instead of going to a new page, however, a part of the visualization expands.

Social Media Secure: Keeping Your Kids Safe Online

Two focuses of my blog are Current Events and Technology. In our new digital world, social media and reached into pretty much every aspect of life. On top of that, pretty much every generation is now using social media. It’s fun for young kids but it poses numerous dangers as well. The following contributed post is entitled, Social Media Secure: Keeping Your Kids Safe Online.

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Social networking platforms are incredibly popular and the number of users every day is growing more and more. The general feeling is about safety and security as more and more individuals flood to use them. When millions of people use social media, they have to be secure, don’t they?

In reality, just like any other website, Facebook, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and Kik have their fair share of security problems, many of which have been addressed in the media. Some of the problems are due to technological issues, and others are due to the individuals using them.

This is a problem for everyone, but it needs to be tackled because children and adolescents, who are especially vulnerable, make up such a large percentage of users. Fortunately, with a few simple steps, you can protect your identity and account, as well as those belonging to your teenager.

Image Via Pexels CC0

Put limits on social media use

A UNICEF study notes that ‘some time on social media is actually good‘ and that it can be positive for the social relationships of children. Given the present conditions that we find ourselves in with COVID-19, this is even more plausible. Social media gives us the chance to stay in touch with families and friends around the globe and to keep up-to – date with global events.

With the average teenager, however, spending about nine hours a day on a laptop-how much is too much screen time? The general guideline is about two or three hours in total, although it naturally varies from person to person. According to Monitoring the Future, anything more than that and social media can lead to feelings of anxiety and unhappiness.

Keep an eye on their online behaviour

There are different apps that you can use to keep an eye on what your child is doing on different social media platforms, as we mentioned above. It is a way to make sure that any would-be predators, who are very good at fooling kids and teenagers into thinking they are someone they are not, and are not grooming them. It also helps to give you an idea of whether there is any cyberbullying or other unpleasant behaviour going on. In more extreme circumstances, you can hire a hacker for cell phone to watch everything that is happening.

Talk about privacy settings

The privacy settings on many social media networks can be so nuanced that even the most tech-savvy of adults fail to get their heads around it, let alone kids. It is important, however, to do your research and check everything. The fewer details that strangers will see, the better. Discuss the data they post on social media and discourage images that reveal where they go to school or where they live from being posted.

Unfortunately, teens and kids can almost always get around using social media and get into trouble with them, so by putting these tips into effect, you will reduce the chance of this happening and keep them safer for longer.

Prevent Cybercrime In Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online, the potential for cybercrime has increased. It’s thus important for you to proactively take steps to prevent those cybercrimes for you and your customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Prevent Cybercrime In Your Business.

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It’s not unusual to hear reports of the big businesses out there being hit with data breaches and cyberattacks. Bizarrely, it has become the norm to hear these in the news, but most small businesses are not aware that cyber attacks can affect them, too. Consumers always wonder how these attacks keep happening, especially as every company should be taking their business security as seriously as possible.

You have to realize that your business can be on the receiving end of a breach no matter what size it is. You need to do all that you can to prevent cybercrime that could damage your business and there are six solid ways you can do exactly that.

Image Source: Pexels

1. Think about limiting the access that you have handed out to the most valuable data in your business. Every employee usually has access to all of the files in your business, so you need to pull this back a little and limit how many have those passwords of the most vulnerable information you hold. If you prevent as many people having that access, you can slow down how many people can pass off the info to outsiders.

2. Bringing in a team to help you with your cyber protection. You could look into a professional managed IT service provider to make sure that your business is covered 24/7. It’s one of the reasons that some companies are attacked online; they don’t have 24/7 security!

3. You are likely doing business with a wide range of vendors outside of your business. You need to know who these vendors are and how much access they will have to your information and you need to know personally the people who are working with you. If your delivery guy has had a previous record of theft, then it’s likely you won’t want to work with him!

4. Training is so important if you want to prevent cybercrime in your business. You need to make sure that you are not just leaving your employees to carry on and hope for the best. You need to take precautions and training and education are the best ways that you can do that.

5. Keep your software as updated as possible – this is another thing that IT managed services can do. You need to consider that an upgraded software base will keep your business safe. The more upgraded the software, the safer it’ll be.

6. Multi-factor authentication is important if you want to prevent people hacking into your systems. Your data has to be kept private, and if you have more than one layer of password protection, you can guarantee that it’s more private than usual. Cyber Breaches can often occur because there is not enough protection surrounding your online files. You don’t want people to steal your information, so have case-sensitive passwords as well as text authentication to make your business secure.

Cybercrime doesn’t have to be a problem in your company – with these tips, you can take the risk down as much as possible.

Ways to Enhance Your Blog for Modern Audiences

Two key focuses of my blog are Blogging and Writing, and Technology. For new bloggers, there is much more to blogging than simply having novel and exciting writing ideas. There are also strategic and technological considerations as well. Once you understand these elements, you can have a lot of fun and achieve your goals, whatever those are. The following contributed post is entitled, Ways to Enhance Your Blog for Modern Audiences.

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Things on the internet are constantly shifting and changing. So if you’re still blogging in the same ways you were 10 years ago, you’re probably not doing it right anymore. That might sound harsh but if you want to enhance your blog and reach an ever wider readership, you really do need to keep in mind the needs of modern audiences.

If you think now might be the right time for you to start making changes to your blog and how it operates, we’re here to help you with that. There are many ways in which you can make your blog more modern and meet the needs of modern audiences.

Each of the tips we’re about to discuss will help you get the fundamentals of good blogging right. And by doing that, you can ensure your blog is fit for purpose for a long time to come. So read on now to find out more about what you need to know about enhancing your blog for modern audiences.

Make Sure the Blog is Properly Categorized

First of all, you’re going to need to make sure that your blog is organized and planned out in the correct and proper way. That means putting proper categories in place and ensuring your posts are tagged correctly can be found in their corresponding category. It’s a simple thing but it matters.

It’s about making sure that people can find what they’re looking for when they visit your blog. If the task of finding content becomes difficult and frustrating for them, they’re definitely not going to stick around for long and you can be sure of that. So it’s worth taking the time to make your blog navigable.

Make Sharing Content Simple

You should also make it as easy as possible for people to share your content. If people are having difficulties finding that share button, they won’t share your post; it’s as simple as that. After all, they’re not gaining much by sharing your content.

It’s you who benefits when your readers enjoy a post and subsequently want to share it with their followers online. You should use share buttons and layouts that make it easy for them to do this. It’s not rocket science but it’s certainly something that you’ll need to go out of your way to put in place.

Use Clear CTAs

What do you want your readers to do? Calls to action are very important on most modern blogs and that’s something that can’t be denied. You should try to find a CTA that’s relevant to your blog and that your customers can get something out of.

Maybe you have an email list and you can use a CTA to prompt visitors to sign up to it. This is good for you because it affords you greater email marketing opportunities going forward, but it’s also something that can appeal to your readers too because they’ll then be able to read your regular newsletter.

Cross-Link to Other Relevant Content

As a blogger, you want to make sure that people are visiting as many pages on your blog and reading as many posts as possible each time they visit. Ideally, you don’t want them to simply read one post and then leave again. And cross-linking is the way to get this right.

So whenever you write a post, take the time to find other posts that are connected to it or relevant to the subject of the post in some way. When you do that, you can link to those posts within your current post. This will encourage clicks and encourage readers to stick around for longer.

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Use a Web Design Service if You Don’t Have the Necessary Skills

If you don’t have web design skills and you want to update the aesthetic of your blog, you should definitely think about using a web design service such as Caltech Web. These days, people expect a lot from a blog and they might be immediately put off if your blog looks outdated.

There’s nothing more revealing about a blog’s age and relevance than the design. If the design looks like it hasn’t been changed in 15 years or more, then you’ve got a problem. You should try to update it at the earliest opportunity.

Learn to Write More Appealing Headlines

It’s imperative to create headlines that are going to make people want to click and read your content. That doesn’t mean that you create headlines that are false and misleading because that’s not the answer to this issue either; a balance needs to be struck.

Learn to write headlines that are interesting, catchy and appealing. They should be relatively short and to the point, and you can then follow them up with longer subheadings that help to give the reader a better idea and understanding about what they can expect from the post.

Ensure There’s Great Visual Content

The right images and other kinds of visual content will be vital on your blog. If you want to make sure that people stick around and pay attention to your blog, you need to be using visual content in one way or another. This helps break up the text and keeps things interesting for the reader.

There are so many examples of visual content that can be used, from good images to video content to infographics. Make an effort to include as much of that stuff as possible in your posts if you want to keep them interesting and visually appealing.

Be Open to Collaborating with Others

These days, it’s very common for bloggers to collaborate with other bloggers and online personalities. This might not be something that you’re used to doing, but it can be a great way to keep your readership interested and to expand your reach and make your blog known to more people.

You should try to be more open to collaborating with others because there are benefits. It can be as simple as guest blogging, so if you haven’t tried that before, it’s a good place to start for you. It could do more for you than you might expect.

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Research What Your Audience is Interested In

These days, there are so many analytics tools out there to help you understand your audience better than ever before. You should definitely be making the most of these because you can then optimize and improve your content when you have a fuller understanding of what your audience actually wants.

Take the time to understand keywords and search terms that you feel are relevant to your blog and your target audience. You’ll be able to capture readers better and ensure relevant people have the chance to see and click your links via search engines with the right SEO approach.

Write About Those Things

Writing about the things you find out your audience is interested in is key. You need to be offering up content that’s relevant to your audience otherwise they simply won’t keep reading it. It’s as simple as that. Do your best to make sure that you don’t leave your audience behind.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself and explore new ideas through your blog content because you can. But the desire to do that also needs to be balanced with the needs and wants of your audience members.

Keep Your Content Readable

Readability is an important factor when it comes to writing blog posts. If your style or writing becomes too unwieldy and complex, people will likely turn away. Keep sentences relatively short and always read over your posts before publishing them, and do so with readability in mind.

You might even want to hire an editor or simply ask a friend to read the post over before it gets published. An outside perspective and an extra set of eyes can make a huge difference when it comes to assessing the readability of your work. That extra person might point out some things you haven’t noticed yourself.

Respond to the Responses

Interaction is key as a blogger. As your blog’s audience starts to develop and grow, you’ll find that people are interacting with you on social media before and maybe leaving comments under your blog posts. If that’s the case, you should try your best to respond.

People will really appreciate that added interaction that comes with doing so. They’ll see the human and personal side to you and as such they’ll feel much better connected to your personal brand and the blog you run. That can only be a good thing from the perspective of retaining readers.

Blogging is a challenge and there are no quick fixes or easy answers. If you want to get to where you need to be with your blog, it’ll only come about through hard work and action. Make the most of the ideas above, but don’t feel confined to these changes. Find your own way forward; it’s your blog after all.

How Future-Proofing Your Office Can Save Your Business Money

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. If you’re using an office to conduct your business and operations, you may want to consider future-proofing your office to ensure its continued operations. The following contributed post is entitled, How Future-Proofing Your Office Can Save Your Business Money.

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If you run your business from an office, you’ll likely also employ many staff to take care of the daily running of things. As you can appreciate, today’s modern offices require a lot of equipment and technology to operate at optimum efficiency.

The trouble is, some business leaders don’t invest much time or money into modernizing their working areas. As a result, it takes longer to do things due to outdated or faulty systems. And that ultimately means a lower annual turnover and reduced profit.

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The good news is that all is not lost. You can take several steps to future-proof your office and ensure that your business is a market leader. Here’s what you can do to bring your company into the 21st century:

Install fiber optic cabling

One of the first things you need to look at is how your business interacts with the outside world internally. All modern business offices have network cabling that allows computers and electronic devices to communicate internally and across the Internet.

But, if you have a large office or your business is spread across several different offices, you could easily face the limitations of CAT5 and CAT6 network cabling. To overcome those challenges, it makes sense to use fiber optic cabling for trunk communications.

You might need fiber optic cable installers to install the cabling for you. But, any person competent in IT communications can install and set up fiber equipment such as switches and routers to utilize fiber optic cabling.

Upgrade to high-speed Internet access

You should also upgrade your office’s Internet access to complement your new fiber optic cabling. The shocking truth about many business locations is they only have basic broadband speeds – completely inadequate for the needs of today’s modern business.

Did you know that fiber optic Internet access is very affordable these days, even for small businesses? It makes sense to upgrade to such Internet connection technology. Plus, as your business grows, you can upgrade to higher speeds in the future with ease.

Upgrade to a unified communications model

It goes without saying that all businesses need telephone systems, whether they are landline-based or mobile. But, one of the challenges that face all companies is tying together the various communication methods they use each day.

Thankfully, it’s now possible to upgrade to a unified communications model in your business. What does that mean exactly? In layman’s terms, you can unify your telephone, voicemail, fax, and email systems into one single setup.

For example, you can receive voicemail messages and faxes in your email inbox. And you can easily divert your phone number to any location around the world, making it easy to work from home or abroad.

Final thoughts

The above is just a few of many ways that you can future-proof your office – and your business. In an extremely competitive market, it makes sense to do everything in your power to stay ahead of the competition.

Future-proofing your office is one of the biggest ways to achieve that goal, yet it’s also one of the least thought of methods.

Why More Iowans Are Using Solar Panels in Their Homes and Businesses

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In addition to being more environmentally friendly in terms of powering homes and businesses, there are financial incentives for incorporating this type of technology and one state in the union seems to be leading the charge in terms of its usage. The following contributed post is entitled, Why More Iowans Are Using Solar Panels in Their Homes and Businesses.

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Thanks to a number of incentives available, more and more Iowans have been adopting the use of solar panels in their home. Whether it’s tax incentives or easement laws, it’s become easier than ever to start using solar as your renewable energy source of choice. Regardless if you’re a homeowner or a business owner, solar can reduce your energy bills by a significant amount and also offer you a number of other benefits depending on your use case.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/mIlvCv21W1s (CC0)

What are the benefits of solar energy?

Solar panels come with a range of different benefits, but the most important ones are:

● A renewable energy source that reduces your carbon footprint.
● Reduced electricity bills thanks to solar energy powering many devices and electronics in your home.
● Low maintenance costs due to no moving parts and high reliability.
● Low maintenance as a user; all you need to do is clean it occasionally to remove debris and dirt that covers the panels.
● Constant technological improvements to efficiency and power generation.
● Space-saving design; solar panels typically stay on your roof and don’t demand extra space in your home or business.

The average cost of solar panel installations in Iowa

According to Energy Sage, the average cost of installing a solar panel in Iowa ranges from $14,408 to $19,492. This can seem extremely expensive, but it offers a constant return in the form of energy savings and there are many financial options and incentives to help you afford the installation. For many businesses and homes, you can expect to get your investment back in just 8 years. This is also known as the solar payback period. After that 8 year mark, any savings from solar are going to be pure savings that will be helping you save money.

These numbers are a rough estimate so it’s important to get in touch with a local solar company such as Iowa Solar to help you crunch the numbers and give you an accurate estimate based on your use case and location. Although the amount of sunlight that Iowa gets per year is fairly average by U.S. standards, it’s the incentives that have helped push many Iowans to adopt solar in their homes and businesses.

Iowa’s history as a renewable energy leader

Even back in March, Iowa passed important legislation that provided opportunities for solar energy to grow in the state. The bill highlighted the codifying of net metering in Iowa law and the grandfathering of existing customers into their current plans. It also discussed the transition to a Value of Solar rate in the future. Thanks to this legislation, Iowa’s solar industry has become a little more predictable and will continue to focus on low costs for all customers for both residential and commercial uses of solar.

Iowa has been a leader in renewable energy sources for many years now. They’ve constantly been pushing for wind and solar investments and, thanks to many collaborations between different organizations, Iowans have continued to enjoy the benefits of the state’s transition to clean energy at all levels.

Helping Older People Choose The Right Mobile Phone

Two key focuses of my blog are Health/Wellness and Technology. Mobile phones have now become a part of our everyday lives. While the younger generations can and will adapt more easily to the technology, it can be a daunting task for the older generations. The following contributed post is entitled, Helping Older People Choose The Right Mobile Phone.

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A mobile phone is an everyday essential item that lets you stay in touch with family and friends. Some older people may have put off getting a mobile phone for many years, but now more than ever, it’s important to stay in contact with each other. Choosing a mobile phone can be hard as there are many devices to select from. If you are helping an older person choose a new phone, there are some things to consider.

Although there are many models available, there are two main types of phones to choose from, cell phones and smartphones. Cell phones have features that are designed to help older people, like emergency buttons, hearing aid support, and GPS tracking. The buttons are considerably bigger on a cell phone, and the interface is much easier to navigate.

Smartphones are more advanced and can be beneficial for seniors who are more tech-savvy. With features such as a bigger and brighter display, it makes it easier for older people who have eyesight problems. Another bonus for smartphones is that they come with a protective case so they won’t get badly damaged if they fall on the floor.

The below infographic from Fanmisenior explains in further detail the differences between a cell phone and smartphone and looks at which of two may be better suited to older people. When it comes to helping them choose the right phone, you need to keep in mind the different features and which will be more beneficial. Check the infographic out here.


Infographic Design By https://www.fanmisenior.com/news/what-is-the-best-mobile-phone-for-older-people-infographic

Maximizing Efficiency For Your E-Commerce Business

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In our new digital world, much of the commerce is done online. Even with the efficiencies already built into e-commerce, you want to make sure you’re going everything you can. The following contributed post is entitled, Maximizing Efficiency For Your E-Commerce Business.

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It’s been reported that e-commerce is the fastest-growing global retail channel through 2022. It is currently on course to become a larger retail channel than traditional grocery retail. Within the e-commerce space, the grocery sector looks set to be the fastest-growing area. E-commerce is changing how people shop for virtually everything.

One of the most important and fundamental aspects of the growth in e-commerce is convenience. Online retail allows customers to quickly and easily browse and shop. The buying process standards have increased to the extent that customers can make purchases using a single click. Consumers now have very high expectations when it comes to online purchases. A clunky website layout can be enough for someone to abandon their cart. In the era of next day delivery, e-commerce businesses must optimize operations.

Efficiency is becoming one of the most crucial elements of an e-commerce strategy. By prioritizing efficiency, companies can improve processes that ultimately lead to increased profitability in the long-term.

If you’re focusing on maximizing the efficiency of your e-commerce business, here are four key strategies you must consider implementing.

Photo by bongkarn thanyakij from Pexels.

1. Step up your digital marketing efforts

Digital marketing is the most crucial factor in promoting your e-commerce business. Ads must target specific customer segments, encouraging them to view your site or make purchases. Ensure that your adverts are keyword enabled and choose a strategy that’s best suited to your business. Consider cost per click (CPC) and pay per click (PPC) as two major advertising routes.

While there are many advertising and marketing options out there, e-mail is still one of the most important ways to advertise and grow.

By focusing on high-level digital strategies, you can concentrate on other areas of business with peace of mind that marketing is optimized.

2. Use a mail fulfillment service

Fulfillment efficiency can be the difference between retaining customers or losing them in the long-term. Logistics is tricky, particularly when you’re in competition with larger and more established companies. By outsourcing your marketing material fulfillment to a company such as Action-mailing.com, you can benefit from an existing specialized service, maximizing efficiency.

3. Focus on mobile customers

Modern companies must increase their focus on mobile customers. With increased reliance on smartphones, as well as the continued growth of social media, mobile customers are taking over a larger percentage of sales when it comes to e-commerce.

The company website, buyer journey, and purchasing process must be optimized for mobile customers. Advertising and marketing content must also take mobile customers into consideration. This makes for a more efficient sales process.

4. Utilize the data

No matter your industry, data should be used to gain insights into the effectiveness of your strategies. By utilizing the data provided by your website, social media channels, and digital advertising, you can spot opportunities to improve operations.

Pay attention to the data and look for ways to improve efficiency in all business functions. If the analysis tells you that customers are abandoning their carts on the second or third checkout page, perhaps you should consider streamlining the process to make it more efficient. SEOpressor.com put together a list of key tools to determine e-commerce performance.

Let data drive decision making and guide you toward being a more efficient business.

What Will Post-Covid Events Look Like?

Two key focuses of my blog are Current Events and Technology. The stark reality is that our world may be considerably different than what it used to be post-Covid. We will likely see a world that has a greater digital presence. The following contributed post is entitled, What Will Post-Covid Events Look Like?

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We are not going back to the safety of our pre-COVID lifestyle any time soon. Admittedly, it’s hard to imagine that the current pandemic will turn into a permanent health threat. However, businesses will likely face more than one COVID wave, so it’s essential to start thinking outside the box.

We can’t arrange for life events in the way we used to anymore – at some point in the future, it will be safe again. Therefore, businesses need to create health-conscious events that are engaging, exciting, and safe for the time being. For marketers, making health a strategic priority at the same level than any other objective requires a change of mindset. As useful as Zoom meetings have been since March 2020 – they’ve virtually rescued many companies from bankruptcy –, you need to think above and beyond the simple webcam trick.

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A digital event only

Of course, video conferences and workshops remain a safe option for participants and guests. However, Zoom meetings and other popular video alternatives can lack engagement on a large scale. Turning a digital event into a platform for exchange can rely on smart and cost-effective social media strategies. Indeed, you can use social media to build a digital presence for your brand, ensuring that the event gets sufficient buzz online ahead of schedule. You can prepare your platform with event-related content. Uniqlo is a brand that has relied heavily on social media events to reach out to new audience groups.

A safe-distancing show

Can you be COVID-safe without going online? As the current restrictions are easing, you can arrange for an open event as long as your guests are social-distancing accordingly. A VIP event with a reduced number of guests can be the perfect answer to your problems. You can even record video material using a drone and a camera – if you’re not sure where to start, check online articles such as the RC Hobby Review. Once edited, the recording videos can be put together into a sum-up of the event. You can also add light features – LEDs are ideal for branding messaging on social-distancing venues!

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A video community

Have you ever considered organizing an event when participants are in different places? You can encourage participants to send their videos on a specific topic, which can be edited to be played as part of branding films, for instance. Depending on your participants’ reputations, you can turn the events into a live-tweeting contest as you release the film.
Alternatively, you can also consider lifestreaming videos. While the effect may seem more real and engaging, streaming technology focuses on one venue only, which reduces the number of guests.

Storytelling via a mic

Everybody loves a good story, which is why podcasts are so popular. Podcasts are not life events; however, you can set up a recording studio with a streaming service. You can record guests via an online connection, running your podcasts on a communication tool such as Skype or Whatsapp calls. There may be a few microseconds delay due to broadband facilities, but you can ask in real-time questions that auditors are sending.

Are life events going to disappear? The answer is no. However, we need to adapt and transform our strategies to keep businesses and people safe. COVID-friendly events do not have to feel like another work Zoom meeting. On the contrary, you can get creative and design exciting arrangements for all.

Improving Your Digital Skills

Three focuses of my blog are Career Discussions, Professional Development/Skills and Technology. As our world becomes more technologically advanced, it’s imperative for current and future workers to become more fluent in skills in the technology sector. These skills will likely be the basis for our economy and world going forward. The following contributed post is entitled, Improving Your Digital Skills.

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https://www.pexels.com/photo/information-sign-on-shelf-251225

If you’re looking to make moves online, there are a lot of different courses that can help you with this. So, what options are out there? Let’s take a look:

Cyber Security Training
There is only one place to begin, and this is with cybersecurity training. Data breaches are on the rise, and you cannot afford to take a risk.

There are basic cybersecurity courses that are available, which will take you through using and choosing a VPN, installing a firewall, and other basic cybersecurity features. However, there are also more advanced cybersecurity courses, which will take you through specialist security procedures, such as penetration testing.

Adobe Illustrator Training Classes And Photoshop Training
Adobe Illustrator training classes and Adobe Photoshop training courses are both highly popular. However, a lot of people struggle to choose between the two. If you are one of these people, don’t fret.
Both Illustrator and Photoshop are used by designers, video and film professionals, photographers, artists, and illustrators. However, a lot of animators and publishers also use Illustrator. Both are excellent platforms, you simply need to determine what is going to be the most suitable for your requirements.

Photoshop is the most popular Adobe program; it is great for modifying graphics and images that have already been created, like photos. Raster or bitmap graphics are created via this platform, with raster images being made up of pixels. Illustrator is advanced vector-based software, which means it does not use the same pixel-format as Photoshop; rather vector graphics are created using mathematical constructs. This is why Illustrator is often used to make logos or anything else that needs to be displayed or printed at different sizes. Therefore, an Adobe Illustrator course is advised for those creating logos. It is also considered the better choice for wireframing and sketching. However, if you are creating a website, Photoshop will probably be your go-to choice. Illustrator provides a lot of advantages for the design of interfaces nevertheless.

Finally, when it comes to digital art, it’s hard to separate the two; Photoshop is great for photo-based illustrations yet Illustrator is excellent for graphical illustrations.

Google Analytics Courses
Google Analytics is arguably the most popular marketing channel today, and so learning about it can certainly be beneficial. A basic course is all you need to get started, helping you with assessing different keywords and setting custom alerts. As time goes on, you may want to advance your learning, but a lot of people find that once they are comfortable with the platform they can advance their skills themselves and with online resources.

Sending Effective HTML Emails
When your business sends emails, you have two options; you can send plain text emails or HTML emails. The reality is that there is no competition between the two. To make the right impression and reap maximum benefits, HTML emails are a must.

An HTML email is one where you have the ability to customize how the email looks visually, i.e. you can underline text, change the header, include image, hyperlink text, incorporate various colors, and so on and so forth. The fact that text links can be clickable is important, as it makes it easier for readers to open the link in the email, and thus you increase the possibility of increasing website traffic. Another benefit of HTML emails is that they are easier to scan. If you only send plain text emails, some of the information can become lost in translation because it is difficult to make certain parts stand out, and thus recipients may simply ignore the emails you send. HTML emails are also crucial when branding your business. You will be able to incorporate graphics and colors, which are crucial for generating a visual impact and having a memorable impact on the viewer. Finally, one of the key advantages is that open rates can only be tracked with HTML emails and not plain text emails. How are you going to market effectively if you cannot track your results?

WordPress
Are you interested in learning about WordPress? This is one of the most popular open-source content management systems (CMS). In fact, as of January 2015, WordPress was used by more than 23 percent of the top ten million business sites. Therefore, it really is a skill that anyone in web design and development needs to know. When choosing your training you have various options at your disposal, yet you are advised to go for a WordPress personal trainer, and in this section, we will reveal why.

● Catered to you – There is only one place to begin, and this is with the fact that this type of WordPress training is going to be entirely catered to you. Topics will be selected to suit your own needs, and so more time will be spent on any areas you struggle with, or any areas you want to focus on because you believe it will be best for your business.
● Learn at your own pace – In a classroom environment, it is likely that you will either get left behind or you will waste hours learning about things you already know. You can be sure that this will not happen with a WordPress personal trainer.
● Value for money – This leads onto the next point perfectly; value for money. Private training ensures value for money because you are extracting the maximum value from your experience. Every minute is spent on teaching the elements of WordPress that you need assistance with.
● Freedom to ask questions – Last but not least, you can stop and ask questions whenever you like. This is difficult to do when you are learning in a group.
● It is not difficult to see why the services of a WordPress personal trainer come so highly recommended over a classroom environment. The same can be said for other training courses as well, be it HTML training or an Adobe Illustrator course.