Three UK begins 4G rollout

Three UK has begun its 4G rollout in London, Birmingham and Manchester as it looks to catch up with rivals EE, Vodafone and O2.

The firm is the last UK mobile operator to roll out its 4G services, with its launch coming more than a year after EE's, and several months after Vodafone and O2 enabled their customers to tap into their LTE networks.

However, while all three of its competitors decided to charge premium prices for 4G packages, Three revealed that it would not charge its customers an additional fee to use 4G.

"There'll be no extra charges, no need for new contracts and customers will be upgraded as soon as possible with a simple, free software update," the firm said.

The network will also continue to offer ‘all you can eat data' as part of its voice plans.

Three plans to have 4G rolled out in 50 cities by the end of 2014 and cover 98 per cent of the population by the end of 2015. It claims that it is on track to deliver this, and expects more than 1.5 million customers who already have 4G-enabled decides to be able to access 4G wherever it is been rolled out, by February.

The mobile operator said that a "huge technical process" was required for the upgrade, and that aside from 4G, further enhancements would be made on its core network.

Three also announced that its customers could use their existing UK minutes, texts and data in the US at no extra cost. Its ‘Feel At Home' proposition now operates in 11 destinations including Australia, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Hong Kong.

Read the full news article here: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2317407/three-uk-begins-4g-rollout

For more information on anyhting mentioned in this article or for the best IT Support services and Office 365 please contact us today on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk

 

Boost Your SEO with Social Media

Social signals are a hot commodity these days; without them, your SEO and overall traffic won’t be all it can be. Socials signals are any promotion or mention of your brand or products through tweets, Facebook “likes”, and related blasts. The more you engage your audience in commenting and sharing your social media and content, the better your overall SEO results will be.

Social Media for Business

Both Google and Bing have shown an increasing interest in the value of social signals, making an overall strategic social media plan an essential part of your marketing landscape. Understanding how and why social signals are so crucial to SEO will assist you in planning your overall SEO tactics.

How Social Signals Can Increase Your Rankings
The level of social interaction your customers have with your brand directly and indirectly impacts your SEO clout. Organic search rankings have been increasingly affected by social signals, and while it’s arguable to what degree (and varies by search engine as well), it is abundantly obvious that overlooking this aspect of SEO is flat out foolish.

How do social signals directly impact SEO?
The following are critical:

Google+ Circles – Yes, it’s apparent many folks have challenges with the popularity of Google. The thing is, Google loves its social platform, so if you learn to embrace it too, your SEO results can see a boost. Note that the number of people you have in your own circles is not as important as the number of folks who include you.

Facebook Shares – Get your Facebook followers engaged in your content. How? By creating truly valuable posts, ideally rich in graphics and video.

Twitter Followers and Tweet Mentions – Remember that a bigger audience isn’t necessarily better. You again want a demographic that is engaged and active with your content. Retweets and social mentions are golden – getting folks to write #yourbrand is extremely valuable.

Facebook Likes – Quality over quantity rules here too. 1,000 active followers are better than 2,000 fans who ignore your posts. Engagement is always key.
Social signals increase rankings in an indirect manner too.

Examples of these actions include:

Positive Reviews – If folks are saying nice things about you on sites like Yelp, Google Local, and various prominent blogs, your SEO will show it. In fact, Sam McRoberts of Vudu Marketing says the number and tone of these reviews are two of the three most substantial factors in determining local search. It’s integral that your social media strategy include near real-time responses to users that have issues or questions; many people now use social profiles for brands as their go-to for customer support. These interactions can then assist in your overall SEO results, so make a commitment to be very active in this space. You won’t just see an increase in your rankings through this policy, but in overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Inbound Links – These help increase your visibility and credibility, and have been the darlings of SEO efforts for some time. Matt Cutts, the Google search spokesperson, has repeatedly hinted that links are still SEO-critical. Although some feel this impact has been lessened in recent months, links still should not be ignored. Creating a strong social presence and a website that extends the feeling of credibility and professionalism is your best bet to attracting link support from equally reputable partners.

Advice on How to Improve Your Social Signals
You get it – social is crucial. So how do you increase your social signal power?

Here are some practical tips:

On-site Updates – Make sure your website has oodles of opportunities for folks to share your content. Let them tweet articles, Google +1, recommend, bookmark – you name it. Encourage visitors to follow you on the various social platforms too. Blogs are also essential – they not only give visitors lots of options to share, but frequent high-quality and current content makes search engines very happy.

Updated Social Profiles – Choose only those social networks that actually pertain to your business, and dedicate a member of your team to keeping it current. Profiles should be complete, and monitored daily for comments and questions. Facebook and Twitter are a must, as is a LinkedIn profile. Sites like Vine and Pinterest are hot too, and relevant if your demographic fits the bill.

Integrate Your On and Off-site Efforts – Every time you publish content on your blog or website, you should in tandem alert your social stratosphere. Give viewers the ability to follow you on your social spaces, and to comment as well. You don’t just want eyeballs, you want clicks, comments, and shares. The quality and frequency of your content is essential, as is your willingness to engage in return. Make sure everything you do is reflected appropriately on all your social channels. And please take the time to treat each social network separately – status updates and content shares on LinkedIn, as an example, need to be professional and concise. Facebook can be more informal and wordy, and Twitter is obviously short and sweet. Respect the nature and demographic of each network and your efforts will be rewarded.

All the tactics above will not only increase your SEO rankings, but your brand credibility and reach as well. Focusing on social signals is that proverbial win-win.

How have you seen your SEO impacted by your social reach – either positively or negatively? What tactics do you feel are the keys to success?

Don't Fight With Google!

Promote your business and website naturally on google without resorting to quick fixes or shorcut tricks!

Here’s the problem – Google left the door wide open and people took advantage. This led to great rankings, traffic and, more importantly, money in the bank. People started to rely on the majority, if not all traffic coming from Google and then the rug was pulled from under their feet. This kicked off an almighty struggle with the King of Search, but I’m here to tell you today that it doesn’t have to be a fight. There is another way.

Stop Building Dirty Links
If you’re going to get back into Google’s good books, you need to cease using dodgy link building tactics full stop.

This isn’t one of those situations where you can be half in, half out – you need to move away from dodgy links completely.

Stop Now!

And a word to the wise: dodgy links with generic anchors can only work for so long. Eventually Google will catch you (if they haven’t already). Then, say goodbye to Google sending you any traffic.

Get Rid of Legacy Links that Don’t Fit with Google’s Guidelines
If you have been building nasty links in the past, you need to get rid of them, or at least try to.
It’s a fact: you can’t get rid of them all, but the consequences of not doing this could lead to an algorithmic penalty or even a manual penalty.

You’ll know about a manual penalty in your Google Webmaster Tools account. You will usually see an unnatural links warning message.

If you’ve got an algorithmic penalty, you’ll only notice this when you check your analytics and see your traffic drop through the floor.

You can get a manual penalty (or manual spam action) revoked by showing Google the lengths you have gone to in order to try and remove the links. You’ll usually get a message back from Google within 1-2 weeks.

If you have an algorithmic penalty, you can go through your links, highlight the nasty domains that are linking to you and disavow them, but ultimately you may have to wait until the next Penguin refresh to see whether your rankings come back.

Dance to the Beat of Google’s Drum
Google has a set of quality guidelines that they recommend to webmasters and, when you think about it, it’s all really straightforward stuff. It includes avoiding nasty things like cloaking, hidden text, doorway pages and all that blackhat stuff.

It also involves making your pages for users, adding value and creating unique content.
This isn’t groundbreaking, or even rocket science, and remember that these guidelines are updated as Google continues to evolve along with their search algorithm.

Most importantly, though, when these guidelines are updated, don’t jump to conclusions and don’t make assumptions. This goes for algorithm updates, too.

A lot of people within the industry are being too quick to make up their minds without looking at the data, and these assumptions can often cause more problems than they solve.

Think about the Future and the Big Picture
One of the big mistakes that a lot of people are making is that what works now will carry on working forever.

Before Google’s Penguin update in April 2012, a lot of people thought that blasting nasty links at websites was going to continue working.

Those that looked at the bigger picture, however, could see that those practices were at best a calculated risk, and that Google would eventually bring the boom down and take action on manipulative link building tactics.

Content is what it’s all about, as it has been for a while (that and user experience). While there are a lot of people that struggle to get traction, there are tactics you can use that will get you results.

Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket
You can understand the temptation, knowing that some websites are getting 100,000′s of visitors a month from Google. While I don’t think you should give up working towards those insane levels of traffic, you can’t just rely on one tactic.

In business, you always need a contingency plan for anything that could go wrong, so you need to be sure to focus on other ways of generating traffic.

Just look at some of the top business blogs. Sure, they may be getting a lot of traffic from organic search, but there are a lot more things you can try:

• Social media
• Contributing to other blogs
• Doing interviews
• Link building (the white hat way)

I’ve found that the best way to figure this ‘traffic generation’ thing out is to not just look for a list of tactics, but look at how people are using them in case studies.

Summary
I understand that there may be some of you reading this post who don’t have any love for Google generally, and don’t like following anything Google says.

I understand why – Google does have a lot of power (too much), and its algorithm updates have the power to shake entire economies.

The truth about the ‘user experience’ thing is that, while Google’s ultimate aim (at a guess) is to stop users from going over to Bing and so protect its advertising revenue… Google is actually on to something.

Where are all those sites that didn’t give a damn about the user experience now?
Nowhere to be seen.

Where are all those sites that thought about user experience and building a community before anything else?

They’re still here and a lot of them are leaders in their field.

So, whether you like it or not, it’s time to get on board with the ‘user experience’ thing.

What’s your take on the current state of search?

For more information on anything you have read in this article please contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk  for information about our web services (SEO, Ad Words, Analytics).

See the original article here: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/11/20/end-fight-google/

Police warn of 'ransom' spam targeting UK users

Tens of millions of UK internet users could be at risk from "ransom" email spam seemingly sent from financial institutions.

Read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24964426

The email has an attachment that looks legitimate but is malware that encrypts computer files.
If the attachment is opened, a displayed countdown timer demands a ransom to decrypt the files.
Small to medium businesses seem to be the target and the National Crime Agency says there is significant risk.

Lee Miles, deputy head of the National Cyber Crime Unit, says: "The NCA are actively pursuing organised crime groups committing this type of crime. We are working in co-operation with industry and international partners to identify and bring to justice those responsible and reduce the risk to the public."

The malware installs a piece of "ransomware" called Cryptolocker on computers running the Windows operating system. The ransom demands that the user pay two Bitcoins, a virtual currency, that would be worth £536 to release the decryption key.

Reports suggest that people who have paid the ransom have not had their files decrypted and it has been impossible to restore encrypted files.
  
The NCA said it would never endorse the payment of a ransom to criminals and warns that there is no guarantee that the people behind the demand would honour the payments.

An NCCU investigation is seeking to identify the source of the email addresses used.
Computer users are being warned not to click on any suspicious attachments, to have updated antivirus software and to regularly back up files. If a computer is infected the advice is to disconnect it from the network and seek professional help to clean the device.

The NCA said that anyone infected with this malware should report it via actionfraud.police.uk.

For more information on how better to protect your business or customers please contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website: www.clicknetworks.co.uk for more information on how to clean an infected device of harmful malware.

Microsoft Office 365 What You Need To Know

Firstly, What is Microsoft Office 365

It is secure, anywhere access to email and calendars, Office Web Apps, instant messaging, conferencing, and file sharing. See how Office 365 makes easy to communicate, create, and share in the cloud.

Explore what Microsoft Office 365 can do for you

• Office 365 adds more power to the Office you already know and use by making it easier to communicate and collaborate with others.  
• Access your email and calendar from your computer, the web, and smart device.
• Launch and sustain a professional website for your business. 
• Connect immediately with colleagues. Set up and conduct online meetings.
• Share documents and collaborate with colleagues online.  
• Create, store, and edit Office docs online. 
• Get virtually anywhere access on nearly any device* so you can be productive on the go.  
• Microsoft helps keep your data safe and private.

 

Why choose Microsoft Office 365?

 

Easy to setup and use

• Get started in minutes. Setup new users in seconds
• No training needed. Use Office tools your team knows and loves

Work anywhere

• Get virtually anywhere-access on nearly any device*
• Work on your Office files online or offline

Worry-Free IT

• Stay safe with our built-in anti-virus and spam fighting technology
• Count on 99.9% uptime
• Lower costs vs. on-site solutions

As an experienced Cloud provider, Click Networks can offer to provide you a free trial of this excellent Microsoft based service which can transform the way your business operates and budgets for its IT. Please contact us and we can get your trial up and running quickly so you can begin experiencing the brilliant Office 365 for yourself.

For more information on Office 365 please contact the IT Support experts at Click Networks in Glasgow on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk

Precautions against CyptoLocker and other malware attacks!

What can you do to prevent cybercriminals locking all your personal files and demanding money to free them?

 

A few sensible precautions will help minimise the chances of a CrytoLocker attack. So what are our top tips?

• Back up your files. If you use an external hard drive, don't leave it connected to your PC unless you are backing up. Alternatively, pay for an online back-up service – but bear in mind you may still be vulnerable if your backed-up files are mapped as a network drive. Check with your provider if you are unsure.

• Create files in the Cloud and upload photos to online accounts like Flickr or Picasa.

• Switch to a spam- and virus-filtered email service. Google Mail, for example, does not allow you to receive or send executable files (that can install viruses) as email attachments, even if they are hidden in zip files. (It also does not allow you to send them).

• Don't go to online porn sites, which are often the source of malware downloads. Take care when clicking on adverts; never open Twitter links and attachments from people you don't know or trust.

• Make sure your operating system is up-to-date with the latest security.

• Install the latest versions of your internet browsers and update add-ons such as Java and Adobe Flash.

• Get reputable anti-virus software and ensure you update it frequently.

• On Windows 7, double-check that you have set up System Restore points or, if you are using Windows 8, configure it to keep the "file history".

• Act quickly. If you do accidentally download a dodgy attachment, bear in mind it is likely to take some time for the encryption to take place. If you immediately download and run an anti-virus programme, such as the free anti-virus toolkit available from Sophos, it could destroy the CryptoLocker before all your files have been encrypted – however, you will permanently lose affected files.

• Encrypt the files you particularly want to keep private, such as documents containing your passwords or personal information, to prevent criminals from reading what's in them. Read this useful "Ask Jack" post on the Guardian technology blog to find out more about encrypting your files.

For more information on Malware attacks or anything you have read in this article please contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks. Vist our website: www.clicknetworks.co.uk or call us on 0141 530 9116 

Social Media: How Much Do You Really Need to Invest?

Everywhere we look these days, companies are proudly touting their social media presence. Restaurants, car dealerships, ecommerce stores, even paid parking lots – they all want you to “Like” them, and are conceivably spending significant dollars to entice followers. But does social media make sense for every business? Can anyone afford to not be in the game?

The answer is mixed. Yes, everyone needs some social media presence, for reasons we’ll explore, but not every business should be required to spend a great deal of time or effort.

There are key aspects to the social landscape that all businesses need to be mindful of, or risk embarrassment or failure. Yet it seems most business owners think it’s an all or nothing cause. This attitude can waste precious marketing dollars, so read on to see where your business falls in the mix.

 Why Totally Ignoring Social Media is Dangerous


It’s obvious why many business owners would want to shut out the social stratosphere – it’s often filled with high-maintenance customers that only want to complain or score a discount or freebie. Yelp is a particular thorn in the side for many local entrepreneurs, but ignoring the complaints of the masses unfortunately does not make it all go away. Just the opposite, it sounds the alarm.

Let’s put it this way – if the internet has even a small smattering of complaints about your business that have gone unanswered, you’re in big trouble. Negative reviews can live in infamy for many, many years; like it or not, you need to have a staff member that is dealing with customer feedback. Don’t let the web engage in conversations about your company if you’re MIA. Be there, keep the record straight, make good on complaints, and be proactive about staying connected to your audience.

Need more incentive? If you don’t maintain a social media presence for your brand, someone else might do it for you, with highly damaging results. Just ask Exxon. When some clever hackers created a fake Twitter account called “Exxon Cares” this year, their lack of due diligence in watching their brand’s social presence resulted in a major PR coup. The hackers sent a gaggle of sarcastic tweets as a result of the Exxon Pegasus pipeline rupture. Because Exxon took eons to notice, the hackers had a field day, garnering hundreds of followers, retweets, and comments. It’s impossible to gauge how much this hurt Exxon’s image, or what it cost as they attempted to undo the damage, but you know it wasn’t cheap.

Finally, for the sheer sake of SEO rankings, you need to have basic contact and business information on sites like Facebook and Google+. Search engines are giving more and more credibility to social signals, and failing to have at least a minimal appearance can wreak havoc on your search results.
You know who would love it, however, if you did ignore the social space? Your competitors. If they’re working hard to build an audience of loyal customers, they would be honored and thrilled to steal your potential fan base.

 How Much Should You Spend? That Depends On Your Industry.


OK, so it’s clear that the head-in-the-sand approach isn’t beneficial regarding social media. This does not mean everyone should hire a full-time social media expert and go crazy on every single platform. In order to wisely spend your resources, it’s imperative you consider what kind of company you run, and the relevance of social media to your operation.

Let’s talk about some examples. Local businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, mechanics, dry cleaners – just about anyone who offers goods or services that customers regularly need or want, those folks all need a strong social presence. Non-profits are no-brainers too, as is any ecommerce site or fully digital business.

Who doesn’t need to go crazy in the social space? Folks that own niche businesses that customers only reach out to in isolated cases. Like paid parking lots, for example. Likewise, businesses that deal with the darker parts of life. Divorce lawyers. Government agencies. Funeral homes. Have you seen some of these funeral home pages on Facebook? One of them even posted a “business happy hour” (that has since been removed.) Seriously, do they actually think this will entice folks to choose their funeral services during a time of need? It’s bizarre, and frankly, more than a little distasteful.

Again, all of these businesses should absolutely have a basic social presence. The question is whether or not to invest hours and hours a month in creative campaigns and audience engagement. Divorce lawyers need testimonials, they need to be found on search engines – but they do not need to run social contests, to poll their fans, or to post content daily.

Social media is not, despite popular belief, free advertising. Creating a truly engaged and loyal fan base is expensive and time consuming. If it makes sense for your business, you’ll get lost in the media dust if you don’t jump in with full force. But be wise about your words and reputation, or your efforts may produce the opposite effect.

What kind of social media presence have you found works for your business? Have you opted for a “less is more” approach, gone all-in, or ignored it all together?

For more information on anything you have read in this article please call teh IT support experts Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website here: http:/www.clicknetworks.co.uk

To read the full article visit:  http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/10/23/social-media-much-really-need-invest/

Windows XP support cut-off dealine looms!

Support for Windows XP will end six months from today as Microsoft tries to draw a line under its ancient operating system. However, firms of all shapes and sizes are still ignoring this looming issue despite the huge risks it will cause.

From 8 April 2014, Microsoft is ending all support for the platform, which will mean no more security patches or software upgrades unless firms pay for custom support. This has the potential to leave businesses open to attack on out-of-date and unmonitored systems.

However many firms have shown unwillingness to address the issue. Research back in April, to mark the one-year countdown to the deadline, revealed that over half of UK firms had done nothing to prepare for a migration to Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Microsoft said last month that it is finally starting to see businesses move away from Windows XP, but given that there is now only six months until the deadline it may be too late.
Adrian Foxall, the chief executive of application and software migration firm Camwood, which commissioned the research published in April, said any firm that has left it too late could face serious issues.

“Some of the really large enterprises are not going to be off XP in time and this will cause risks in terms of security and compliance, so they are going to have to get some sort of custom support," he told V3.

"However, that is not something Microsoft is really going to want to encourage or offer for all but the largest firms, so I do think we will see an acceleration in the next six months, but firms could still be left exposed for a while."

He added that given the short time frame it will be hard for firms to move their entire systems, so a focus on the most mission-critical apps is required. He also said it was unlikely that Microsoft will extend the deadline, especially as it has already done so before.

The issue of XP migration has also caused debate among V3 readers, with some saying they are still to move from the platform and are dubious that all organisations will be able to migrate.
"Still stuck on XP at work. Many modern programmes don't work with it, I think. No sign of Windows 8 on the horizon here either, only 7. Why?" said one. "The NHS is still using XP because the majority of medical software is old and won't work on 7 or 8," said another.

The huge user base for XP also means many in emerging markets are on the platform and will almost certainly not be able – or willing – to upgrade, which could also cause issues.

"XP has a real hold in India and I do not see those users giving up XP anytime soon. The reason is simple. XP runs on the lowest-powered PCs and laptops, and it is not broken, so do not fix it. Except MSFT [Microsoft Corporation] is now breaking it by not supporting it soon. The horns of a real dilemma."

Others have said, though, that firms only have themselves to blame if they have not taken the necessary action by now to move to a new operating system.

“XP is 12 years old. There have been three operating systems released since then. I have no pity for anyone still using XP. They have had plenty of time to plan for a migration to a more modern operating system,” wrote one.

“I moved from XP to 7, 10 months ago. It was an easy move,” said another.

If you would help advice on switching from XP to Windows 7 call the IT Support Experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 today or email us at info@clicknetworks.co.uk.

Please visit our website for more IT Support and to drop us a quick message: http://www.clicknetowrks.co.uk 

Read the full original article here: http://www.v3.co.uk/

Office 365 goes to work on an Android

Hands on Unlike the video editing or CAD workstation beasts that are still utterly reliant on Windows, Android is slowly evolving into a workable platform for basic productivity.

Browsers are becoming passable. Onboard applications are decent and there are an ever-growing number of applications designed for both touch input and mouse.

Yes, our little Android is growing up – that is, of course, if we ignore the total lack of a usable productivity suite.

Android is sneaking up on five years of general availability and it still doesn't even have a word processor that can compete with Microsoft Word 2.0 running on Windows 3.1.

If you want to paw at your screen like a primitive, there are plenty of applications to let you consume content others have made. There are even a few applications that will let you edit a word document or enter some numbers into a spreadsheet. Slowly.

Touch input has severe limitations. The first is a maddening upper limit on input speed and accuracy defined by trying to hit touch targets that are significantly smaller than your fingers and offer no tactile response whatsoever. Editing, formatting and related tasks are byzantine in a touch-screen world.

Consider the humble task of highlighting a block of text. On a touch screen you have to stab exactly the right spot, hope the device recognises the great big blob that is your finger, press, hold and then wait for the selector widgets to pop up.

After that you drag them around until you have highlighted the relevant text, go find a touch target that says "cut" or "copy" and then do something with that text.

In the time it has taken a touch-screen user to do that, I have already moved the text where it needed to go and written another four paragraphs of useful text. Touch screens are simply terrible for real work.

One man and his mouse

Despite this, I keep getting users who want me to make their Android devices into all-purpose endpoints. They have an Android phone with four cores and more RAM than that Acer Aspire from the mid-2000s that is wheezing its last.

They have a Nexus 7 or an Asus Transformer that they carry everywhere and they don't want to haul around some ageing notebook that gets the digital equivalent of three miles to the gallon and doesn't make it through a full-day conference.

Android is not going away, so how do we get something usable on there? The answer depends entirely on the device you have, the version and all the other irritating little things that make Android ecosystem fragmentation such a topic of legitimate complaint from developers.

In my opinion, the best option currently available for a productivity app running directly on an Android device is Office 365's web app. The latest version is amazing. It beats Google's efforts and is so far ahead of everyone else that at this point trying to catch up would be a depressing endeavour.

To get the Office 365 web app working on an Android device – assuming you have a subscription – you need to set your browser to request the desktop site.

Chrome can do this out of the box. Dolphin can do it by enabling the "desktop toggles" extension. Unlike Chrome, when you turn the extension on in Dolphin it stays on and passes desktop headers to all future sites.

The problem is that the Office 365 web app simply doesn't work on most Android devices. Chrome flatly refuses to treat the mouse like a mouse. You can't highlight things like an adult and forget right-click context menus.

Dolphin is somewhat better. It doesn't understand the concept of multiple buttons on a mouse and thus you can't get your right-click context menus, but at least it passes the primary mouse button back to the Office 365 application so we have highlighting, dragging and dropping.

Office 365 is actually rather well designed for single mouse button scenarios, so although the lack of a context menu slows me down, it is not a show stopper.

Hardware definitely limits possibilities. My first-gen Asus Transformer's 1GB of RAM simply isn't enough. The anaemic Tegra 2 struggles to keep up, and frankly the whole thing is a mess.

The quad core and 2GB of RAM in my Galaxy Note 2, however, seems to do the trick. Dolphin has no trouble here. Off I go writing articles.

Phone fodder

Microsoft has created a downloadable Office 365 app for Android phones. That naturally lasted about eight seconds after the announcement of availability and you have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be able to find the .apk file if you go looking for it.

At first, I was rather irked with Microsoft. I figured it was doing something irritating like protecting its office monopoly by restricting the Office 365 app to phones.

But the rationale is far more mundane. In truth, the app is exactly right for a phone and useless for a tablet.

You won't be writing articles on a phone. Not even a Note 2. (I have tried. It causes all of the sads.) You might open a document, make a few token changes and save it… and that is all the Office 365 app is good for, though you can create documents and spreadsheets if you wish.


Microsoft's efforts with the Office 365 app are in line with the previous yeoman's work done on the OneNote and Lync apps. They are absolutely top-quality applications for the intended target market.

Target practice

I expect Microsoft will have to write a separate Office 365 app for Android tablets, assuming we can convince it that there is enough of a target market there to care about.

It is really a chicken-and-egg situation. People steer clear of Android tablets because the tablets don't have a good productivity suite. They don't have a good productivity suite because there is no market for it.

The more important question for Android users is why would Microsoft be interested in jump-starting the Android tablet market?

Anyone who starts using Android tablets for productivity won't be coming over from Apple. They would be choosing Android instead of Windows and there is not much profit in that for Microsoft.
In almost every technical aspect¸ Windows RT is a better operating system. The problem is that Microsoft blew the launch and missed a very narrow window.

The tablet market is still very much up in the air

Microsoft completely miscalculated the price people would be willing to pay, didn't include Outlook, had no app ecosystem to speak of and artificially restricts developers and end-users from turning Windows RT into a full-blown productivity device.

Despite this, the tablet market – and dominance of the next generation of endpoints – is still very much up in the air. Google constantly machine guns its own feet with exactly the same sort of short-sighted protectionist nonsense that has been hindering Microsoft for years.

The allergy to mice in Chrome for Android is one example: Google sees mice in Android as a massive threat. Android is local-application based.

If people could use a keyboard and mouse with Android properly, then they would have no reason to move away from the local-application model. Google's future is bet on SaaS applications and tied to Chrome OS.

The browser rules

Under no circumstances does Google want Windows to be replaced by Android. Android could fork and suddenly Amazon is somehow a player. Google wants you in the browser where it can own you.

When push comes to shove, however, what people actually want is Microsoft Office on their Android devices. We can get it on our phones. The lucky few can get a mostly working version in their browsers. The rest of us will work around the limitations and wait.

The redefinition of the endpoint brought about by the mobile revolution is still underway. With the release of a working Office app for Android phones – something once considered an outright fantasy – all bets are off.

Read the full article here:  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/20/office_365_on_android/

For more information on anything you have read in this article please contact the IT Experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

The new Yahoo logo underwhelms

You may have missed last month's "30 Days of Change" campaign, during which Yahoo rvealed a new variation on its logo each day, as a teaser for the final version which, according to CMO Kathy Savitt would be a "modern redesign that’s more reflective of our reimagined design and new experiences.”

Well, the new logo, created in-house by Yahoo's brand design group and product designers, has now been released. Yes, it has kept the familiar color (Pantone Violet C), exclamation mark and different letter sizes (which apparently represent a yodel). But the font has changed to a custom one using a curious chiseled color scheme that doesn't work well at small sizes. Even stranger, the exclamation mark animates briefly online, which is rather dated idea. Speaking of the final design, Savitt states that, "We wanted a logo that stayed true to our roots (whimsical, purple, with an exclamation point) yet embraced the evolution of our products."

Much of the credit for the final design would seem to go to hands-on CEO Marissa Mayer, who in a post claims to have spent the "majority" of a weekend with her team "designing the logo from start to finish." Mayar waxes poetic about Adobe Illustrator, declaring it to be "one of the most incredible software packages ever made" and claims to be a user, to the extent that she knows "enough to be dangerous :)." Could this be a new trend, for CEOs of billion-dollar firms to spend a weekend with their teams cranking out a new logo? Design firms are trembling at the thought.

Read the full story here: http://stocklogos.com/topic/new-yahoo-logo-underwhelms 

For information on anything you have read here, or for more advice about web or graphic design please contact the IT Support Glasgow experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk/Services/web-design.aspx 

Changes to Gmail that may affect your business

You've probably noticed a few changes in your Gmail inbox recently, which may mean that you have been missing your regular emails from your favourite product or as a company your clients my no longer be seeing your mail shots in their inbox.

Gmail has now divided your inbox into 3 main categories, or 'tabs', called "Primary", "Social" and "Promotions". Your messages are now automatically categorized into one of the following optional tabs:

Primary	Messages from friends and family, as well as any other messages that don’t appear in other tabs.
Promotions	Your deals, offers, and other promotional emails.
Social	Messages from social networks, media-sharing sites, online dating services, gaming platforms, and other social websites.
Updates	Notifications such as confirmations, receipts, bills, and statements.
Forums	Messages from online groups, discussion boards, and mailing lists.

We've noticed that Gmail is categorizing emails from companys  in the "Promotions" tab. This means your alerts from businesses / sales / discounts no longer appear in your  or you customers "Primary" inbox.

 This has the effect of any email not in the primary inbox being treated as spam of of secondary importace to the user. This is obviosuly nto the case for many of your customers who have signed up to your mailing list to be the fisrt to know of new products, services and offers.

The solutions to these new changes is to contact your customer base or mailing list and direct them to drag and drop your emails from the 'Promotions' tab to the 'Primary' tab and when prompted confim you want all future emails from you to go into the 'Primary' inbox. That way they won't miss out on an offer of deal nad you won't miss out on sales vital to your business.

Ubuntu Edge Project

What is Ubuntu Edge?

The next generation of personal computing: smartphone and desktop PC in one state-of-the-art device.



In the car industry, Formula 1 provides a commercial testbed for cutting-edge technologies. The Ubuntu Edge project aims to do the same for the mobile phone industry -- to provide a low-volume, high-technology platform, crowdfunded by enthusiasts and mobile computing professionals. A pioneering project that accelerates the adoption of new technologies and drives them down into the mainstream.

Support the project here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge 
 
This beautifully crafted smartphone is a proving ground for the most advanced mobile technologies on the horizon, a showpiece for true mobile innovation. And at the heart of it all is convergence: connect to any monitor and this Ubuntu phone transforms into an Ubuntu PC, with a fully integrated desktop OS and shared access to all files.

We’re fascinated by converged computing, the idea that the smartphone in your pocket can also be the brain of the PC on your desk. We’ve shaped Ubuntu so you can transition seamlessly between the two environments. Now all that’s needed is a phone that’s designed from the ground up to be a PC as well.

The Ubuntu Edge is our very own superphone, a catalyst to drive the next generation of personal computing.

The Hardware

We’ve scoured the research labs of the biggest companies and most exciting startups for the latest and greatest mobile technologies to specify the first-generation Edge.

Crafted from cool, textured amorphous metal, the Edge has a distinctive, precise look but its rakishly chamfered edges are shaped to fit naturally in the palm -- our design prototype already has a

wonderfully solid feel. It’s the right size, too. Edge gestures are the next big thing in mobile, and our testing has found that a 4.5in screen is ideal for comfortable control of all four edges with one hand.


We also believe the race for ever higher resolution has become a distraction. Beyond 300ppi you’re adding overhead rather than improving display clarity. We think colour, brightness and dynamic range are now the edge of invention so we’ll choose a display for its balance of resolution, dynamic range and colour accuracy.

We’ll protect that gorgeous display with something vastly tougher than glass: pure sapphire crystal, a material so hard only diamond could scratch it. For a phone to run a full desktop OS, it must have the raw power of a PC. We’ll choose the fastest available multi-core processor, at least 4GB of RAM and a massive 128GB of storage. The battery will use silicon-anode technology, so we can squeeze more energy into the same dimensions.

With that kind of muscle, this phone can be your main PC anywhere -- and we really do mean anywhere. You can use the desktop wherever you can find a standard HDMI screen, and the dual-LTE chip will get you online with 4G even when you’re travelling abroad. It’s desktop computing gone truly mobile.

The Software

 Next-generation hardware deserves innovative software. The Ubuntu Edge will dual-boot both the Ubuntu phone OS and Android, and convert into a fully integrated Ubuntu desktop PC.


First, Ubuntu mobile. We designed the interface to create a beautiful home screen that’s free from the usual clutter. You navigate by swiping over an edge of the screen: open your favourite apps on the left edge, switch instantly between open apps from the right, and use the system and app toolbars at the top and bottom respectively. It’s so simple, Ubuntu doesn’t need a home button at all.

Specialist data artists have designed Ubuntu’s welcome screen, with graphics that evolve over time to reflect your use of the phone. We’ve reinvented the inbox so you can read and respond to texts, emails and social media posts in an instant.


From mobile... to desktop. Yes, it’s the full Ubuntu desktop OS used by millions on a daily basis -- and it runs directly from the phone, so you’ll be able to move seamlessly from one environment to the other with no file syncing or transfers required. The core OS and applications are fully integrated with their smartphone equivalents, so you can even make and receive calls from the desktop while you work.

Finally, you can also boot the phone into Android. And there’s a good reason for that...

Technical Specifications

Dual boot Ubuntu mobile OS and Android

• Fully integrated Ubuntu desktop PC when docked
• Fastest multi-core CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage
• Micro-SIM
• 4.5in 1,280 x 720 HD sapphire crystal display
• 8mp low-light rear camera, 2mp front camera
• Dual-LTE, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4, NFC
• GPS, accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, barometer
• Stereo speakers with HD audio, dual-mic recording, Active Noise Cancellation
• 11-pin connector providing simultaneous MHL and USB OTG
• 3.5mm jack
• Silicon-anode Li-Ion battery
• 64 x 9 x 124mm

Google Launches New Gmail Tabs To Bad Press

A couple of months ago, Gmail launched a brand new tabbing system for inboxes, sending users and marketers into a veritable frenzy. The new tabs aim to organize your inbox into three core sections: Inbox, Social, and Promotions.

Your default inbox will mostly contain personal or business-related emails that are likely from people you know directly. Social contains blasts from social networks, like LinkedIn connection requests and Facebook mentions, as well as news from any social tools you subscribe to. Promotions is pretty

self-explanatory – this ought to contain consumer-focused newsletters, discounts, and related marketing materials.

It’s obvious why marketers would specifically be worried – will their meticulously crafted newsletters be sent into utter obscurity, now that users must click one more section to read them?
The answer is simple: there’s nothing to panic about. If you already create quality content that your audience wants to read, they will still get your blasts. If you’ve been sending meaningless drivel, however, you’ll still be ignored or marked as spam.

See? The sky isn’t falling. Here’s proof.

Users are Still in Charge
The new tabs are simply a way to keep our oft-cluttered inboxes much more organized. Some, however, are erroneously touting that Google is getting bossy.
Take the team of customer support experts HelpScout. In a recent article about the new tabs, they had this to say:

“The premise behind these changes is sound, but there’s a major concern to be addressed: Google is now organizing your inbox for you, and it can be argued that they are filtering messages without your consent.”

Without my consent? That’s a bit dramatic. The truth is, Gmail users still have full control over their inboxes. Google now attempts to organize things into folders, but we all have a very easy way to override the filtering. Nothing is etched in stone.

See an email in your Promotions tab that you feel belongs in your default inbox? Simply drag it from promotions onto the Inbox tab, and wahlah, it’s official. At that time, Gmail will ask if you’d like to move all emails from that sender into your inbox – if you click yes, it’s a done deal (until, of course, you move it elsewhere.)

Google hasn’t become the email police. They just decided to respond to the bazillions of users complaining inboxes were too crammed and messy.

Now, the real question is, are the new tabs preventing folks from reading newsletters? Let’s investigate.

How the Tabs Affect Online Marketers
We will first tackle this from a user perspective. The verdict’s still out about whether or not this will decrease readership of marketing-centric emails, but regarding those that are actually appreciated by consumers, they will still get read.

The Promotions and Social tabs illuminate nicely when new email lands in either one, and it’s incredibly simple to click over and see what’s landed. If you, as a marketer or business owner, have worked hard crafting worthwhile emails that users have voraciously consumed in the past, expect that to continue now. Organization is not a barrier to entry.

Most people already organized their email consumption; meaning that when one has free time, one dives into the promotional type emails, and responds accordingly. Nothing dramatic will change with the new tabs, except that perhaps you can’t get away with sending bad content anymore. Those days have been numbered for some time anyway.

The concerning part of all of this, however, lies in the additional way Google is using the Promotions tab. They are now sending unsolicited advertisements through this tab, thinly veiled as promotional emails. It’s easy enough to spot them – they have an “ad” label – but it still smacks of a sneaky way to shove more ads at us. Still, that’s how they make money – and since they’re only doing it in the promotions area, it’s not so heinous.

Don’t Believe the Negative Hype
Since the tabs were released, the internet has been teeming with angry marketers making extremely dramatic claims. Many quote a recent MailChimp survey that tracked early statistics on newsletters, and they did show a slight decrease in readership. But please don’t jump to conclusions like the masses, as this survey did not capture a huge majority of Gmail users that just recently enabled tabs. In other words, it was a premature survey with limited reach. Nothing to bet the farm on.
So what should you do? First, don’t panic. There’s no data supporting the negativity and fears, so hang in there. Next, follow the steps below to ensure you’re creating content your users want.

How to Weather the Gmail Tab Storm
Be proactive in your approach now that the tabs have launched; let them motivate you to create better marketing materials. Here are some top tips:

• In your next communication (and all future blasts), ask your users to move your content to their primary inbox, and link to easy instructions that tells them how (either through the drag/drop process or reverting back to the Classic view.)
• Study exactly how Gmail is filtering all communications, and take steps to prevent your other sends from landing outside the primary tab.
• Concentrate your communications on valuable information in your niche or industry, and not so heavily on your own company promotions. In other words, create content people actually want to read, and you seriously have nothing to worry about.

Why Marketers Should Embrace the Tabs
There is a big upside to these new tabs that few are discussing. These changes may even increase the readership of newsletters overall. Think that’s crazy talk?

Consider it this way – in the old model, all emails were crammed into a single view, with little rhyme or reason. That means your company newsletter had to compete with an email from mom, from various critical business partners, or from little Tommy who just learned to write. You aren’t going to win that battle for attention.

But you may very well earn the click-through when you’re sitting next to other, less interesting promotional sends. If a user clicks the Promotions tab, they know exactly what to expect – you have their attention. It is therefore up to you to not lose it in those critical moments.

See, it is possible that Gmail’s new system is a win-win. I challenge you to view this as a glass half-full scenario and see what the data tells us in the near future!

Read the full article here: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/08/12/google-launches-new-gmail-tabs-the-fallout-report/

For more information or advice on any of the topics raised in this article or with more specific IT Support questions why not contact the experts at Click Networks today with your query. Visit our website for all contact information and support here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk

O2 to launch 4G in UK on 29th August 2013

Mobile network O2 has announced that its 4G service will launch in the UK on 29 August.

The new network, which it claims will be up to five times faster than 3G, will be switched on in London, Leeds and Bradford first, followed by a further 10 cities before the end of 2013.

O2, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica, aims to make the service available to five million people on launch and an additional two million people per month thereafter. It aims for its 4G network to reach 98 per cent of the UK population by 2015.

It will be the second 4G network to launch in the UK, after EE, which launched its 4G services to 20 million people eight months ago across 11 cities.

O2 will therefore be playing catch-up with EE, which has also already rolled out "double-speed" 4G in 15 cities, and stated that by the end of June, it had 687,000 customers signed up to its new network.

O2 invested £550m to secure the 800MHz spectrum at the 4G auction earlier this year, but was tight-lipped on a launch date. It has, however, beaten rivals Vodafone and Three in launching 4G, and claimed that it will be differentiating itself by "bringing to life the digital experience for its customers".

It said this would start with 12 months free music content for consumers that buy a 4G tariff directly from O2.

The mobile operator will offer 4G phones such as the Sony Xperia SP, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, Nokia Lumia 925 and the BlackBerry Z10. The iPhone 5 will not initially be offered on O2's 4G network.

O2's cheapest tariff will be £26 per month, but details on what is included in the tariff and what alternatives will be available are yet to be disclosed. In comparison, EE's cheapest tariff is £21 per month, albeit with a capped data limit of just 500MB. 

Read the full article here. For more information on anything you have read in this article or for any IT Support or advice call the IT Support Experts at Click Networks today on 0141 530 9116. Visit our website for all our latest news and goings on http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk  

Speed up your browsing with these Google Chrome tips!

1. KNOW YOUR KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Like any good browser, Google Chrome has several dozen different keyboard shortcuts that can help improve your productivity. Below is just a few of our top favorites. 

Ctrl + 1-8 = Pressing Ctrl and any number 1 through 8 will move to the corresponding tab in your tab bar.
Ctrl + 9 = Switch to the last tab.
Ctrl + H = Show history
Ctrl + J = Open Downloads window
Ctrl + K = Move the cursor to the Omnibox (address bar)
Ctrl + T = Open a new tab 

Click here for a full listing of Google Chrome shortcut keys

2. USE THE 'OMNIBOX' FOR MORE

The Google Omnibox does more than displaying the URL and allowing you to search. It is also capable of performing mathematical calculations (as shown in the picture) and even answer questions such as "how many cups are in 2 liters?" Try adding any math calculation now in the Omnibox without pressing enter to have the results shown. 

3. SYNC CHROME WITH YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Chrome allows you to sync your settings, passwords, and bookmarks to your Google account. This is a great feature for anyone who switches computers (e.g. work computer and home computer) and needs access to all their bookmarks and account settings. You can log into your Google Account and adjust your sync settings by going into Settings under the "wrench"  or "Menu" icon.

4. PIN YOUR FREQUENTLY USED TABS

Pin your favorite tabs to save space on your tab bar without losing quick access to your favorite pages. In the above picture, you can see we have eight pinned tabs, which would have normally consumed our tab bar. 

To Pin a tab right-click on any open tab and click Pin Tab.

Bonus tip: You can also click-and-drag a pinned tab to the position of your choice. 

5. QUICKLY CLOSE A TAB

Any tab can be closed by clicking on the x on the tab. However, there are much quicker ways to close a tab. For example, if you have a mouse with a wheel pushing in on the wheel anywhere on the tab will close the tab. The shortcut keys Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4 will also close the current open tab.

Bonus tip: Middle-clicking on any link will also open that link in a new tab.

For more informaiton on anything you have read in this blog post or for IT Support Help in general contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks today! Call us now on 0141 530 9116 or drop us and email to info@clicknetworks.co.uk. Visit our website for more details: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

Introducing Hashtags on Facebook

Every day, more than 4.75 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook.* In many cases, these conversations are about brands, products, public figures and local businesses. Today, we launched hashtags as a way for people and businesses to discover and engage in these conversations. 

 

Hashtags are now available to a small percentage of people and Pages on Facebook, and we will roll them out more broadly in the coming weeks.

 

Here is what marketers need to know:

• If you are already using hashtags in an advertising campaign through other channels, you can amplify these campaigns by including your hashtags in Facebook advertising. The same creative best practices on Facebook still apply – compelling copy and photography that is in the brand voice works best.
• Any hashtags that you use on other platforms that are connected to your Facebook Page will be automatically clickable and searchable on Facebook.
• Like other Facebook marketing tools, hashtags allow you to join and drive the conversations happening about your business. We recommend you search for and view real-time public conversations and test strategies to drive those conversations using hashtags. 
• Hashtags do not impact your distribution or engagement in News Feed on either desktop or mobile. We recommend you continue to focus on your existing campaigns to drive your most important business objectives.

Hashtags are a first step in surfacing relevant and important public conversations.  Over time our goal is to build out additional functionality for marketers including trending hashtags and new insights so that you can better understand how hashtags fit into your overall Facebook advertising strategies and drive your business objectives.

 

For more information on anything you have read here please contact the IT experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or drop them an email at info@clicknetworks.co.uk

 

Visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

 

10 Firefox features you should know about

A raft of new features have either been added to Mozilla’s browser or are on the way (showing up in the Beta, Aurora and Nightly builds). Here are the most noteworthy.

Private Browsing

This mode lets you browse in a private session where the cookies, history and other things tied to your browsing activity are purged after you close the program. From the browser, you launch a new, separate browser window in private mode, and it will run simultaneously along with the normal one (which you can close, but continue to use the private-session mode).

Third-Party Cookies Blocked

A future version of Firefox is planned to specifically block third-party cookies by default. The scheme will permit cookies originating from sites that you regularly visit, but prevent those from installing that come from other sources (like an advertising company) you don’t directly visit. A similar version of such a privacy protection is already built into Safari, while Chome allows all cookies and Internet Explorer blocks some third-party ones.

Click To Play Plugins

Mozilla applied their Click to Play security system to all third-party plugins, except to whichever is the latest version of Flash at the time. So by default every plugin embedded in a web page is now blocked with a notice, and you need to click this notice to activate the plugin. Click to Play also advises you to update the plugin in question to its latest version. If you trust a particular website, you can whitelist it so that Firefox automatically loads any plugins on it whenever you visit.

Plugin Warnings

Speaking of plugins, if one freezes up for more than 11 seconds, the latest Firefox will notify you and let you restart the plugin -- and do so without needing to reload the browser.

Faster JavaScript Processing  

Firefox now uses a JavaScript engine named IonMonkey that’s faster than its predecessor. Indeed, when used to interact with certain JavaScript-heavy sites, like Facebook, the latest version of the browser has a noticeable improvement in speed over last year’s releases.

Download Manager Toolbar

There will soon be some enhancements to the way Firefox handles downloads. To the right of the search box, there will be a toolbar icon of a downward arrow that will show the time remaining for a file as it is being downloaded. Click this icon, and a small status window will pop open below it, showing a progress bar for the download. These little touches won’t be enough to replace the more sophisticated third-party download managers available for Firefox as extensions, but they should be sufficient if you don’t do much file downloading through the browser.

Built-In PDF Viewer

Chrome and Safari have had this convenient function for a while, and now Firefox will, too, as of its final Version 19 release. Click a link to a PDF file, and the browser will load and display the document in a tab, rendering it via the wonders of HTML5 and JavaScript. You can also use Firefox to load and view PDFs already saved on your computer’s local storage medium.

Retina Display Support

The OS X version of Firefox supports the high-resolution, pixel-dense screen of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. So the GUI and text of Firefox running on OS X 10.7 or greater do not appear tiny on these Apple notebooks, and look sharper.

UI Improvements to Firefox for Android

With regard to Android, the Mozilla team has been adding noticeable improvements to the mobile version of Firefox Beta and Nightly. It now has a private browsing mode, although, if you have normal and private sessions open, they both run under one instance of the browser. Other enhancements concern the placement of the tabs tray: it will automatically reposition itself horizontally if you hold your phone in landscape mode, and vertically if you hold your device in portrait mode. But its positioning is opposite when the browser is used on a tablet (i.e. vertical when held in landscape mode, etc.).

Firefox for Windows 8 Modern

Mozilla is developing a variant of Firefox for the Windows 8 Modern UI. As of this writing, it comes with the Firefox Nightly for Windows build, and is activated when you set it as the default browser for your Windows 8 system. So far, Metro Firefox is a very basic browser with a minimal feature set. It sports a mobile-centric UI, which is essentially identical to that of the Android version of Firefox. Its present incarnation doesn’t offer a browsing experience that is faster, or otherwise better than Internet Explorer 10. But Firefox is, for now, the only alternative web browser designed to adhere to the Modern UI guidelines.

Read the full story here: http://www.computerworld.com/

For more information about this article or on anything you have read in our blog please contact the IT Specialists at Click Networks today on 0141 530 9116 of email us at info@clicknetworks.co.uk or visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk

How to get your post seen on your Facebook News Feed?

Let’s start by stating the obvious, Facebook’s EdgeRank is complicated and it will be nearly impossible for any business to lay down an accurate projection of what is going to happen with each post published to the network.


While that could be a huge waste of time, having a basic understanding on how Facebook determines why some people sees your posts and others don’t is very important.

There are many factors playing a role in this mumbo jumbo that goes from previous affinity between the source and the recipient to the impact each piece of content generates and even negative feedback. All these items are directly affecting your Facebook Reach on a post-by-post basis.

The Infographic breaks down Facebook’s News Feed algorithm in 2 categories, which helps understand this better:

1. Personal Interaction, which includes affinity with the author and type of post
2. Network Reaction, which of course means engagement, positive or negative.

One last thing I’ll mention before leaving you is this, the News Feed is the single most important element of Facebook, you should understand how it works. In 2012, 40% of the time spent on the site goes to the News Feed, compared to 27% the previous year.

Read the full article here: http://socialmouths.com/blog/2013/04/17/who-is-more-likely-to-see-your-posts-on-the-facebook-news-feed-infographic/#more-11283 

For more information on anything you have read here or for more information on how to impove your online social media presence contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

3 Essential Employee Tech Security Steps

Due to the populartiy of our last article on some of the misconceptions of computer viruses and steps to avoid them, below are 3 more essential tech security steps you can teach your employees.

 Think about your office and the people you have sitting behind the computers.  Or think about your remote workforce in their home offices or on the road with their laptops and mobile devices gripped firmly in their hands.  Whether you realize it or not, all of these workers play a vital role in protecting your company from a security breach.

You may feel pretty safe and secure with all of the latest and greatest security innovations installed, but if your employees don’t adhere to safe computing practices and use the technologies properly, you may be at risk, even more than you think.  Many small businesses don’t have an IT staff so it takes time and training to get employees to maintain data security.
Here are some tips to ensure that your work force is ready to defend your business and its valuable data.

1.  Email Responsibility:  The level of sophistication in targeting individual email accounts has become even more threatening by hackers and scammers.  How many times have you received an email trying to get you to click on this or that?  One simple click can expose business and personal information without your employees even knowing they have done anything wrong.
E.D.S.C.B. to protect your valuable business information: 

• Exercise judgment before opening email attachments. Suspicious emails or email attachments should not be opened.
• Disable the option to automatically download attachments. As a convenience, some email programs will offer automatic download, but if a harmful attachment comes through, it can lead to big trouble.
• Scan attachments with antivirus software before opening or downloading to your computer.
• Complex email passwords. Include upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation marks or other symbols to make passwords more complex.
• Beware of any attachment with an “.exe” filename extension, which may begin executing a program as soon as the attachment is opened.

2. Wireless internet connections merit caution:  
Wireless internet connections are a remote worker’s best friend.  But public wireless hotspots can be a cybercriminals playground when open networks don’t encrypt data, emails passwords or other information.  Remind your employees when they have the choice between a secure wireless connection, which will require a password, and a public hotspot, they should always choose the secure connection.
However, there will be times when employees may have to use a public hotspot Therefore, they should know how to make sure their firewall is on.  They should also know how to disable file and printer sharing and how to make their folders private.
Manage these tasks through the computer’s System Preferences or Control Panel, where the internet, user settings and security can be reviewed and adjusted.  If you need advice on managing these tasks, go to your computer’s help and support index.
Another option you can utilize to safeguard data is by protecting it on a corporate network or in the cloud.  There are numerous cloud storage options for small businesses.

3. Use smartphones conscientiously:
Employees commonly do work related tasks from their personal mobile devices, which opens new opportunities for security breaches.
Consider developing a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy that includes parameters on how and when employees can use their personal mobile devices for work purposes.  Make sure your policy includes specific guidelines for smartphone security, like a password policy, list of supported devices and others that are not allowed to be connected to the network and a protocol for installing applications.  These can become easy entryways for malware if not attended to properly.
A lost or stolen smartphone can also open up an opportunity for a data breach.  You can require your employees to use tracking services offered by carriers like AT&T or Verizon to find the location of lost devices, remotely lock them or erase data.  For more assistance in developing a BYOD policy that’s right for your business, consider getting guidance from a local IT provider or expert.

Read the full article here: http://blog.computerservicenow.com/posts/2013/03/06/teach-your-employees-3-essential-things-about-tech-security/

For more information on anything you have read in this article or about any IT related issues, contact the IT Support Experts at Click Networks today. Call us on 0141 530 9116 or visit our website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk