The email has been around for over thirty years and become a staple part of life. It is something we are all so familiar with and so used to…do any of us need a ‘How it Work’s’ guide? Well according to Google we do.

Google have recently revealed their sudden desire to educate us all on the world of email by creating ‘The Story of Send’; a guide on just how an email gets from your PC to the recipients…sounds a bit mundane doesn’t it? I mean, it’s not like it is a new technology we need to be educated on, so why do it?

Why would a world renowned corporation create something as basic as a ‘The Story of Send’? We have one word for you; promotion.

The guide is an entire clean cut and well-designed site fitted with animations to explain how the email system works but the whole thing is online marketing at its best and is one big Google ad focusing solely on Gmail, Google’s data centres, their use of green technology and their vast security systems that ensure no email is put at risk. Basic images and videos aside, the site does provide in-depth documentation into Google’s energy saving and their data forums complete with employees in shorts.

Shameless, obvious advertising or a clever way to prove that even the biggest firms care about safety and the environment…you decide. 

We have all told a lie or two when padding out our CV’s; it’s only natural to try to make yourself stand out from the crowd but we can’t help but wonder just what Thompson was thinking to have faked a computer science degree in a bid to grab the top job with the world largest computer internet company in the world…it was only a matter of time before his lie would be uncovered.

What may add as further embarrassment to this whole debacle is that the situation was only brought to light when one of Yahoo’s major outside search holders had clocked onto Thompson’s lie and brought it to the world’s attention. Thompson had not only lied to the big wigs at Yahoo but also to the US Secretaries and State commission.

Although no official announcement has yet to be made; reports are stating that Thompson will immediately be replaced however it will be ‘personal reasons’ that will be cited for his departure.

With Google leading the search engine market; fierce competition has left Yahoo struggling to say the least…this is definitely the last thing it needs. It is time for Yahoo to regain control and prove to shareholders, users and internet marketing specialists alike that it still has its spark. 

According to some new stats from social media analytics company Simply Measured, 22 per cent of the top 100 brands according to Interbrand have Google+ circles of over 100,000 users. In all, 64 of the top 100 brands now operate Google+ pages, most of who started in the first month that the service was launched, although Nike, who only launched in the last couple of months, already has over 100,000 members. The total number of circlers has grown by 138 per cent in the past three months.

The leading brand from the Interbrand list is Ferrari, who has over 730k members, closely followed by H&M with 680k and Gucci with 595k. Overall, automotive, electronics and luxury brands have attracted the most circlers so far. Circler engagement is apparently up 112 per cent.

These are impressive numbers, but look distinctly less impressive when you realise that, for example, Ferrari has over eight million likes on its branded Facebook page. Of course, Facebook has been around significantly longer so it is a slightly unfair comparison, but the question remains, what does Google+ give brands that Facebook does not?

Of course, without knowing exactly how the survey explained the new directive, it is hard to conclude firmly that consumers are in favour of it. According to another recent survey, this time from eConsultancy, 77 per cent of consumers are concerned about their privacy when buying and browsing online.

Worryingly, a third of consumers in the first survey thought that cookies could be used to transmit Trojans and viruses, suggesting that many users may reject cookies for that reason as well as (or instead of ) privacy concerns. It is clear that consumers need educating about what cookies are and why they exist, but many marketers fear that the demands for overt and informed consent will lead to ill-thought out popup messages, resulting in an almost automatic decline from users.

Realistically, cookies do little harm, and often much good in terms of improving user experiences and keeping content free. The challenge will be communicating this to users under the terms of the new directive.

World renowned companies like Apple, Blackberry and HTC have made it so that the use of mobile technology is at an all-time high and is changing the way we live. The iPad has revolutionise the way we all use the internet and countless firms have dipped their finger into the tablet PC market and got the whole world hooked but now computing giant DELL has decided to hit back. Despite rumours that another tablet was on its way, DELL have instead done a massive u turn and come back with an ultra-thin laptop in a bid to reunite our love for good old fashioned classic browsing.

The battle is always a tough one but the DEL XPS 13 is attempting to come in all guns blazing with a dual core PC packed into a device so thin it could disappear under even the smallest pile of books. Now this is impressive to say the least but is no doubt going to be compared to the mobile technology that literally allows us to carry the internet in our pockets. It is probably not the fairest comparison as DELL is offering one might fine machine; the only problem is that it seems to be copying what Apple have already given us, complete with missing Ethernet portals and SD slots and a price tag that would send shivers down anyone’s spine. What DELL is offering is nothing new, nothing different and nothing to challenge what is already out there.

We are in an internet age right? So maybe DELL fell asleep for five years and didn’t notice that mobile technology is now so advanced that we take the internet everywhere we go…it fits into even the tiniest pocket. Tablet PC’s and mobile phones link us all to shops, TV stations and businesses in an instant for half the price. Our love for sitting down in front of a PC at home or at work is no longer as strong as it used to be; we want to link to the world and we want to link to it now. 

Website owners need to accept that not all visits to their sites will end up in a conversion be that a sale, a phone call or whatever the owners’ goals are. However, driving traffic to your site is of paramount importance and by making sure that the visitor achieves his or her goal, you become more likely to achieve yours in the future.

Interact with your website users, find out just what their goals are and try to provide them. With social networking making it easier than ever to put website owners and their visitors in touch with each other, the ability to find out what a potential customer wants and be able to deliver it has never been easier.

The ‘rotate evenly’ feature has been extremely popular with people using Google’s PPC service. The change will now require users who have been using ads to test landing pages or even copy-based conversions to be limited to a 30-day trial period. Any users who do not change the setting within the previous 30 days will see their ads automatically converted to ‘optimised for clicks’. Regarding the change, Google has said: “This change will enable us to provide users with the most relevant ad experience and should help advertisers improve the performance of their Adwords accounts. “

Pay per click internet marketing as a strategy has been gaining in popularity in recent years, as people realise that users are not put off by ‘sponsored’ links, as once had been the impression. Google is one of the most popular and familiar services for offering PPC campaigns and its AdSense programme have millions of members.

Users are now presented with three options when setting their ads:

1.     Rotate evenly.

2.     Optimise for clicks.

3.     Optimise for conversions.

The change has already happened and users will start to see the settings change 30 days after their creative was last edited or enabled. Changes are rarely welcomed at first but it is believed that this change being implemented by Google will offer advertisers a higher rate of return on their ads.

The survey, which was conducted by Lightspeed Research, showed that tablet owners tend to lean towards using business apps more than social media. Sixty-three per cent used their devices for business, with finance and banking apps having been used daily by around 56 per cent of tablet owners. Only 32 per cent used their tablets to access social networking apps.

The research lends more credence to the fact that marketers need to diversify their internet marketing efforts and ensure that they are able to take advantage of the many platforms, devices and application opportunities that are available if they really wish to see their company surge ahead of their competition.

Pricing was also shown to be an important factor, with most people who paid for tablet apps not paying more than £3 for each one. However, it was revealed that 10 per cent of the people had paid more than £5 for an app at one time or another. The survey also revealed that tablet owners are likely to spend more than their smartphone counterparts, with almost one fifth of the people spending more than £30 over the previous six months on apps.

Heaving beaten off countless attempts, it seems that Apple may finally have a decent fight on its hands with the Samsung Galaxy S3. Dubbed the ‘iPhone killer’, Samsung revealed their latest technological adventure in London last night and showed that the world is about to become a little bit more of a smarter place with features that will no doubt make Apple crumble at the knees.

We’re a world that has become smartphone obsessed and are now about to move that one step further thanks to the Galaxy S3’s innovative features. Built in face tracking and voice control aims to create a more natural control system; the voice application will no doubt be compared to Siri but it will no doubt impress more, particularly as it works in the UK. What’s more exciting is the intelligent lock system that keeps the screen active when the phones camera senses eyes on it beating the iPhones automatic lock system by a mile!

Powered by processors similar to those in laptops and arriving complete with a wireless charging kit, Samsung’s latest offering will no doubt change the world of smartphones and leave Apple begging to go that one better.

In a world where everything we do is powered by mobile technology, it is no surprise that a war is about to commence between the two giants…whose side are you going to take?

The information is able to let a website owner see how long it is taking images to load as well as other resources, how long it takes a particular site to respond when a link is clicked as well as timings for AJAX actions. One of the benefits of user timings is that they will not interfere with a company’s page view count, making it by far the preferred way of tracking timings in website analytics.

As part of Google’s mission to make the internet faster, it provides site speed reports as part of Google Analytics, which are invaluable to those people who wish to make sure that their site is loading properly and as fast as possible. With one of the main causes of people leaving a website being site lag, it is a vital tool and one that webmasters should utilise.

Using a simple JavaScript timing code, a website owner can then track custom timings that he has defined via his Google Analytics dashboard. These are set using categories and variables, as well as labels that are optional and aim to help better organisation. Various categories can be tracked as well as several timings within each category.

The survey further revealed that only six per cent had sought advice on a social media site, with 18 per cent taking their advice from the comments that had been left on online articles. Surprisingly, the main method when it comes to researching a product is to view it on a marketplace like the one offered by Amazon where respondents said they can find “a huge range and associated recommendations and reviews”.

The value of reviews on e-commerce sites has previously shown that if a product can gain 50 or more reviews that it can be converted in to an increase of 4.6 per cent in sales, while 63 per cent of people are more likely to actually purchase from a website that offers reviews from users.

These figures, which might offer little by way of surprise, are expected to be tested as social media gains a foothold and more and more people turn to those platforms in order to seek instant advice in a manner that provides feedback to any questions they might have in real time.

If there is a clear affinity on display between a brand, audience and blogger, then a company should begin to look at the benefits of building a blog network in to its site. Ensuring that the blogger has a trusted reputation is essential and can save many months of hard work in building a reputation that would come when a company uses an unknown blogger. That being said, there is a benefit in using staff from your own company who have shown a flair for writing. However, remember that blogs are more informal than a lot of other content that is available on the internet, so a company should consider if this more informal approach will fit with its image. If done correctly, a blog network can also help build a site’s SEO needs.

Building a successful blog network brings many benefits to all the parties involved, according to Brand Republic. The bloggers can receive payment for something they had previously done free; readers will receive added content with entertainment value, while the company will receive added exposure for its brand.

1.     Content – Content is certainly of the main importance in this instance and the better optimised your text can be while containing your keywords, the better your chances of appearing high on the search ranking pages are. Know what your target keywords are and then do your best to integrate them naturally into your site, rather than peppering your site with content that is loaded with keywords but means little to anyone.

2.     Authority – Be the authority in your industry. Your competitor might have lots of content but you should make sure that you have lots of great content. Not only will it help with rankings, it will also help your customers spread the word about your site that, as far as marketing strategies go, is invaluable.

3.     Opportunity – Do not miss the chance to make your site better. Check that all your tags are where they should be, your pages are correctly titled and your Meta data is as it should be.

These three basic steps will move your site up the search engine rankings far faster than any other newer, more complicated techniques.

We all remember Google’s latest announcement that social media sites will now play a growing role in search engine ranking which is why it is only apt that Google has now announced a way to track the effect of your social media marketing. Social reports will help businesses to measure the success levels of its social media marketing and its impact on overall goals. With social value overview, social plug ins and conversion reports businesses will know just what is working for them and what isn’t.

When working on an online marketing strategy, business owners will want to know just what is happening and what route their online marketing is taking and with the new export and share tools introduced into analytics it is now possible to stay all the way up to date. The new export tab will allow you to download or email reports on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis direct from their account meaning they will always be on top of their campaigns.

The events flow report is a popular part of Google analytics that allows site owners to track videos, downloads and so forth as events but with the new report it is now possible to track how visitors move from one event to the next and with the new flow it will now be possible for visitors to learn more and more about their audience.

With any marketing campaign it is wise to keep on top of each area of your campaign and its impact which is now possible thanks to the new attribution model that enables companies to compare different channels and determine just what is leading to online sales…budgets really can be well spent.

The new Google analytics features are definitely set to improve the world of online marketing and help businesses striving for success. What do you think? Are you as excited as we are?

With the meteoric rise in popularity of social media, companies are given the opportunity of reaching millions of potential customers as well as the ability to help them spread their messages in a way that is cost-effective and returns guaranteed results. Managing a Twitter or Facebook account might seem like a tireless task but with help from Caroco, a company can relax and know that its social media accounts are in safe hands.

Caroco helps keep your company’s brand uniform across all platforms, while producing content that is engaging and has the ability to go viral and reach an unprecedented number of potential customers, while integrating seamlessly with your online presence that you have already established. This means that progress and many other metrics will be tracked, campaigns will be tailored to suit individual needs and goals will be easily monitored, so you can relax and know that your social media and internet marketing campaign is under control.

There is no need to fear social media any longer. As companies who are embracing the platforms surge forward, make sure that you are not one of the ones being left behind.

We’ve told you what SEO is so now you need to determine just how you can use it to your advantage.

First you need to begin by asking yourself just what your reason for adopting an SEO strategy is; what are you hoping to achieve? Odds are that the main aim of an SEO strategy is to drive traffic to a website but not just any old traffic; good quality traffic that may potentially be converted into sales. Whatever your exact aim, be it that increase in sales or a growth in brand recognition or simply to gain a customer mailing list, only once a clear aim has been determined can your strategy begin to take shape for the better.

Now it is easy to get excited and start dreaming big but be realistic. A 100% increase in sales within the first month is what we realists would refer to as a silly exaggeration. SEO is a long and uphill battle so don’t get too ahead of yourself and instead be prepared for a struggle and know that it’s going to take a while to see results but with a lot of patience and a clear and decisive attitude they will come.

Once you have your goals in mind you’re going to need to figure out how you’re going to measure the success of your SEO strategy and the most accurate way you will be able to achieve this is by understanding your web analytics. Through packages such as Google analytics you can track just what traffic your website has currently been achieving and by determining your current unique visitors you will be able to define just how you want this to grow and use your SEO strategy to maximise the growth.

Is your website ready for visitors? That’s what it is all about isn’t it? Getting visitors to your website and making sure they stay there, find just what they are looking for and grab it by the horns.

Before you kick start your SEO campaign take a look at your website and ask yourself if it is good enough, if it can give visitors just what they want with pure ease; if it’s a yes the great! If not then you had better get cracking!

Remember setting yourself a clear benchmark is crucial before you kick start your SEO campaign. Understanding what you already have and what you want it to get to is a crucial factor in success so before you begin your SEO strategy plan everything to a t, be realistic and get ready to work your way to the top!

Google’s ‘GDrive’ is an online storage service that simplifies the stress of overloaded hard drives; it is a storage device that is entirely online. Sound great? It gets even better…its free.

The project itself has been circulating the rumour mill for quite some time and even now an official reveal has yet to be made as reports reveal that the launch of ‘GDrive’ was announced accidently through a leak. Either way this is a service that has got the whole world waiting excitedly in anticipation.

The thought of ‘GDrive’ will no doubt have given rival storage service some frightening nightmares and so it should as we don’t doubt that this is one service which will revolutionise the way we use our PC’s.

Although they have yet to mention anything, ‘GDrive’ will reportedly provide users with an icon on their desktop into which a file can simply be dragged and stored; documents, images, videos, you name it. ‘GDrive’ stores it.

Apple gave its users iCloud whilst others became accustomed to Dropbox…we wonder how many will embrace ‘GDrive’ with open arms and will it make that big bang we think?

Whilst Google is never going to let the entire internet-marketing world in on its deepest secrets, it is its unique value after all, the recent criticism the company has received seems to have galvanized a culture of slightly more openness.

As David W. Baker, Google Director of Engineering for the advertising team says: “I think Google has been remiss about being transparent about what we do … There has been a fear that if we talk about these bad things it’ll draw attention to the negative.” Google’s business is based on reliable ads; users need to trust the ads or they will not click.

The three-pronged review system looks at the ad itself, the site it relates to and the overall account. Ads go through two levels of automated review, with escalation to a human if necessary. The site review uses machine learning models and a rules engine to look at all sites and ads on the system to check whether sites meet Google’s guidelines. Finally, the account review looks at patterns around such things as IP addresses, ads, keywords and previous ads.

Of course, it is a never ending and thankless process but working for better search ads should benefit not only Google but also the search market as a whole.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has stated that freedom of information is at a threat thanks largely to Governments and even social networking giant Facebook who it claims is restricting what is used and what is available.

The beauty of the internet lies in its ability to provide anything and everything; an open platform that the entire world has access too; it is by far the greatest invention of our time but today it seems that the threats it is facing are very real.

An increasing number of countries are going against the internet and the freedom it brings; the most memorable example being China whose internet restrictions are the strongest, with only a portion of the World Wide Web available to the nation’s population.

The Google founders have expressed their fear at not only the governmental censorship but also the closed environment that is being implemented by social network Facebook with Brin going so far as to state that had Facebook been around those many years ago, creating Google would have been impossible. With such a bitter rivalry between the two we can’t help but wonder if this is a fact or mere exaggeration?

The entire foundation of Google lies on freedom of information which is why governments who are attempting to monitor the web, control and even shut down specific websites is creating a very real and very risky threat to not only the way we use the internet but the way we view the world.

There is no doubt that the internet is powerful but has it become so powerful and open that it requires censorship?

…I doubt any of us will ever agree.

According to the reports from Covario, Efficient Frontier and Rimm Kaufman, paid search in the US is up at least 15 per cent; Rimm, who serve a lot of retailers, suggest search spend is up some 30 per cent in Q1 2012 over a year ago.

Efficient Frontier suggest that Google CPCs have fallen by around five per cent year on year (Rimm say seven per cent), and declined in Q1 2012 over Q4 2011 as well, whilst Yahoo and Bing’s CPC had actually grown by 18 per cent in the same time period (Rimm think 15 per cent). The biggest drop, 17 per cent, was noted by Efficient Frontier in the retail sector. When which, combined with the impressive growth in spend, implies a significant uptick in retail paid search activity, maybe prompted by post-Christmas sales? Covario noted a three per cent drop from Q4 2011 to Q1 2012, which it suggests is driven by algorithm changes, which should see prices stabilise during the second half of 2012.

One of the biggest trends noted was the shift to search across mobile devices. According to Efficient Frontier, paid search spend on these devices accounted for 7.7 per cent of all search spend in the first quarter of 2012, with spend on tablets exceeding that on smartphones.

That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it? When we think of companies, worldwide or UK based our minds head straight to that TV ad we saw or that picture in the magazine but how much effect do these really have? The fact of the matter is not much. Albeit we remember the product a few minutes after seeing the advert, most of the time it triggers the brain to remember something related; as my mother would always say every time she saw the ASDA ad “I must remember to pick up some beans the next time I’m down there” but that’s as far as advertisements ever really go; we remember the brand but four or five minutes later the mind becomes preoccupied with something else. They cost millions yet never seem to have a lasting effect, why? For no other reason than the fact that we are a fickle bunch; easily swayed by anything and everything that the eyes see and unless we see or read something really really juicy it will hardly stay on the mind and companies are fast starting to realise that which is why PR is growing and growing; with phenomenal effects it can take businesses from the bottom to the top in a flash.

PR is public relations, in the form of press releases or stories that you see in the morning paper, on online news sites and social media sites; they are cleverly constructed pieces that leave readers intrigued for better but sometimes even for worse. The Daily Mail recently reported on the disaster of Virgin Atlantic and passengers left in the Bahamas without luggage…something which will no doubt leave the public thinking twice about who to book their summer holiday with. There has also been the recent passing of Clare’s Law in honour of Clare Wood who was murdered in 2009 which will remain a permanent reminder to all those trying to make new friends on Facebook. Whereas the stories on new snack ‘pop chips’ and their great health properties will no doubt have you reaching for them before the Pringles. Such stories and juicy gossip are what we as a society just cannot stay away from and they play a great part in shaping the way we think. Stories on products and businesses either positive or negative are viewed as ‘inside gossip’ at its best that no one can resist reading and passing on which is why companies have entire departments dedicated to PR in a bid to improve their brand image and better shape the way they are viewed in the public eye although as we can see, the prospects of negative news is always a looming shadow.

They say no news is good news but in the world of business actual news is even better. Building a brand image is crucial for success particularly in such a struggling economy…it can be a make or break factor. Gone are the days in which million pound advertising campaigns were the key to success; good old fashioned word of mouth has never been more important.

Websites, social networking sites, Google ad words, SEO campaigns and banner ads are the way forward, with over 800 million people on Facebook, statistics show that one in 13 people on the entire planet have access in one way or another to the internet…you would be a fool to not have some sort of online presence.

If your business is already online then make sure it is in the best way possible; optimise your website and build your brand on social networking sites and if you are not already on the internet then what are you waiting for? You would be crazy not to take advantage of what lies in front of you! Networks of billions are waiting to hear about your brand and the results could be phenomenal. However with such a surge in internet marketing we may find ourselves questioning the capability of offline marketing.

It is very easy to get carried away in the world of online marketing, the numbers really do speak for themselves but it might not necessarily be wise to dismiss offline arena’s altogether. Your target audience will play a key factor is the marketing methods you select; if you are offering something for the younger generation then great, online is definitely the way forward for you but what about if you’re offering retirement plans? Mortgage advice or anything else aimed at the older generation? Online will always play an immense role but offline marketing may also prove beneficial…remember that the older generation are not always susceptible to the internet. Traditional marketing methods like posters, leaflets and posted newsletters can still have the desired effect as long as you take the right approach with it; simplicity is the key with the classic methods, the only problem is that there is no way of tracking just how many people you have reached and if they have paid attention…there are no analytics available here. With a few, more mainstream revenues like radio and TV you can get yourself noticed to a mass amount of people and the statistics will be right in front of you…if your budget allows it then offline venues can greatly assist.

In today’s economy offline marketing strategies won’t always be considered ideal, no tracking, no statistics and no immediate results can seem off putting but they may work in small quantities and as secondary tools to online. Online marketing is clearly the way forward but depending on your product and audience, offline may work hand in hand with your ventures and help to reinforce your message with website addresses, social media links and contacts numbers…there can never be enough ways to push yourself and your brand. As long as you plan out each marketing arena carefully then anything you do can greatly work in your favour; well thought out offline methods can give a little extra push that we all could do with. Think it through and a great marketing strategy can work wonders. 

The team at Google never cease to faze us; lets face it, they are by far the coolest people on the planet and they have recently proven just how much by introducing Google Glasses...these things really are like something out of a movie.

 Ok so it could be a while before we can get our own hands on these bad boy’s but we just had to tell you all about this awesomeness. Having released a promotional video for the glasses, Google have literally lit a spark under all the tech lovers; the world is very excited!

 The glasses feature a wrap around display that allows the wearer to browse the web, get the latest traffic reports, navigate around any area, listen to music and make calls all without lifting a finger and the best bit is that they look just like regular glasses; this is pure technological genius at it’s finest.

Google is amazing at a lot of things and we mean a lot but lets face it, in the world of smart phones it has definitley been fighting a losing battle. Apple have conquered the smartphone world and left others including Google literally crumbling...but judging by the video released and the fact that Sergey Brin was spotted wearing the glasses at a charity event proves that Google definitely didn’t take defeat lightly. They have come back with an almighty vengance.

 Speculation around the glasses had been rife for a while so this definitley puts the murmurs to bed. The glasses will not only revolutionise technology but the way we all live as individuals and as business. Google changed the world once and they are about to do it again.

 We can’t wait!

We’ve shuffled through the offerings to pick our top five apps that can make work a doddle!

Encamp- Basecamp is a simple yet effective project management tool used by companies across the globe, it provides a great way to stay on top of all tasks, manage team members and keep on top of deadlines so if you’re out and about at meetings and want to keep on top of everything then Encamp is the one for you. The fastest and most effective task management app, Encamp allows unlimited access to basecamp and most importantly lets you access files directly to your phone…task management has never been easier!

Analytics- We off all people don’t  need to tell you just how important managing an online presence can be. Whether your website is your main business or a secondary resource it is wise to keep on top of everything to know just what is working and what isn’t which is why the analytics app is a must have. Track your visitors, page views and even your bounce rate and take control of your online success today.

LinkedIn/Skype-We couldn’t decide between the two so we’ve opted to include them both! Networking and communication is essential no matter what industry you may be in; you need to know your industry competitors, immediate rivals and be able to create new business links that could advance your own brand. Gone are the days of business cards and long emails , it is all about LinkedIn and Skype and with millions of members across the world you really are missing out if your not already on board and thanks to the mobile aps you can receive updates and add new contacts immediately …what could be better?

Evernote- As a creative bunch, this app has got to be one of our favourites out there. Evernote lets you gather every note you think off or see, whether it’s a useful thought or idea that pops into your head or something you saw whilst on your travels, this app is a great way to keep on top of everything and the collection of notes works wonders for the creative process. No more wishing you had jotted down that idea because now it has never been easier and believe us when we say it can work wonders!

Team Viewer- When in business, practicality is always key which is why this app is a must for the travelling businessman. Team Viewer lets you easily access files on remote computers straight to your tablet; allowing you to view, print and share PDF’s, text files, images and much more. This one is great for those business meetings and presentations.

With millions of apps available it was hard to pick our top five…got any alternatives? Let us know!

• Where do users drop out and where do they go next?
• Do they look in the FAQ for delivery details, suggesting that you should put them more clearly in the checkout process?

People will always change their minds about purchases, but anything you can do that will smooth their path will increase conversions.
 

Since its introduction Facebook has struggled to impress with its privacy policy and with the public outcry over Google’s new privacy policy I can’t help but wonder and I am sure a majority of you will all agree…is the internet putting us all at risk?

With Twitter we have the ability to ‘Tweet’ anything and everything, most commonly our location. Whether it’s a celebrity or the average Joe the temptation to ‘Tweet’ about heading for a night out is always too hard to resist and then there’s the Facebook location and check in services that allow people to keep up to date wherever we may be; leaving us open to dangerous levels of exposure.

Now it is easy to say that Facebook allows us to restrict our profile page but when it is so easy for anybody to create a fake profile is that ever enough? And what about the lack of restrictions on Twitter? Although you can stop someone from following you, there comes that question…can we ever really know?

Excitement and curiosity are the main reasons we get ourselves on these social networking sites but be sure to practice discretion to best ensure your safety. Are you one of those people that like to share everything? Well it’s time to show some restraint because as exciting and fun as it can be, it can seriously jeopardise your safety.

If you love to ‘Check In’ to places using the location services provided by social networking sites then try to limit it to public places where you are surrounded by a lot of people, don’t ‘Check In’ to your own house and give away your whole address…you never know who could be paying attention.

Photos are an integral element of social networking but try not to take too many pictures that may give away the layout of your house; people are smart and if they want to they will easily be able to piece together the information that you provide.

Going on a holiday? Fantastic! But try not to announce it on social network sites…two weeks away…an empty house…it’s every burglars dream.

Social networking sites give you an option to include your personal information including mobile numbers and email addresses; steer clear of this to ensure your personal privacy, you can never really be sure who might get there hands on it.

In January 2012 the European Commission proposed to reform the EU Data Protection rules that will strengthen online privacy rights giving users the ability to remove their data from websites however it will be a few years before such reforms are placed into effect which means right now we will have to take whatever little action we can get to ensure our own safety.

Online privacy will forever be a big question mark but it’s up to us to ensure that we don’t expose ourselves to the dangers that are present on social networking. Fun and excitement are all well and good but when your safety is at risk then what’s the point?