Beginner's Guide to SEO for Any Business

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an emerging asset to businesses; however, many are not taking advantage of this new practice. Today, almost everyone uses their phones to discover new business on search engines like Google. The truth is, websites reach more people than a billboard or an ad ever could. However, this has made the internet a very competitive place—this is where SEO comes into play.

If you are unfamiliar with this practice, take a look at our beginner’s guide to SEO and discover how it can help your business.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique used to help websites rank higher in search engines such as Google and Bing. SEO affects the visibility of your site within a search engine’s unpaid results. These are often known as natural, organic, or earned results.

Why Is It Important?

Websites are constantly competing for top search result spots because this increases the chances of new people discovering their business. Getting people to click on your website can lead to direct sales, thus increasing your revenue. People rely on technology to a great extent today, and as a business, being easily accessible is a huge way to be successful in today’s digital world.

How Do I Perform Proper SEO Practices?

There are many different ways to accomplish SEO. Aspects such as keyword research and creating original blog content are simple yet effective methods you can easily employ. You may also want to consider enlisting the services of SEO experts, who can get your website to the top of the search engine result pages.

The internet has changed the way people and businesses connect. If you want people to notice your business, you’ll want to make sure you’re seen in this outlet. Having strong search results when a potential customer searches for your products or services should be a top priority for all business. Utilize this beginner’s guide to SEO and improve your businesses’ presence on the internet.

5 Ways Technology Is Changing the Workplace

Technology can be a polarizing topic when it comes to benefits and harms. However, it cannot be denied that it is greatly influencing the modern workplace. Business operations are now easier than ever, and technology is changing the workplace in many ways.

Connecting Employees and Businesses

The way businesses communicate started changing once telephones were created. Today, email is one of the most common ways businesses stay connected, but other social networking apps have paved the way for more interaction through technology, too. Applications such as Skype and Facebook have brought companies from around the world together in a conference room for face-to-face meetings.

Increased Productivity

Working on the go is far more efficient with various app capabilities across multiple devices and platforms. Cloud storage has also made your hard work immortal and easily accessible. Employees listen to music to be more productive and stay focused on the task at hand.

The Ability to Work from Home

Working from home is becoming more common due to the capabilities of technology. Most office work performed today can be done on any laptop or computer. Commuting to the office, being stuck in traffic, and blowing through your gas tank is becoming a thing of the past. Remote work also gives employees more flexibility with work schedules and keeps business plans intact.

Web Page Doesn’t Look Right in Facebook App? Check Setting to Turn Off Facebook’s In-App Browser, and Use Your Preferred Mobile Device Browser

In August 2018, Facebook modified their app to include an in-app browser that refers you to web pages in their own in-app browser. Many people don't even realize that they're not being sent to their favorite default web browser on their mobile device.

When you use Facebook's app and you view a website that someone shares with you, there is no referral clear and free out of the Facebook app.

With the in-app browser, there's a chance that the web page you are referred to might not look exactly like the web page that you would see in your own default browser on your mobile device, such as Chrome on Android or Safari on a iOS.

In some cases, a reported bug on Android, cuts off a bottom portion of the web page — leaving a black void. We know because we're the publisher and web developer for Arlingtoncardinal.com … and ever since Facebook rolled out the in-app browser feature, Android users viewing articles on Arlingtoncardinal.com have been complaining about seeing a bottom portion of web pages blocked with a black void. The bug apparently did not affect Apple iOS users.

An advantage of referring out to your true Chrome browser app is that your default (free and separate) browser has features, such as bookmarking, saving to the home screen, and email sharing that might not be available from the Facebook app's internal browser. There are possibly added security settings or and other settings you might prefer with the browser of your choice. Many users aren't too happy about being forced to use an in-app browser in any app — Facebook or otherwise.

Apple Expected to Continue Using Lighting Instead of USB-C in Apple iPhones

The next generation of Apple iPhones is expected to continue using the Lightning port and a USB-A charger data and charging, instead of changing to the USB-C. Apple was involved in development the USB-C port. Almost every other current generation Apple device, including the latest iPad Pro to the Macbook and Macbook Pro feature the USB-C. However, according to tech site Macotakara, the bottom line is the cost of keeping the Lightning port on new iPhones for the next few years is said to be more profitable for Apple.   Previously, Apple was believed to be opting for the switch to USB-C

USB-C is a 24-pin USB connector system, which features a two-fold rotationally-symmetrical connector. USB-C cables and connectors connect hosts to devices, replacing a variety of ports and electrical connectors including USB-A, USB-B, HDMI, and 3.5 mm audio cables and connectors.

In August 2014 the USB Type-C Specification 1.0 was published by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and was finalized. USB-C was developed about the same time as the USB 3.1 specification. 

In July 2016, USB-C was adopted by the IEC as "IEC 62680-1-3".

In September 2017, USB 3.2 was released, replacing the USB 3.1 standard. Speed is the major feature upgrade utilizing existing USB 3.1 SuperSpeed and SuperSpeed+ data modes and introduces two new SuperSpeed+ transfer modes speeding beyond the USB-C connector using two-lane operation, with data rates of 10 and 20 Gbit/s (1250 and 2500 MB/s). USB-C defines the connector; the ability to deliver speed depends on the device.

Lightning is currently slightly slower than USB C 3.1.

Apple's iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X support rapid charging where batteries can go from flat to 50% in 30 minutes, but users need to purchase a USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable adapter. 

See also …

www.macotakara.jp/blog/rumor/entry-36840.html (mixed English/Japanese language site)

Louis Rossmann Repairs a Dead Mac After Best Buy and the Apple Store Declined Repair

Awesome Louis Rossmann tells a story of a dead MacBook Air taken to Best Buy and the Apple Store, where personnel said the Mac can't be fixed. Next Rossman fixes a corroded pad that houses an SMC chip and the Mac is fixed. 


Rossman first rules out keyboard and trackpad trouble by disconnecting. Rossmann finds very little current draw and fan still doesn't work with the keyboard and trackpad disconnected.

Finds corrosion near pad PP5 es 5

Three Step Fix after removing a bad SMC

1. Add solder around pads in the area

2. Scrape

3. Then use wick to make sure that any solder that was added, wasn't added on top of corrosion.


Rossman added flux and new solder on top of the pad, while installing a new chip. The MacBook Air started once again.


The System Management Controller (SMC) is a subsystem of Intel processor-based Macintosh computers -- similar in function to the older SMU or PMU of non-Intel Macintosh computers (PowerPC).

The SMC has roles in controlling thermal and power management, battery charging, video mode switching, sleep and wake, hibernation, and LED indicators. The SMC also enables enforcement of the macOS End User License, allowing it to identify when it is running on non-Apple hardware.

Testing an Opteka 650-1300mm Lens

The Corridor Crew tests a $160 Mega Zoom Lens (650-1300mm) with a 2x converter (2,600mm).

Corridor Digital produces viral videos with special effects on the Internet. One of their most popular videos is "World's LONGEST Lightsaber" published on June 30, 2018.


Corridor: World's LONGEST Lightsaber.

Using an Apple iPad as a Second Monitor -- A Dual Display Notebook Computer

Fstoppers demonstrates using a Wi-Fi connection and the Air Display app for Apple iPad with a Windows laptop -- it also uses on a Mac.

Fstoppers demonstration uses the Air Display app to connect an Apple iPad via Wi-Fi. If you want to eliminate any lag situations, you might want to use the Duet Display app, which uses a Lightning cable or a 30-pin cable connection to a Mac's USB port. A set up with two Apple iPads used as two external displays is also possible. The setup works with all desktops and notebooks running OS X 10.9 or Windows 7+; and all Apple iPads and iPhones running iOS 7.0+.


Unbox Therapy demonstrates a Triple Monitor Mega MacBook with DuetDisplay and Ten One Mountie Clip.

See also ...

Fstoppers: [Video] Turn Your iPad Into A Wireless Monitor For Dual Displays

Duetdisplay.com

App Store Duet Display

Go Daddy Experiences Domain Forwarding Outage

Go Daddy is experiencing an outage that is causing domain names to fail to forward to their specified address on Monday April 23, 2018.  Subdomains and general website forwarding is failing with and without masking.

Using Quotes in Filemaker Code: How to Allow Quotation Marks in Phrases and Prevent Interpretation As Code Operators

There are times when you want quotation marks to appear in a natural world phrase in English language (for example) or a code within code for output of a Filemaker function. However, when you put quotation marks in Filemaker code, the quotation marks are interpreted as the boundaries of the phrase.

If you want quotations to appear as part of the functioning code, you need to put a backslash in front of each quotation mark.

For example, suppose you want a Filemaker calucation to automatically construct HTML code with the following styling (you want to prevent the quotes from being interpreted as code operators) ...

YOU WANT OUTPUT ...
<span style="background-color: red; color: white; font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;<strong><em>RELATED NEWS …&nbsp;</em></strong></span>

CODE REQUIRED ...
"<span style=\"background-color: red; color: white; font-size: x-large;\">&nbsp;<strong><em>" & SAMPLEFILEMAKER::samplefilemakerfield & " …&nbsp;</em></strong></span>"

Note: The very first quote defines the beginning of a desired text phrase. The second quote, preceded by a backslash defines the quotation mark that is need in the HTML code for the desired output.

The third instance of a quotation mark also defines a quotation mark that is need in the HTML code for the desired output.

The fourth instance of a quotation mark defines the end of a FileMaker text phrase.

The ampersand joins the text phrase with a field output.

The fifth instance of a quotation mark defines the beginning of a second text phrase.

The sixth and final instance of a quotation mark defines the end of the second text phrase.

See also ...
community.filemaker.com/thread/129671

Twitter Widget Settings Page Will Be Deprecated Summer 2018; Replaced by Emdbed Setup on publish.twitter.com

Twitter will be deprecating widget settings, and will be encouraging all users to use the embed link at the bottom of a timeline, or in the vertical ellipsis action menu in the upper right of a Twitter page, to access the embed code for a particular timeline. Users can also go direct to public.twitter.com.

The widget settings page will stop the functions of creating and editing widgets on May 25, 2018.

Widgets created with the widget settings page that have specific color settings for links or specific heights will no longer render the custom specifications. Twitter expects the content of the timelines will still function, except for timelines created using the search function.

Twitter hopes that user search timelines can be replaced with a user timeline, list timeline, collection timeline, or likes timeline. Twitter mentions that these methods will offer more fine-grained control over what Tweets show up on users webpages.