Technology, Web

Umbraco: Best CMS to Implement Blog Section – Easy Steps

Roger Mate - No Comments

Umbraco 7 comprises multiple extensions. One such extension has to be Articulate for implementing blogs. It is mostly a blog package, which is a relative newcomer to the current Umbraco environment. You can procure its current version from the Github repository. A larger upgrade is quite due and you have to gain more information about it.

In layman’s term, articulate is an open course package for the Umbraco 7 version and created by the core team. It comprises of some of the notable features. There are multiple well-rounded themes available in the package, to be switched easily in the admin section. You can procure categories and tags for posts, which are searchable and with separate feeds like Tags, Blogging, Category and more. The posts are mostly written in Rich Text Format and there is a commenting system support for Discus or any other services. You can import or even export for the BlogML Format for migrating between other blog platforms.

Check on the steps:

Once you are sure of the articulate option for implementing a blog in Umbraco 7, it is time to follow the steps. It is quite easy to install and also powerful to use. After installing, you will receive preinstalled themes, automatically enlisted for you. But, if you want, you can further customize for procuring blog themes and templates to work with some of the existing Umbraco templates. So, for making the service easier for all, some steps might successfully help you to implement blogs in Umbraco 7 website.

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Step 1: Get started:

For the first step, you are just getting started by installing the package. You will come across some new files and folders under the directory, named as “\App_Plugins\Articulate\Themes\.” You will find all the articulate theme file within that set directory and it is where you need to focus on.

Step 2: Start with creating a theme:

Under “Themes” Directory, you can try creating a new folder with a name of them. After that, you have to create “Views” folder under that new section. As a result, you will end up with “\App_Plugins\Articulate\Themes\ExampleTheme\Views\.” Here, the theme name is going to be “Example Theme” in a demonstration.

Later, you have to create two files under the “Views” section, called Post.cshtml and List.cshtml. For the last section in this regard, you have to use a new theme within Blog node, right from “Content” Tab. For that, you have to select top-level “Blog” content and navigate well through the “Style” tab. Within a short time, you can see the new theme adding automatically as an option. After that, save it and publish with proper “Theme” property to use in this step.

Step 3: Adding compatibility with Umbraco views:

For having an articulate view referencing any existing shared layout successfully, you need to work on the “Model” object across all Articulate and Umbraco views. This object needs to be used proficiently and with a proper form of type. You have to ensure that all the referenced Umbraco views, like partials and shared will utilize this proficient and new inheritance.

Step 4: Establishing a connection between articulate theme and Shared Umbraco 7 layout:

Just like the points mentioned above, your articulate views will require the proper inheritance and even types. The List.cshtml needs to look like” var articulateModel = (Articulate.Models.ListModel)Model;” On the other hand, the Post.cshtml view needs to create a model like “var articulateModel = (Articulate.Models.PostModel)Model;”. Check out the inheritance statement and also casted object namely “articulateModel.” This model is casted depending on the articulate view model. Right from this stage, a project can be used as “Model.”

Step 5: Usage value:

Depending on the pints already learnt, the syntax for retrieving blog post’s name within Post.cshtml will be @articulateModel.Name.

 

These simple 5 steps will help you to successfully share your blog on Umbraco 7 website.  If you want, you can always use partials as per the needs and anytime.

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Marketing, Technology

How to Get Maximum Traffic Through Search Engine Friendly Site

Roger Mate - No Comments

While it might be possible to optimize the current website effectively, it is most efficient to build necessary SEO components into architecture and site design right from go. Whether you are planning to hire a designer or using any pre-built template from scratch, it is vital to understand basics on how you can create an SEO friendly online site. There are some major factors to incorporate if you want a site that is both usable for visitors and optimized for search engine traffic and visibility.

  • Proficient URL structure:

While determining the right URL structure to use, it is vital to ensure that the URLs help in indicating the topic of content clearly. It means things should be descriptive and static and must have relevant keywords so both visitor and search engines know what the page is all about. While using multi-words URL, the standard of an industry is to use dashes other than underscores. You should avoid using ID numbers or any other irrelevant and convoluted characters in URL. Your site visitors and Google will appreciate simple and short URL, which convey your content’s subject matter well.

  • Descriptive and simple navigation:

You always want the navigation structure to be efficient, simple and easy for Google and even visitors to follow. This site will mainly place main navigation menu right across the top of the page or even vertically down the left part of a page. Even though some site owners are mainly tempted to put menu elsewhere, usability and many eye-tracking studies have shown that these chosen positions work best. Fly out and dropdown menus are okay but need to be used with care as they can be more difficult for robot visitors and humans to navigate.

  • Going for the responsive design:

For ensuring that visitors can access site properly regardless of the device they are, having responsive website needs to be your priority. A dedicated mobile site can work well but responsive design helps in avoiding some sticky issues like duplicate content and having to build and maintain two of the separate sites. Even though it is beyond scope of this post, some changes to the Google algorithm have changed how you have to approach SEO in content strategies.

  • Social media form of integration:

Now you have evidence that Google is not using social signals from Twitter and FB as part of the ranking algorithm. Well, the indirect benefits of these social media channels have always been proven. Social media propels content around the web and help it get in front of maximum people to gain more links and mentions. Therefore, it helps in increasing your search engine ranks too and even your credibility, brand awareness, reach and authority. Some practices for adding social into site includes ensuring that you have easy social media based share icons on product pages and blog posts.

  • Some of the properly optimized images:

Whenever you are designing your website, ensure that images are of the minimal size used for providing the better user experience. A good practice is to resize an image to a size that you want to display and not just shrinking them in the source code. It can increase page loading times more. This step is rather important as slower loading speed has always been linked to worse user experience and some organic search rankings. Remember that alt image text is also pivotal. So, always remember to incorporate keywords properly into header image, logo and all buttons with other graphics that you might include in site design.

Just be sure to know more about these points first and designing a perfect SEO friendly site won’t be that tough. It is perfect for maximizing visibility at its best.

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Marketing, Technology

5 Amazing Slack Integrations You Need to Try

Jeroen van Gils - No Comments

Slack is one of the most used communication tools today in business and for good reason. This app helps businesses get organized, share files and communicate with every member of the team easily.

It was founded by Stewart Butterfield and started as an internal tool used by his company while developing a now defunct online game. Now, it has grown to be worth $3.8 billion since its official launch. Slack is actually an acronym which stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

Let’s explore Slack’s base features:

  • Channels – Channels are divisions meant to organize your team conversations. They are open to everyone keeping all team members in loop of what’s going on.
  • Private channels – Private channels are used for conversations that may include classified information. Members will need to be invited to view the messages and join the conversation on a private channel.
  • Direct messages – Direct messages are conversations between two or more members. These are best for quick chats that doesn’t need a whole channel.
  • Search – You can search the system if there any messages or files that you need to come back to. All you have to do is type a search term and Slack will show you related channels, members and suggestions.
  • Notifications – Slack notifications keep you informed about things that needs your attention. By default, you will receive a notification when:
    • You receive a direct message (DM)
    • Someone replies to a thread you’re following
    • Someone @mentions you or notifies a channel you’re in
    • Someone uses one of your keywords
    • You receive a reminder from Slackbot that only you can see
  • Integrations – You can integrate apps within the platform to effectively increase your productivity and simplify your day-to-day tasks.

The Power of Slack Integrations

Slack is not an ordinary chat room thanks to its ability of integrating third-party applications to harness more value out of the platform. These integrations enable teams to create workflows and bring data from any application. You can receive or send emails, make audio or video calls, take notes and even organize your calendar.

Really useful ones includes the Slackbot which is built in the platform and helps you with note-taking and reminders.  DiggBot delivers interesting news to your Slack channel and if you work with a remote team, the Spacetime bot translates local times zones.

There are thousands of Slack integrations out there specially designed to improve your team’s productivity and efficiency but we have our top favourites. Here are 5 amazing Slack integrations that you need to try:

 

 

  • Live Chat for Slack

 

A study by Zendesk revealed that 92% customers feel satisfied when they use the live chat feature but surprisingly, a lot of businesses still don’t have this available in their website.

Social Intents’s Live Chat for Slack lets you chat with website visitors right from Slack. This application is designed to work seamlessly for your team. All you have to do is add Live Chat to your Slack, then copy 1 line of code to your site and your entire team will be ready to give your visitors real-time chat support.

Don’t make your website visitors wait and give them the best customer service experience with Live Chat.

 

 

  • MailClark

 

A common pain point for a lot of teams is having to switch between a chat platform and a team inbox. MailClark centralizes all of your external communications so you no longer need to switch between different tools and waste precious minutes of your day. That means you can now manage your emails and messages from Facebook or Twitter within Slack.

When asked what makes MailClark unique in the market, the company’s CEO Anthony Bleton-Martin responded, “We’re the most integrated and comprehensive email integration for enterprise chat. Our competitors require users to learn and use their dedicated interface, our learning curve is one of the market’s best as all actions can be carried out directly from Slack or MS Teams.”

 

 

  • Join.me

 

Many consider this application to be the best and simplest screen sharing and file transfer tool in the market.

It is free to use and can be used anytime and anywhere. As long as you have a computer around or your laptop with you and stable Internet connection, you can view screens, share presentations, provide remote assistance and even hold meetings. If your company needs a few more features, there is a pro version which starts at $29 per month.

With join.me, distance would is no longer a hindrance for effective collaboration.

 

  • Cloze

 

Cloze automatically organizes all of your Slack messages and files by the people, companies, projects, and deals that they relate to. You’ll see your complete Slack history together with all your external communications including your notes and files, so you have a single view of everything related to any person, company, project, or deal.

With this app, you can also know who on your team has talked with a client recently and set a reminder for yourself so you can forget about forgetting.

 

  • AttendanceBot

 

AttendanceBot is a time tracking and leave management Slack integration which lets the whole team know if a worker is at their computer, on leave, in a meeting or working remotely. Here are some of its features:

  • Clock in and out
  • Get timesheets and reports
  • Track billable hours for clients and projects
  • Powerful shift and schedule management
  • Managers and HRs get real-time alerts when employees click in or out
  • Reminders to punch in and out as your day begins or ends
  • Automatic punchouts after you have worked your day’s hours

This is without a doubt a powerful tool for any type of business especially for those who have remote workers working in different time zones.

 

Whatever it is that you need, Slack has an integration for you. There are even integrations that are not work-related.  Here are some fun ones that are worth a special mention:

  • Movie Night – This integration gives you a quick rundown about the movies that are showing in theatres as well as the movies that are soon to be released.
  • Slacker – This integration is for the jokers in the team who want to lighten up the atmosphere. Users can impersonate 20 different characters and can even add their own.
  • Poncho The Weather – This is a weather service which gives personalized forecasts with fun gifs and text.  Once installed, anyone in the team can type /Poncho followed by their zip code and Poncho gives a coolest weather forecast that is sure to make anyone smile.
  • Giphy – With this you integration, you can respond to your teammates using gifs because sometimes, it needs a gif to truly express our emotions. This has the potential to decrease productively so use this with caution.
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Marketing

Best Marketing Automation Software for Small Businesses

Dane O’Leary - No Comments

When it comes to small business, success doesn’t just happen. In fact, small businesses don’t just “happen.”

It starts with an idea. You’ve got something unique — a service, a product, an idea — to offer the world, and you realize you can make a living from that something. So you start a business. And you grow that business. But as any small business owner can attest, there eventually comes a point where you hit a plateau. You’re just not seeing the growth that you once were, so where do you go from there?

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Resources

Get Your Home Back to Normal with Flood Restoration

Biz Think Tank - No Comments

Do you think your house can manage the flood water? Well, a study conducted by FEMA has stated that floods are one of the most costly natural calamities in the U.S. Apart from natural calamities, a flood can also occur due to blockage of a sewage system. Here is a list of ways in which your house and health can be affected due to floods.

 

The Structural and Health Damage:

The first and the foremost risk of flood is always towards the health of the people who are living in the house. In fact, even if it does not cause a lot of problems, the water seeps into the foundation of any building and kit weaker. If these are not taken care of at the right time, then this problem grows bigger leading to severe issues. Some of the damages that flood can cause are:

  • Structural Damage
  • Power Supply Damage
  • Water Damage
  • Communication Issues

 

Causing Life Loss:

No loss is more painful than the loss of life. Most of the time whenever a flood occurs, apart from the house and the things in it, people end up losing their loved ones and this loss is what impacts a human life emotionally, mentally, and physically. In the United States of America, flash floods are one of the major reasons for loss of life.

 

Emotionally Hijacked:

We know what a hijack means, however, are you sure you know the meaning of getting hijacked emotionally? Yes, imagine you have invested all your savings into your house and due to flood you did not just lose your house but also lost someone who was very near to your heart; you would definitely feel dreadful, won’t you? People face depression, fear, sadness, anger all sorts emotions in such situations.

 

Property Being Collapsed:

As mentioned above, all your savings are invested in your house and ninety percent of damage that is caused by natural calamities happen due to floods. Nothing remains the same like before – equipment, vehicles, house, belongings and for that matter; any property be it a commercial one or a personal one – loss means a loss. To avoid such a great loss, cleaning, business, commercial properties at the right time after the flood is essential.

 

 

Economic Setback:

A house does not only take your emotional space but also takes your savings. Even after having an insurance, you might not get one as most companies do not cover water loss especially due to floods. This impact the flood victims drastically – emotionally and majorly financially. The economy of any country gets affected by floods badly and the loss that is occurred is usually in billions. Make certain, you have an insurance that covers loss by floods and water. Also, consider this insurance for your house as well as commercial property.

It takes a lot of time to re-built whatever has been lost. Floods do take a lot from humans as compared to whatever has been invested; from time to energy.

 

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Technology

Make Employees Skilled with Training Through Online LMS Systems

Emma Smith - No Comments

Are you worried that your employees are not delivering the required output? Well, if the production is not up to the satisfactory level, it is a great concern for an organization to see profit or to exist in the competitive market.  Some sorts of training and skill development courses are to be done by the employees to bring them on the right track and work efficiently. With the advancement of technology, computers and internet percolating in every corner the training platform has changed.

The latest is the online LMS systems. It is a platform that is an accumulation of various methods in an organization to reach to the employees to train them and make them efficient.

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Technology

Why Do You Need Data Recovery Services?

Joel Borthwick - No Comments

All the information of an organization is stored as data and this data is the base of all contacts, contracts, and progress of an organization. In cases of IT crashes or unintentional deletion of data, a huge loss may be incurred. Even natural catastrophe can bring about a loss of data from the system of your business. So, the biggest question is how to avoid that the loss of data? The simple answer is by ensuring the data backup and data recovery. A business needs to handle thousands of data every day. It becomes difficult for any organization to set up a different department of data recovery services within the firm. That is where the professional data recovery services come to the aide.

Data recovery is the process of retrieving inaccessible data from any storage device which has been lost in a disaster or has been a victim of accidental deletion. Data recovery services ensure the full recovery of multimedia data, which were stored in a storage device such as a computer, magnetic tapes, USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, RAID servers etc.

 

Types of Data Recovery Services

The mode of action for the data recovery services depend on the required degree of restoration. The data loss can be either due to physical damage or logical damage to the storage device. Logical damage of storage device refers to corrupt partitions, corrupt file systems, media errors, etc. Thus, the following type of recovery service is provided to a business.

  • Hard disk data recovery
  • Server data recovery
  • Other data recovery services

 

Uses of Data Recovery Services

The following are some uses of data recovery services:      

  • Restoration of Contacts:

A business is completely based on contacts. If the contacts of the suppliers, clients, and other important people are lost it will lead to a great economic loss to the organization. Thus, in the case of unintentional deletion or corruption of data contact data recovery services provider that are playing the savior.

 

  • Retrieval of Critical Data

There are several critical data saved in a data system which may either be required for day to day use or have some security concern. These data, if lost, can lead to operational losses for an organization. This loss can be avoided by availing to data recovery services.

 

  • Implementation of CCTV Data for Investigation:

Sometimes CCTV footage become an evidence for any sort of unlawful activity taking place in an organization. It is obvious that if it is a preplanned activity, the CCTV footage can serve as great evidence. If the data on the CCTV footage can be revived, it may lead to an investigation or serves as an evidence against the party.

 

Why Use A Professional Data Recovery Service?

Professional data recovery services are used because of the following purposes:

 

  • Professional Expertise:

As data are vital to any organization, a data recovery service should be prepared for any unwelcoming situation. In such a case, it is always recommending going for the professional help.

 

  • Cost Reduction:

As setting up of a separate department for data recovery services will render costs for hiring office space, hiring and retaining employees for the purpose, it can be clearly said that opting for a professional data recovery service is more economical.

 

  • Best Action in Worst Cases:

As the experts analyze the situation, they can formulate and execute the best course of action for retrieving the data, even in the worst cases.

 

  • Full Recovery:

A professional help also means that you will receive a full recovery in the least time frame.

Thus, it is seen that a data recovery system supports the functioning of an organization during the crisis period. It helps the organization to maintain its position in the industry even after a blowback of data.

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Marketing

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing

Diana Smith - No Comments

If you’re running a business, you know how important marketing is. And since we all started using social media, platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have turned into one of the best places for promoting your business. Even though social media marketing may seem easy, there’s so much you need to have in mind if you want your social media marketing efforts to be successful. That said, we came up with all the important do’s and don’ts of social media marketing.

Do have quality content

What’s so great about the internet is that it offers solutions to any kind of problem you might have. This is why you should use your expertise to provide your social media followers with top quality content. If they find it useful, they’ll be more likely to share your posts, which is one of the best ways of attracting new customers. Ideally, you should have a social media team that’ll be in charge of creating content. However, most small businesses aren’t there just yet and you might have to do it yourself.

Don’t neglect your pages

Many business owners believe that having a Facebook or Twitter page is enough to increase their brand’s visibility. However, this doesn’t just isn’t enough and if you plan to connect with people on social media, there’s much more you need to do than just set up your pages. We already talked about sharing content, which is an absolute must. Besides that, you need to make sure you respond to every comment or message. This shows that your company cares about its customers, which is always a huge plus.

Do rely on videos

Take a look at any social media platform and what you’ll see are a bunch of videos that get shared. The reason behind this is that videos are easier to interpret that text. And since you need your content to be interpreted as easily as possible, relying on videos makes a lot of sense. So, instead of just creating content in written form, what you can do is come up with video ideas for your social media pages. For instance, you can make videos about your company or you can use your expertise and shoot how-to videos for your followers.

Don’t argue with your followers

One of the worst things you can do on social media is argue with your customers. No matter how good your product or service is, there will be times when you receive negative reviews or comments from your followers. And it is the way you react to such comments that matters. Arguing with your followers (both publicly and through messages) can seriously hurt your reputation and make you lose customers. So, even if the customer is wrong, offering them a refund is always a better solution than starting an argument.

Do use the right platforms

Social media has evolved quite a lot and it seems like there are countless platforms you can promote your brand on. However, social media isn’t one-size-fits-all and you need to make sure you know which platforms you should focus on. Luckily, there are media monitoring experts who can keep an eye on all of your pages and help you stay a step ahead. This means they can monitor your social media marketing efforts and help you identify the right platforms for your business.

Don’t post too much

Earlier on, we talked about sharing content with your followers. Even though this is one of the best things about social media, if you do it wrong, it can seriously hurt your brand reputation. Social media users don’t like being overloaded with content coming from a single page. In fact, most of them choose to unfollow pages that post too often. Therefore, it’s a good idea not to post more than once or twice per day. That way, you can provide your followers with enough promotional content without getting labelled as a “spammer.”

Do be original

Social media indeed is the best place for business promotion. As a result, there are so many companies that use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with their customers. With so many companies out there, standing out from the crowd can be tough. And the best way to do this is to be original. Don’t copy what other businesses are posting and try to be creative instead. Show your personality, interact with your followers and you can be assured social media users will remember you.

Don’t like your own posts

Obviously, you like your own posts. After all, it’s you or your social media team who made them. Still, this doesn’t mean you should “like” or “share” the material you post on your pages. This can make your business seem desperate, which isn’t the way you want your followers to see you. Instead, what you can do is encourage your employees to be your brand ambassadors and share material for you. Having businesses that offer similar but not the same products you do share your posts is also a good idea.

Put enough effort into social media marketing and there should be nothing stopping you from attracting plenty of new customers to your business. However, keep in mind that there are constantly new social media trends emerging and it’s up to you to make sure your company stays on top of them.

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Marketing

Getting traffic through Google Adwords with a low budget

Roger Mate - No Comments

Google is one of the biggest and the most used search engines in the world today. Google Adwords has been developed by Google to facilitate paid marketing and advertising on this platform. Through this service, a brief advertising copy or a list of products or a video pertaining to the company’s product can be featured on Google’s search results.  For this the company or the marketer bids on specific keywords so that whenever there is a search on those specified keywords, the company’s advertisement link will be displayed on Google’s search page.  It works on the pay per click (PPC) philosophy. The advertiser bids for keywords and any query on Google related to those keywords should target the advertiser’s ad link. Before going for this marketing strategy, it is imperative to ensure following to make it a cost-effective service.

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