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Pros and Cons of Smart Home Automation

Miley on June 1, 2021

Some of us have a love/hate relationship with technology. We love how convenient it is for increasing efficiency and the many ways it helps power our lives. On the flip side, we fear things like data breaches, identity theft, and hacking exploits.

In most cases, the downside can be neutralized by taking a few basic precautions.

The same can be said for smart home technology. We love the luxury of having our indoor environment managed to our preferences, 24/7 security monitoring when we’re asleep or away, and the cost savings that comes from conserving resources through automation.

Like every form of technology, there is an upside and a downside.

Before we get into those, we’ll provide a brief definition of smart home automation and tell you a little bit about how it works.

What is Smart Home Automation?

Smart homes and smart home automation are not quite the same thing. The terms are often used interchangeably, and they’re closely related.

However, Smart Home refers to the networked devices that can be controlled via your home internet connection from anywhere. Home automation is the technology that makes it possible to connect and control these devices.

You’ve no doubt heard of the Internet of Things (IoT)? This is part of it.

Home automation is what allows you to network and configure devices that control the temperature in your home, start your car on a cold day while you wait inside all cosy and warm, and coordinate your indoor lighting, stereo, and many other home electronics with little input or effort from you. You simply set a schedule or scene, and the automation does the rest.

The extent to which it can do this depends upon how it is set up and configured, which devices are connected, and how they’re programmed to interact with other devices.

Smart Home Automation works by programming a hub or multiple hubs that you can then activate from your phone or via voice activation. The most common proprietary home assistant is Alexa, but there are great open source systems, such as Home Assistant, that some consider to be more private and secure.

The difference is that the first is a premium, cloud-based home automation platform and the second is local. Home Assistant is free and open source, but you can add a cloud component for a subscription fee, which would convert it into a hybrid service.

Now that we know a little more about smart home automation and how it works, let’s take a closer look into whether it’s worth it to install or a dangerous capability that you should avoid.

5 Advantages of Having a Smart Home

Do you remember the days when you would need to take a day off from work because a repair technician was coming to install your cable or replace a major home system? With smartphone automation, you can let them in your house from nearly any physical location and use an app on your phone to monitor what’s going on inside your home while you’re away.

Setting up a smart home is remarkably easy and requires no in-depth tech knowledge, though it can be a bit pricey, to begin with. However, keep in mind that it’s a small price to pay for the benefits of remote access and 24/7 visual monitoring of your property. These are just a few advantages of venturing into smart home technology. Here’s another 5 listed below on why you should seriously consider smartifying your home

1. Energy Efficient

Did you come from one of those households where the parent(s) were constantly walking through every room and turning off the lights or complaining when the utility bills arrived in the mail? Smart home automation eliminates this problem by allowing you to configure lighting, thermostats, water, and even your light bulbs to turn on or off on a set schedule. You can also configure and coordinate systems by season, occupancy, time of day, and other metrics in order to conserve precious resources and cut consumption.

That means greater efficiency and lower bills.

Another money-saving feature is built-in sensors that tell you when it’s time to change a filter, service your system, or that you might need a repair. This is a much more sensible solution than waiting for a breakdown or inefficiency that puts strain or wear on your home appliances and systems.

2. Hands-free Convenience

With voice activation, you can tell your home assistant to preheat the oven, record your favorite show, turn on the lights, or even fill the tub. This feature is also great for those times when your hands are full and you need to multitask.

3. Enhanced Security

From remote monitoring to round-the clock surveillance, smart home technology offers enhanced security. You can set your door locks and alarms or see who’s at the door while you’re away. If there’s a problem with your stove or furnace, it can shut down automatically and send a service request straight to the plumber or HVAC technician even if you’re on a business trip or vacation.

4. Save Time With Automated Tasks

Wouldn’t it be great if you could program your home to have the indoor temperature and lighting set to your preferences before you arrive home from work? No more fumbling for your keys at a darkened doorway or bumping your shins on the end table while you feel around for the lights.

Whatever compatible devices or preferences you need can be automated and customized to save time for things that really matter.

5. Access control

This not only saves money and alerts first responders when there’s a fire, medical emergency, or break in attempt, it also makes homes and home systems more accessible for the elderly and disabled.

The Downside of Smart Home Technology

”People assume that the smarter your home, the better your life. But in reality, technology so often gets in the way of leading a good life.” ~ Joe Gebbia, Designer

Of course, for every advantage, there are certain disadvantages. The trick is to determine if the benefits are worth the risk.

To our minds, these are the main liabilities you face when installing smart home automation and how to minimize those risks.

Security and Privacy

Anything that’s connected to the internet or has remote access can be hacked. There’s no way to make home automation 100 percent impenetrable, but there are things you can do to minimize risk.

First of all, don’t connect all systems and devices to the same network. Most modems will allow you to segment your networks, so you can have one connection for computing, one for visitors, a separate network for security monitoring, home appliances, and your furnace. Check with your IP service for more information about setting up your network.

Cost

Although it’s becoming more common, the technology is still out of reach for some people. First, determine if the savings offer an ROI that offsets the cost. You could also implement more critical features, such as a remote doorbell or video monitoring first, and then add technologies or devices as your budget and requirements change or increase.

Setup and Configuration

Sometimes, even someone who’s tech-savvy can have a difficult time setting up or configuring devices. Many companies offer tech support and installation/setup assistance. Even if there’s a small fee attached, it’s worth the price to avoid improper configuration and hassle.

Do the Advantages Outweigh the Risks? Final Thoughts About Smart Home Automation

When precautions are put in place and it’s properly installed and maintained, smart home technology offers many advantages. In fact, it’s projected that by 2025, global home automation investment will reach $133.2 billion. By that point in time, it’s estimated that there will be more than 30 billion active IoT connections or networked devices.

In other words, this technology isn’t going away any time soon. The automation will also become more affordable and secure as it evolves, diminishing several of the disadvantages.

Our best advice to you is to evaluate your own needs and budgets to determine how – and how many – smart home capabilities will improve your life.

Products

How Health Screenings Can Help Keep The Workplace Safe

Miley on April 22, 2021

It’s an understatement to say that COVID-19 has changed people’s lives. That includes the way in which they return to the workplace. As jobs begin to welcome employees back on-site, employers now face a larger burden in terms of providing a safe work environment. Employers are expected to aid in protecting the health of their employees (and visitors), but most want to do so in minimally disruptive ways. Here is a closer look at the importance of this responsibility and how to meet it.

While many employees have been able to be productive while working from home, the majority admit that being in the office is critical to facilitate building relationships and collaborating with team members. That’s only one reason that three in four executives believe that at least half of their office staff will be on-site by July 2021. (Interestingly, just six in 10 employees expect to spend at least half of their work time in the office by that point.) While many employees want to work remotely several days a week, the majority expect and in fact want to work in the office at least part of the time. To do so, however, they must feel safe at work. That said, only half of workers feel that their workplaces are safe.

It’s up to employers to ensure that precautions and strategies are put in place to help welcome employees back and keep them there safely. That may include adjusting the layout of your office, such as moving workstations and seating so that staff can maintain 6 feet or more of distance from each other. If it’s impossible to spread out, physical dividers such as plastic barriers and improved ventilation can help reduce the risk of spreading germs. Regular cleaning of office surfaces such as desks, doorknobs, shared meeting rooms, and phones is critical. Following other protocols to help reduce the spread of transmittable diseases is also necessary. This doesn’t apply just to COVID-19. Even before the pandemic, many employers were conducting regular health screening of their employees that included even std testing.

Making sure that employees are healthy can help reduce the risk to everyone, yet most employers want to do so in a way that is not troublesome or invasive to maintain productivity. Employers should have policies that promote staying at home when employees feel any symptoms. They can also ask employees to fill out simple self-certification forms to confirm that they are feeling their best and haven’t been knowingly exposed to a communicable disease such as COVID-19.

Some workplaces are using thermographic equipment to detect elevated skin temperatures among people in a group, without the need to test their temperature individually. Handheld thermometers that can read the skin temperature of an employee via the forehead or wrist is another method. Other technological advances include wearable patches that monitor health information that can be shared with employers. More than half of employees say they are willing to wear such devices and share that data if it doesn’t cost anything. The following infographic goes into more detail about the need for this kind of employee screening.

Graphic created by Northland Controls.

Insights Products

Ways to Improve your Restaurant Business Visibility in 2021

Miley on April 8, 2021

As the world comes to rely on modern technology solutions, businesses worldwide are facing a major twist in their operations, and the restaurant industry is no more immune from this disruption. Furthermore, due to the pandemic, restaurant owners are already battling for survival. Fierce competition and customer’s changing preferences are the major reasons behind the restaurant industry’s drastic change.

Food delivery apps such as Zomato, GrubHub, Postmates, etc., have changed the way people order and eat. Hence, more and more restaurants are upgrading their current technology in order to achieve optimal results and make their business successful for long-term suitability. Moreover, social media and various online marketing activities help restaurants to promote their products and services. Having a solid online presence is no more an alternative; it is a need.

If you have just launched a fine dining restaurant but lacking an online presence, then you are leaving lots of money and potential customers on the table. In short, you need to embrace emerging trends that build brand advocacy and boost your bottom line. From online ordering to social media marketing to business listing, you need to quadruple efforts to improve visibility in 2021.

Tried and Tested Ways to Improve Restaurant Visibility

These days, the restaurant industry is no longer just about offering quality food and earning money. Things have changed, and the diner’s preferences have been changing. Customer’s expectations from brands are also changing. Along with the quality, modern customers seek digital ordering facilities, strong social media presence, attractive offerings, and much more that encourage them to visit restaurants more often.

Gone are the days when restaurants opted for offline marketing techniques to attract diners. Now technology has changed the entire game since the era of the Internet and smartphones has begun. Diners and restaurants are relying more on modern technology to maximize their business revenue and customer base. According to research, almost 95% of restaurants admit that technology has improved their business efficiency.

Some well-known brands like Starbucks, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut have already implemented mobile technology and are following ongoing marketing techniques to get an edge over the competition.

Overall, it opens the door for new opportunities and improves profitability. So let’s discuss several ways that improve restaurant visibility and keep your customers entertained.

Let Customers Order Food Online

Source: TweakYourbiz

Online ordering has become a boon for time-starved customers. This is why the online food ordering market is not growing, but it’s exploding; it will soon cross the $200B mark. Digital ordering services allow customers to order their favorite food within a couple of clicks.

Hence, technology partners are developing ordering platforms for startups with exclusive features as it offers many golden opportunities to make a solid customer base. As a restaurant business owner, if you have not jumped on the bandwagon of online ordering, this is the right time.

Popular food delivery service apps such as Zomato, Postmates, and DoorDash have encouraged people to order food online as it saves time and money. The majority of customers claimed that attractive deals are the reasons they often order food online. Hence, more and more restaurants are listing themselves on these apps. If you are not doing so, you will lose out on a huge chunk of customers.

When you offer online ordering, you also increase sales and clear up the crowd at your doors. Eventually, it will increase order accuracy, reduce waiting time and create an additional revenue stream for your food business.

Be Active on Social Media

Source: SproutSocial

No matter how quality food you offer, all your efforts will go to waste without having a strong online presence, and you won’t be able to drive traffic. This is what it is imperative for restaurants to have a strong social media presence. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are popular social media channels where you can engage with customers and promote your products and services at cost-effective rates.

You might be wondering how social media presence increases sales and improves visibility; the below statistics will give you a better idea.

Almost 63% of restaurants leverage social media sites to market their products and services.
More than 35% of customers use social media websites to research brands before making purchase decisions.
And 88% of diners are influenced by online reviews and comments; Sprout Social stated that.

Now you must be clear why social media presence is critical for the restaurant business as it is one of the most powerful advertising weapons for your food business. Apart from the promotion, you can engage with customers on a personal level. All you need to create a business profile on these platforms; later, you can promote and communicate with your diners.

Leverage Other Form of Marketing

Earlier, restaurants had limited resources and understandings of marketing. Radio and newspaper were key sources to market restaurants, but now we have plenty of emerging online marketing techniques that have the potential to reach a large audience.

More than 88% of customers research a restaurant online before they order or actually visit the place. While 70% of the American diners stated that they read online reviews to make informed decisions. The introduction of different sites such as OpenTable, Yelp, Zomato, etc., has changed the entire landscape of the restaurant industry.

Here are several emerging online marketing techniques that you can adapt to improve the visibility of your restaurant.

Video content (YouTube)
Get Found Locally ( Google My Business and Local listing)
Website and App ( for menu browsing and ordering)
Paid advertising ( Google Ads)
Content marketing
Email marketing

Above are the popular online marketing techniques that can expand your business reach, boost brand value and upscale your restaurant business without any geolocation barrier.

Stay Updated with Modern Technology

Technology keeps changing, and restaurants are one of the sectors that are disrupted more in recent years. Customers’ expectations are also increasing; this is why it is important to adapt ongoing technology changes to stay competitive and relevant. From ordering online to social media to offering wifi and digital kiosks facilities, technology is everywhere.

Moreover, customers are now preferring online payments over cash, so offering them multiple payment options would be advantageous for you. Make sure the offered payment system is swift and secure. Before you lose a huge chunk of customers, implement modern technology solutions and stay one step ahead in the competition.

Verdict

Once everything is humming for your business, and you have a strong customer base, you have a website, you have a strong online presence, now it’s time to focus on what works and what not for your restaurant business. Change is constant; all you can go with the flow and keep adapting to new changes to thrive your restaurant business.

Products Startups

Why Webinars Are Taking Over the Sales Process

Miley on March 9, 2021

Let’s face it. People don’t like to be sold. So how do you sell without actually making them feel as though they are being sold?

It’s actually fairly simple.

People buy from who they know, especially if it’s a high-ticket item.

Webinars don’t only help engage the prospective buyer by giving them valuable and useful information about their product or service. It puts a face and personality to the company as well.

Plus, people love knowledge, love to know secrets of the trade, and they love to make their own decisions.

So let them……even if those decisions are persuaded a bit.

By utilizing webinars, you have a platform that offers you the ability to do three very important things for your sales process.

The first is that you’re building a list of potential buyers. Every time someone registers for your webinar, you have a lead. You’ll be able to follow-up with these leads, whether it’s with a phone call or with automated email strategies.

The second is it allows you to provide valuable information during the webinar. You can give them so many things of value, such as answering industry questions and giving them tips that will help improve their chances of success.

The third is that you are building your brand and positioning yourself as a leader in your industry. And you’re doing this all while you help them understand why your product or service is so valuable.

Essentially you are taking a cold prospect and warming them up – all while building trust.

During the 40 minute webinar, you’ll be sharing your knowledge and expertise with them and most importantly, your personality will shine through.

You’re building a connection!

So how do you create a webinar?

There’s really not much to it!

The first thing you need to do is find a webinar platform, create live webinars, or host your pre-recorded webinar.

There are plenty to choose from, but it’s essential that you are able to integrate it with your email marketing tools easily.

When doing your actual recording, here is a good guideline to start with,

You’ll begin by introducing yourself then you’ll head into the entire purpose of the webinar. The content is the meat of the webinar. It’s always a good idea to break it down into sections such as “The 3 Secrets to…”. This section should be at 30 minutes.

And then, you’ll transition into the final part of the webinar which will include your product or service and how much easier it will make their life—offering an irresistible offer that will only be available for a limited time.

This exact process is helping businesses improve their sales and close more cold leads than they were able to do. But only if you’re following the exact process below.

Here’s why,

Once they register for your webinar, you’ll begin an email marketing campaign that will automatically begin sending out emails about the content or the webinar as well as reminders.

After all, you want them to show up!

But if they aren’t able to make it, they’ll have an opportunity to watch the replay. You’ll let them know about this after the date and time of the webinar that they missed. You don’t want them to miss out on the information – it’s designed to make you more sales.

Listen, just like anything else in business; you need to learn the skill in order to perfect it. Webinars are no different. Just hoping on and creating a webinar isn’t going to be enough.

You want to grow and engage your potential customers so that you can increase your sales and the best way to do that is with webinar sales training from a company like Janek.

There’s a lot to learn, and having a well-organized webinar from start to finish will certainly help to turn your cold prospects into warm leads if not customers. You’ll need to know how to effectively track your registrants to make the necessary improvements to create an effective webinar that turns your prospect into a customer.

Using a webinar as part of your marketing efforts will ultimately remove your sales process’s selling aspect. So by the time you get them on the phone, they’re already eager to buy!

Insights Products

Best Wix influencer tools

Miley on February 16, 2021

OSI Wix Affiliate Software

The first one on our list is the OSI affiliate software that can help you with a lot of the stuff. If you are looking for affiliate marketing software that can help you manage the referral programs and help view with other promotions and marketing, this might be the one. It will help you with better promotions using the influences and make your brand more visible to the customers. That will help you find out the best products for the customers using the email server process, and it will also provide you with the landing page templates available. Isn’t it the best? We would recommend it to be one of the best Wix influencer tools that you can find because of its excellent services and features. It will help you with the basics and the complex promo code tracking features and for social media sharing as well.

Growth Hero

Growth hero is another one of the affiliate applications that is counted as the top-rated software. You must be wondering what it offers? Well, it will help you with affiliate marketing and with referral programs. Moreover, it will also provide your help with multi-level marketing on social media platforms and creating a network. The seamless setup and improving features of this affiliate software will make it an even better choice for businesses such as Drum Set Lab.

Advocately

Advocately, it will help you increase your sales and make the profit more effective and faster. This is the tool that will help the customers and especially the businesses to create more customers. Moreover, it will help you with collecting the reviews regarding the customer in no time. The tracking and responding process have become a lot easier with this software. It will also assist with the Search Engine Optimisation ranking that has tremendously helped Hunting Bow Lab gain a competitive advantage.

Bamboo referral program

This bamboo referral program is another application that is considered one of the best Wix influencer tools you can use. For better marketing and better influencer actions, you can get this tool. It will not only help you with networking and social media promotion, but it will also help you with the referral programs and cracking the promo codes available. All this application is an excellent choice for people who are looking to promote their website. It is an application that will help you with getting more referrals in no time.

Carro

Need to get another one of the Wix influencer tools? Don’t worry because we have found another one of the excellent tools that you can use. It is not only exceptional because of its performance but also significant because of its features available. You can enjoy the referral marketing, and also you can get the best promotion and marketing on your business with this application.

Viral loops

The viral loop is the referral marketing platform that will help you with better marketing of your business. It is a simple process that provides you a referral solution. You can quickly launch your campaigns within a few minutes, and you can also find out the best customers. It is a double click sharing and inviting software that will help you with quick programming and marketing of your business. It is not only perfect for Wix, but it is also great for Shopify and other applications and platforms. It will offer you the newsletter referral, and it will also provide you the option of referring it to a friend. Some features are just perfect for your website. And the templates will help you even more.

ISORAW Reward done right

ISORAW Reward, done right, is a platform that will help you to find out the influencers for your business in no time. It is a reward program that will help not only the influences but also your business. It is an easy platform that allows you to promote and market your business and connect to the brands and influencers in no time. It offers various features, including a reward program and influencer marketing. There is fantastic support available that will help you even more. With the account analyzer, you can get the best services. Moreover, a social calendar is available to help you better organize your events, and the gallery visit will help you showcase your pictures and posts on Instagram.

Affiliatify

Affiliatify is another one of the best tools that you can find for external links or better support. This is the software that will not only help you with better affiliate marketing, but it will also help you with other promotion and marketing features. It will help you link to the affiliate offers and the other external products that you can connect your website to. It is a quick and easy formula to generate earnings. Check this website for better earning and easier marketing and linking of affiliate products.

Mention me

The last option on the list is the Mention me; a platform is another one of the best tools that you will find on the internet to help you with Wix influencer marketing and earn more revenue. It is a platform that will maximize the customers and will help you with engaging the customers. It will help you with driving the referral and making your referral program even more robust. It is the award-winning Marketing software that can help you in a lot of various ways.

Above, we have compiled the 10 best Wix marketing tools that can work just correctly for you when looking for the best options available. Make sure you are making the right choice and finding out the best and the most appropriate option. However, we would recommend you to go for the OSI affiliate.

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You Shouldn’t Be Missing Out On These 8 App Design Trends in 2021

Miley on February 5, 2021

There’s no doubt that pretty much everyone has a smartphone these days. After all, you just have to look around you to see everyone hooked on to their phones.

And with so many mobile phone users, it is only logical for your business design apps to promote your services.

According to statistics, by this year’s end, app downloads in both Apple and Google Play Store will reach 130 billion.

Developing and using apps come with a lot of benefits, including:

It helps you increase your brand’s visibility.
Clients can contact you whenever they want.
It gets much easier to send promotions and sales notifications.
You can offer more value to your clients thereby earning their loyalty.

However, the competition out there is stiff. In order to attain your goal, you will need a mobile app that stands out. Creating a faultless mobile application design will help you to outsmart your competitors.

Here are eight app design trends in 2021 that you shouldn’t be missing on:

Mobile apps will increasingly adopt voice interfaces.

With the increase in the number of voice searches, the voice interface is becoming increasingly popular too. In fact, it is one of the most popular mobile app design trends.

When you use an app with voice interfaces, you just have to speak. It will interpret your context. For instance, if you get a notification, you can simply say, “read it for me,” and the mobile assistant will read it out to you.

Voice interface makes it possible for people to interact with their smartphones. It improves user experience and builds trust.

3D graphics

3D graphics make it easy for designers to not only display more information, but they can do it in a more presentable way as well.

The graphics allow apps to add more space to showcase products. Users will also be able to get faster results as compared to switching between pages.

Apart from that, with graphics, there is no need for physical prototypes. Moreover, they make data perception simpler and describe product visualization.

Though 3D graphics can slow down the loading time, incorporating it will give you many benefits. Just don’t overuse it.

Functional animation

The animation will add new life to mobile apps. The movement not only adds rhythm to the interaction but gives information. Animations are a great way to gain the user’s attention while they scroll down. It paves the way for easy in-app interactions, improves app usability, displays page hierarchy, and navigate users via interface elements.

Since the animated elements add emotions to the app product, you should figure out the kind of feeling you want to awaken in the user’s heart before you plan the layout.

In 2021, you will see more improved animated elements in apps. Users can look forward to an exciting experience.

Face ID

You need security to safeguard the information on your devices. In the past, passwords, pins, and pattern locks used to offer a sense of security. Then in recent years, a fingerprint lock was developed that can safeguard passwords.

But now, with the evolution of technology, face recognition on phones has been developed, a fast and convenient way to unlock a phone. It requires no buttons, and it automatically analyzes several parts of the face.

Several Apple, Samsung, and Google phones have already implemented Face Id as a basic hardware feature. However, in 2021, designers will improve this feature and make this security feature secure enough.

New, improved typography

In 2021, typography will be the key to designing creative mobile apps. Emphasis will be on having scalable and eye-catching typography so that people who scroll fast can read the statements.

Bold fonts aren’t new, but this trend will gain popularity in 2021. Bold fonts will be used to make eye-catching titles and captions and to add a sense of information.

Also, 3D typography, which adds an artistic flow to typography, will gain momentum. The realistic lettering, 3D animation, texture, and pattern will become a sign of innovation in typography.

You can also consider getting an expert SEO consulting session from a reputed SEO agency to up your SEO game.

Including swiping experiences

Swiping is much more fun than clicking, even though clicking can be decidedly fast and easy. In 2021, app designers will be focusing on making swiping more fun, engaging, and memorable.

There are different approaches to improve the user’s swipe experience so that you can use your creativity. For instance, you can add an animation to your swipes so that users will get a better experience. Or you can add it for more functionality and streamline user tasks.

Abstract and geometric art

Abstract and artistic styles are typically used for startups and apps to substitute photography. It will draw attention with lively colors and simple abstract shapes. Moreover, it is easy to view.

This trend is the right balance between intricate detail and simplicity. It also has plenty of variation and creativity woven in. In 2021, app designers will be experimenting with more abstract art that is simple and delicate at the same time.

Easy on the eye visuals

No doubt app design should be beautiful, but it should also be delightful to use. These days, people are always looking at their phone screens, causing eye strain.

Thus, app designers are focusing on offering a more comfortable viewing experience. The designs created are easy to comprehend and matched with soothing colors and visuals to reduce eye strain.

The app designs used are calming, natural colors, and have simple layouts so that it doesn’t overwhelm the users. The users can look at the screen for an extended period of time without getting an eyesore. The trend is all about incorporating minimalism to avoid distraction.

Wrapping-Up

The app design trends of 2021 share the same goal of making app usage more comfy, engaging, and enjoyable. Apps are more than tools. They are fast becoming companions that users spend time with all day long. App designers are thus focusing on ensuring that the app designs are easy to use and appealing, and fun at the same time.

Moreover, the mobile app industry will continue to evolve, leading to high competition. Thus, app designers and developers should keep themselves updated with the latest trends and technologies.

Development Insights Martech Products

Tips for Improving the Operation of Your Small Business

Miley on October 31, 2020

As a small business owner, you have to account for every cent you spend and make the most of your time. The good news is there are new technologies that can reduce your overhead and allow you to focus more of your time on growing the business.

Infographic created by WSI, an eCommerce fulfillment provider

Your Online Company

Today, it’s common to have a small business online. However, many small companies still need a warehouse or storage facility to house their inventory and pack and ship their products. Thankfully, you can eliminate the cost of having additional space and eliminate the expense and stress of shipping packages by investing in fulfillment services.

Use of Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are the norm. You use them multiple times each day to do things like purchase gas, order dinner, and check the weather. Having a mobile app for your business will boost branding with a continued presence. It will also help improve the customer experience with 24/7 access to your business services and products resulting in additional income.

Social Media Platforms

While social media isn’t really new, many small businesses are just now beginning to realize its benefits. Unlike expensive ads on the radio or television, social media puts you in touch with millions of potential customers for a nominal fee. Figure out your target audience and then reserve a time slot that allows your ad to pop up at the best possible time of day.

Processing Payments

Not too long ago you had limited payment options as a small business owner. Unfortunately, this will more than likely cost you sales. Having a credit card terminal that accepts all types of cards is essential. If your business is mainly online, make sure to include PayPal and Securepay.com.

A Strong Website

Having a website is nothing new. In fact, most businesses large and small have one. However, the difference between a website that produces sales and one that doesn’t is the content. People want to know a bit about your company, and they want to be able to move from one place to another with ease. Keeping them on your site longer is critical. Having new technologies such as a Chatbot that comes up to see if a customer needs help or an animated whiteboard that describes your services/products.

CRM Software

As a small business owner, you want to develop a personal relationship with your customer to achieve loyalty. CRM software lets you best manage contact information and track the interests of your customers to increase sales while building a relationship. A higher rate of customer satisfaction leads to additional sales.

Outsourcing Services

Small business owners need to keep the focus on marketing. Unfortunately, having to handle things like payroll, IT management, customer service and various administrative tasks will consume valuable time. Thankfully, you can outsource all of the above within your tight budget.

Automation Programs

Quickbooks and Sites such as SalesForce allow for automated monitoring of sales, inventory and overall bookkeeping. It also decreases the margin of human error while creating efficiency. Utilizing these technologies frees up your time and that of your employees, allowing for an increased amount of time dedicated to other important matters.

Secure Data

Keeping a good reputation among your customers is essential in maintaining a competitive edge. Using cloud storage or virtual vaults will limit access to customer and business information and the ability to alter existing documents.

Small business owners must continue to find new ways to remain out in front. The good news is that by adopting newer technologies you can retain existing customers and attract new ones to help you achieve your long-term goals.

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Understanding the Difference Between Numerical and Structural Chromosome Abnormalities

Miley on October 30, 2020

Each cell in your body contains around 20,000 genes. Your genes are located on chromosomes which are long DNA molecules that contain genetic material. Normal human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes in all.

If one or several pairs of chromosomes have an abnormality, it can increase your risk of having a child with a birth defect or congenital condition. There are many types of chromosome abnormalities, but the two most common are numerical and structural abnormalities.

How are chromosome abnormalities detected?

X and Y chromosomes. Genetics concept. 3D rendered illustration.

Chromosome abnormalities can be identified through non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). NIPT takes a sample of your blood and analyzes it for genetic information that enters your bloodstream through your growing baby’s placenta.

NIPT can detect several types of chromosomal abnormalities, including Down syndrome and sex chromosome aneuploidies. It can also determine the gender of your baby.

What is a numerical chromosome abnormality?

Numerical chromosome abnormalities occur when an individual is missing chromosomes or has extra chromosomes. If you’re missing one chromosome from a pair, it’s called monosomy. If you have more than two chromosomes, it’s called trisomy.

Some of the most common numerical chromosome abnormalities include Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and Trisomy 18 (Edward’s syndrome).

What is a structural chromosome abnormality?

Structural chromosome abnormalities occur when the shape of a chromosome is altered. There are several types of structural abnormalities, including:

Deletions. Deletions occur due to a loss of genetic material and vary in severity. Some involve a single missing base pair; others involve a missing piece of the chromosome itself.
Inversions. Inversions occur when a particular segment of a chromosome breaks, turns around, and reattaches to itself. There are two types of inversions: pericentric and paracentric. Parents can pass on inversions to their offspring, but they don’t always result in birth defects.
Rings. Rings occur when both ends of a chromosome bend and fuse together, forming a circle. Sometimes rings result in a loss of genetic material, in other instances they do not. Parents can pass on rings to their offspring, but they may or may not cause health problems.

What causes chromosome abnormalities?

The most common cause of chromosome abnormalities is an error in cell division. Cell division occurs in two distinct ways:

Mitosis. Mitosis creates two cells that are duplicates of an original cell. So, one cell with 46 chromosomes evolves into two cells with 46 chromosomes.
Meiosis. Meiosis affects cells that occur in your reproductive organs. It creates cells with 23 chromosomes. Meiosis is responsible for the creation of eggs and sperm.

Normal cell division results in cells with the correct number of chromosomes. When errors occur, cells form with too many or too few chromosomes.

Other factors can contribute to chromosome abnormalities as well, including maternal age and environment. For example, older women are more likely to give birth to babies with chromosome abnormalities than younger women.

With noninvasive prenatal testing, you can better determine whether you are at risk of passing chromosomal abnormalities on to your baby. Once you receive the results of NIPT, your general practitioner, OB/GYN, or a genetic counselor can explain the results in detail.

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6 Pro Tips to Master your Mac

Miley on October 27, 2020

Introduction

The past decade has seen Apple rise from just another tech company to one of the largest tech corporations ever. Past innovations (such as the iPhone) helped bring Apple up, and since then, Apple’s devices have permeated society, with iPhones found everywhere.

But what about Macs? While Macs suffer from heavy competition from Windows, they’re still a great option, especially for people in creative industries. But Macs aren’t perfect out of the box. Fortunately, users can improve their Mac experience and learn how to get the most out of their Macs.

6 Tips for Mac Users

Listed below are 6 ways you can get the most out of your Mac. All of these are extremely easy to do, and while a couple requires you to shell out some money, it’s 100% worth it!

1. Use Spotlight to Quickly Convert Units and Currencies

Converting currency quickly becomes a headache, especially if you’re doing it often. And while you could use online programs to convert currencies quicker, you could also use macOS’s built-in Spotlight.

Spotlight’s main use is to search through a Mac’s files, but it can also be used to convert currencies, measurements, and other units. Just type in the unit or currency you wish to convert on Spotlight.

2. Use Mail to Directly Sign PDFs

Despite living in the age of the Internet, many still require physical signatures for contracts. But what if you could use your signature digitally, sign contracts through PDF?

Well, you can!

Mac’s Mail app allows users to sign PDFs through email, making it much easier to finalize agreements without requiring an external program or physical signature,

3. Download a VPN for Security

Some people believe Macs are immune to viruses and malware—this is not true. Macs are just as at risk as Windows machines, meaning users need to protect their Macs. One way to do so is by downloading a VPN on your Mac.

A VPN encrypts your data and hides its IP address, meaning cybercriminals can’t steal your data even while you are on a public network or an unsecured website.

4. Activate Split Screen to Improve Efficiency

Managing multiple windows and tabs is taxing, especially on smaller Macs. Seriously, who wants to deal with 5 windows on a 12” inch screen?

Fortunately, current versions of macOS contain Split Screen for apps, the ability to display multiple windows side-by-side. This makes it easier for users to access other windows and can help keep things organized.

5. Send and View Texts on Your Mac (if You Have an iPhone)

The good thing about Apple’s ecosystem is that each device works with other devices. For example, if you have an iPhone, your iPad can receive the same texts and messages. Oh, and so can your Mac.

With an iPhone, your Mac becomes more than a laptop—it becomes a secondary phone. You can use your Mac to text others, make calls, and even play games!

6. Take Advantage of iCloud

Macs come with different storage options, with 128GB being the cheapest. Paying for extra—cashing out an extra $100 or so—can be intimidating. But do you even need more storage?

If you’re only working with documents and the occasional video, you may be able to get by with 128GB and iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service. Users get 5GB free but can pay .99 cents a month for an extra 50GB.

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Signal Conditioning: How Does it Improve Health and Safety?

Miley on October 15, 2020

To get an analog signal into a computer system, we need to send it through an analogue-to-digital converter. This device will turn it into a stream of digital pulses that our computers can understand. But before this can happen, an intermediary stage of processing must be taken place. Small-voltage signals must be amplified to the appropriate level. Interference must be removed, and faulty circuits must be grounded to protect the rest of the system.

This intermediary stage is called signal conditioning. Incoming signals are processed so that they can be put to better use by the stages that follow. Thus, signal conditioners are crucial pieces of hardware, and for good reason ever-present in the industrial controls sold by Allied Electronics. But they’re also used on a smaller scale in smaller devices.

How Does Signal Conditioning Work?

Signal conditioners come in a range of different types. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Filtering

Getting rid of unwanted AC frequencies is essential in many applications. You might have heard the hum that comes when a 50Hz power line is inadequately filtered and put through an audio system. In other cases, a signal might need to be ‘cleaned up’ by removing high-frequency noise.

Level Control

Getting the voltage to a level appropriate to the ADC is critical. Signals can be either amplified (that is, turned up) or attenuated (turned down). In the former case, this is done to decrease the amount of noise that might creep in between the signal conditioner and the ADC and to ensure the maximum possible resolution on the signal being sampled. Attenuation ensures that the voltage does not go beyond the maximum on the ADC, which would result in clipping.

Linearisation

In some cases, the signal coming in might be nonlinear. In an exponential signal, massive change might occur in just a few digital ticks. Converting it into a linear signal allows the ADC to record smoother and more useful data.

Electrical Isolation

In some cases, it might be necessary to protect potentially sensitive equipment by isolating one part of the circuit from another. Magnetic couplers work by turning an incoming voltage into a magnetic field and back again, optical couplers do this turning the signal into a beam of light. This process ensures that any problem in one part of the system won’t cause damage to the rest of it. This doesn’t just protect equipment, but the people using it, too.