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Mobile & Technology

Strategy in Motion – Mobile, Video, and Feed Control

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As digital platforms evolve, strategic marketers must stay ahead of new tools, user behaviors, and platform priorities. September reveals five emerging themes that shape digital content and visibility: mobile-first indexing, expanded video capabilities, social ad access, audience feed control, and influencer marketing compliance. This convergence demands clarity of strategy, fast content adaptability, and ethical promotional structure.

Instagram Stories Ads Open to All

Instagram now allows all advertisers to access Stories Ads through Facebook Ads Manager. This move brings full targeting and analytics to one of the fastest-growing mobile formats. For brands, Stories now become an accessible space for creative, fast-moving, full-screen content—placing pressure on marketers to develop immersive, time-sensitive messaging strategies designed for vertical video.

Facebook’s ‘Snooze’ Test: User Control Rethinks Engagement

Facebook begins testing a ‘Snooze’ option that lets users temporarily mute friends, Pages, or Groups. The feature provides users with more control over their feed without unfollowing. For brands, this reinforces the importance of relevance—content must earn space, or it gets silenced. Engagement strategies must shift from frequency to value-driven interactions.

Mobile-First Indexing Begins Rolling Out

Google starts the initial phase of its mobile-first indexing shift. For websites, this means the mobile version is now the primary content source for search ranking. Businesses still relying on desktop-optimized content or slow mobile sites risk visibility losses. This change emphasizes responsive design, page speed, and mobile content strategy as non-negotiables for search success.

LinkedIn Launches Native Video Sharing

LinkedIn introduces native video uploads for all users, expanding beyond links or external embeds. This change brings business professionals into real-time, in-feed storytelling—giving thought leaders, consultants, and B2B marketers a direct way to demonstrate value. Expect short, authentic videos—from expert tips to product demos—to dominate feeds.

Influencer Marketing Faces FTC-Driven Realignment

After earlier FTC warning letters to brands and influencers about disclosure violations, September sees a shift. More businesses are revising contracts, requiring standardized disclosures, and rethinking influencer strategy. Authenticity, transparency, and long-term trust now sit at the center of effective influencer campaigns—not just follower counts.

Strategic Insight

What’s your story? A brand’s story must now reflect its adaptability to platform standards and user control.
What do you solve? You provide clear, accessible, and ethical digital content experiences that earn attention.
How do you do it? With mobile-optimized design, vertical and native video content, transparent influencer partnerships, and targeted Stories-style advertising.
Why do they care? Because audiences increasingly curate their digital world—and only brands delivering ease, value, and trust earn continued engagement.

Fictional Ideas

A nonprofit focused on nutrition education rolls out a mobile-first blog redesign in response to Google’s indexing shift. They supplement this with weekly native LinkedIn videos featuring a registered dietitian offering tips. On Instagram, they run Stories Ads showing healthy snack recipes using vertical how-to videos. Their influencers are required to disclose sponsorships with hashtags like #sponsored and link to transparent landing pages—improving both reach and trust in their message.

References

Facebook Business News. (2017). ‘Instagram Stories Ads Now Available to All Businesses’. https://www.facebook.com/business/news
TechCrunch. (2017). ‘Facebook Tests Snooze to Let You Temporarily Mute Friends, Pages, Groups’. https://techcrunch.com
Google Search Central Blog. (2017). ‘Mobile-First Indexing Rollout’. https://developers.google.com/search/blog
LinkedIn Blog. (2017). ‘Native Video Uploads Now Available to All LinkedIn Members’. https://blog.linkedin.com
Federal Trade Commission. (2017). ‘FTC Staff Reminds Influencers and Brands to Clearly Disclose Relationship’. https://www.ftc.gov

The Video, Speed, and UGC Shift in Digital Strategy

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Digital marketing is entering a sharper phase of evolution. In August 2017, we’re seeing a convergence of trends around video content, mobile ad performance, and user-generated content (UGC)—each reshaping how brands approach visibility, engagement, and trust. This month, Facebook, Google, Snapchat, and Adobe are all contributing to a larger narrative: performance and participation now sit at the center of strategy.

Facebook Watch: Episodic Content with Discovery Built In

Facebook officially launches Watch, a platform built for episodic content. More than just a video tab, Watch invites brands and creators to develop content series with built-in discovery tools. The interface encourages audience followings, comments, and reactions—positioning Facebook to rival YouTube and offer marketers a new route for long-form storytelling within an already engaged audience.

Google AdWords Adds Landing Page Speed: Performance Now Equals Experience

Google’s latest AdWords update includes landing page speed as a formal quality metric. This shift highlights how mobile usability is now a competitive differentiator—not just for SEO but also for paid performance. If your ad leads to a slow or poorly optimized mobile page, you’re paying more and converting less. Marketers are now forced to address load times as a conversion issue, not just a technical concern.

Snapchat Crowd Surf: Real-Time UGC Becomes a New Form of Storytelling

Snapchat’s Crowd Surf tool uses artificial intelligence to stitch together multiple user-submitted videos from live events, producing a single coherent multi-angle experience. This innovation takes user-generated content from raw material to editorial product. For brands hosting live experiences—concerts, launches, festivals—this opens a door to collaborative, immersive marketing that feels native to the platform.

Facebook Marketplace Ads: Contextual Commerce Arrives

Facebook expands ad placement to its Marketplace tab, which is already being used for local product discovery and second-hand selling. The move merges intent-based browsing with ad targeting. Unlike news feed ads, these placements happen when users are actively searching or browsing by category. It’s a sign that intent marketing is extending far beyond Google’s search box.

Adobe Leans Into UGC with Livefyre Integration

Adobe’s acquisition of Livefyre continues to unfold. The platform enables aggregation and moderation of user-generated content from across the social web. For businesses using Adobe Experience Manager, this means easier access to curated UGC for landing pages, product galleries, and campaigns. It’s a direct response to the rise in content authenticity demands from consumers.

Strategic Insight

What’s your story? Your content must now reflect speed, value, and involvement.
What do you solve? You help customers find what they want quickly and connect emotionally with your brand.
How do you do it? Through optimized mobile experiences, consistent episodic content, and tools that elevate audience participation—like UGC integration and multi-angle live video.
Why do they care? Because today’s audiences want content that’s not just fast or entertaining—they want content that feels like it includes them.

Fictional Ideas

A regional theater company uses Facebook Watch to stream behind-the-scenes mini-episodes of upcoming productions. Their landing pages, optimized for mobile, include embedded Crowd Surf-style fan reactions captured on Snapchat. Adobe’s Livefyre integration pulls in social posts with the hashtag #LocalStagePass, which appear in an interactive UGC gallery that helps new visitors connect with the community vibe—and ticket sales rise accordingly.

References

Facebook Newsroom. (2017). ‘Introducing Watch, a New Platform for Shows on Facebook’. https://about.fb.com
Google Ads Help. (2017). ‘About Landing Page Experience’. https://support.google.com/google-ads
TechCrunch. (2017). ‘Snapchat Crowd Surf Can Stitch Together Snaps Into One Concert Video’. https://techcrunch.com
Facebook Business. (2017). ‘Marketplace Ads Now Available to Advertisers’. https://www.facebook.com/business
Adobe Blog. (2017). ‘How Livefyre Helps Brands Connect with Consumers’. https://blog.adobe.com

The Rise of Intelligence: How AI Is Quietly Rewriting the Marketing Playbook

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Artificial Intelligence is no longer theoretical. As of July 2016, the shift from academic novelty to real-world application is accelerating. What was once the realm of labs and research papers is now fueling how platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon personalize content, interpret language, and serve smarter recommendations.

DeepMind Grows Up

After its headline victory against world champion Go player Lee Sedol earlier this year, Google’s DeepMind has moved into more practical applications. It’s now working with hospitals on medical imaging and patient treatment models, while also optimizing data center energy use. This isn’t science fiction—it’s live experimentation with global impact.

Facebook’s DeepText Reads Between the Lines

Facebook has introduced DeepText, a natural language processing system that can understand context in multiple languages with near-human accuracy. This system helps filter spam, power Messenger bots, and enhance content relevance in the News Feed. The machine isn’t just reading keywords—it’s starting to understand meaning.

Bots Are Becoming the New Brand Voice

Facebook Messenger, Slack, and Microsoft’s Bot Framework are all seeing a rise in chatbot integration. These AI-driven tools help businesses automate customer service, pre-qualify leads, and deliver content via messaging interfaces. This opens the door for marketing strategies that move beyond landing pages and email into conversations that feel one-on-one.

AI Personalization Is Now the Standard

Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify continue to fine-tune recommendation engines using machine learning. Consumers are beginning to expect personalized suggestions not just in entertainment, but across the web. This shift demands that brands understand how to deliver dynamic content that adapts to behavior, not just demographics.

Google’s RankBrain Redefines SEO

RankBrain, Google’s AI search system, continues to evolve. It doesn’t just process keywords—it interprets context and intent. Marketers must now consider how well their content answers nuanced questions. It’s not about matching words, but solving problems.

Strategic Insight: Adapt Before You’re Left Behind

• What’s your story? You’re not just another brand—you’re one that anticipates needs before customers articulate them.
• What do you solve? The problem of impersonal, interruptive messaging in a world expecting relevance.
• How do you do it? By leveraging data, automating responses, and crafting content that feels curated.
• Why do they care? Because attention is currency, and AI helps you spend it wisely.

Fictional Ideas

A boutique fitness brand wants to improve its retention and upsell new classes. It deploys a chatbot on its website and Facebook Messenger that recommends workout plans based on previous sign-ups. The system follows up with automated, personalized reminders and feedback requests. As the data grows, the chatbot improves its tone and suggestions. Clients feel understood—and keep coming back.

References

Google DeepMind. (2016). https://deepmind.google
Facebook Research. (2016). ‘Introducing DeepText: Facebook’s Text Understanding Engine’. https://research.facebook.com
Google RankBrain. (2016). Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/rankbrain-guide
Microsoft Bot Framework. (2016). https://dev.botframework.com/
Amazon Machine Learning. (2016). https://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/

Natural Disaster Preparation in Your Pocket

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Most of us are familiar with how convenient apps can make our lives these days. Do you need to map out your daily caloric intake? You’ve got it. Want one-button access to local movie showings? There’s no problem there either. What you may not know is that there are apps designed to even save your life during an emergency. Most U.S. Regions are susceptible to one form or another of natural disaster. Here are some ways your smart phone or tablet can help you get out of them safely:
American Red Cross
redcross-logoThe American Red Cross apps: Hurricane App, Shelter Finder App, First Aid App, Earthquake App, and Wildfire App provide an easy-to-use toolkit designed to help you during a weather emergency. Information on these apps can be found at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/mobile-apps and accessed at the iTunes App Store and Google Play. You can broadcast your safety status to social networks like Facebook or Twitter with the touch of a button, create a family emergency plan using steps and checklists, monitor weather alerts for your location (or the locations of friends and family), or find an open ARC shelter.
Plerts
plerts-logo1Plerts for the iPhone, iPod Touch (formerly BuddyGuard) is a free app platform with a plethora of useful tools to stay connected during a natural disaster or emergency. You can set up Plerts interface to connect to social media outlets like Facebook, sharing your condition with your personal network. The app includes the Lifelink program, which backs up recorded activities on your phone (real-time) during an emergency and stores them on a temporary cloud website. Plerts is also equipped with an impact detection function which uses the hardware in modern smartphones to recognize when the user has fallen or been involved in an impact over a certain degree of force. Find more information at https://plerts.com/. It is available on the iTunes App Store, and soon to Google Play.
iMAPWeather Radio
iMap weather radioThe iMapWeather Radio app accesses the GPS capabilities on your phone to monitor your location and safety, provides you with local weather information, and activates your phone’s alarm automatically in the event of an emergency. Find this app at http://imapweatherradio.com/ or Google Play and the iPhone App Store.
Disaster Readiness
disaster-readinessDisaster Readiness is a preparation app that comes preloaded with 175,000+ resources on how to survive any given natural disaster. Its biggest highlight is that these resources are inherent to the app.In other words, should you be without service, you don’t need the internet to access them. Topics include: emergency planning, sheltering, evacuation in addition to specific emergencies like terrorism, fire, wildfires, chemical emergencies and more. Find the full list at http://www.phoneflips.com/2011/disaster-readiness-guide/. This app is available at iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
FEMA
fema_logoFrequently, the primary concern involved with communication during a natural disaster is power outages. Cell phone airways may be under a lot of pressure, taxed by thousands of worried people trying to contact their families. In contrast, text messages leave a very small footprint, requiring little service and are a reliable way to send as well as receive information. FEMA, along with its standard natural disaster app featuring many of the benefits of the other apps listed above, offers a text messaging program. By texting the FEMA number (43362), including a command in the body of the text, you can receive monthly alerts. These include preparedness tips, shelter locations and open disaster recovery centers. For more information on how to use FEMA’s text messaging program, visit www.fema.gov/text-messages.
Don’t be caught off guard during an emergency. In our digitally-connected world, the solution is as simple as your smartphone. Be prepared by putting all the tools requires, listed above, to safely emerge from a natural disaster as close to you as your pocket.
Jay Acker leads a production team at safetyservicescompany.com that creates safety training materials. SSC offers contractor certification assistance for ISNetworld®, PICS®, and other contractor verification servicers.

Well I Never, Five Tech Developments We Didn’t See Coming

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touchscreenThe world of modern technology moves so very quickly. It is difficult to keep abreast from week to week as scientists, computer experts and programmers come up with so many new and exciting developments.
Some innovations – such as the useful and fun Google Goggles – have come right out of nowhere in so far as the consciousness of the majority of the public is concerned.
Even mobile telephones with MMS capability, camera integration and web access are something which the public could never have imagined 15 years ago but which have become a necessity now. Other advances such as digital photo frames, mobile phone payments which work with scanners and online gaming with voice chat were hard to predict yet seemed likely with the way in which technology was headed for so long.
Here are just five of the most interesting developments in technology so far – we definitely didn’t see these ones coming!
iPod: The iPod is one of the iconic gadgets of our modern generation. Considering that the predecessor was the personal stereo CD player then this compact little machine really did amaze the general public. The gadget has come a very long way since the original came out and now boasts a touch screen, internet access, video capability, and an incredible amount of storage for games, music and apps.
Reverse image search: The reverse image search sites were a real innovation in themselves. To think that one could upload a photo and that software would find that item and all its relevant details on the internet was incredible.
Google Goggles has taken this technology mobile and through taking a simple photograph with a mobile phone you can find all manner of results on your chosen subject.
Cloud: Cloud computing is something which many in the know could have predicted. However, the way in which it has changed how we work forever is remarkable. By storing information and software on the internet, we now have access to our data in a way like never before.
Touch screens: We now take mobile phones with touch screens for granted and these can be purchased for a reasonable amount of money. However, when these first were introduced they were an incredible innovation.
Google Glass: Google Glass takes us into the realms of science fiction with its “augmented reality”. These streamlined glasses with a small screen above the right eye will give you information on your next appointment, the weather up ahead – and potentially so much more. This is one innovation which – if it caught on – would change the face of the world as we know it.
 
Sarah Paige is a writer with a keen interest in telecommunications. Sarah currently has her eye on cloud computing companies such as the Macquarie Telecom Group (ASX:MAQ). Follow her on twitter @sarahleepaige.

Mobile Data Research Opportunities Grow

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Gone are the days when all you could do on your phone was make calls and send texts, and you had to lug around a handset the size of a small brick. Now increasing numbers of us are using smartphones on which people can surf the internet, take photos and use apps as well as making calls and sending texts. Many marketers are seeing this growing smartphone use as a huge opportunity for market research and are approaching the concept in innovative ways.

Market Size

The market for smartphones is huge, and growing steadily. It is estimated that there are 6 billion smartphones being used around the world, and more than half of us in the UK have and use a smartphone. As handsets come down in price and contracts end, it’s fair to say that this number will rise even higher. The apps market has grown from almost zero in little over 5 years, and all major companies are looking at ways to interact with their customer base by using mobile apps and technology.

Research

Most companies are actively exploring the possibilities offered by mobile phone research as a new method of being able to interact with their customers. One of the major benefits is the speed of the information being relayed after purchase. Imagine you have a customer who has downloaded your research app into their phone, and by using GPS you know they have just gone into a major supermarket. They can then be immediately targeted with surveys relevant to what they are buying and why, and data can be more accurate when the purchase or decision is fresh in the memory. As well as the basic questionnaire, the smartphone also gives the market researcher the opportunity to ask participants to scan bar codes of the products they are buying or have rejected, take pictures of items or displays in the store or labelling on products. Some of the research doesn’t even have to involve answering questions. Apps can track where people go using GPS, track how long they spend in each store, and gather data about other issues such as how they manage their music collection, how long they spend taking photographs or how often they download new music or apps to use on their phone.

Getting People Involved

This all sounds great, but it does of course hinge on getting enough people involved and downloading the apps to be able to take the surveys. Perhaps surprisingly, over 80% of people surveyed in recent research said that they would be prepared to download the research app onto their smartphone and be targeted with surveys as they go about their everyday business. One of the main drawbacks of traditional or internet based research is that it can be skewed in favour of certain demographic groups and it can be difficult to get a representative sample. Young men, for example, are often reluctant to participate in traditional surveys but seem happy to complete surveys on their phone.
Creative Commons image source
This was an article by Kieran Graham of Mobile Enterprise Solutions. MESL specialise in Mobile Data Systems for delivery companies and supply chains. Follow Mobile Enterprise Systems on Twitter to keep up to date.

How to Use Your WordPress Website in Mobile Marketing

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wordpress-mobile-themesIt seems like everyone has some kind of mobile device these days. They’re so distracting that places like hospitals and restaurants are banning people from using them while inside those buildings.
Certain areas of the United States are passing laws that prohibit people from using them while driving. But all the people using these devices have one clear benefit, and that’s in mobile marketing for your small business.
If your small business website isn’t compatible with mobile devices, then you’re giving up the opportunity to reach millions of mobile internet users, some of who rarely if ever use an actual computer. Depending on the type of device they use, how your website appears to them could look very different compared to what you see on your computer screen.

Creating a Mobile-Friendly Small Business Website

WordPress is a great platform for small business websites. It’s a great place to start because it’s easy to update. Google likes WordPress. WordPress is updated frequently and there are a lot of features called plugins that you can just turn on. There’s even one to make your website more mobile-friendly by doing things like making your blog posts more readable.
A lot of the newer plugins have something called responsive web design. Those will actually reformat themselves based on the size of the screen viewing them. WordPress offers a lot of great solutions and if you already use the content management system, it’s going to be easier to give visitors to your site a nice viewing experience.

Designating an Employee to Update the Website

A lot of business owners are so busy, but they also have staff that can learn how to mobile-enable the company website. If this sounds like your situation and you aren’t technically inclined, consider signing up an employee for a class like Mobile Marketing for Non-Techies through
www.theschoolofinternetmarketing.com,  where people can learn to use WordPress to build their own site in a single weekend.
The benefit of signing up an employee for a course like this is that they’re probably younger. They are probably more internet-friendly. And best of all, they probably have a mobile device – or maybe even a plethora of mobile devices that they can use to see how your company website appears via those different methods.

WordPress is the Cost-Efficient Choice

The next thing to consider is, how practical is this? It’s not uncommon to run across someone who has spent thousands of dollars in an attempt to build a website that they don’t know anything about – including whether or not it’s mobile-enabled, or how to update it with that fresh content that Google loves. In that sense, WordPress is the obvious choice.
WordPress has all the functionality of software that would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars little more than a decade ago. Most of the plugins you need are free, or you might decide to invest a few dollars on a specialty theme or to learn how to get started. For a small business, WordPress is very cost effective.

Mobile Marketing Plugins for WordPress

Plugins are similar to an iPhone or Android app, where you download it and it extends the functionality of your smartphone, tablet, or other internet-ready device. A plugin is the same idea. It adds more functionality to your website, and most of the apps are free. Here are some plugins that help make your WordPress site more mobile-friendly.

  • DeviceAtlas – This little plugin packs quite a punch. It determines what type of device your visitor is using and then directs them to the mobile version of your site that is compatible with their device operating system.
  • WordPress Mobile Adapter – In just a few clicks, make your WordPress site readily able to support more than 5,000 we-enabled devices.
  • WordPress Mobile Pack – This plugin gives a lot of control. However, it has so many options that it can seem overwhelming at first.

When people are searching for you on your phone from Google or some other way, they’re going to wind up at your website first. So you want your website to look right without requiring them to download an app first. It’s inconvenient, and many will just move on to another site instead of going through the hassle of downloading an app.
One of the misconceptions people have is mobile apps versus mobile-enabled websites. People are used to downloading app, and apps are great. Everyone with a smartphone has used apps whether it’s to play Angry Birds or Draw Something, or just to use Yelp or Foursquare to find a restaurant. As a small business owner, you can do both but the starting point is to get your website mobile-enabled. From there, the possibilities are endless.
James Martell is an Internet pioneer who discovered the lucrative world of the Internet in 1999. He is a leading expert in affiliate marketing, SEO & outsourcing. He lives in White Rock BC, a suburb of Vancouver, with his wife Arlene. Follow him on Twitter @JamesDMartell

A Look At Mobile Marketing [INTERNSHIP]

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2d Mobile Barcode Scanning Instant VisibilityMobile marketing is sky rocketing due to smart phones and advanced technologies coming about. Mobile marketing is marketing on a mobile device or through the means of any wireless network. This includes cell phones and tablets. Mobile marketing is an extension of online marketing that focuses on targeted audiences viewing ads on their mobile devices.
Mobile ads command a lower price on average than web and print advertisements. With so many people owning a cell phone or tablet, mobile marketing is the least expensive way to advertise. Mobile marketing includes SMS and MMS, display ads, QR codes, mobile websites, mobile apps, and more.
SMS (short message service) is a great way for businesses to make sure they are reaching out to their audience. By taking advantage of the SMS feature on mobile phones, businesses can create brand awareness by informing their subscribers of new product or service information through text messaging. SMS has expanded quickly as a new channel to reach the consumers. MMS (multimedia messaging service) has taken SMS to a different level by including pictures, videos, and sounds. By adding pictures, videos, and sounds, this makes the ad more persuasive. This gives the consumers more appealing content instead of just words. Pictures, videos, and sounds gives the advertisement a lot more visibility because it’s more interesting to the eye.
Setting up a mobile website is a lot easier than it looks. This process takes your existing website content and formats it for a mobile screen. This makes it much easier for a consumer to browse your site. WordPress has plugins that may help you through the process of making your website mobile. There are many other websites that can turn your website into a mobile one, simply Google “mobile website converter”.
Another way to advertise your business through mobile networks is to claim your business on a location-based platform. This lets your customers “check-in” with sites like foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter, gaining your visibility to other possible consumers. While on a website, it would be ideal for your business’ ad to “pop up”. Running a mobile ad campaign is a good idea for visibility. While roaming on the internet a person can see that your new restaurant is nearby and offers a unique experience.
QR codes (quick response codes) are those little bar like squares that are able to be scanned. There are getting increasingly popular because they are easy to use. The only downside to QR codes is that they can only be scanned by smart phones. Using websites like Beetagg.com allows you to download the QR code that you want to launch. QR codes bring you to that business app. Mobile apps are a huge success so far in smart phones and tablets. Apps are sometimes the main reason a person would want to get a smart phone or tablet. Apps are like mobile websites but offer something different. You can make your app free or cost money, it is up to you. People prefer apps over websites because apps are easier to navigate and are different than a typical website. Variety is always key.
Mobile technology is the future. Soon as we know it everyone will own a smart phone and or tablet. Mobile marketing is doable for any small business or large corporation. It is a way for a company to connect to their audience anytime and anywhere. It comes in handy because people are always on the go and always on their cell phones. Bringing advertisements to their finger tips is definitely a smart move.
Sources:

 The content in this article is part of Digital Ethos’s Digital Media Education in the Higher Education Internship Program, the content was created by @KaylaMarzo, a Student at Suffolk County Community college, intern at Digital Ethos.

5 Ways Windows 8 Will Benefit Businesses

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The brand new Windows 8 is finally here after being released back in October 2012, and it will soon be the default operating system on all new laptops and PCs, as well as on Microsoft tablets such as the upcoming Surface tablet.
The changes to this new Windows OS and the differences compared to the most recent Windows operating systems have already been commented upon. However, it is the benefits that Windows 8 will bring to business users that has become one of the software’s biggest talking points.
So, what will Windows 8 bring to businesses? The following are 5 of the biggest advantages for companies of all sizes:
1.Better, faster booting.
New PCs installed with Windows 8 will be using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), a brand new boot solution. UEFI, used instead of BIOS, promises to improve booting up and make it far faster, as well as requiring fewer restarts. This can save time for the IT department and significantly increase office productivity.
2.Support for tablets and desktops.
As well as having a classic desktop interface, Winsows 8 will also have an interface that has been optimised for touch screen tablets. Users can choose their preferred interface depending on their needs.
3.Windows To Go.
The new Windows to Go feature in Windows 8 allows you to install the software on a portable drive, so that you can take it away with you and boot it up on another PC. As well as being convenient and versatile, this new Windows to Go feature can also act as a good backup for corrupt or infected PCs.
4.Compatibility with existing hardware.
Windows 8 will apparently run on existing hardware, so that businesses don’t have to shell out to replace all their Windows 7-era hardware to use the new software. Microsoft has even suggested that the software may even run on some pre-Windows 7 machines.
5.New Windows 8 app store.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to make an app store available for Windows 8 when it is launched on general release, so that downloading and installing new applications is easier, especially for smaller businesses.
Whenever a new operating system is released by Windows, there is always a sense of excitement on what updates and new features have been introduced so many businesses will be taking an interest in this new operating system and if you’re not, you should be!
Christine Elderidge works for Cartridge Monkey Ltd, the UK’s leading supplier of cheap ink cartridges. Follow them on twitter @CartridgeMonkey

QR Codes on Gravestones to Access Memorials

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Walking through a cemetery is often eerie and rather uncomfortable, especially knowing there were people who lost their lives and were buried in the ground beneath you. It’s not unusual to wonder about those who are deceased and what their stories were. When looking at gravestones you know their names and their life span, but who were they really? What did they do with their lives and what were they known for. Soon these questions will be answered with as little as a scan of your cell phone.
QR codes, the two-dimensional barcodes that have grown to be extremely popular over the past few years, are making their way now onto gravestones. Starting in the UK and quickly moving to America, gravestone producers are offering the addition of QR codes to direct those interested to an interactive memorial for the person who has died.
These interactive memorials can include anything from pictures, videos and contributions from family and friends. There are even people now who are creating their own memorials so that they can structure how it’s laid out and how they’re remembered.
Imagine being able to structure what people see in your memorial, what your last thoughts were and what messages you’d like to send to family and friends. This also creates easy access to family tree information, making it much easier than digging for birth records in the future.
Of course with new technology such as this, there are bound to be challenges. The idea of putting a QR code on a structure that’s made to last for hundreds of years creates a number of difficulties. You can go to any graveyard and see how different recent gravestones look compared to stones that are hundreds of years old. As a gravestone weathers and changes over time, a QR code can become much more difficult to read and scan. Textures like sandstone and granite will change and the codes you have etched into them will change as well.
Another challenge you run into with adding these codes to gravestones is the technology itself. While the QR code technology has been around for a couple decades already, it’s never a sure thing that it will be around in another 10 to 20 years. With technology always evolving, another two-dimensional technology could replace the QR code, making the current QR codes obsolete and unreadable.
By creating a memorial for someone online, this creates another issue regarding the website URL. With the Internet constantly evolving, URL technology could very well change within the next several decades. This puts you at risk of losing all of these records over time. While the current technology appears to be here to stay, you never know what the future holds for us and what advancements will be made to completely change the way we do things today.
The idea of preparing for your own death may be morbid, but it’s a reasonable thought process. Rather than being remembered for a tragic accident, a health condition, etc, why not shape exactly how you want to be remembered and implement that as an interactive memorial. This way, the next time someone’s walking through a graveyard and sees the QR code on your gravestone, they have the opportunity to learn about who you really were, not just when you passed away.

Patricia Goldbum is a freelance writer focusing on technology. As a business owner, Patricia has just implemented barcode stickers and labeling to stay on track and keep her business organized.