Posts filed under ‘Technology’
Facebook Competes With LinkedIn – BranchOut
In our previous post about LinkedIn lasting longer than Facebook, Geoffrey James put forward reasons why Facebook will be susceptible to the ‘next best thing’ in social media.
It seems the Facebook app BranchOut is tapping into LinkedIn’s market;
“Two years and 25 million registered users after launching its professional network for Facebook, BranchOut is LinkedIn’s biggest competitor.”
Mashable’s Sarah Kessler looks into the fastly growing job networking Facebook application, BranchOut -
http://mashable.com/2012/04/19/branchout-25-million/
CJM
LinkedIn Will Outlast Facebook
Shock. Horror. Awe.
Not only does Geoffrey James of Inc.com think LinkedIn will outlast Facebook, but he also thinks LinkedIn has a much more viable business model;
“Facebook’s latest $1 billion acquisition smacks of a desperation that LinkedIn consistently manages to avoid.”
Facebook vs. LinkedIn
See why Geoffrey might be right about the future of Facebook:
CJM
The Importance Of Network Neutrality – The AT&T Monopoly Continues
AT&T has controlled U.S telephone service since acquiring Western Union in 1913. That’s nearly a century of regulated services.
During this time, AT&T invented and controlled the release of digital subscriber lines (DSL), fearing it might replace voice with faster communications.
Our CEO Andreas Glocker’s response to George Turin’s post on the importance of network neutrality;
Being a smaller provider, I have always struggled with network neutrality. The core issue from a technical prospective is really that the Internet Protocol (IP) was invented long ago. IP is lacking some key features we would all benefit from today.
There are two measures by which IP works, similar to a water pipe. The volume of water and the speed of when the water arrives (i.e. pressure). Similarly in IP, we have bandwidth and latency.
What’s missing is the classification of traffic (hot or cold water). Classification would be useful to assure that folks don’t get disrupted on a relatively low bandwidth activity; stock trading, voice, or a larger example – say downloading a movie. To rectify this a network provider has to de-prioritize IP and replace with a better protocol.
George’s point on network neutrality makes wonderful sense, and I am a strong supporter of direct democracy. My new home country the United States, will eventually embrace a direct democracy if the Internet plays a major role in it.
Thus, I agree with George that network neutrality is going to be important to support. On the other hand, we will have to be open to what network neutrality is and it will have to be defined in a way such that new protocols may replace IP in the future, in an open manner.
Similar to our constitution which allows for adoption of new articles as we evolve as a country.
Andreas Glocker
CEO
Speed Up Microsoft Outlook E-mail With Archiving
Our most visited article in the Fastmetrics Knowledge Base is our guide on how to archive e-mails with Microsoft Outlook.
Not only will this speed up your Outlook e-mail system, but it helps organize e-mails and keep your inbox tidy. Archiving instructions in this article apply to all versions of Outlook.
CJM
Things You Should Know About DSL & aDSL2+
Many small businesses use DSL or aDSL2+ as their primary Internet service connection. DSL connections do offer good value to small business users.
Proceed with caution when any ISP guarantees the speed of an aDSL2+ or DSL connection, even after you are told your location qualifies.
aDSL2+ and DSL are distance sensitive Internet connections. Speed will depend on your location and your distance from the CO or Central Office.
For example, you find an aDSL2+ connection with advertised speeds of 15mbps / 1mbps. However, depending on distance, there may be up to a 1.5mbps variation on the 15mbps.
Your equipment (router) should be set up to receive the full 15mbps. Confirm with your ISP that this is the case.
If you do need guaranteed speeds, go for a T1, bonded T1 or fiber. These Internet connections are more costly, but speed is symmetric, consistent and uptime is more reliable.
In a previous post, we looked at why your business might need reliable Internet service. See what fits your business requirements and budget. Always confirm expected speeds and factor in the above mentioned variation.
Is Google SEO Dead? Depends On Your Hat Color
The announcement of the latest Google algorithm change has created widespread panic in the SEO community.
Matt Cutts has publicly stated that the Google Search Quality Team makes > 500 changes every year. Keeping up is impossible. However, the latest change has SEO ears standing up.
The recent deindexing of buildmyrank.com, the popular blog network and Matt Cutts’ talk on the ‘over optimization algorithm change’ SHOULD be of concern, to some SEOers.
Google has described the change as a step to ‘level the SEO playing field’ opening opportunities for white hat SEO to be just as effective as black hat SEO, as it should be!
It has raised a lot of questions about the value / future of SEO efforts. Basically, what is going to hurt your rankings and what is taking your SEO efforts too far?
Mr Cutts explains what Google’s intentions are regarding the latest update -
“Absolutely there are some people who take it too far. What we’re mindful of is when someone says, “We’re White Hat. We continue to do the right thing, and we see the Black Hats who are over optimizing or going too far, and they seem to be doing too well.” So we’ve been working on changes to try to make sure that if you are a White Hat or if you’ve been doing very little SEO that you are going to not be affected by this change. But if you’ve been going way far beyond the pale, then that’s the sort of thing where your site might not rank as highly as it did before.”
Should you be concerned? Maybe. How closely alligned with Google’s SEO Guidelines are your SEO efforts?
CJM
Dear New ISP – Our Internet Uptime, Speed & Tech Support Sucks.
Daily, we receive calls from businesses looking to switch ISPs. Some are so keen to switch that they break contracts early, (costing a hefty fee) as they can no longer deal with their current ‘service’ providers.
Most often callers are unhappy with their Internet uptime. They describe their Internet connection as “patchy” or unreliable. Other common concerns include; Internet speed not reaching advertised speed and technical support response. (Or lack thereof).
All of these issues are easily avoidable. All ISPs should provide an SLA (Service Level Agreement) with every service offering. The SLA should detail expected level of uptime and action / response if downtime does occur. Connection monitoring should also be standard in any SLA.
READ THE SLA before committing to any Internet service contract.
It will save your business time, effort and money looking for a new provider.
CJM
Why Does Your Business Need Reliable Internet Service?
Most businesses today need reliable internet service. Let’s look at some potential reasons why businesses might need reliable internet or broadband service.
1. Your business uses a VoIP phone system.
2. Your business relies heavily on e-mail for communications.
3. Your business uses an online CRM platform.
4. Your business develops or tests games / software / applications.
5. Your business has an e-commerce (online) store.
6. Your business uses an online customer chat or needs to reply to business inquiries, instantly.
If you are considering a new business ISP, ask to see the SLA or Service Level Agreement that comes with the service. This details expected uptime and the Service Provider’s response if downtime does occur.
Services such as fiber optic internet come with a high level of uptime. T1s and bonded T1s are also reliable, but do not offer as much speed as fiber internet. aDSL2+ broadband can provide great upload speed, whereas download speed is limited. Uptime is also not as high as fiber or T1 internet connections.
Of course there is the wireless option. This is easy to set up and can offer good speeds. However, speeds rarely reach advertised speeds and downloads can be limited. Reliability can be patchy, depending on the area.
When shopping for a new business internet service, consider your employee size. Do you have a small office of 1 – 10 people or a large organization you need to provide service for? Will you be using VoIP? Do any of the above 1 – 6 points apply?
For instance, you will need more internet speed if you have a large sales department using a CRM platform. On the other end of the scale, aDSL2+ is sufficient for supporting a small office LAN, web or email server.
Other important factors; is bandwidth unlimited or capped? (How much can you download before being charged a fee). Is hardware included or an extra cost? IPs included? Install fee? How long will install take?
These are common questions for businesses searching for a new provider. Of course, prices vary greatly and there are many different plans available.
Choose one that suits your business needs. If uptime is critical, get the most reliable service. If you download alot, look for a provider who has no data caps or unlimited bandwidth.
CJM
Google’s Seach Quality Team Releases 40 Changes
40 changes have been released by the Google Search Quality Team from February.
In an effort to be more ‘transparent’, Google have made changes to Links, Google Panda, Freshness & Images.
Read more about it here: http://site-reference.com/articles/googles-search-quality-team-releases-40-changes/
CJM
Data Usage Caps Boost Start Ups
Larger telecommunication carriers such as Comcast & AT&Ts policy to cap data usage for it’s wireless / mobile users has opened the door of opportunity for other smaller companies.
This is also the case for their internet connections. We at Fastmetrics do not consider ourselves a start up, but we do provide unlimited data usage for all our internet connections.
Image courtesy of Gizmodo
However, for emerging mobile companies such as Onavo Mobile Ltd. data limitations can be overcome. Onavo have just released a free app for Apple and Android devices which compresses mobile downloads, reducing data usage.
Read more about it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/06/BUCE1NG46Q.DTL
CJM
