7 #Ecommerce Platform Selection Mistakes

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3 Secrets from the Most Trusted Brands ...

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Complex Business #Analytics Makes "Coca Cola" a Big Data Heavyweight

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Coca-Cola is The Beatles of Facebook. Actually, with more than double the fans of The Beatles, you might say Coca-Cola is the new black. But how did the cola giant garner more than 70 million fans? And how are they leveraging what they know about their total audience both online and off to sell more Coke and other Coca-Cola beverages? Big data, that’s how—very big data.

Known for its highly complex web of big data in the world of business intelligence, Coca-Cola collects data from a huge variety of sources to identify patterns. Those 70 million Facebook fans are the tip of the iceberg, and the new black is Coca-Cola’s Black Book model—the methodology used by the beverage mogul to procure and control big data from social networks, online sales, and point-of-sale locations like Target, Walmart, and even the corner liquor store. Putting this amount of data to work means implementing a level of analytics that can make good use of enormous amounts of raw data. It also means a keen ability to perceive what that data means for futures is the key to making that data work efficiently.

Storage of this data alone is a feat in itself. Coca-Cola amasses entire petabytes of information in a short time, and makes sense of them so they can make snap marketing decisions. For example, by seeing how they're trending on Twitter and layering that across how they're selling at grocery stores on the Fourth of July, Coca-Cola can decide whether or not to play more ads on television, promote more posts on Facebook, or where to ship more inventory quickly. In the blink of an eye, more Coke, Dasani water, Sprite, Powerade, Nestea, and Odwalla become available at retailers.

Take examples from contemporary culture. The gas stations, grocery stores, and other retailers close to Burning Man will more likely want to stock up on Odwalla and water during the days of the festival, while large retailers across the country will want to stock more Coke, Sprite, and Dasani during March Madness. Coca-Cola can use big data to see this, and use their massive infrastructure to get the process underway in the time it takes to send a text.

Perhaps more important than this year’s Burning Man and March Madness is what Coca-Cola learned using big data analysis and business intelligence from last year. What they know about sales from 2013 will shape decisions made for 2014, and when the averages taken from the past five years are compiled in their Black Book model, Coca-Cola can make even more accurate determinations about what they need to have in place across the entire planet in the coming year.

And then there’s that tip of the iceberg—Facebook. Using simple analysis of how many fans are “liking” and commenting on posts can be useful, but using this information based on real-time engagement will create even more return on investment. The best example of this is the 2012 Super Bowl which had 111.3 million viewers—engagement on social media for Coca-Cola was substantial, and helped the company gain powerful new information about how consumers see the brand and how they engage with it.

Other more predictable time-sensitive examples are important too. For example, reminding consumers that Coke is there during the Christmas holiday season, reminding Latinos that Inca Kola is around during Dia de Los Muertos, and reminding moms that Hi-C is around at the start of the school year are imperatives to sales based on online visibility.

Coca-Cola's Director of Business Growth Drivers in The Global Customer and Commercial Leadership department, Anthony J. van der Hoek, tells us, “I believe that it is this essential combination of people, process and technology change that will be crucial to everything we do in the future.” If the past two years are any indicator of how successful this combination of business intelligence variables are, Coca-Cola will remain the big data heavyweight in the foreseeable future.

Article written by Nathan Roberson of The Marketing Robot, Follow Nathan and his co-horts on Twitter @robthemarketer or add him to your circles on Google+

The Future of #CSS – Flexbox & CSS4

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The course of HTML is being directed, without question, by the developments taking place in the world of CSS. Many of the advancements in multimedia have been realized thanks to the shifts in styling language. New elements have led to changes in the way that web designers have been realizing the visions of their clients, and given rise to a level of functionality that most developers never expected to be seeing so soon.


Innovations still to come in CSS3
One of the most interesting innovations in the current incarnation of CSS (CSS3) is the Flexbox. Flexbox is a new way forward in placing content on web sites and controlling how that content is displayed.

With Flexbox, the problem of floats will become a thing of the past, or at least a way of designing pages relegated to the poorly informed and unambitious web developers.

The CSS Flexbox model gives the ability to create some very complex web designs with some abbreviated lines of code. If you are familiar with using div boxes you’ll probably recognize the use of float when positioning them on a web page.

This feature also allows web designers the use of the Flexbox order property so that you can design layouts that are not restrained by the rules of CSS. Say for example you wanted to place the header at the top of the page just set it to order: 1;. And it is done.



Early drafts of CSS4
Recently the W3C, also known as the World Wide Web Consortium or the governing body that controls what makes the CSS rule book has rolled out the blue print of what the new CSS4 will include.

They plan on adding more than 30 new rules that will help to simplify the way that CSS works and streamline development all around. This first draft is not currently supported by any browsers, but tin the next coming years these features will become a core component in how the internet works. You can have a look at them here to get an idea.



The Subject Selector
One of the most noted features of the coming incarnation of CSS, CSS4 is the release of “subject “or the parent selector. Selectors in CSS have been a part of the language since the beginning. In the past the rules were assigned to the internal elements of CSS;  for example in the chain header h1 the rules is assigned to h1, with CSS4 you gain the ability to effect changes in only the elements that have an h1 child element.

Here is a more complex example. If you for some reason wanted to style a particular list  (ul) but just when users click a particular item on the list, well you would add the class “clicked” (ul li. clicked) but what if you wanted to add a style to the whole list? The subject selector makes it simple:

1	$ul li.clicked {
2	background: white;

3

}

So the rule will apply to the ul, instead of the clicked li, which is what the $ means.

The Pseudo Selector

Another feature in the new CSS4 is the pseudo selector which will look like :matches (). This pseudo class will make the language writing much easier especially when writing nested CSS. For example:

1	:matches(section, article, aside, nav) h1 {
2	font-size: 3em;

3

}

These are just two examples of the sorts of changes that are going to be addressed in the next edition of CSS. As the date of its release draws closer we expect there will be several more iterations and updates on the draft as it stands, but you can be sure that once the final addition goes public you will see some big changes in the way CSS is used.

Pete Campbell
Pete Campbell works as a specialist web designer for JaskGroup.co.uk and loves all things code, web design and technology.  

Have You Got Enough #Insurance Coverage For Your Favourite Devices?

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One of the best things about most of the tech devices we buy is that they are very portable, which is obviously good because it means we aren't stuck using them only at home! The downside that a lot of people don't think about however, is that your (or your parents') home insurance probably won't cover your devices in a lot of situations where you're taking them out of the house. Having a chat with your parents about their insurance policy may sound like the dullest thing in the world, but actually, you may find out your smartphone, laptop, iPad, MP3 player, portable consoles and various other tech devices you own will not be covered if you lose them or have them stolen at school or on the move.

Things to Find Out

Ask your parents to check their home insurance policy and see what kind of situations things are covered in when they are taken outside of the house, including if they are taken abroad if you are going on holiday. Also find out if valuable items that are to be covered outside the home need to be named on the policy (often they do), and check your parents have included all your tech gear on the list and that they update it if you get anything new. This is an easy thing to forget to do, especially with things like phones which tend to get upgraded quite often, but a forgotten new gadget can cause problems even in an event inside the house like a flood.
Another thing to ask about regarding insurance and your tech gear is whether it is covered when you go on holiday abroad (if you ever do of course). This may be as part of your travel insurance or your home insurance, but is worth thinking about as devices are also more likely to get lost, stolen or broken when you are travelling.

What If Your Devices Aren't Covered?

If your devices aren't covered adequately, the best thing to do is look into insurance specifically for your devices. You can often get mobile phone insurance from the place you got your phone or from your network, though this isn't always the best deal. A good option a lot of people go for is a company specialising in gadget insurance. These tend to offer policies that take into account the very specific problems that occur with devices, such as cracked smartphone screens, and also cover your devices against normal things like fire, theft, and damage.

Can't I Just Risk It Without Insurance?

You can, yes, however you have to weigh up whether or not you could live without your devices for a while if they failed and whether you could afford (and your parents would be willing) to replace them. If your device is old or easily replaceable, or not worth that much (like a cheap phone), you may decide simply to risk it, but if you have something like a brand new Macbook then obviously if anything happens to it you're going to want it covered!





Author:

Laura Ginn is a regular tech blogger, who learned the hard way about the importance of insuring your tech gear when her laptop got stolen abroad. She now uses Protect Your Bubble to insure her new computer, along with her, phone, tablet and all her other important tech gear!

The 4 Most Disastrous Twitter Account Hackings

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Twitter rose from online novelty to one of the most powerful ways companies and everyday people alike publish their thoughts to the world. Most organizations pay very close attention to what is said under their name on Twitter in order to maintain their reputation and brand image. But what happens if some tech-savvy criminals figure out a way to gain access to an offical company account? Usually, it spells disaster, even if the crime is corrected in just a few moments. 
These stories show us why it’s important to keep track of your followers. One popular public records company even advises Twitter users to background check their followers since fake Twitter accounts are on the rise.
Here are four tales of hacked Twitter accounts that resulted in disaster.

4) Burger King

Burger King’s 85,000 Twitter followers got a surprise when the account suddenly started promoting the food of rival McDonald’s, even changing the logo. One of the tweets read “We just got sold to McDonalds! Look for McDonalds in a hood near you.”
Shortly afterwards, the truth was revealed. A hacker had taken over the account, making similarly outrageous tweets for an hour until Twitter shut down the account at Burger King’s request.  McDonald’s denied any involvement in the hacking.

3) The Onion

The Onion is a satirical online newspaper whose stories are sometimes mistaken for the real thing. So most people weren’t quite sure what to make of it when their Twitter account suddenly started promoting the Syrian regime.  Was this another satirical stunt? Or had someone actually taken over the humor publication’s Twitter account?
Turns out it was the latter. In response to the article “written” by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad entitled “Hi, In The Past 2 Years, You Have Allowed Me To Kill 70,000 People”, an organization calling itself the “Syrian Electronic Army” compromised the Twitter account. After the account was restored, the website published an article entitled “Onion Twitter Password Changed To OnionMan77.”

2) Jeep

The day after Burger King’s Twitter account was compromised, Jeep suffered a similar attack. Someone took over the account and began making posts like “You'll never catch @50cent ridin in a Dirty Ass @jeep !!!! #ForDaLuLz #FreeJeep.” The tweets also promoted Cadillac, including replacing the Jeep logo with a Cadillac logo as the background image. It was suspected that a DJ from New England who goes by the name iThug was responsible.
Cadillac sent a tweet specifically denying that they had any involvement in the hacking.

1) Associated Press

The Associated Press is the most trusted name in news, providing outlets all over the country with breaking stories and extensive coverage. So when information comes from the AP’s Twitter account, the world takes it seriously.
Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced the day that a hacker Tweeted “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured.” Savvy Twitter followers immediately recognized it as bogus, as it didn’t follow strict AP style, but not everyone dismissed it. Stock markets reacted harshly to the bogus news, causing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to plummet 100 points within seconds.

 

Protect Yourself

In all of these instances, big name organizations were hacked because their password was compromised. If you don’t want your social media account to suffer the same fate as these organizations, choose your password carefully, and make sure to change it often.



About the Author:
Lars Handey isa Boston area blogger.  He covers social media, crime, and internet security.

Only Using Written Content on Your Website? Why Adding Different Media Can Give You A Traffic Boost

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Whether you have a business site, an affiliate marketing blog or you do a blog that is just for information or entertainment, getting more visitors and making sure they are impressed with what they find are probably your key priorities.
There are lots of ways to improve your search engine rankings for the keywords you think your potential audience are searching for, including optimising your content for those phrases, and getting as many backlinks as possible to your site from around the web. However, have you ever thought that adding new kinds of media to your site might open it up to whole new audiences? Text only blogs that start to add new forms of media benefit from better search engine rankings and the opportunity to be listed in entirely new places, so why not mix things up a little?

Image Galleries

You probably already put pictures on your site with your articles, however do these really add any value beyond decoration? Often bloggers will put a generic stock image that is relevant to the post there just to make it look a little nicer, but it doesn't really give the reader any new information. Adding images that essentially are the information is a great way to add new media to your site without having to produce something as intensive as a video or a podcast. Most web page creation packages, including WordPress, have options for adding image galleries, and there are lots of things you could do, from taking photos to creating infographics.

Video

Adding video to your site means you can be searchable on YouTube (assuming that's where you host the video) as well as normal search engines, and this is a surprisingly large boon to traffic. YouTube itself is one of the biggest search engines on the web as well as among the most visited websites, but of course, you can only be included if you have YouTube videos in your content! If your site is a review type site, videos can be faster to make than written posts (as you can just record a piece to camera), and studies have shown people trust video reviews a lot more than written ones, so this could really help you make more affiliate commission.

Podcasts

A podcast can be a fun new way to engage with your clients and it can also introduce you to new listing sites that will give you more backlinks. Having a weekly or even monthly podcast can give you a great way to introduce new ideas to your site, and even hold interviews in a much more interesting and accessible way than writing alone. You don't need fancy equipment or software to produce a good podcast, and you can even list your recordings in places like the iTunes store if you want to.
Try adding different types of media to your site and promoting them through your social media channels. You may be surprised by how quickly this can impact your hit count!

Adam Livermore is an SEO specialist who works for consult3.co.uk and is a regular blogger writing on topics related to internet marketing and search engine optimisation. Adam believes that all businesses and website owners can benefit from improving their SEO and achieving better Google rankings, and he loves helping people learn the skills to do it!

Four Key Aspects to Learn How to Make Money Online

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Trying to make money online is all about having the right thing into place. A business online is no different than a business in the offline world. It requires a lot of work. In this article, you will discover how to earn money online even if you have little to no experience on what it takes to make money in the online world.

Choose One Business and Follow It.
Find a business idea and follow it. For some of you, it may be try to rank blogs and websites to make money off of Google Adsense or making affiliates sales. Once you have chosen just one method online, stick to it. All you have to do to make this a reality is consciously think in your mind the kind of business you want to have and which one best suits you, and then get started.

 Take Action.
Taking action is the most important part of making money online. If your goal is to get traffic from SEO and forum marketing, or you want to get into Blogging and making money off of affiliate sales, you must stick to it and begin to take action. It is one thing to be on the computer; and it is another thing to start taking action and selling stuff online. All businesses on the Internet require time to learn and develop the skills for. Taking action is so important because it is by working that people will actually take interest into your business. Your brand can grow in so many ways if you know what to do.

Mindset.
Mindset is always the one thing you must have in check every single day of your life. If you are not cheerful and ready to face the world, then you will struggle with your business. You must have a good business plan and a good business idea to follow, but if you are not positive, you will not succeed. It has been said by many money and business coaches that the majority of the things they teach to clients is MINDSET. It sets the course for how well you will achieve your success. Failure is all a part of the process, but a person with a really good mindset can overcome everything.

One Basket.
Do not put all of your eggs in just one basket. Why? If that one business closes, you may not know where to get more money from. Having a business online is good, but once you have one setup and making you a good amount of cash, start making another business online. Continue until you have multiple streams of income flowing in for you and earning you huge amounts of cash.

If you want to earn money online, how you think and live your life is so important. You must understand that mindset plays a huge role. It is all about knowing what to do online to start changing how you have your business setup. Don't forget to always take consistent action.

Albert Loh is one of the proofs that people can really make money online. He knows the secrets of earning real money, passive online income up to $10k/month. He knows because he experienced it himself and he wants to share it with you. Visit mymakemoneyfromhome.com to learn more.

Sponsored Post: Top 5 Youtube Videos that Inspire

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I love to watch YouTube videos, there is nothing greater to me then sitting on my couch and having a laugh at someone's terrible rendition of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer".
But every once in a while, I come across a video that inspires me. It makes me thankful for my family, my health, or I get to take a chance to really think about how am I contributing to my world.

1. All of these videos touch me in some way. The first video I haven't been able to make it though without crying.
The strength of the human body when the mind is made up is phenomenal.  The video features a middle aged, over weight, disabled veteran that believed what the doctors have said about him, "he would never walk with out assistance again". He believed them and had no hope. 
After countless times reaching out to others for help, one man took on the challenge. The power of believing in others and helping them to believe in themselves is truly life changing and touching. "Never, ever give up".

2. Brothers, Conner and Cayden compete together in triathlons. But what makes these brothers special is Cayden age 6, has cerebral palsy, and Conner age 8, pushes and pulls his brother in the biking, running and swimming. While they never have crossed the finish line first, they cross together and that makes them winners.

3. "Yes, you can"! Is the message that the father and son racing team convey with everything they do. Rick and Dick Hoyt have competed in marathons, triathlons and Iron Man challenges. This story is an example of a father laying his life down for his son. There are is no greater love story then to help someone's dream come true. Watch this inspiring video and don't forget your box of tissues.

4. One of my favorites of these videos is of Nick Vujicic. He has no arms and no legs, very apparent disability. But his outlook makes him 10 feet tall and he has truly enriched his life and others. He carries a message of thankfulness and value for oneself.  He brings hope against all circumstances!

5. This last video, is one that really makes you think. It is a calling to self evaluation and seeing the good inside and out. As humans, sometimes we just chose to see the ugly or the bad things people have said about us. We refuse to let ourselves be beautiful and feel the way that others see us. I believe that inner beauty is always brighter than outer beauty. But we have to let both shine. I love the new Dove campaign, they have done it again! My hope is that we all start to view ourselves with value and beauty.

These videos are ones of sacrifice and love, love for others and ourselves. Taking a look around us and finding beauty, thankfulness and choices to make our world a little bit better. We are all called to make a difference and here are just a few inspiring videos of people who have chosen to make that difference.

Larah Shelton is a blogger for Smith Monitoring, a security monitoring Houston company. She is a wife and a mother of 2 and is a motivational speaker to young adults and teens. Her mission is to encourage and teach others how to value themselves.