It's been a hectic time for us since March, but here we are again, ready to pick up where we left off!
If you know much about TWF you will realise that we take working with local charities, and other good causes, very seriously. We designed and build the
Nene Valley Dragons website, supported Jessica Anderson (a local young sportswoman), and now we are sponsoring a golfing event!
We are happy to help the Rotary Club of Rushden Chichele to raise money for MIND, Serve and other charities, and we have created some artwork to highlight the event:
Just about all modern businesses use computers as a vital tool for their administration and operation. But with all businesses having to tighten their belts, how can expensive IT costs be reduced? One significant way is by using Open Source software.
This is software that is developed not by large IT corporations, such as Microsoft or Apple, but often by individuals or trusts, and can often be just as useful.
For example, the popular office software Microsoft Office Home & Business has a retail price of around £240, whereas the open source equivalent, Open Office, is free. In fact, for just about any product, from email client, to spreadsheet, to antivirus software to film editing, there is a free equivalent. Even whole operating systems are free, such as Linux, with its many different customised versions.
Even so, it is sometimes the case that the free equivalent software may not be as capable as that which is sold, not enjoying all of the same features or functionality, so it is always advisable to try out a new piece of software, fully exploring all the features you will use before you make a commitment to using it.
There are some times when there is simply no alternative to proprietary software, and those with the skills to get the best out of them. Certainly the know how to create the likes of websites with animations and other advanced features is worth investing in, even with the best software in the world the only way to make the most of it is to make sure it is used by trained people. Although access to the tools required is now almost universal, with limited skills using limited software, the results can be mediocre.
It’s all about balance. Be aware that there are free alternatives out there that can serve you well for many business functions, but remember that sometimes you need experts using the best available tools.
Coca-Cola has been ordered to remove on of its latest adverts after the Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints that its advertising claiming Vitaminwater is ‘nutritious’. This is far from the first time that a company has been forced to tone down or even totally withdraw their advertising claims, with GlaxoSmithKline humiliated in a New Zealand court when two schoolgirls found that GSK product Ribena had significantly less vitamin C than its competitors, and later tests revealed that save Ribena products contained no vitamin C at all.
So what is happening here? Do these large corporations intend to mislead? Personally, I think this is unlikely, the potential for backlash is simply too great. It seems far more believable that those in the marketing department and those in product development are simply not working together well enough. This can lead to a major headache for some companies, with Nestlé even facing a long term boycott over their advertising of infant formula in the developing world. Clearly, this can be immensely damaging to their business, as are all of these embarrassing reversals by Coca-Cola and GSK. So, how to avoid this?
- Always be honest: We all want to show out products in the best possible light, but bending the truth or making unsupported claims will always come back to haunt you.
- Talk to one another: Those who are creating the advertisements must talk to those who know the products, its strengths and weaknesses. Before it goes out, make sure that everyone gets to review the advert to make sure it is accurate.
- Be ethical: Make sure that this is one of your primary concerns. Many firms have been criticised in recent years for marketing unhealthy foods to children, and suffered a backlash as a result, so plan your advertising with these and other concerns in mind.
These may be simple rules, but as we have seen, even the largest companies have been caught out by not following them.
JB
Since the internet became more commonly used there have been a multitude of programs, known as web browsers, used to access it. Back in the early days, it might have been Netscape or Opera, but now it is far more likely that you are using one of the 4 main web browsers; Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozillia FireFox, Google Chrome of Apple’s Safari.
Why is any of this important though? Well, it’s more important than you might think. Although all allow you to view websites, save your favourite pages and download files, your choice of program can have significant influence on your surfing experience.
For example, some browsers are better at blocking out unwanted popups than others, some are more prone to infection by computer viruses and have different features and add-ons such as search and other functions. Also, many of the older or less popular web browsers are not tested by developers when creating new websites, so when designing a site or choosing a developer, this is an important consideration.
Your hardware also can have a huge effect on your surfing experience, with Apple’s iPad and iPhone being perhaps the most significant and well known case. Apple took the decision that they would not support Adobe Flash, one of the most popular animation softwares in the world, a decision that Apple founder Steve Jobs justified in
this article. Therefore, users of these popular devices were not able to see many of the videos on the internet.
The situation has improved significantly, as developers switched to alternative means of displaying video, but it means that older websites, or web teams continuing to use only Flash, will be left behind by the 50 million iPhone and 15 million iPad customers. By adapting to these changes, companies and developers can produce faster websites with stronger SEO properties that perform better on all devices.
JB