Web & PC stuff

Why I like Flipboard

Flipboard has been around for a while now and was arguably one of the ‘killer apps’ of the first iPads. It has certainly stood the test of time too and has evolved over the years. More recently, there’s been further development which has seen new features added, improving the overall appeal of the platform. It’s one of those apps that I have on all my devices.

Aggregated content

Flipboard originally started out offering aggregated content and it’s clear this is where its strength lies. Rather than subscribing to countless individual newsletters and feeds from the sites and publishers that you’re interested in, you can just create your own custom magazine, choosing the content you want from the publishers you’re interested in. Flipboard takes care of the hassle and presents the content in an incredibly user-friendly digital magazine format.

Self publishing

My magazine that I self publish is available here. I use it to store and share the stories that I find interesting, curating content from across the web and social platforms – typically spanning the usual topics of personal finance, technology, health and general news or current affairs. Occasionally, there are some instructables and DIY guides that I find interesting and would love to have a go of when I have more time, so I add them to my Flipboard magazine knowing that they’ll be there at a later date when I need them.

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Bookmarklet

The bookmarklet is invaluable for curating content as you’re browsing the web. Simply go here and drag the Flip It button on to your bookmark bar. Then as you’re browsing the web if you see something interesting and want to add it to your magazine, it’s as simple as clicking this button. If you have multiple magazines, you can choose which one to send it to and you can also add your own comment or thoughts on the content as you do so.

Web access

One of the major recent changes the team at Flipboard introduced, was the ability to access the platform via a browser. Previously confined to the app on a mobile device, it’s now possible to browse Flipboard online, through a browser. It’s not as pleasant a user experience (unless you have a touch-enabled screen) as the mobile device, but sometimes it’s helpful to be able to quickly access one of your magazines for some content you’ve saved or curated for referencing later.

Where to get it

Flipboard on the web – here (and Flipboard Editor – here)

Flipboard on itunes – here

Flipboard on android – here

Easy laptop upgrades

Lenovo X201I’ve just had to go through a full install of Windows 7 on my refurbished laptop in the process of upgrading it, and either I’ve become more competent, or it’s a lot easier than it ever was previously (with earlier versions of Windows and other laptops). After years of swearing by desktops and the ease of replacing components as a means of upgrading and squeezing that extra period of life out of the machines, I opted for a refurbished laptop earlier this year. I’ve actually bought exactly the same model as the laptop I use at work, a Lenovo X201, as I’ve been so impressed with its robustness and balance of size, speed and performance. But I knew, from some casual research online that it was also relatively easy to upgrade.

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Why Viber is better than WhatsApp

viber logoI read the news that Facebook had bought WhatsApp for $19bn with some surprise, as most of the world did – particularly as the deal was apparently concluded in a matter of weeks since it was first discussed. I can understand the various theories bouncing around about why it was so important for Facebook to nullify a potential future competitor, tap into the mobile market more successfully (it’s the future, apparently!) and instantly receive a shot in the arm in terms of their impressive user base growth rate (WhatsApp instantly adds 450 million users to the Facebook user bottom line). But I struggle to comprehend is why they paid so much. The Marketer magazine put together a good summary of why Facebook bought WhatsApp HERE

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Find gmail emails over a certain size

googleFurther to an earlier post I made about freeing up space in Gmail (HERE), they’ve extended the feature set now to allow you to search for emails within Gmail by the size of attachments. So, for example, in the Googlemail search query, if you type “size:5mb” then Gmail will query your email folders and show you all of the emails over 5mb in size.

Mostly this will be due to people sending you the latest funny videos or picture collections and rather than deleting them at the time, you’ve just let them sit there in your inbox. So, although Gmail now offer 10.1gb of free space – perhaps it’s time to do a little housekeeping and remove some of the trashy stuff that you no longer need.

Equally, you don’t need to limit it to file sizes over 5mb. Just change the query dimensions and you can clear out much more of your email box – e.g. “size:2mb” will return all emails over 2mb in size.

Online marketing planning case study

chessMy blog so far has been a place for me to share things that I find interesting as well as helpful tips and information that I’ll often refer back to myself. It’s almost like having a personal set of bookmarks that are accessible everywhere I go without having to use any bespoke service.

However, a friend has asked me for some advice regarding their newly launched online business and since I happen to work predominantly in the online / media / marketing world, I thought this blog is as good a place as any to write up my suggestions.

Although I’ve intentionally kept the name of the company anonymous, the principles behind maximising online opportunities for an online retailer apply can be applied by anyone.

The background

The company my friend works for is a niche SME online retailer that has decided to branch out in to a new range of products (home accessories and home gifts) outside of its existing offering (beauty products). Rather than expand the existing successful brand, a new separate entity has been created. A good, well designed web site has been constructed; an expansive range of over 400 niche products has been selected and available from launch at competitive prices; and some initial social media activities have been undertaken. So far, so good – they’re sounding like they’re doing a lot of the right things – but what can they do to take things to the next level?

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How to get more Lovefilm envelopes

lovefilmMore of a mental note to self, but when Lovefilm send out two discs in one envelope it’s a bit of a pain – especially if you want to send a movie back as soon as you’ve watched it. Whilst their help section says you can just post a film back in any envelope, I’d rather use their envelopes – but there’s no easy way to click through to request some more if you follow the menu structure. So, the way to get around that is to use this link HERE to log a support request that specifically requests additional envelopes. It’s quick, easy and works every time.

And if you don’t already have Lovefilm and are interested in signing up (especially now they offer their very good unlimited streaming service), then don’t forget to sign up through TopCashback and get some free money HERE!

Free cloud storage solution… The Box

box

There’s a lot of talk about cloud computing right now and I think it’s only a matter of time before many of us move our entire digital lives into the cloud. That is to say that instead of carting around CDs, DVDs, USB drives, hard drives or SD cards for cameras, for example, we’ll all just be connecting and uploading/downloading content to and from the internet.

There are a number of free cloud storage services around – and I’ve listed a few of them below – but the one I’m using and therefore recommend is The Box. Pleasingly, it also has a current promotion at the moment for all Android users that sign up before the 23rd March 2012, get a free upgrade to 50gb storage. The maximum file size is also increased from 25mb to 100mb, so it should suffice for virtually most files, apart from full movies or TV shows.

As you’d expect, the service comes with its own range of apps, Android and iPhone, as well as desktop integration and easy bulk uploads for when backing up your files to the cloud. It’s really easy to manage too, with easy creation of folders and sub-folders, and the ability to grant others access to your content, by inviting them to collaborate. Paid upgrades enable more user levels, but if you’re a basic personal user that’s looking for a decent volume of cloud storage space, the box certainly puts forward a great proposition.

To sign up, click HERE

Other free cloud services you might want to consider include:

  • Dropbox – 2gb of free space, or 2.5gb if you sign up via this link here: http://db.tt/oKSojdWm. There are a handful of very good reasons why Dropbox is so popular.
  1. It was one of the first cloud storage options available.
  2. So many people use it and are familiar with it.
  3. You can claim up to 16gb of free extra space just by referring people. My referral link is HERE – so please sign up using that so we each get an extra 500mb of space!
  4. The wide variety of ways in which you can access your space, particularly with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets – is class leading.
  5. The integration with Windows and ability to automatically sync and backup files is fantastic.

There are others available, but these are just a selection. Ultimately, your choice of provider will depend on your individual requirements and what balance you need between features and space.

How to match and find a font

fontsHaving had to recently undertake a project to redesign some corporate literature and align new marketing materials with concept designs, I found that I’d inherited some design work from a predecessor but only had the flat image files, so had no way of knowing what fonts were used in the designs. I was sure I’d know if it was a standard font, but as these weren’t… I didn’t know quite how to start. Obviously, this led to a trip to Google and the result was me finding a handful of very helpful web sites that I want to note down here so that a) I don’t forget them, and b) other people can perhaps benefit from them too. All these services I used are completely free online.

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Typical web banner sizes

I came across a really handy reference guide earlier, concerned with the size of typical web banners. 

It’s taken from Wikipedia, but I’m including it on my site as it’s probably an easier to access resource.

banner sizes

(Click on image to view full size)

 

Free up space in Gmail

emailGoogle Gmail now provides over 7.5gb of inbox space, and it’s growing all of the time. This is generally going to be more than adequate for most people, even with hundreds of thousands of emails. However, as there’s a growing trend for forwarding on funny video clips, large image files or high resolution photographs, you may find that you’re getting closer and closer to your limit.

Rather than waiting until you hit or near your message limit, why not be pro-active and clear out some of the old messages, attachments and general junk you’ve accumulated over the years. Follow some of these quick and easy steps and you’ll soon trim your gmail account.

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