June, 2017 | VinaGecko

Five Gadgets to Take on Your Next Camping Trip

Roughing it on a primitive camping outing is always a lot of fun. Yet, with all of the technologies and gadgets we have at our disposal, why not make it a bit more convenient? You don’t have to camp when you can glamp. Yet, you’ll still have the unforgettable experience of being one with nature. Think about it, you can take a hot shower, hang from a tree and sleep in a comfortable bed. What’s not to like? That is why we have rounded up a few of the best gadgets to take on your next camping trip.

How Can High Brightness Monitors Help My Business?

High Brightness Monitors are an innovative new way to help your business. Utilising Digital Signage in this way allows your shop to get more attention from those passing by. Placing any Digital Signage in a window display is one of the more complex Digital Signage applications because of the issues surrounding sunlight. I am going to tell you how to ensure you get the right High Brightness Monitor so you and your business can start reaping the benefits.

Strong natural sunlight is normally a benefit for any regular window display; providing customers with a clear view of your window and what is inside. However when placing a Digital Signage display things become more problematic. Regular Digital Signage displays, televisions and computer monitors are optimised for indoor usage. Their brightness levels are set to a level that is readable indoors. This kind of brightness level does not translate well when placed in direct sunlight. That is why the initial need for High Brightness Monitors was born within the Digital Signage sector. These bespoke monitors are bright enough to be readable, even in direct sunlight. A television on average has a brightness of 300cd/m², we recommend a High Brightness Monitor should have at minimum a brightness level of 1500cd/m². As technology is advancing we expect to see the brightness levels of screens rise to even brighter levels.

The only way that a High Brightness Monitor can produce the increased level of brightness is by regulating the temperature of the LCD panel. The panel needs to be kept at the optimum temperature; neither too hot nor cold to work effectively. High Brightness Monitors should either have internal fans or an alternative temperature regulatory system in place to avoid issues with the display.

Updating content on a High Brightness Monitor should be no different to updating any other Digital Signage display whichever way to do it. High Brightness Monitors can be updated via a USB or upgrading the display so that it is networked, this allows the screen to updated remotely. Deciding which way to go comes down to a) how easily accessible is the rear of the display? And b) what do I want to show? If the rear of the display is easy to access and you only have images and videos to display, the plug and play solution will not let you down. However if the rear of the High Brightness Monitor is difficult to reach or you want to display more features on screen such as RSS Feeds or live webpages to name a few, then updating your screens via a CMS is perfect. According to Thomas Fraser-Bacon of Allsee Technologies Ltd “If you have multiple screens in a single window display, if networked; you can synchronise the displays to create a real wow moment for your window.”

How to mount your display is often left to the very end of a High Brightness Monitor project, how the monitor is mounted can drastically affect the overall look of the finished product. If within your Window display there is an enclosure it could be simply mounted onto the back wall. This is not likely to be the case for most applications that require a High Brightness Monitor though so we would recommend either mounting on a floor stand or trolley or by mounting the High Brightness Monitor from the ceiling.

Once you have considered all of these points and purchased a commercial Grade High Brightness Monitor you can finally get the benefits from the display. According to Fedex, 8 out of 10 consumers have entered a store because a Digital Sign had caught their interest. A window display with a High Brightness Monitor is not in its own vacuum for those who see it, that High Brightness Monitor and window display reflects the quality of the business and the quality of the products too. Business owners should take advantage of the most valuable advertising space they have; their windows! With a High Brightness Monitor installed it allows for communication with potential customers in a way that wasn’t possible before. High Brightness Monitors will change your business for the better.

Everything you need to know about SQL – in simple terms!

SQL is an acronym that you’ll find thrown about any digital or tech agency and can be a topic of some difficulty – especially for people who aren’t exactly tech-savvy. Sadly, for those who operate a website on larger scale – especially those centered on e-commerce – then SQL may be the saving grace your growing website needs to remain fluidly operational.

Here we’ll provide you with an overall view of SQL, how it can help your business and the contingencies in place if things go wrong. We’ll try to keep the technical language down to a minimum!

Before we start – what is a database?

Before diving into the wide world of SQL, we need to know what a database is.

The dictionary defines a database as ‘a structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways’. Essentially, it’s a place where you can easily access and change datasets, providing you information on your customers – or staff – quickly and efficiently.

Imagine having a library of books, but instead of the titles being unique you simply name them Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc. Now, nobody would ever do that because as your library grows, it becomes more and more difficult to find that favourite novel of yours. Was it Book 77? Could it be Book 4532? This becomes a very inefficient system – one that’s going to cost time and money when applied to the data your business stores.

SQL is a language developed by various tech giants to allow your computer to read and categorize the information held on your website. It’s read and manipulated by specialized tools such as MySQL – one of the most advanced data management tools on the market. SQL allows your blog to categorize posts; to organize your galleries – it’s an absolute necessity nowadays for big business.

Sure – but what’s MySQL?

You know how there are three main varieties of GUI (graphical user interface) for computers – Windows, MacOS and Linux. Well, MySQL is one of the leading programs that can read SQL. Here you’ll be able to visualize all the data you hold on your customers or clients. It’s a freely available RDBMS (Relational Database Management System), which sounds a lot more complicated than it truly is. It just means it’ll split your information into tables, fields, rows and columns, as opposed to just lumping a load of information on the screen. Basically, it’s a clean-cut version of Excel, where you don’t have to create the tables yourself.

But is MySQL secure?

Of course, like many programs, MySQL has the potential to corrupt information held on any of your systems. Fortunately, SQL database restoration is widely available with a number of specialist tools, and so, if you’re concerned about whether SQL is safe, you shouldn’t be. Most programs are built with a contingency in mind, and MySQL is no different.

SQL is essentially an advanced database language which is interpreted with programs such as MySQL. If you’re looking for a way to categorize and demonstrate information quickly and simply, you’ll be one step closer to doing so.

4 Common Software Development Mistakes that People Keep Committing

Depending on your source, between a third and three-quarter of software development projects fail. These failures range from projects that spend forever in development before being abandoned to brand new software releases tarnished by bugs that shouldn’t have made it out of development. Here are four common software development mistakes people keep committing, as well as advice on how to avoid them from hurting your project.

Assuming Software Development Is Easy

If software development was easy, we wouldn’t pay software developers, coders, and project managers this much. If software development was easy, we wouldn’t have tools like Doors specifically for managing software project requirements and multiple suites for managing code libraries as they are changed. You wouldn’t see software development raised to its own, unique discipline exemplified in the online masters in software development the same way international business and big data analysis are worthy of their own MBA programs. The online MSSD degree by Maryville University is unusual for specializing in software development, but it builds on the IT management MBAs that are becoming commonplace as a whole host of IT development standards, laws, and liability rules are applied to IT projects.

Anyone Can Manage a Software Development Project

One common mistake in software development is to put the senior developer in charge of the project. This is akin to asking your best surgeon to head the hospital. Just because they are an expert in their field doesn’t mean they are qualified to manage other experts. And adding management to their list of tasks takes your best talent away from the work that needs to be done. The better solution is bringing in experts in software development project management. You want someone who is familiar with managing technical people and implementing the controlled, structured approach that maximizes the odds of a successful software development project.

We Can Add These Little Changes before We’re Done

It is the rush to add a few more things to the software release that kills far too many projects, by taking time away from the testing and debugging of the major software changes and implementing changes without the proper resources to prevent problems with these additions.

Another variation of this problem is failing to define the user’s needs properly, so the solutions implemented get changed at the last minute, regardless of the risk.

Poor Resource Management

Software development projects regularly fail because of poor resource management. One example of this is assuming that your IT department, already fully loaded with software support, can develop software patches or new products without cutting something, somewhere. Another problem is the tendency to only add team members after the project is behind schedule instead of assigning them at the start.

Conclusion

Software development isn’t easy, which is why professionals are well paid and so many software tools exist for niches like requirements management. There is a bad habit of adding on extra “little” functions that either slow down the project or take away from the appropriate testing to ensure success. Too many managers assume that anyone can manage a software project and that it can be done by your existing team with the headcount and resources they already have.

A Look at the Traits of Successful Project Managers

Whether running a blog, a marketing campaign, or a business, project management is one of the skills that you will need to nail in order to be successful. Once your project or business reaches a certain size, it will no longer be possible to do everything yourself, and so you will need to delegate effectively in order to maintain it.

According to the online MSMPP program of Brandeis University, successful project managers share a number of common traits. Among these are the ability to communicate clearly, the ability to delegate effectively, the ability to be politically sensitive, and the ability to mobilize workers. Good project managers also tend to have high self esteem and a lot of enthusiasm for the project they are working on.

You can find out more about successful project management from the infographic below.

Brandeis University M.S. in Project and Program Management Online

This infographic was created by http://projectmgmt.brandeis.edu/.
Creativejasmin.com

Keyword Targeting – A Key to SEO Success

Suffering from Keyword Shotgun Syndrome?

Faced with the prospect of search engines passing over their website in favour of competitors, it is common for companies to target keywords, in completely the wrong way. Rather than have a strategy and understanding of how search engines rank websites, many website are, instead, littered with keywords. There is more to search engine optimisation than the volume of keywords. Here is how keyword use can go terribly wrong and how to fix your website.

Keyword Overdose

As the thinking often goes, if keywords are important, then it must be a good idea to fill the website with as many keywords as possible. A quick peek at the source code for many websites reveals this is a common strategy. Lists of keywords are stuffed into the code, in some cases as much of a page of keywords on a single page of a website.

Unfortunately for these websites, search engines like Google do not subscribe to the belief that more is more. Packing larger number of keywords into the html will actually count against your website by the search engine bots that visit it. Not only do the search engines view keyword stuff negatively, even if they didn’t by listing so many keywords, the website loses all focus on any specific word. This muddled message means that bots visiting your site may not even be about to figure out who your website was supposed to be aimed toward.

Shhh…Secret Keywords

It is far too easy for us to get used to using our own terms for products and services. Those often don’t translate well to the general public. Are your potential customers searching for your product by name? You may have built a better mousetrap but that doesn’t guarantee customers finding their way to your door. If people are searching for “mousetrap” they are unlikely to find your product if you’re listing it as the “Super Gotcha 3000!” While that might seem like a far-fetched example, it is actually quite easy for companies to lose sight of what most people would call their products or services. Even putting words in a unexpected order can throw off your search engine rankings. Consider how a mention of “mouse catcher” would be more likely to found during a web search that the “Mouse Super Catcher” your company is trying to promote.

Take a close look at your website to see if you are using industry terminology rather than the types of words and phrases customers are likely to use. Your “pest extermination” product might be overlooked because people are searching for “bug killer” or “pest control.” This is why it is critical to find out what search terms are being used for your type of product or service so that you can target the right words and phrases.

Giant Keywords, No Focus

Even websites that have tried to focus their keywords, often go astray. A common issue is using words that are too broad to attract the right target market. Even after doing research on how often various keywords are used, may sites go astray. Perhaps they are enticed by the enormous number of searches for common words and want to attract that whole market. Typically, this is a bad idea. There are probably huge numbers of people typing a search for “animals” into a search engine. However, very few of them would be looking for anything related to controlling mice. Due to the larger number of websites using “animals” as a keyword, your site has very little chance of moving to the top of the search engine rankings for that word. Meanwhile, you could be using more specific words in your site to attract those who are actually interesting in your product. While “catch a mouse” would have a much lower number of searches that “animal,” you’d be much more likely to attract your target market.