Marketing Design Tips and Trends For Success

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description:

With website design impacting 94% of first impressions, one of the main factors impacting if a user will stay on your website or not is your design and its elements.

An ideal website design is simple, functional, and also consistent with the branding of your business. Most good-looking websites use a grid-based layout to make content aligned, they have short load times, are mobile-friendly, and use inviting copy.

Use these website design hacks and trends to make informed decisions for your website in 2021.

Keep Design Clean and Simple

Use minimalistic elements, simple fonts, easy colors, and compelling copy to create a clean website design.

A rising trend in 2021 is comfortable colors. We suggest thinking outside of the box and avoiding the classic black and white. While these can work for certain industries, we suggest using soft color palettes to create a calm and relaxing environment for your visitors.

Use Stunning Visuals

No matter if it’s for your product pages, blog posts, or about us page, always use high-quality images and videos (of course while, at the same time, keeping in mind size limitations).

In 2021, 3D graphics and parallax animation are increasingly popular among web designers and website owners. That will help you stand out from your competitors and keep your users engaged and longer on your website (which also brings benefits in terms of SEO and conversions)

Make Your Web Design Responsive

All the pages on your website need to be responsive and render well on all devices and screen sizes.

To stay updated with the latest industry trends, you can try using vector graphics. These are points on a vector map that web designers use to resize images without losing quality. That ensures your site is responsive without compromising the quality of your visual assets.

Make Your Website Engaging

No matter which industry you’re in, your website shouldn’t be boring. Try to capture the attention of your readers by using elements of interactivity.

In 2021, we’ve seen a rising trend in 360-degree views, as well as micro-interaction elements. These, again, engage users and also keep them on your site longer.

Create a Simple Navigation Experience

The structure of your content should be easy to understand and your website easy to navigate through.

A growing trend in web design is infinite scroll technology, which makes it a seamless experience for users to navigate your website, especially on mobile devices.

As you’ve seen there are some marketing design tips you can take advantage of to create a stunning website.

However, you should adapt your layout to the type of content you share. The design of your website will vary depending on the industry you’re in and the content you share. Because of that, you must find inspiration from some of the best-designed websites on the internet.

Website Design Examples:

1. Avoriaz 1800 – Visite Virtuelle

This website uses animation, 360-degree technology, storytelling, and stunning visual assets to make users feel like they’re part of the experience. Definitely consider creating something like this if you’re in the travel and hospitality industry.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, Apache

2. Playbook

This cloud storage platform for designers website uses clean design, stunning photography, and an innovative UI experience that captures the user’s attention. The website also uses interactive design elements to create a personalized and engaging experience. Make sure your web design is clean and simple, especially if you’re a technology company targeting designers.

Technologies Used: Ruby, GraphQL, React

3. Animus Studios

This video agency uses animation, videos, and lots of colors to stand out from competitors and also show the company’s capabilities in terms of videos. Try using a similar web design if you’re a creative business agency that wants to make work more fun.

Technologies Used: Craft CMS

4. PUBLIC DOMAIN

This website, founded by Virgil Abloh to show his collections and to tease upcoming product launches, uses big background images, a horizontal menu, and innovative content architecture

Technologies Used: JavaScript, HTML5

5. Globalance World

Globalance World is an investment platform that creates an interactive experience for users to make investment decisions by looking at economic, societal, and environmental factors. To do this, the website designers used interactivity, a fully responsive design, and 3D data visualization.

Technologies Used: next.js, CSS3, Three.js, React, D3, GraphQL

6. UXPERT

This website chose to use elements like animation, clean design, graphic design assets, and an innovative user interface. For example, on the homepage, users can play a showreel to learn everything about the brand.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5

7. MAD

MAD is a creative digital design website taking a creative approach to interactivity. The result is an unusual design that surely captures the attention of users, who can play with the logo, move objects, and more. By using experimental and unusual design, transition elements, filters and effects, an innovative user interface, and micro-interactions, this website creates interest and curiosity.

8. Glob

Do you own an eCommerce website? This is the example you’re looking for. Glob sells reusable bags for a plastic-free lifestyle. On their website, they use filters and effects creatively to grab the users’ attention and making web design elements entertaining. For example, users can move their mouse around and interact with designs with a liquify effect.

Technologies Used: WebGL

9. Gucci Beauty Foundation

This website offers a quiz game, shades palettes, and interactive video tutorials to allow users to discover the uses in an entertaining way. Consider creating a subdomain or subfolder of your website, similar to this example, to present a product you offer and create a buzz.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, React, Anime.js

10. Mario Russo Archive

Using features like responsive design, appealing typography, and storytelling, artist Mario Russo’s archive offers a simple way of showing creative work online. More specifically, typography (font style, appearance, and structure) is an extremely important factor when it comes to improving the user experience.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, jQuery, Typekit

11. Yusuke Fukunaga

Yusuke Fukunaga’s portfolio uses infinite scroll, parallax, scrolling, and various filters and effects for a simple yet innovative design. Consider experimenting with something similar if you’re a creative professional and want to showcase your portfolio.

Technologies Used: WebGL, GSAP Animation, Three.js

12. IdeaRocket

IdeaRocket is an animation studio making its website popular for its uncommon user experience work presentation. Design features that stand out here include animation, video, scrolling, and great use of storytelling.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5. GSAP Animation

13. Omega Funds

Are you in the B2B space? We suggest taking a look at the way this website uses animation features, transition elements, and micro interactions to communicate information in a fun way without distracting users. This is perfect for inspiration especially if you have a corporate website.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, GSAP Animation, Three.js, Matter.js

14. Low Five Brewing

Single page, uncommon navigation, and responsive design are the features that stand out when users enter this website. Low Five Brewing is one of the best single-page websites on the internet. This technology includes all the content on one page, with no menu at all. As a result, navigation is simple and the website is fast and responsive.

Technologies Used: Vue.js, Nuxt.js

15. Swissdent

Swissdent created a website that uses photography, animated visuals, clean design, minimalistic elements, and parallax technology to tell a story. The minimalistic and clean web design creates a simple and fun shopping experience for visitors.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5, GSAP Animation, PHP

16. Goodfight

Using a horizontal menu and layout, responsive design, transition elements, and fun filters and effects, this website creates a more interactive experience for users who want to learn about the brand.

17. Hanwag – 100 Years

Experimental and retro design. This is what users think of when looking at this website. The entire site consists of a single page, which details the history of the Hanwag shoe brand from the first shoemaker’s shop in 1921 to 2021.

18. Vintageria

Definitely, get inspired by this website if you’re looking for a retro web design for your eCommerce store. The website is colorful and uses fun storytelling elements and an innovative user interface to stand out from other clothing brands.

Technologies Used: Node.js, GSAP Animation, PixiJS, Webpack, Vue.js, Nuxt.js

19. Fabulatorij

Take a look at this event agency’s website if you’re planning to use vector graphics for your website design. It uses geometric shapes to create high-quality images that render well on all devices.

Technologies Used: GSAP Animation, VideoJS, Vue.js, Nuxt.js, Netlify

20. BURGER & SAUCE

What elements stand out on this website? Big background images, vector graphics, and responsive design. This restaurants chain focuses on these elements on its website to picture its handmade burgers, with an impressive and memorable user experience.

Technologies Used: WordPress, SVG, Cloudflare

Conclusion:

If you’re launching a new website and blog or are looking to redesign your existing one, it’s important you have original and cohesive design elements.

Having said that, the specific characteristics and technologies you’ll include will change based on your industry and your company’s goals. Follow the infographic below to choose the right web design elements for your website.

Source: WebsiteSetup

STAY INSPIRED: Launching a Small Business (and the Tools You'll Need)

Keep up the good work! 😎👍

*by andreascy*

How Educational Technology is Reshaping Education: Latest Trends

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

For many years now, we’ve been seeing a gradual, but important shift in the way that people are educated. Gone are the days of notepads, pens and paper notes. Today, students are creating the content on their tablets, they are sending it across intranets, and they are engaging with the class, 24/7 through social media. This is referred to as asynchronous learning.

Far from being the distraction they were originally intended to be, though, digital devices are helping to re-shape the traditional dynamics of education as we know it — they are actually amplifying it.

So, what latest trends and changes can we expect to make a compelling difference to the market in the years to come?

Smart Tech

One of the most obvious innovations we have seen in recent years comes from the rather wonderful Smart technology industry. For example, one tool we might see used in academic study soon is IBM’s Watson device. Watson offers a high-end education tool that addresses and improves the way that people study. This is going to be very important for the long-term growth of the industry, as Watson is known to change the way that people collate data from masses of unmanaged data using artificial intelligence and sophisticated means of analysis.

This is very useful for making sure that the next generations can use technology to find answers that they would have otherwise never received. Even in more limited education functions, new AI toys could be used to manage the growth of younger children and make them more aware of certain interactions.

From making children more aware of their actions and the way they portray themselves, to full on educational aids, smart tech will ensure that the next generation always has a helping hand waiting for them.

The IoT and IoE

A significant element of the web is going to be the Internet of Things. We’re already changing the way we all link together and operate as one today, and the IoT will ensure that this continues. For example, the IoT will enable the rapid growth of virtual classroom learning. IoT will ultimately be a defining factor in shaping the future of the industry. Device interaction will improve and before long it will be easy to take the information garnered in the classroom right to our PCs back at home. The future of learning will involve possessing the means to transmit data as freely and as accurately as possible across the whole group.

Education will benefit from an added layer of depth to the IoT, in which people will be able to make the most of a learning system that brings together various aspects of their day-to-day lives. 

More recently, another somewhat synonymous to IoT concept, introduced by CISCO is the Internet of Everything, defined as "the intelligent connection of people, process, data and things." This philosophy can inform a globalized, expanded notion of internet connections beyond machines. The latter can be meaningful for developing tools such as Educational Management Systems (EMS), which refer to managing the massive data of school records and other administrative functions across the globe, perhaps in a unified way.

VR and AR

Virtual reality and Augmented Reality took a very important step in 2018, with the mainstream release of many headsets by the likes of Sony and HTC leading the way, as well as more research-driven industry applications. Indeed, another option — the Google Cardboard — is expected to deliver exciting new ways of learning. It’s going to change the way that students investigate future careers, which is vital to shaping dreams.

For instance, a profession might sound amazing, but the reality could be very different. VR will re-shape how we evaluate the suitability of a student to take up such a profession. with simulations to estimate the performance of the person under a specific role. It will also help students to determine how suitable they are just by trying it out. Was it everything they thought it was going to be? 

Such possibilities are explored in pilot studies and research experiments across the world. This type of VR and AR applications, will help students to avoid making the wrong choice early in life and failing to come back from it. Many students wind up in major debt, just trying to get into a career path that, when they “make it” resembles the opposite of what they had intended in the first place.

3D Printing

Another major element of education that is likely to change heavily in the near future is the power of 3D Printing. As one of the most powerful industries out there at the moment, it’s beginning to become a very popular way to learn for kids. Nowadays, children can get their hands on the kind of objects and instruments that previously they could only look at in books and dream of holding for real.

From the crown of a king, to the layout of a medieval weapon (blunted, obviously!) children could get a much more authentic appreciation of the world that they read about on the pages of book. This is dangerous, though, as it prevents children from appreciating the true gravity of what they are reading about. The day that 3D printing stops being so prohibitively expensive, will be a good day as it should help people to finally become involved in the industry, thus empowering and educating the next generation.

In Summary...

Whilst understanding the various challenges that the Internet and similar devices present to the education industry, the trends are already here. People are becoming more appreciative of the integration of technology into various forms of education, as most believe it will quickly help to make people more comfortable with technology, as well as working and living in a multimodal and digitally mediated society.

All of the above technological outputs, have been working their way into education for some time — it’s just a matter of time before they are more systematically implemented in classrooms worldwide. Each will play their part in determining a new dawn for education, which can only be a good thing, ensuring that future generations, receive the best and most relevant learning possible.

*by andreascy*

All Systems Go: Launching a Small Business (and the Tools You'll Need)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Happy New Year everyone!

Starting a business requires an ample selection of tools to make operations manageable. Without them, you'd spend more time with its administration than selling and customer interaction.

Where's the fun in that? Almost 1 million businesses are launched each year with most being small operations. This is an interesting trend because it shows the viable nature of starting a business where before launching was heavily determined by access to finances and resources.

Perhaps the tools make the difference? I think so. I haven't launched a brick & mortar operation but I have started several successful, online businesses. Many tools I use are same (or similar) to those found in many, other small businesses. I can reaffirm this based on my networking and business with owners.

What common ground did I find with business tools?

1. Payment Processing

All businesses need a form of payment gateway services to complete transactions. Brick and mortar stores will likely use Point-of-Sale systems whereas online businesses rely on shopping cart software.

2. Accounting

The first year in business comes as a shock when it's time to pay taxes. Business taxes depend on its organization, profits, and expenses. Average business tax rates are usually 19.8%.

Accounting software is a must to keep income and expenses in order. Both TurboTax and Quickbooks make great options for small business owners.

3. Legal or business document(s)

All businesses should have a business plan to keep efforts aligned and to improve their chances to secure funding through loans and investments. Other important documents may include a bill of lading, trademarks, seller's permits, and more.

Legal and business documents are costly if they're created by professionals. Like taxes, a small business owner may use tools to create these items in-house. 

Tools include DocuSign and Formswift.

4. Computer and mobile hardware

What's a business to do if team members don't have access to computers, mobile devices, and the Web? These two sets of tools, alone, present many opportunities -- including:

• Access to website building tools

• Mobile CRM and networking tools

• Social media marketing and always-on monitoring

• Warehouse management and logistics

• Payroll and time management software

These tools become vital for its launch as Web efforts will generally lead to high engagement, low-cost marketing campaigns to build awareness and sales.

Also, businesses may choose to bring advertising and marketing creative design in-house by making flyers, posters, brochures, and business cards for a fraction of the costs if done by a designer. 

Tools all small businesses will want to explore include Salesforce, Hootsuite, Wix, and ADP.

5. Business Intelligence

BI tools give small business owners insights into the business operations and organization. Data is uploaded to these tools to compile information and records to produce actionable reports.

Microsoft Power BI offers a free version of their tool many small business owners may want to explore if they feel it provides a benefit.

6. Helpdesk

Gathering customer (and employee) feedback is tedious if these items are stored and organized through traditional filing systems.

Helpdesk software sits on your workplace hardware. Or, it's cloud-based. These tools create a gateway for feedback and handling issues. Other benefits include:

• A central hub for FAQ's

• User roles and hierarchy for management

• Community forums to crowdsource help

There's a Tool for Everything

No matter the task or problem... there's a tool to provide a solution. Yes, each tool you introduce will produce a learning curve and time investment. But, they will greatly reduce the tedious tasks.

This frees more of your time to work on the enjoyable activities like interacting with customers, exploring new ventures, and nurturing team cohesion.

I've found most businesses all use one or all types of these tools. Though, ask your fellow entrepreneurs for extra pointers and suggestions.

*by andreascy*

8 Strategies for a More Efficient Home

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Life only gets busier and busier. Ever since the industrial revolution, we do more and more. In recent decades, advances in technology allow us to stay far more connected, at the cost of being far busier. Staying on top of your life, and your home, has never been a bigger challenge.

We’ve identified eight strategies that can help you be more efficient at home. They range from embracing technology all the way down to how you shop at the grocery store. The goal is embrace a few of these tactics so that you can get a little bit more free time without losing your productivity. 

1. Buy Groceries Pre-Cut

You don’t realize how much time you spend cutting, chopping, shredding, dicing, mincing, and slicing as you prepare a meal. And, awhile back, someone brilliant thought it would be a good idea to start selling food in the grocery store where they had already done all of this for you. 

Nowadays, you can buy your cheese shredded and your garlic minced. You can buy your vegetables chopped and your deli meat sliced. You might already be buying one or two of these items pre-cut, but have you ever sat down and evaluated all of the areas you could save time by going all-in on this?

Next time you make a store list, spend a minute going through it and asking the question “Can I buy this pre-cut?” If so, do it. You’ll be surprised by how many things you can buy pre-cut. Not sure if it comes pre-cut? Put a question mark next to it, and look for it at the store. Ask a clerk if you can’t find it easily.

Yes, typically speaking, the pre-cut version of the food is a little but more expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, it might not be the best option for right now. But, in my experience, the amount of time you’ll save far outweighs the slight cost increase. 

2. Purchase a Smart Lock for your Front Door

There are several benefits to having a smart lock on your front door. First and foremost, you’ll be the ire of all of your neighbors with your cool looking dead bolt, and state of the art entry mechanism. And, that’s worth it alone right?

On a serious note, for starters you won’t have to manage the number of keys you have floating around to your house any longer. At a certain point, you start to lose track of how many spare keys you have floating around, and it isn’t particularly safe. Also, you’ll never have to worry about leaving your keys and being locked out of your house. It only takes that happening once for you to realize how frustrating that is (and how big of a waste of time)!

You also won’t have to deal with having to make and transfer a key to family members, friends that are in town, housekeepers and maintenance workers… the list goes on. 

Keyless locks come in two basic types - one’s that utilize a number pad, and one’s that utilize technology. If you’re worried about wireless security, you might opt for the number pad version. However, there are several additional benefits that come with the technologically smart version. 

Your door will automatically unlock as you approach it with your smart phone on you. Also, you can quickly issue access to friends and family through their smartphone, and set boundaries on how long it is accessible for.

Lets take a real life example that just happened to me. I forgot to turn off our lights before leaving for a long weekend. I quickly texted my neighbor, and gave her access through her phone to our front door for 2 hours. She ran over and turned the lights off. Voila!

3. Cook in a Crockpot

If only I had known about this in college. Did you know it was possible to open your fridge, grab a couple of things, throw them into a crockpot, walk away for 4-8 hours, and come back to an amazing meal?

It’s a little more complicated than that, but not by much. A crockpot is a very simple cooking appliance, and it seems that almost everything you put in it comes out tasting good. And, with very little effort. 

Take this recipe, for example: four frozen chicken breasts and a can of salsa. Dump both into a crockpot, set on low, and when you come home from work or errands, you’ll have an amazing meal. Wrap it in a tortilla and put a little cheese on top, and several of my friends have commented that it tasted better than the local Mexican restaurant. 

Crockpots are amazing because they save you both time and money. The time savings are obvious – the slow cooking components of the process allow you to do very little prep to end up with a great meal. However, you can also save a lot of money with a crockpot. Typically, you can make an amazing meal with much cheaper meat. Again, the slow cooking process breaks down the meat into something quite good. Chuck roast, pork shoulder – these cuts of meat taste amazing in the crockpot, and could usually be purchased very inexpensively.

4. Buy in Bulk

You’ve probably heard this one from your mother at some point, but it is so true. Buying in bulk saves you money, but it also saves you so much time. 

It’s painful at first. It never seems like it's going to be very expensive until you get to the checkout line. Almost as painful is trying to figure out where to store it all. Who has room for 28 rolls of paper towels? And that 5 gallon drum of 409? Ok, I exaggerate, but you get the point. If you live in a small home, or don’t have a lot of storage, you do need to take this into consideration. 

But then the benefits kick in. You rarely have to make those emergency runs to the store to get just one item. Your life is interrupted far less by the need to go to the neighbor’s for an egg. 

And again, the savings are definitely there. You get a discount when you buy in bulk, and you’ll notice the savings over time. Just make sure you have a track record of using it before you buy in bulk. Otherwise, you might end up with a whole lot of something that looked good but didn’t turn out so.

5. Use Technology for List Creation

All this talk of what to buy, how much of it to buy, and how to cook it… you need a good list to keep track of everything. And if you’re still making your lists with pen and paper, or even on a computer, its time to leverage technology for that.

There are a plethora of apps available for your phone that you can create and update a list on in real time. The best part of this is that you always have your list on you, whether at home, at the store, or on the go. Whenever you think of something you need, you can quickly add it to your list.

Another benefit is that you can share these lists with others. So, for example, if your husband or wife lets you know that they need to stop by the store on the way home from work, you can quickly share the list with them and they can grab everything you need.

Better yet, share the app with others in your home that have a role in that list. That way, all can add to it in real time, and all can check it off in real time.

Lists don’t just have to be for the store. They can be for household projects, homework assignments, and long term journaling. I actually have a list on my phone for when I think of a good gift for someone. 

6. Unsubscribe from Junk Snail Mail

Yes, it’s possible. I won’t say that there is an easy button for it, but with a little work, you can rid yourself of the vast majority of junk mail that you receive. I know because I’ve done it. 

For starters, start to think closer about where you are using your address on forms. Try to be more mindful of not giving out your address if possible. 

Your first action item is to contact the Direct Marketing Association and let them know you want to stop receiving junk mail. They call it “offers” that you have participated in, but you get the picture. It’s very easy to do, and will start to stem the flow of endless junk snail mail.

Next, sign up for TrustedID Mail Preference Service. It’s free, and you can search for individual companies that you get junk mail from, and opt out. Spend an evening doing that.

Last, try taking advantage of PaperKarma, an app that lets you opt out of snail mail. As they say “Snap a photo. Stop junk mail and unwanted catalogs”.

Junk mail takes minutes every day to deal with, but those minutes add up to hours and hours every year. 

7. Rethink your Chores

House chores are never ending. Just when you finish a chore, it seems like its time to start on it all over again. And, if you fall behind, it can seem like a tremendous hurdle to get caught back up.

For many, the reason you fall behind on chores is a never-ending spiral that has to do with how you fundamentally approach those chores. As you get behind, the chores stack up. So, when you finally get around to doing the chore, it’s typically more extensive and time consuming to get it completed. This means that it takes longer, setting you even further behind on your other chores. And so the cycle goes.

Try re-thinking your chores. For starters, break each chore up into smaller components that can be done piece by piece. As an example, instead of vacuuming the entire house once per week, try vacuuming one room each day. This is much easier to accomplish, and a lot easier to catch up on if you miss one day.

Next, think about ways to make the chore simpler. Sticking with our vacuuming example, invest in a stick vacuum to put in a downstairs closet near your high traffic areas. These lightweight, easy-to-use vacuums come with cordless models, so you can whip it out and just vacuum the kitchen and dining room in a matter of minutes. 

Finally, follow the 80/20 rule, which says that “80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.” In other words, 80% of the effects from vacuuming comes from 20% of your efforts. How does this apply? Basically, it’s better to vacuum frequently, but not spend as much time on it, rather than doing an in-depth vacuum job infrequently.

You can still do a detailed vacuuming job, but perhaps that is best reserved for once per month.

Take the vacuuming example and apply to all the various chores you have. The goal is rethink how you approach your chores to focus on shorter sprints of execution. This will make you more efficient, while still giving you a majority of the results.

8. Go Smart

We talked earlier about adding a keyless entry to your front door, and mentioned that you could do this with a smart door lock. However, you don’t have to stop there. 

“Smart” is the term used of late to refer to home automation, or the automating of tasks at home. In practice, its less about automation, and more about making your life easier through incorporating various technologies. 

Here are a few areas we have added smart technology to our home, with great success:

• Smart Thermostat: Our air conditioning and heating system is now hooked up to a smart thermostat. You can still control it from the unit in your home, but you can now also access through an app on your phone. More importantly, the thermostat learns your patterns over time, and gradually sets the house to the temperature you prefer. This results in ease-of-use, while also saving you money on your energy bill in the long run.

• Smart Sprinkler System: Our sprinkler system now connects to the internet, getting updated on the weather. When it is going to rain, the sprinklers automatically turn off. You can also access this from an app on your phone. On a really hot day, sometimes I’ll turn on my sprinklers for an extra cycle in the evening, from my phone. 

• Amazon Echo: Amazon’s Echo is a hands-free, intelligent, personal assistant that responds to voice commands. It connects to a majority of your other devices. There are dozens of benefits, but my favorite ties in to a previously mentioned tip. You can update your lists simply through a voice command.

Conclusion 

There are numerous other ways to make your home smart, from tying in your lighting to your entertainment to your security. Each comes with an initial upfront cost, but will save you time and money over the long run. 

Our culture of busy can make keeping a home up challenging at times. Combatting this business with some of these efficiency tactics can free up some time for you, while still keep you on task. 

*by andreascy*

Why Are Comply Foam Headphones So Popular?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Many gamers and music fanatics prefer the use of over-ear headsets or silicon-based inner earbuds because of the high-quality sound on offer. However, such headphones don’t always provide the ultimate experience for several reasons, one of those being the fact they are often uncomfortable during prolonged use. 

Comply foam ear-budded headphones are becoming more and more popular because they’ve been able to solve the problems other headphones haven’t had a chance to. Here are a number of reasons why consumers are now looking toward comply foam earbud headphones for their listening requirements.

1. Comply Foam Headphones Help Isolate External Noise

Many gamers and professionals who use over-ear headphones have access to quality sound, but they don’t always get that quality sound because of external noise that can often interrupt the overall listening experience. With comply foam earbuds, you don’t get that problem because they put sound straight into the ear and prevent any external noise from entering. Comply foam based headphones have been around for years now, but it’s only been within the last few years where consumers have really seen the benefits they provide. 

2. Comfortable Experience

Gamers and music listeners often use headphones for longer periods for their entertainment purposes, but they regret it soon afterward because their ears feel sore. That problem goes away with comply foam earbuds – the soft solutions help improve comfort so consumers can take advantage of them for hours upon hours without experiencing any soreness. Take a look at complyfoam.com to see the comfort benefits such headphone solutions provide. 

3. Durable & Reliable

Bulkier over-ear headphones don’t tend to last long because they’re fragile and are usually only made out of plastic. Comply foam based headphones are compact, simple, and very durable. They do come at a cost, however, but they can always be relied upon to last for years. Therefore, they are a much more cost-effective solution than some of the other headphone solutions on the market. 

4. Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of comply foam earbuds: they’re very flexible. Everyone has different sized/shaped ears and many headphones on the market don’t provide enough flexibility. However, not only are comply foam earbuds great at isolating external noise, providing a comfortable experience, and last for a long time, but they’re very flexible and provide comfort for different ears of all shapes and sizes. So, if you can’t find a set of headphones that can cater to the needs of your ears, consider comply foam tips today for the ultimate experience that is almost guaranteed to provide comfort.

Conclusion 

Granted, many of the other headphones out there can provide excellent quality sound and comfort, which might suit gamers looking for more out of their experience. Others also provide the over-ear experience which is something music listeners often prefer. However, with comply foam making strides in producing high-quality sound, comfort, and flexibility for all consumers, it could only be a matter of time before comply foam is one of the biggest players in the headphone market.

Thank you all for checking out my articles! Can I help you in some way or another? Let me know below and I’ll be glad to give you a hand!

*by andreascy*

Are You Underestimating the Importance of Data Security?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Since the invention of the internet, data has taken on a whole new meaning. While advancement in technologies has made it convenient for us to share, store, input, and review data from virtually anywhere, this also puts businesses and everyday consumers at risk. 

Everything from your bank account information and social media profile to client and payment information is vulnerable with the use of any device. Have you been underestimating the importance of keeping it secure?

How is Data Risked? 

Though most consumers and businesses are aware of risks such computer viruses and cyber attacks, most aren’t aware of the various ways in which data can become compromised. Here are some of the most common risks:

Theft

What happens if your laptop, desktop, or smartphone becomes stolen? How much data have you just put at risk? Deliberate attacks happen often to businesses and individuals who could be holding sensitive information. Theft doesn’t have to come in the form of a robber sticking you up at gunpoint either. From former employees stealing sensitive information to competing organizations trying to learn trade secrets, data is stolen all the time. Though companies like Capitol Digital & Califorensics can help to recover data from a damaged or stolen device, taking preventative measures is always best.

Loss

Everyone is human and entitled to make a mistake from time to time. Data can easily be lost by misplacing a smartphone, misfiling documents, or losing a laptop while waiting at the airport. This sensitive information can now be in the hands of anyone leaving you open to exposure.

Neglect

How many times have you discarded of a phone, computer, or laptop without wiping the information on them clean? Did you know that if not properly erased, others who buy the devices can pull and use this information to their advantage? Other forms of neglect might include the failure to create strong enough passwords which provide easy access to sensitive programs, and even data such as forms or letters that are not properly shredded can be a form of neglect that leaves you vulnerable to a data breach.

How Can You Improve Data Security? 

As you can see, there are a lot more risks out there than viruses and malware. If you want to keep your data secure, it is imperative to be proactive in implementing some of the following preventative measures:

1. Install antivirus software – Don’t underestimate the importance of antivirus software. This should be installed on your computer and your smartphones to prevent hackers from accessing information through apps and online programs.

2. Create passwords – Whether in the office, at home, or on the go, all your devices applications and programs should have strong passwords to make it harder for a thief to steal your information. Create passwords that you can remember, however, that aren’t too easy for others to learn.

3. Train Staff – For those who are concerned about data breaches in the office should be sure to properly educate their staff on cyber security as well as policies and procedure that should be followed in the office to minimize the potential for a data breach.

4. Backup Data – Some things are beyond your control. If you happen to lose your smartphone or get hacked at work having your data backed up can make recovering a lot easier. Whether you use cloud storage, a flash drive, or another device to store your data, it can save a lot of time and money in the long run.

You never know just how vulnerable you are until you’re hacked, your phone gets lost, or someone deliberately steals confidential information from you. Outside of being prepared with the above-mentioned tips, it is ideal to set up solutions like data forensics recovery, backup storage, and other IT solutions to minimize the impact of a data breach.

What are your thoughts? If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly or post them below. Thanks!

*by andreascy*

6 Ways to Nurture Learning for Digital Natives

Posted by Dr Stephania Savva

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For many people, the term ‘digital native’ might sound a little strange. It’s not literally someone who lives on the internet, as that might be a little bit impossible. What it does offer, though, is a term which has become increasingly popular in the last decade and a half. Coined by the excellent Marc Prensky in 2001, this term – the digital native – describes the inability to help the next generation, namely the digital natives who were born in the millenia learn in and through technology. Teachers and educators are increasingly finding it more difficult to relate and understand the needs of the generations that preceded them.

Today, as the infographic below shows, people like digital natives tend to get their information through the web and have a different means of learning and then processing information. Therefore, academics are often confronted with the challenges that traditional methods of education that they once employed with such success no longer hold the same ideals.

So, what are some other ways can ‘digital natives’ be taught?

1. Multiliteracies and Multimodal Learning

Supporting meaningful teaching and learning for the 21st century requires to adhere to an expanded view of literacy, which reflects the multimodal meaning making of digital natives and not alone. It has been proposed to promote a pedagogy of multiliteracies involving learning using not only spoken and written words, but also images and symbols of all kinds, sounds and music, bodily gestures and movement, and physical and virtual objects. Educators therefore have a new charge in the new era, to teach these competencies and multimodal literacy practices that students need to acquire and utilize in various contexts in order to succeed in the postmodern world.

2. Collaborative Learning

Probably the most striking way in which we can help the next generation learn to change and grow academically is through collaborative learning. Instead of expecting everyone to dig their noses into academic books and read from the same select sources, we should prepare for digital natives to have more diverse sources and opinions on certain subjects.

It’s important that it is realized how collaborative learning is probably the major secret to making the digital natives out there more comfortable to learn. There are lots to consider about the value of learning as a member of a group and by actually taking part in the learning process through up taking different roles. No longer do people get the same enjoyment from just reading from a book and taking cues from there. To add another bow to the way that the next generation will be learning, we have to appreciate that their means of education differs.

3. Avoid Pretension

One of the major flaws in digital native learning is when a ‘digital immigrant’ (those of an older generation without the same comfort and thought process in digital learning) tries to pretend they are from a more modernized background. It comes across as false and cannot be a valid source of helping to stimulate and improve the level of learning that students can do in general.

This is a major issue and one that has to be addressed. A teacher must find a way of working as the core organizer of the subject, and the person who helps the students to learn. What they no longer have to be, though, is the font of all knowledge and fact. Teaching has moved beyond the head of the classroom being the holder of all the facts. Digital natives find it easy to topple the academics and the experts, so it’s important that schools take this into account as it will majorly determine the next steps in the industry.

A teacher must find a way of using the knowledge they do have to offer the information in a way that can be used a supplement, not as the only fact available.

4. Keep Teaching Human

However, whilst it’s important that teachers avoid going down the route of trying to become false in their educational style, they also need to find a way of making sure that they can keep the human interaction side of things burning as bright as it possibly can.

The human element of learning from a teacher is never going to be going away anytime soon. Teachers have to accept that now students can learn from them even if they are not face-to-face. The rapid growth of distance education means that the education process has to be respected as having changed so dramatically.

Keeping the human element – acting as the person to throw logic into arguments and debates – is a key of being good at teaching the digital natives. They need to know they can learn from multiple sources, but also that their teacher does hold information that they can learn from.

5. Provide a Purpose

Nobody wants to learn from you, no matter how humanized you can be and how far away from the authoritarian image of a teacher you can be, if you do not have a purpose to the learning. Students struggle to just listen to you talking on for an hour and a half – if they want to read a massive wall of text or listen to an interview they do not participate in; they will find it.

The days of memorization (thankfully) are gone in the classroom – it’s now madness to expect that students will just put up and let you make your point these days. Students now read into topics that engage them and interest them, rather than always constantly looking to the power of the teacher to help them learn in the first place.

Give a native control, though, in other words encouraging self-directed learning and they will make the most of that. Let them dictate the learning path in the room and they can find their own way there. Students want to know what they are doing, and why they want to know that in the first place. Act as a facilitator, make your ideas interesting, and students are more likely to want to listen and make that a lesson worth hearing.

Try and just narrate from a book and expect them to learn though? You’ll be shocked.

6. Square Pegs, Square Holes

Many teachers fear that learning through hybrid – typical teaching and eLearning – is the wrong way to go. However, this comes from experience personally as they never had this extra side to their education. As such it’s probably something worth avoiding. That’s the train of thought that many teachers go with – and it’s also why many teachers fail to excite or adapt.

Provide a research-based approach to your learning together. In class, use supplementary content from the web that backs up your point but is put in a more “interesting” tone. Digital natives care not for just your take on things, but back it up with some cool content online they can review themselves? They’ll be far more likely to actually listen. In this sense, different approaches have been employed, for instance, using WebQuests to excite and motivate students through extensive use of online resources.

With so many of the digital native generation in need of technology to feel stimulated now, it’s important that teaching does not fall behind long-term. Sticking with the old ideas and refusing to adapt the way that students are asked to learn, though, will create a chasm that cannot be bridged.

BE SURE TO READ ALSO: Three Ways to Protect Your Students From the Dangers of Technology

Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and comment below if you have any questions. Happy Holidays, from all at THE OFFICIAL ANDREASCY!! 😃