Blockchain technology first emerged in 2009 along with the launch of Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that became the world’s favorite form of digital finance. 

“Blockchain is a distributed and secure database,” surmises Phil Aldridge, chief technology officer at Peoplewave. “It records and stores every transaction that occurs in the network, and each new transaction is added only after being verified by the network. This creates a “historical ledger” of authenticated and trustworthy data.”

Furthermore, Precedence Research data suggests that the blockchain IoT market size alone is set to grow to almost $2 billion by the end of the decade–with a sprawling volume of use cases likely to emerge as a result.

While blockchain appears to be a natural fit for a broad range of sectors, particularly that of finance, cybersecurity, and logistics, the potential application of the technology in HR roles can’t be underestimated. Let’s take a deeper look at how blockchain and recruitment may forge the perfect partnership as the age of Web 3.0 dawns upon the industry:

Pairing Blockchain with Recruitment

The reason that blockchain has the potential to build a successful relationship with the world of recruitment is that it acts as a public distributed digital ledger, or record of transactions that can be programmed to securely keep a record of just about anything that holds value. Fundamentally, blockchain is the world’s most secure track of records. 

Furthermore, blockchains are immutable, which means that data stored is impossible to hack, steal, or modify on the chain. 

When data such as an individual’s employment history, school record, or any other relevant information is stored securely on the blockchain, for instance, it could be a significant step for the world of recruitment. 

Crucially, studies have shown that millennials typically change their employer once every 2.8 years. These ‘wrong’ hires cost businesses an average of almost $14,900, but blockchain-based hiring can help to ease this process through instilling greater transparency. 

Not only can blockchain help to verify the best candidates, it can also eliminate factors like misrepresentation. It also has the potential to automate the onboarding process, saving businesses time and money.

True Candidate Transparency

Let’s take a closer look at the topic of employer/employee transparency. Blockchain empowers all parties to gain secure access to authenticated records, whereby applications can be viewed in real-time with consent-based verification of education levels, accolades, and employment history. 

These validated credentials could either be recorded directly onto the blockchain, or they could be represented by non-fungible tokens, which would be awarded to individuals on completion of an educational course or training. 

There can be a wide range of details recorded and stored via the use of blockchains, including: 

• Educational history
• Employment history
• Criminal background checks
• Relevant licenses and certifications
• Driver records

The process of enabling recruiters to gain the necessary permissions to access a candidate’s credentials can take just a matter of seconds, helping to streamline the vetting process when looking for new talent. 

Frictionless Onboarding

Blockchain can enable companies to automate their onboarding process. This can help to eliminate repetitive tasks geared towards preparing new recruits and instead focus on other manual processes. 

Thanks to blockchain applications, businesses can save time whilst also ensuring the safety of their new recruits. Powered by artificial intelligence, this automation can instantly perform the necessary safety background checks and explore an employee’s credentials to analyze their competencies and skill gaps. 

Subsequently, the AI can generate fully customized VR training programs that automatically update themselves based on each employee’s progress. When the AI is satisfied that a competency has been achieved, the program will create a new blockchain record on the employee’s chain, so that the HR department is aware of their progress. 

Data Safety

With the greater level of sensitive data that recruiters must work through, factors like GDPR compliance can be a recurring issue. However, blockchain isolates the dangers of misplaced information and delivers far greater levels of data security. 

Today’s processes within recruitment risks making personal data susceptible to hackers and data-tampering. Blockchain has the ability to enhance data safety by storing it in a decentralized manner–breaking all the information down and distributing it across a wide network of interconnected computers. Each computer will house a complete copy of the data, making the matter of losing it virtually impossible. 

Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain technology, the data it stores is fully immutable, because changes must be verified across the entire network. For any legitimate transaction, multiple confirmations must be provided and the same goes for underhanded attempts to access data. 

Comprehensive Payroll Management

The rise of remote work has presented new challenges in managing payroll, but blockchain can also revolutionize this area of HR and recruitment. 

Because blockchain works closely with cryptocurrency, it can be an excellent asset for paying employees who work in different areas of the world in a quick and efficient manner. It’s even possible for companies to create their own cryptocurrency to pay employees, which can later be converted into domestic money. 

Furthermore, blockchain-based smart contracts have the potential to change how workers are rewarded for special tasks. Rather than performance-based bonuses which need to be cleared by a payments and accounting team, employees can have certain bonuses written into a smart contract–whether they involve making a certain number of sales per month or learning new competencies–and once they’ve achieved their goals, an instant payment can be made into their account. This can help to leverage a truly rewarding employee experience. 

Although we’re still very much in the early stages of seeing blockchain realize its potential, the prospective use cases are still clear for all to see. When it comes to recruitment, the automation and efficiency that blockchain can bring mustn’t be ignored. The companies that move fastest in accommodating the technology are likely to lead the way in employee retention rates and data security.

The post 4 Ways Blockchain Will Revolutionize the Recruitment Process appeared first on SiteProNews.

“As we’re entering the possibilities offered by Web3 — the decentralized, ownable and programmable web — we have seen hundreds of new projects popping up every day. But it’s important to remember that Web3 is not about specific NFTs, it’s about what you can do with it, be that providing access, social capital or utility,” explained Nicholas Julia, co-founder and CEO of Sorare, an NFT-based fantasy football game. 

“I expect most NFTs will go to zero the same way most .com companies went to zero — the hype does not negate the underlying trend, and if you choose projects that build for the long-term, you will find the Amazon of the .com bubble. NFTs help you own a piece of the internet and as our good friend Alexis Ohanian explains, the internet is a culture machine and is a community connector. Ultimately, NFTs are now a part of the culture, and while not every NFT will survive, we will absolutely see projects that will retain value for centuries to come.”

Julia knows a thing or two about the world of NFTs. In November 2021, Sorare raised a mammoth $680 million in a Series B fundraising round – leaving a company valuation of $4.3 billion. The newfound unicorn status means that Sorare can legitimately stake a claim to be the world’s most valuable NFT startup.

The secondary market sales of NFTs grew at a rapid rate in mid-2021 before a brief revival took place in January 2022. Although secondary sales haven’t quite spiked in early 2021, a significant decline has emerged in February. 

Echoing Julia’s notion that many NFT projects will ultimately go to zero, digital artist Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, echoed the sentiment. In 2021, Beeple sold an NFT for a record-breaking $69 million, but has since shared his scepticism about the market. 

He noted in an interview with the New York Times that investing in crypto-based art “is for people who are looking to take some risks,” before adding that “this stuff will absolutely go to zero.”

Beeple also said: “I think there’s a very good chance it’s in a bubble,” when discussing the future of the NFT market. 

So what’s next for the world of NFTs? And can the market continue to thrive despite some of its key players dismissing many of the projects that currently populate the industry?

Assessing the Merits of NFTs

Despite drawing plenty of scepticism from investors outside of the crypto landscape, we’ve seen the rise of blue-chip NFT projects like CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and CyberKongz have helped to bring greater levels of interest in non-fungible tokens. Some projects even carry forms of utility whilst rewarding holders with a form of passive income. 

The rise of NFTs has led to prestigious auction houses like Christie’s auctioning off digital art for millions of dollars. 

Furthermore, the potential for multifunctional utility means that owning an NFT can carry more benefits than traditional artworks, with tokens being incorporated into games in a way that rewards players. 

However, the NFT landscape has become unsustainable for many investors. Best-in-class tokens have become too expensive for many retail investors due to their scarcity and popularity, leading to myriad copycat projects emerging. This invariably means that the vast majority of NFTs will never gain value once the non-fungible gold rush shows signs of dying down. 

NFTs are also highly dependent on the success of cryptocurrencies to be successful. Recent pullbacks across the crypto market have served as a warning for NFT investors. 

“Cryptocurrency is currently one of the most attractive alternatives to investing in stocks, bonds and commodities. Cryptocurrencies are generally highly volatile, which means investors can generate high returns. Yet, with volatility come greater risks,” notes Maxim Manturov, head of investment advice at Freedom Finance Europe. 

When volatility becomes more pronounced, NFTs will be especially susceptible to investor sell-offs, as preservation of wealth takes precedence. 

Although we’ve already seen what happens when a digital bubble bursts from a time when dot-com websites were attracting big money as a form of virtual real estate. There are certainly some parallels between the dot-com boom and the NFT landscape. However, investors will be hoping that the fixed scarcity of their tokens helps to maintain their value.

Investors are likely to be aware that even the most scarce asset is worthless if there’s no interest in it, so it’s vital that projects are fully trusted before purchases are made. With this in mind, it appears likely that many NFTs will ultimately go to zero, but for the trusted and well-managed projects out there, there’s certainly plenty of reasons to remain optimistic for the future.

The post Heading to Zero: Could NFTs Go the Way of the Dotcom Bubble? appeared first on SiteProNews.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to act fast in implementing work-from-home (WFH) ecosystems that can keep operations flowing smoothly while ensuring that employees remain happy, safe, and productive. According to a recent UN report on International Labour Organization, while employees are generally more productive when working away from traditional office environments, they’re also vulnerable to working longer hours, experiencing work-home interference and feeling greater levels of stress.

As we can see from Buffer’s recent 2021 State of Remote Work employee survey, there’s still much confusion around how companies plan to operate in the wake of the pandemic. With only 16% of employers currently confirmed as intending to return to office environments, it’s safe to say that a significant transition towards WFH will continue to occur even after COVID-19 has subsided. 

However, it’s vital that businesses address the barriers in front of them before fully embracing remote work over the long term. Failure to do so may adversely affect employee health and the productivity of the company as a whole. 

Technological Limitations

One of the biggest issues facing businesses making the transition towards WFH is the adoption of technology that will aid the performance of workers away from the office. According to a survey from the UK Work Foundation, 56% of employees claimed that they had difficulty using the technology available to them when it came to undertaking work remotely. 

However, this hurdle is already in the process of being cleared thanks to the rapid adoption of new technologies during the health crisis – enabling businesses to gain a greater understanding of what’s required of them in terms of the tech. Businesses will need to carry a greater emphasis on updating computer systems, training staff and generating a brand new technical support system. 

“It’s important for you to ‘walk the walk’ and take time to use new technology like telepresence robots, chat apps, video conference, and other unified communication channels to get your team on board with communicating this way in their daily lives,” explains Forbes contributor, Daniel Newman.

Task Management

Employers may feel that having employees operating outside of the office could make task delegation and project management more challenging. After all, how can workers be constantly aware of what they’re doing? And who will be in charge of delegating tasks to their teams? 

Clearing this hurdle relies on employers already having a system in place in which tasks can be assigned to workers. Projects can often fall by the wayside even in brick and mortar offices. This means that if employers buy into project management solutions in the office, then it’s likely to be easier to translate this to outside the office. 

Delegation can be made significantly easier by platforms like Monday, which can enable managers to create and share workloads and tasks with employees using straightforward traffic light systems to gain a comprehensive view of overall performance. 

Communication

WFH won’t be successful if your business doesn’t implement a consistent avenue for communication. Employees need to be capable of talking to one another as well as their respective managers. Sadly, not all businesses are equipped with the real-time communication needed for remote work, which can cause off-site employees to feel disconnected and isolated. 

It’s worth combatting this by utilising tools that offer instant communication and engagement within teams and projects. Here, it’s important to remember that face-to-face communication is still highly valuable when it comes to working as a team. With this in mind, use video conferencing wherever possible to hold meetings. 

Managers and employees should have regular check-in meetings to keep communication flowing and to exchange feedback with workers while assessing whether any new training is needed. 

One area in which WFH needs to quickly catch up with that of office-based operations is by making managers and business leaders more accessible. Operate with digital open-door policies where any employee can get in touch with their manager at any time and start a dialogue. 

Platforms like Slack can be strong in this regard – where instant messaging and notifications can be used to contact individuals or teams. 

Employee Health

Another hurdle that may become more apparent over time revolves around the physical health of employees. Without an office or a commute to break days up, employees are becoming increasingly exposed to their screens – including monitors, smartphones and televisions. This heavy exposure to blue light at home may harm the eyesight of workers and disrupt sleep patterns if left untreated. 

Employers may be able to combat this by establishing more robust breaktime structures, or by supporting workers through subsidising specialist blue light glasses that the employees can order online. 

Similarly, early reports of workers suffering from musculoskeletal aches and pains while WFH is another cause for concern. Charity, Versus Arthritis, has called on employees to be more open about their aches and pains after its survey found that as many as 89% of workers suffering from musculoskeletal problems in their new workspaces hadn’t told their employers about it. 

With this in mind, businesses need to look to create policies that protect the physical and mental wellbeing of employees. There needs to be more guidance on ergonomic workspaces and an open door policy on employees approaching their managers regarding their concerns. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the perks of working from home have become clear. Though as a relatively new opportunity for businesses to go remote, both employees and employers alike will be stepping into this brave new world together. With this in mind, it’s only through transparency and mutual understanding that businesses will successfully navigate the WFH landscape. 

The post What Are the Biggest Barriers to WFH after the COVID-19 Pandemic? appeared first on SiteProNews.

The motoring industry has been through the most scrutiny which means it has faced its fair share of challenges along the way. These challenges have helped birth Electric cars. Electric cars have initiated change in the industry and are paving the way for newer technologies and slicker cars which help rather than hinder the environment. Many have already opted for buying electric vehicles, evident from the graph here.

As the UK government confirms plans to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 to help tackle climate change, here’s an all you need to know manual about electric vehicles which will help you make better and informed decisions when buying yours.

How do electric cars work?

Electric cars are usually powered by an electrically charged battery, unlike regular combustion engines which run off fuels such as petrol and diesel. The battery pack powers the motor which turns the cars’ wheels, allowing it to move. In most cases, wall sockets supply power to the batteries, either from dedicated charging units or inside homes. As the battery receives power, it begins to store it in the battery for use when the car is run. Hybrid vehicles use part battery power and apply fuel to help run the vehicle.

Entirely electric cars do not produce any emissions that make them more environmentally friendly, reducing air pollution. They also produce less noise pollution as they are quieter than petrol or design engines which is excellent for noise pollution. 

How much are they and what is the cost of running one?

Initially, the cost of an electric car is much more than an average car. The cost can range, depending on the brand form £15,000 and higher depending on the vehicle’s specification. Generally, high-end models go for much more, almost £100,000+. However, to get more people transitioned quicker, the UK government has launched a plug-in car grant that reduces the car’s initial cost by £3,500. Other grants can also help buyers get £500 towards installing a home charger. 

Running an electric car is much cheaper than running a fuel car because charging them is less expensive than filling a car with diesel or petrol. Servicing electric vehicles is thought to be cheaper too as they have fewer moving parts and fewer issues generally. They are also not liable for road tax in the UK if the vehicle costs less than £40,000. Although this sounds excellent, the price of insuring an electric car is slightly higher because there are not many insurance companies that insure electric vehicles and the ones that do seem to be expensive. 

How long do they take to charge, and where can they be charged?

For most electric cars, but not all, there are three charging speeds: slow, fast and rapid. 

Although self-explanatory, the slowest charging speed takes roughly 8-10 hours and is intended for the car to be charged overnight when it is not being used. 

The second speed is fast charging, takes about 3-6 hours and can be done while at work or in-between errands. The last charging speed, rapid, takes about 30-60 minutes, the same as your smartphone, giving the car a boost of power.

Across the UK there are 30,000+ charging points currently in 11,000 locations. In 2019 an estimated 10,000 charging points were added with the prospect of more to be added by 2030. For the transition to be possible, the UK will need to spend £1.6 billion to increase the number of charging locations by 28,000. This will cover the estimated 7 million electric vehicles that will potentially be on the road.

What are the drawbacks of owning an electric car?

Although new technologies can be interesting and exciting, providing us with new ways of living, they can come at a cost. The technology used in batteries offers the most problematic limitations. The typical electric car battery relies on 9kgs worth of cobalt.

Cobalt is a chemical element that is mined and used in lithium-ion batteries. Like some diamonds, its mining is questionable and in some cases produced in poor working conditions,  using underpaid child labour. 

Although this is not the case for all-electric cars, it’s worth doing your research and looking at what the brand you’re deciding to buy is doing to help prevent this abuse and where and how their materials are sourced.

The post The Electric Car Manual – All you need to know about the Future of Electric Cars appeared first on SiteProNews.

It’s long been anticipated that remote work will be the future for employees worldwide, but international lockdowns have rapidly accelerated the process. 

The transition from office to home-office may seem like a tantalising one. Swapping the morning commute for an extra hour in bed will sound appealing to workers everywhere, but is it possible to remain as productive at home as in the office? 

Many workers find that working from home comes with the same logical expectations on output, but possibly not the same levels of productivity. At home, there are plenty of distractions and signifiers of comfort. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of valuable insights and tips out there to help us to learn how best to optimise our working life from the comfort of our homes, and here I’m going to run through some of the most valuable and transferable ones. So sit back and relax, but not too much – your workloads can’t be managed while reclining on the sofa. 

Mentally Prepare For Work

Have you ever felt like you’re just unable to get started on your workload in the mornings? Your bed is approximately five metres away and you simply feel like you’re not in the right frame of mind to get going?

Your brain may have failed to figure out that you want to put it into work mode. Sometimes while WFH, it’s important to trick your mind into thinking that you’ve just made it into the office in the morning. If you’re having trouble switching on when you clock-in, try having a shower and even getting dressed into some fairly formal clothes. 

It’s also vital that you have an area of your home that’s ripe for work. 

Lots of employees won’t have the luxury of their own spare office space within a house, so it’s important to work with the setup that you have. Look to create some form of desk space in a less-busy part of your home. De-clutter it and try to allow as much natural light into the room as possible. Keep away from distractions like TVs. It may even be worth your while leaving your personal phone on airplane mode. 

Build a Work Plan

If your workloads aren’t delegated on a daily basis, it’s vital that you set yourself up with work plans to ensure that you work as smart as possible while WFH. 

Make sure your workload is effectively listed in order to be actioned efficiently. There are plenty of tools out there that can help in ensuring that your schedule is safe and accessible – notably, Todoist, Microsoft To Do and Evernote are big players in this field. 

It may feel a little reductive to build yourself a routine for WFH, after all, working from home is a great way of ensuring that you’re free of usual in-office confines. However, scheduling out your day can be a highly beneficial productivity tool. 

By scheduling breaks, first and foremost, you remember to actually take them. Remembering to take breaks is a great way to prevent burnout and boost mindfulness. Secondly, it helps to break up your day, which allows you to plan your workloads more efficiently. 

Breaking your day up around a routine can also be very effective when it comes to communicating with colleagues and clients. After a few days of correspondence they’ll learn, on a subconscious level at least, the times where you’re most likely to be available online for a query or help. 

Monitor Your Progress with Analytics

We’re fortunate to be living in the age of analytics. This is an excellent tool as far as WFH productivity is concerned. 

You may have precise workloads set up and your days scheduled, but how can you tell whether your efforts are effective? Analytics platforms can provide invaluable insights into what’s working and what needs changing, without the need of seeking the opinions of others. 

If you’re running an online business, automated performance tracking is essential to determine the quality of visitors. 

Google Analytics is a decent tool to start with. Apart from general data on traffic, sessions and pageviews, it allows you to keep ahead of the essential website metrics like user behaviour flow, referring traffic sources and conversions. 

However, Google Analytics is still missing a few essential features and could come across not so straightforward for some users. 

For instance, if you’re looking to dig into the quality of traffic, that would be quite challenging to do with Google Analytics. Instead, I use Finteza, which automatically breaks down the traffic into categories like “Clean Traffic”, “TOR Network”, “Bot Traffic”, “Attackers”, and more. 

Not only does it help to determine the quality of the traffic, but also allows you to identify and prevent potential DDoS attacks.

So, if you’re looking to optimise your website at home, acting on actionable data is the most important way of making the most of your working hours. 

Think Before You Speak

Remember that you’re no longer communicating with colleagues and clients in a face-to-face environment. This means that even on video conferencing software, your social cues are extremely limited. 

When messaging employees, colleagues and clients, bear in mind that you’ll want to come across as calm and reassuring. Blunt messages can risk giving the wrong impression when you’re WFH and unlikely to see the individual you’re messaging in-person for some time. 

When on a video call, you’re able to see the person you’re speaking to, but you still miss important pieces of reaffirming body language and the deeper contexts you gain from being in a room with someone before and after a meeting takes place. 

Be sure to think before you speak – to a greater extent than back when you were working in an office environment. Because our opportunities to interact are significantly limited, greater meaning is applied to the words we say through email, instant messaging and conferencing. Make sure that you leave little to interpretation and remain friendly and approachable. Of course, there’s always room for lightheartedness, but make sure there’s no danger of alienating workers, colleagues or clients along the way. 

Manage Your Mindfulness

Perhaps the most important aspect of WFH in 2020 centres around mindfulness. Coronavirus has forced many of us to stay indoors for a prolonged period of time. There are certainly some perks behind working from home rather than commuting each day, but it’s perfectly natural to find self-isolation difficult to live with, mentally. 

Working hard is a great thing for your business, whether you’re an owner, manager or fresh starter. But just as important is making time for yourself and interacting remotely with friends. 

Be sure to set yourself some hobbies that can be enjoyed from home, and if you ever feel a sense of unhappiness while WFH, make sure you tell somebody. 

To help keep healthy, it could be worth turning to activities like yoga or exercising. Sadly, the WFH life can lead to repetition and loneliness in some individuals, but a healthy and active life can leave workers with the best of both worlds. 

Remember that COVID-19 has left widespread uncertainty around the world. With this in mind, it’s as important as ever to build yourself a pleasant home environment to work and play. Keep home, keep safe, and if you feel like others may be struggling emotionally, be on hand to help out.

The post Productivity Begins at Home: How to Stay Productive During the WFH Boom appeared first on SiteProNews.

According to FlexJobs, remote work is ever-growing and is expected to increase at an even faster rate in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced more employers to protect their staff by looking at work-from-home solutions (WFH). 

But how can both employees and freelancers alike ensure that they’re prepared for a career based fully away from the office? Here are a few essential tips in ensuring that you have the right equipment to flourish while working from home:

Maintain Your Productivity with a Backup Internet Connection

Regardless of whether you’re working from the heart of Silicon Valley or the middle of nowhere, very few internet providers can guarantee that your connection will be entirely free of downtime. 

With many of us working based on meeting deadlines and managing our workloads efficiently, a 20-minute drop in connectivity could ultimately cost a fortune in lost earnings. 

If it’s imperative that you remain connected at all times, buying a backup internet connection could pay dividends. Hardware like the Netgear Nighthawk M1 offers a reliable mobile hotspot device. With long-lasting battery life, fast internet speeds and a usable interface for users who aren’t entirely fluent in hotspot connections, the Nighthawk M1 can be a solid solution – just in case you’re faced with an outage. 

Ready Yourself for Video Conferencing

Even if you’re a freelancer that has no colleagues or managers to interact with, the need for video conferencing software is vital for interacting with clients and collaborators. 

The beauty of video conferencing apps is that you can gain direct communication with the people who matter and communicate more effectively with them by gauging their body language and expressions. 

Apps like Skype have been around a long time and are easy to install and use, but it’s shaping up to be the decade of Zoom or Viewup conferencing, where large volumes of users can be placed in touch with each other efficiently with a range of nifty features that can add custom background images – just to help in shielding your laundry bag and that NSFW movie poster you’ve left in the spare room. 

Embrace Remote Collaboration with a Webcam

While many laptops offer webcams of varying quality levels, many long-term freelancers and WFH employees choose to accommodate PCs into their homes in order to take advantage of more robust monitors and keyboard options. However, even if you’re using a laptop and need to regularly communicate visually with clients, colleagues or managers, it’s worth investing in a competent webcam. 

Webcams are designed to offer clearer pictures for users and a better quality of collaboration when it comes to WFH. Luckily there are plenty of cheap and effective cameras on the market that can really help when it comes to getting yourself noticed on those big weekly Zoom calls.

Utilise Team Chat Apps

Synchronising with colleagues, clients and collaborators can help you to keep abreast of any developments with deadlines and emerging problems. Team chat apps have become essential for the modern freelancer, and there are plenty of options on the market. 

Naturally, the strongest cost-effective choice would be WhatsApp – a great solution for small businesses that simply want to make sure all colleagues have an avenue for communication with each other. 

More comprehensive premium solutions can be found in Slack and the collaboration app, Monday. 

Having the ability to run a quick query with your team rather than going to the effort of arranging a call is essential in the meeting of deadlines without any issues, and luckily technology has developed to the point where there are more opportunities than ever to get yourself heard whilst out of the office. 

Note Taking Tablets

Whether you’re working on a PC or laptop, having a portable device to carry on your work on-the-go or to take valuable notes for ease of access later on could be a game-changer for your WFH setup. 

While tablets like the world-famous iPad are great for scribbling notes and creating clear drawings, there are also some great cost-effective options like Lenovo’s Tab M10. 

The tablet market is full of potential options for freelancers, and there are some great guides available that can point you in the direction of the most effective note-taking tablets.

Make the Most of Online Office Suites

Office suites are evolving to the point where freelancers can freely access great services that are hosted on the cloud, rather than through pre-installed software packages. 

However, office suites are vital when it comes to sharing your work and uploading notes and thoughts online. Microsoft Office Online and Google’s G Suite offer great services to help the lives of freelancers and WFH employees alike, and even apps like Dropbox can really help in sharing writing and spreadsheet documents. 

Online office suites can also aid collaborators and clients to edit your work and add comments in real-time – helping to pave the way for some excellent collaboration.

Of course, the most important thing when it comes to setting yourself up with a WFH career is to ensure that you have a comfortable environment that encourages productivity. Be sure to spend time thinking about how to set yourself up with a home office that’s free of distractions. In this respect, sometimes a cosy computer chair and table can be the best hardware you can kit yourself out with.

The post Readying Yourself for Remote Work: Which Apps and Hardware are Essentials in The WFH Toolbox? appeared first on SiteProNews.

As you can see, the infographic above identifies a few reasons why an audience might disconnect from a presentation, the first point of which focuses on its duration. Studies have shown that shorter presentations are typically more effective than their longer counterparts – while concise slides are thought to be more impressionable and bring in higher levels of attention compared to more verbose ones. It’s worth noting that while shorter presentations might sound more natural to construct, they actually require more time and skill. This is because you’re required to consider the wealth data you have, and pull out the most important, relevant and useful information that you think will help get your point across. Here are a few tips to get you on the way for a shorter, more smarter presentation:

1. Focus on a strong opener

The opening of your presentation is where your audience tries and figures out if they like your content enough to want to listen to what you have to say – almost like a first impression. Because this part of the presentation is so important, nailing your opener ensures that your audience is immediately immersed into your content from the beginning of your presentation, cutting out the small talk and getting tucked in straight away. This will allow you as the speaker to spend less time building credibility with your audience, and in some cases, there’s no need for an opening as you may be presenting to co-workers. 

Avoiding a long-winded opener can also save you precious time which may be better invested throughout the latter stages of your presentation. A strong opener for your presentation should carry a focus on grabbing attention and emotionally engaging your audience. By way of an example, it could be advantageous to use famous quotes or surprising statistics as an opener to keep your presentation memorable, and so your audience can get a feel for what your presentation is about. Using these tactics will help you gain credibility from your audience in a short matter of time.

2. Nail your transitions and use visuals

Using visuals can help reduce the time taken to explain points because your audience members will be able to extract information from the visuals at a much faster rate. Text can be much harder to digest for your audience, and the use of graphics will mean that they can digest harder to understand information – giving you more time at the back end of your presentation. Also trying to explain a point via text or elaborating further runs the risk of coming across more confusing for some. Ultimately, visuals can help you to express more complex issues in an easy to understand format.

Presenters are prone to wasting a lot of time during their transitions between slides, especially if they don’t know how to move on from one slide to another. One potential reason for this is because they tend to ramble on. Practicing your transitions between slides and points extensively will give you time and space during the presentation to take breaks and have breathers. Using online templates and tools to create your presentation will not only give you professional slides but will also save you time. This means you will be able to go over your presentation before doing it in order to establish a cohesive flow. Writing down each transition and manuscripting each portion of your presentation will give you the ability to share content and add value in an intriguing way – helping to make it more witty and engaging.

3. Hit your time

Setting a goal, and timing yourself based on how long your presentation should be will help you keep concise and to the point. When you get to your time limit its essential to make sure that you have given yourself enough room to explore your call to action that you want your audience to be prompted by. One of the best ways to ensure this happens smoothly is by creating a compelling story that leads to a CTA and sums up your entire presentation. This will allow your audience to hear your content, get excited about it and promote action.

The post Succinct Success: How to Keep Your Presentation Short and Sweet appeared first on SiteProNews.

AR is a technology which overlays information in the context of audio, graphics and virtual objects over real-time displays on smartphones and devices. It uses the already existing environment and adds in information to make a new artificial environment which includes simulated graphics. The fact that many are now creating AR apps which connect to different industries means the application of it is aimed at a wider audience. The implementation of AR can help boost profits and save lives.

Safety and rescue operations

AR can be adapted to fit into many different industries. One of the ways AR can help multiple industries is by increasing safety. AR can provide detailed 3D maps of areas where a rescue mission needs to take place, giving first responders the most information they can have before they begin their rescue mission. 

AR can also be used as a training and assisting tool for those who work with machinery in on-site manufacturing and construction. There is a need for more attention to safety in these types of working environments. DAQRI Worksense offers a suite of essential AR productivity tools for the digital workforce that enhances high-value and complex tasks with AR. DAQRI offers smart glasses which house DAQRI work sense technology that can seamlessly be integrated into already existing workflows to improve business process.

Entertainment 

AR is flourishing through the entertainment industry thanks to mobile gaming apps such as Pokemon Go which lets users catch Pokemon using their smartphones cameras. AR turns a user’s surroundings into an interactive gaming landscape. By doing this, the user feels immersed in the game, adding a different dimension to gaming altogether. 

One of the main reasons why AR has taken off is because users now have the technology available to them which will help grow the industry. The fact that AR places characters in real-time environments makes gameplay seem more natural. The creators of Pokemon Go have also made the game relatable to the user’s real-world environment by only finding certain Pokemon in their natural habitat. This makes the gaming experience adventurous as water pokemon are found near real world rivers and lakes.

Shopping and Retail

AR has arguably had its most significant impact on the retail industry. There are many apps available in the retail and fashion industry which increase the users shopping experience. This is true not only in fashion but also in interior design. AR offers customers product visualisation which allows them to see and demo products before purchasing them. The IKEA Place app enables users to view 3D models of exact life-size products on their AR app and how they would look in the homes of their customers. This helps consumers visualise furniture without buying it. In-store augmented reality can also help display information and credentials of the product even if packaged with a simple image scan. AR is also being used in beauty by Sephora, which uses AR technology to let its customers try out different make-up looks to help them in their purchase of beauty products.

Health Care

The benefits of AR in healthcare has changed the landscape of traditional medicine. AR can now help surgeons and doctors gain a better picture of what is happening in a patient’s body to help assess and treat them better. EchoPixel is a tool which develops medical imaging devices and enables doctors to use CT images from patients to display a 3D model. AR tools such as this allow practitioners to render patient specific anatomy leading to increased clinical knowledge, which in turn will speed up the care process. The system works by using four cameras which track the user’s movements, and the glasses turn images into 3D visuals allowing them to interact with the image in real time. 

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Psychology states that our minds are drawn to colours and patterns, which is why data visualisation can be a powerful tool for businesses of any size.  

Data has increasingly become the central currency for contemporary marketing practices by which value-added content is traded. Companies are built with the ability to create representative stories which are backed by compelling data.

Presenting Data in Content Marketing

Data can be visually displayed and presented in numerous ways through mediums such as infographics, timelines, maps, charts, and graphs. The method you choose for presentation will be based upon the type of data. Which is why it is essential to keep some of the following in mind.

Context – when marketing your data visually it’s essential to think about the information you are sharing. If you remove a large part of the background story, will the reader still be able to understand it fully? Your readers should be able to understand how the data is relevant even if they come across the graphic alone.

Design – for your audience to get the most out of your visual data, keep the design simple. It’s worth keeping related points together. Data that needs to be emphasised should stand out by using contrasting colours. Numbers should be rounded so they are more visible while the text should be minimised to allow the reader to absorb the information faster. It’s also worth ensuring you add your company logo and information to spread brand awareness through social channels.   

Actionability – when used alone, data visualisation should prompt and convey an action for your reader. Without action, the presentation of data is useless, and so it is crucial that the information you are presenting is actionable – value-added is value back.

Use Data Visualization to Attract, Not Convert

Although data may be presented in the form of graphs and charts, it will not work for you if your visual content is behind landing pages and hidden behind other pieces of content. Your visual data should help enhance your written marketing content to help draw attention. Visual content is more viral in the online environment. Visual content should lure your readers into the written material, converting to a lead.

Data Visualization Tools

With the number of tools available to us today, data visualisation need not be so hard. Here is a list of user-friendly tools which are available online where you can easily design data-inspired graphics.

Google Charts: create embeddable charts and data graphics for your website.

Excel or Google Sheets: generate graphics and charts for your content. It’s great for charts, timelines, and graphs.

Piktochart: a fantastic tool to make bright, eye-catching infographics which are fun and easy to create.

PoweredTemplate: a tool for downloading pre-made presentation templates, diagrams and charts

Canva: create engaging infographics, charts, tables and graphs

Tell a story

Telling a story with data transforms it from information to meaningful and memorable facts. Data visualisation can help you determine the story, but you have to know your target audience. 

Knowing who you are writing for can make your story more impactful and will convey your content marketing message clearer. The story will resonate with them, and you will be able to highlight in your visual content the areas that you know will interest them the most.

Data Accuracy

The most important thing to remember when using data for your content marketing is to ensure it is accurate. If you are using data generated by a third party, make sure it is reputable and trustworthy. If your data is obtained internally, make sure you evaluate and construct it carefully as incorrect data could make your brand look like it’s trying to falsify data for its own benefit, putting your audience off interacting with you.

Overall, data visualisation can be an excellent asset for marketers to utilise in their content marketing strategy and when executed correctly, the effects can positively lift the company.

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Social media has changed the market for marketing, and now brands are forced to be more creative with their content. It is thought that 80% of marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing. Video (63%), alone, has also surpassed blogging (60%) in usage as a social media marketing tool.

It is easier for visual content to go viral than it is for heavy text content which is why visual content is essential especially on social media platforms. Facebook dominance is still quite strong. A very significant 94% of marketers use Facebook (followed by Instagram at 66%). With two in three marketers claiming Facebook is their most important social platform.

Moreover, visuals are vital when it comes to purchasing decisions. In fact, 40% of customers always seek out visual content before making a purchase decision. 

So, let’s see why visual content is so crucial in social media marketing.

1. Visual content attracts follows

One of the downsides to social media is the size of it. There’s so much information, and the platforms spread so wide and thin that you can easily get lost in it. Because of this, businesses need to begin to use visual content on social media surrounding their product and services to obtain followers. Not only will you achieve a wider audience but will also increase the chances of consumers investing in you.

Your social media visual content should also set you aside from your competitors in an overcrowded platform, making yourself more accessible to find. You need to be tactful and ensure your visuals are enticing enough to generate new followers but entertaining enough to keep the attention of your existing followers.

Visuals offer you a quick way to express your brand, convey an emotion, highlight important facts and figures, differentiate your business, showcase your product and increase traffic to your site.

2. Visual content engages followers

As humans, our eyes are naturally drawn to colours and movement. Our minds have the capacity to digest visual content at a higher speed than textual content. Because of this, content with images has a higher chance of being read, liked, favourited or commented on in comparison to text-only content.

Statistics have shown that posts with images produce a higher engagement rate compared to text-only posts. Visual content is 40 times more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content. Tweets with embedded images also get 18% more clicks, 150% more retweets and 89% more favourites.

Due to the power of images and pictures, it’s definitely a good idea to take advantage of sharing visual content on your business’s social media platforms. Social media platforms are intelligent enough to interpret content with more engagement as more popular and trending. Each platform has its own algorithm that determines the frequency and priority of material. Therefore, the more popular the material the more likely it is to come upon your audiences screens.

3. Visual content is easily understood and more memorable

Our minds can comprehend visuals at an alarmingly faster rate than text because visuals have the capacity to communicate information to us more effectively. It takes out brains ¼ of a second to process visual cues, and because the average consumer attention span is just 8 seconds, visuals give us the understanding we need quicker. Because our brains are pre-wired to interpret relationships between objects, visuals give us the leverage that we need for almost instant comprehension with minimal effort.

The reason why visual content is memorable is due to the fact that it is easy to understand. Your brain can quickly make connections to already stored memories, including emotional triggers and aesthetically pleasing designs can all help you retain what you are seeing. Including images that are thought to provoke or evoke emotion will make your posts more memorable.

There are a few different types of visual content you can utilise: 

• Infographics – one of the most common forms of visualising information. Tools like Canva allow you to create these easily. 
• Interactive Charts – make charts and graphs to visualise complex data. Tools like Tableau and ChartBlocks can help.
• Slides – turn text and images into interactive slides. Slides can also be shared on platforms like Slideshare. Use tools like PoweredTemplate to create presentations easily and efficiently. 
• Visualised Data – turn boring data and figures into sortable and filterable data with tools like Infogram.
• Video – more than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day. Tools like PowToon enable you to create animated videos. 

4. Visual content is relatable

Consumers usually buy from brands and people they know and are familiar with. Because of this, visual content can be more relatable, which is what has given birth to social media influencers. When consumers can relate to your content, they are more likely to enjoy and engage with it. 

In fact, according to 70% of marketers, content with visual assets performed much better than content that had no visuals. 

It’s much easier to remember the brand by associating visual content than it is to associate the brand with text. 

When it comes to visual content in social media, it’s vital to ensure that all visuals are designed to make an impact and be remembered.

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