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Design Essentials You Should Implement into Your WordPress Blog

Your blog is the culmination of hours of hard work. Whether you are blogging to share personal insights, or as part of a business strategy, you want to make sure that your hard work pays dividends in blog visitors and subscribers. A good site design is one of the ways that you can set yourself apart from the competition. Knowing what features improve the user experience can help you tailor your website to meet their needs and encourage future growth. Which is why it’s essential in learning more about the design essentials that you should implement into your WordPress blog.

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Blogging Tips & Tricks Web Design WordPress October 10, 2017
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Everything You Need To Know About Citations

Citation is the process in which you cite (refer, quote or pronounce) sources of the particular information you have added in your content. In this way, you tell the reader that your information belongs to that particular site. By doing this, your readers can seek help from the site you have cited. They can check the references for many purposes like:

  • Information about the author
  • Name or location of the organization who have posted the information you have copied
  • The title of your work
  • The date on which it was published
  • The page number of the source you are copying

Why should you cite sources?

One way of using other people’s work is by giving them the credit by citing the sources in your work. Moreover, it makes your content more reliable and trust-able. Along with this, there are a number of other reasons too.

  • Citation provides an opportunity to your readers to discover more about your quoted information. Your audiences can have the detailed material related to your topic.
  • It helps you to prove the authenticity of your point. By citing to the reliable site, your readers will follow the link and consider your work to be a trustable source.
  • By citing sources, your work will depict the level of research you did on the subject.
  • The citation will strengthen your content by lending other give support to your ideas.

Citation makes a content more original

By citing, very important part of your material makes your reader able to distinguish your concept form those of the sources. In addition, it will highlight the originality and authenticity of your work. Now the question sprouted up as to when one needs to cite? Well, it is quite simple whenever you copy or borrow words any kind of idea, you should go for acknowledging the sources. To elaborate my point I have mentioned some common situations, which requires the need to cite. Keep reading:

  • When one uses quotes
  • Whenever one incorporates an idea, which some other writer has already expressed
  • Whenever somebody’s work becomes critical in developing one’s own ideas
  • When one chooses to paraphrase
  • Whenever one makes particular reference to the work of another
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Importance of Citation

Doing citation is necessary to do the task for every student in his or her academic careers. It helps them add credibility in their work. Citation makes a paper strong. When you are able to cite the references to your sources, you become able to shoulder your work and present it confidently. Moreover, the many compelling reasons, which highlights the significance of citation convincing people to take their time out to cite are listed below:

It serves like a fact-checking tool

The citation acts like a fact-checking tool. It is necessary to detect accuracy when describing a particular idea, for instance when you prepare a science project you have to mention its sources as well. Hence, the moment you search for references helps you double check the accuracy of your content. Like if you double check a sourced quote, for ensuring the fidelity of your quoted passage, the part that you have paraphrased, or for citing another study, which could be related to your study.

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Education Learning Research September 26, 2017
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What new things can the iPhone do for you?

You have your hands on the new iPhone 8 from Apple, but what can you do with it? Firstly, looks wise, it isn’t all that different from the iPhone 7, as far as the outer shell is concerned; the home button is still front and center and there is still no phone jack, however, the aesthetics have definitely been upgraded. It is encased in glass and looks beautiful, although having glass on the front and the back may make it more susceptible to damage and scratching, so you should be careful. A case is probably the next best investment you could make at this stage.

And of course, like the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 is still water-resistant, which makes it far more relaxing when you take a phone call in the rain. Just be careful in the bathroom, the majority of insurance claims are for phones that have fallen down the toilet, so although it should be able to cope with this, it won’t be your finest moment.

What are the other changes that have been made, and what do they mean for you?

Image Credit: Apple India

Charging and Battery Life

The most exciting feature is the new charging method. I know other phones have been using it for a while now, but wireless charging is new to Apple, and it is fabulous. Just lay your phone down on the mat, and it charges while you carry on with other things. It may take a little longer than if it were plugged in, but the ease of use definitely makes up for it. The battery life is more or less the same as an iPhone 7, but with the fact that you can just drop it on the charging mat when you aren’t actively using it should make up for that.

Having said that, there is always a case for reducing the amount of battery you are using with any of the iPhones, and the iPhone 8 is no exception. Make sure your screen brightness is not set at maximum, and disable your background app refresh. It may be useful to have your apps working in the background when you are busy doing something else, but if you need to conserve your battery, this is a simple change that can help a lot. Finally, disable WiFi, Bluetooth and AirDrop. They can also be useful, but only when you need them. When you aren’t using them, they are still constantly trying to connect, and this can drain your battery too. All in all, keep an eye on what is happening with your battery and with the charging pad ready at all times, you should get a lot of continual use out of your new iPhone 8.

Read what we guessed for iPhone 8!

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iPhone, iPod and iPad Smartphones and Mobile Apps September 25, 2017
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Things you need to know before buying a laptop

Buying a new laptop is a life changing decision. It can turn your life around as it has done for many people. But the first timers overlook the basic requirements and they fail to understand what is necessary to have and what not to. They fall prey to false visuals & unnecessary opinions. They are pulled by the hidden complicity of the marketing & false advertising gurus. Some prefer to have just the looks while some buy only for the processor the laptop is having or the RAM it comes with, without understanding the other needs they might have in future as their work grows. To be clear, having the looks matters nonetheless than having robust hardware - so do other things like OS support, flexibility and off-course: the price. People will always have questions before they seek to buy laptops and to make sure that they don’t fall prey to wrong marketing or personal guesses, we have created this checklist to guide them select the right laptop. This checklist includes a perspective categorization of laptop computers and also the things that you need to know before you decide to buy a laptop.

Usage Based Categorization

Before you proceed, let’s just make it clear for what purpose you’ll be needing your lappy for? There can be various reasons for someone buying it but mostly such choices can be categorized into:

  • Office based laptops
  • Coding/Developers’ laptops
  • Designing/Artists’ laptops
  • Gaming/Video Artists’ laptops

Please note that these are general names and are termed as such according to their wide user base.

 

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Office Laptops

Office laptops or basic laptops are made for elementary/office users like those who just have to deal with office work and are needed to make notes of things on the go. These are also ideal for entry-level developers but can’t be used for hardcore development/design works. These laptops’ range starts from Rs. 15,000 and goes up to what people can afford. These come with 2GB or 4GB of RAM inbuilt and storage of 32GB (SSD) to 500GB (HDD). Processors are of entry level and such devices come without any dedicated GPU. We suggest buying these only if you already own a better computer/laptop and need another one to hold on the go for basic typing or entertainment needs.

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Coding Laptops

Developers like devices that are extremely fast and friendly for coding needs. Coders need to type, a lot actually and so is the basic requirement for a computer/laptop to be developer ready. Coding laptops come with strong keyboard hardware, fast processing speed and with at least 4GB of RAM. GPU or Graphic Cards are not needed but can be a useful addition to the performance. Coding laptops start from Rs. 25000 and go upwards.

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Designing Laptops

Designers are always at their creative best. For them, we suggest a powerful hardware that comes with at least i5-level processor or equivalent, 8GB RAM, 2GB VRAM. As the designers have to store a lot of files in their computers, a minimum of 1 TB is required to be the storage option, may it be HDD or not. These laptops start from Rs. 40000.

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Gaming Laptops

Gaming laptops come with high end hardware and are used not just for gaming but video editing, movie making, 3D design and everything else. A gaming laptop in general contains 12GB or more RAM, more than 2GB of VRAM and high storage space, 1TB mostly. Such laptops are priced on ranges starting from Rs. 50,000.

 

Price Based Categorization

As far as the prices are concerned following are the ranges in Indian market:

  1. Introductory price range less than Rs. 25,000
  2. Mid price range Rs. 25,001 - Rs. 45,000
  3. High price range Rs. 45,001 - Rs. 70,000
  4. Premium price range more than Rs. 70,000

Now, of these choices, at least one from each category would fit in to your need. According to your needs or budget you can follow our checklist to make sure that the current laptop that you are planning to buy fits our recommendation or not. Go for it if it does fit.

 

Checklist for buying a new laptop

Need: Office Laptop

  1. Looks good.
  2. Has introductory price range.
  3. Is lightweight.
  4. Is smaller in size.
  5. Has Windows’ latest OS.
  6. RAM slot is expandable.
  7. Has expandable storage support.
  8. Has brighter, clearer display.
  9. Supports latest drivers.
  10. Is 64 bit.

 

Need: Coding Laptop

  1. Comes with good design and strong body hardware.
  2. Has no more than Rs. 45,000 as price tag.
  3. Comes with DoS or no OS installed.
  4. Is 64 bit.
  5. Has proper driver support.
  6. Has standard screen size, at least 13 inch.
  7. Has at least 4GB RAM & 500GB HDD.
  8. If is priced above Rs. 35,000 : surely comes with dedicated GPU.
  9. Has at least Intel i3 or equivalent processor. Intel i5, i7 etc. are even better.
  10. RAM slot is expandable.
  11. Has expandable storage support.
  12. Has brighter, clearer display.

 

Need: Designing Laptop

  1. Comes with good design and strong body hardware.
  2. Comes with Windows or Mac* installed
  3. Is 64 bit.
  4. Has proper driver support.
  5. Has full HD display.
  6. Has larger screen size.
  7. Has good touchpad.
  8. Has at least 8 GB RAM & 1TB HDD.
  9. If is priced above Rs. 45,000 : surely comes with dedicated GPU worth more than 2GB - in case of non-macbooks.
  10. Has at least Intel i5 or equivalent processor. Intel i7 would be even better.
  11. RAM slot is expandable.
  12. Has expandable storage support.
  13. Has brighter, clearer display.

 

Need: Gaming/Video Editing laptop

  1. Comes with good design and strong body hardware.
  2. Comes with Windows or Mac* installed
  3. Is 64 bit.
  4. Has proper driver support.
  5. Has full HD display.
  6. Has larger screen size.
  7. Has at least 8 GB RAM & 1TB HDD.
  8. If is priced above Rs. 65,000 : surely comes with dedicated GPU worth more than 4GB in case of non-MacBook.
  9. Has at least Intel i7 or equivalent processor.
  10. RAM slot is expandable.
  11. Has expandable storage support.
  12. Has brighter, clearer display.
  13. Has good sound system inbuilt.

 

Once the model you are planning to buy fits the description, it can be the one you should buy. But remember to always hop around and look for (only) expert opinions. Also, always analyze the features and prices of laptops, amongst top shopping portals so that you can reach to a level satisfaction before you buy. We suggest you to buy only those laptops that come with a trusted brand name, such as Dell, Lenovo or HP. Also note that after buying such costly products - warranty & repair services matter a lot. Some companies have weaker track records of services. It’s suggested to not buy a cheaper product with similar features if the company doesn’t provide proper customer support.

Happy tech life.

Tech September 20, 2017
email marketing

The most common mistakes made in Email Marketing

The 21st century is known as a marketing era. Commercial relationships are pretty dominant now. There are a lot of kinds of marketing, email marketing being the most popular of all. Moreover, marketers consider that e-mail is one of the key elements of business, especially for ROI (Return on Investment) and for the development of long-lasting and beneficial relationships. For this reason, personalized segments and targeted e-mail marketing campaigns are important for increasing of a brand awareness.

E-mail marketing specialists use tools, strategies, implementations and track results to achieve the best brand participation. They can take care of a marketing strategy by email or help with any aspect of the design of e-mail templates or tracking and reporting.

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Internet Marketing September 16, 2017
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It’s time to power play with an e-commerce platform

Success and growth lie at the core of any business. Gone all the days when the success of the business was mainly dependent on how it operates locally. We currently reside in the dot com era where selling products online have become easier than ever before. And all thanks to the incredible e-commerce options available across the globe. In this industry, there’s a lot of lingo thrown around and, more often than not, it’s easy for us to get overwhelmed. So, which one platform out of the hundreds is supposed to be chosen?

First of all, you need to know that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ or the ‘best’ eCommerce platform. However, based on a business’s goals, resources and preferences an appropriate eCommerce platform can be chosen. Now the very first step of choosing an eCommerce platform is the most critical decision to make and the decision taken will reshape the story of your online success. Though it will take a bit of research on your part but not knowing where to direct your search will definitely make a huge difference. So it is very important to stay in an informed manner.

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Determining an appropriate e-commerce platform

In the ongoing business trends, the realm of e-commerce business is considered profit- spinning. Earlier, managing an e-commerce marketplace was insanely tricky but as innovators pushed the boundaries of technology, one can manage an entire marketplace without much hassle. The following post consists of a few basic yet crucial points you need to keep in mind while making this choice.

  • Hosted or Self HostedDeciding the kind of hosting suitable for your business should be the first factor to consider while opting for an e-commerce platform. Now what is the difference between the two, you may ask?

A hosted eCommerce is a piece of software that runs on someone else’s server whereas a self-hosted e-commerce platform is a piece of software that you run on your own machine. Hosted ones are commonly known as SaaS: Software as a Service where one cannot access the source code of the software but is provided with everything that is required in exchange for a service fee. Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion are common examples of a hosted platform.

On the other hand, a self-hosted platform requires the developer to have access to the source code of the software and gain complete control and flexibility over your website. In such cases, from setting up to running and maintaining your web store everything comes under your responsibility. Magento, WooCommerce, and osCommerce are examples of Self-hosted platforms.

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News & Updates Technology News & Updates September 14, 2017
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How to Record Your Mac Screen with Sound?

Apple’s built-in media application QuickTime Player is the most popular and easy-to-use screen recording solution for Mac devices. It allows the user to record full or partial screen, edit screen recording, and record voice-overs using the built-in microphone. However, if you are in need to record audio along with your screen recording, the QuickTime cannot produce satisfied output on its own. In this post, we are discussing exactly how you can record your screen with the audio input on Mac computers like iMac & Macbooks.

1. Get SoundFlower Software

To record both screen and audio on Mac, you need to install SoundFlower on your Mac. SunFlower is a Free MacOS kernel extension that allows routing audio from one application to act as input for another app. Suppose, you are playing your favorite song on iTunes and you want to record it in a screen record. SoundFlower can make the iTunes song act as the input to QuickTime screen recording without relying on microphone or speakers. This application is actually an extension to MAC devices that allow passing information from one program to another making receiving and sending audio convenient.

Once you download and install SoundFlower on your Mac, restart your system. It will refresh all the controls to avoid troubles during the recording session. Now, go to the System Preferences and select the Sound tab. Choose the Output tab and select SoundFlower(2ch) as active output for current recording. It will restrict transmission of audio signals to speakers and will directly transfer them to SoundFlower.

2. Go to QuickTime Player

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Image Credit: 9to5 Mac

Once you are done with adjustment for sound recordings, head towards the QuickTime window for starting the recording process. Click on File tab available on the top bar and select New Screen Recording from the drop-down menu. You will have a small box in front of you having a red button in the center. Tap on the little arrow placed at right side of that red button. It will open a new drop-down menu letting you choose the quality and audio source. Select SoundFlower (2ch) as an audio source and keep the quality high. Now click on the red button.

The QuickTime will ask you whether you want to record the whole screen, whole window or a particular area of the screen. You can select the screen area you want to be recorded. After making the selection of screen for recording, tap on Start Recording button. Once your recording is complete, click on QuickTime icon in the menu bar or select Stop Screen Recording.

3. Get it done!

Once you get your screen and audio recording, disconnect SoundFlower from the audio input so you can get back the audios on speakers. Go to System Preferences and select Sound tab. Click on the Output tab and select Internal Speakers as a source for producing sounds.

Apple’s default audio and video player QuickTime also allows easy editing of video and audio files. Its basic video-editing features allow trimming video files, merging multiple multimedia files, splitting and rearranging video clips. This software is extremely handy for those who make desktop screen recording videos for uploading to YouTube or sharing on other platforms. Those who make tutorials for gameplay usually use video and audio recording to make the video engaging and give the viewer full and exciting experience to watch the video. The quick and light-weight software is equally compatible with iPhone and iPad. However, it is a not designed for longer and complex video recordings and you need to take the support of SoundFlower to record screen with audio.

Have you ever recorded screen along with audio on Mac computer? What solution do you use? If you are using another simpler solution, we would love to hear about it.

Apple/MacOS Open Source Tech September 7, 2017
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