Even as dooms day has been predicted for search marketing, 2016 will present a new approach with the mobility shift - as growing number of individuals and businesses will migrate to native marketing. As 2015 comes to a close, more and more marketing technology companies continue vying for a piece of the pie in the burgeoning mobile market, which hitherto has been dominated by Facebook and Google.

Below are five predictions, distilled from a handful of marketing experts, for trends to watch in 2016.

Re-invention of Social Marketing

As social media adoption reaches its crescendo, a generation shift from how contents are consumed is perhaps more likely, with the likes of Facebook and Twitter losing significant grounds to newer services. Albeit, the user base will continue to grow, Facebook will face huge competition from emerging social networking platforms.

Meanwhile, Instagram has been projected to attain a growth of about 49 per cent in 2016, from the current 32 per cent.

End of the Cookies

Browser-based metrics will gradually be effaced, as the emerging measurement guideline comes to play with the growing adoption of mobile technology. The new formats won't work with cookies and can't be built upon existing legacy Web technologies.

Mobility will drive Visual Social Platforms

Social networking platforms like Instagram, SnapChat and Pinterest will increasingly attract more marketing spends as they'll be naturally appealing to more mobile consumers.

Increasing access to Big Data for Marketing

Brands will be able to incorporate data sets into their marketing campaign strategies with ease, as data exchanges continue to evolve, and will look to share their anonymized user data in exchange for access to the same from other relevant companies.

Native is the new "cool"!

Advertising that matches the platform with which it is delivered is defined as "Native advertising", and often presented in the forms of article, infographic or video, with the specific intent to promote a product, while matching the form and style of the original contents.

For all the hypes around marketing technology, it still doesn't move as fast as you think. Let us know your own predictions in the comment section and at the end of the year we'll see who has the gloating rights!

Top 5 Marketing Technology trends to watch in 2016

Lean product development (LPD) is an approach to meet the challenges of product development based on innovative solutions, and cutting costs through narrowing down on redevelopment cycles. Now, what has the Wright Brothers go to do with it, you may ask?

Notable for building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, the Wright Brothers, albeit not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

Infographic brought to you by Wrike - Product Management Tasks

How To Plan Software Development

INFOGRAPHIC: 5 Lessons in Lean Product Development from the Wright Brothers

As we close out 2015, our traditions on looking back and looking ahead on technology trends for the coming year, continues. Acumatica, The Next Generation Cloud ERP Software company, sat down with four of its top analysts and thought leaders, to find out what happened in the ERP world this past year, and what to expect in the New Year.

While, the conversations were created originally as video series, “Deck the Cloud”, we’ll be highlighting a few of the questions discussed.

The key question each analyst was asked is: What ERP buying trends do you see in the marketplace?

The 4 Speakers in no particular order, are as follows:

Esteban Kolsky, Founder and Principal of thinkJar, a thinktank focusing on how organizations can better use technology.

Frank Scavo, President of Strativa, an IT and management consulting firm, and President of Computer Economics, an IT research firm.

Jon Reed, Co-Founder of Diginomica, a disruptive tech media blog focusing on enterprise issues and concerns.

Cindy Jutras, President of Mint Jutras, an independent research-based consulting firm that specializes in analyzing the business impact of enterprise applications.

Find their answers below:

Virtually every single enterprise application and technology purchased today is going to be on a cloud basis. Cloud is a commodity that is baked into every single decision.” - Esteban Kolsky

The first-time ERP buyers are growing and are ready to come off their small business accounting systems and get onto a real, full-blown ERP system.” - Frank Scavo

In general, today’s buyer is a much more informed buyer. They have a much better BS detector.” - Jon Reed

This year, what was a lot different was the attitude towards deployment options. There is a clear trend toward people wanting to move toward the cloud.” - Cindy Jutra

Let us know what ERP buying trends you see in the marketplace today in the comments, or you can join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #DecktheCloud.

Predictions: The future of ERP and Cloud computing for 2016

Apple kept to the promise of making its hugely popular programming language, Swift open source, allowing anyone to download, modify and to share the changes as they deem wise. While the promise was made months ago, and everyone expecting it, the stymied excitement was tied to the humorous unavailability of the codes on GitHub on launch day.

Swift has been in development for many years, and supports modern programming conventions, such as closures, generics, type inference, multiple return types and namespaces.

It's not only faster, but also easier to learn, and to help that process, Apple has created an 'interactive playground' for developers. And it's all good news, since the code is no longer locked up behind prohibitive licenses, the code-base is freed up for developers to use.

The company is hoping Swift will inspire the new generation to get into coding, and be able to take their ideas anywhere, from mobile devices to maybe even the cloud.

Meanwhile, with the project now open source, means that developers can choose to bring it to Windows and Android.

Developers will be able to download Swift and start building things with it from the new website: Swift.org, albeit, it won't be able to build apps that go into the App Store.

Swift supposedly faster than Objective-C, also with built-in protections against common issues and errors, currently supports iOS and OS X apps, and can also be used for tvOS and watchOS apps.

Swift Programming Language now open source; What's the big deal?

More often than not, you may have heard torrenting talked about in a negative light, as a way to illegally share movies and music, but that's not all there is to it. Actually, torrenting can be useful for sharing larger files, of course legally, such as a presentations in the form of videos and photos, or for downloading out-of-print books or non-copyrighted files.

While unfortunately, because of the bad reputation of torrenting, most internet service providers (ISPs) and probably the government may not support it, even when it's totally legal. Regardless of what you're downloading, if your ISP perceives that you're torrenting files, there's a possibility that your account may be suspended out of fear that you're breaking copyright laws.

Nonetheless, if you're downloading illegal files and the government caught up with you, you may face legal actions and possibly, jailed.

Additionally, you're also open to other risks when torrenting files, as often it means downloading content whose source is unknown, which could be choosing untrustworthy files that will do nothing but load malware unto your machine.

Below are some tips to make sure you stay safe while torrenting:

Pick Safe Contents

Your first step to protecting yourself on torrent sites is to make sure you're sourcing from legitimate sites. But, most importantly, make sure that you're downloading from a link that's been accessed and upvoted recently. There are lots of sites to torrent from, however, the most popular ones are KickassTorrents, the Pirate Bay and Torrentz.

Keep Your Anti-virus Software Updated

This may seem like something that goes without saying, but there are far too many people who don't bother to update their anti-virus software at all. While, it'll suffice that what you're doing is just for a minute or two, but if you contract a virus, you're going to have a heck of a time with it. Don't leave things up to chance, and make sure you have sorted out your PCs protection in case you accidentally download something malicious.

Use Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Rather than guessing which links are safe and hoping for the best, you should use a VPN to torrent securely. If you're unfamiliar with VPNs, they stand between you and the site that you're accessing, giving you a safer connection that won't leak as much of your information and will usually give you a head-up if you're downloading something unsafe. Not only will this protect you against malware, but it'll also hide your IP address, making it far more difficult for your ISP and the government to catch you on what you're doing and penalize you for it.

Is the Use of VPN Illegal?

While in some countries, it is illegal, but that's not the case in most countries, you'll want to make sure you're up-to-date with the local laws of course. But if it's legal to use a VPN in your country, there's no reason not to use it. Truth be told, using a VPN is kind of like closing the blinds on your internet activity. Just because you don't want the neighbors to see what you're doing doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.

Downloading torrent files may not always be the safest thing to do, but with a little foresight and research, you don't need to worry about the possible outcomes. Remember, there are plenty of legal reasons why you are doing what you're doing, so the fact that you're torrenting doesn't raise a red flag. Protect yourself against possible viruses and prying eyes, and you're good to go!

3 Ways to Stay Safe while Torrenting

Definitely, the holiday season is the time for a lot of gift collections, and nobody would want such memories wiped out in an accidental data loss. If you've got anything important on your PC or Mac, you'd always be safer to have a backup to protect those files.

While, AOMEI Backupper comes free for personal home use, providing complete backup solution to everyday Windows users, the Backupper Pro solution is for intermediate and advanced PC users.

Albeit, the standard edition remains a preferred choice for individual PC users with many of the important basic functions needed to safeguard and protect important data, business upgrades are still available for advanced users.

What are the features in AOMEI Backupper Pro?


  • Utilities: backup schemes; make bootable discs; command line backup/restore/clone; check, explore, and merge images. 
  • Backup: easily and safely protect everything, including system, disk, individual files and partition.
  • Restore: fast and reliable disaster recovery, supporting universal restore and selective restoration.
  • Clone: step-by-step transfer OS or upgrade hard drive without reinstalling Windows and applications.
  • Multi-Language: support English, Français, Deutsch, 日本語, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.


Once you launch the program you will be presented a small window with all the navigation buttons.



And AOMEI Backupper Pro has support for multiple backup options, meaning you can backup your files in the different options listed.



Folder syncing and backup: Is backup from a selected folder and also syncs files as they're added. Scheduled backups: Automates you backup preference, allowing you to sit back while you backup is carried out. Incremental backup: Is backup option that adds any changed file to old backup without creating a new backup.

AOMEI Backupper Pro 3.2 has one of the best interface in the industry, well-designed and works seamlessly, supporting both Windows and Linux with bootable image creation and unlimited client boot and also supports backup to NAS (Network-attached storage).

AOMEI Backupper Pro 3.2 Review

Black Friday which started as a brick-and-mortar store affair is now mainstream online, meaning you don't have to leave the sitting room to do shopping any more - right with your pajamas, you're good to go shopping at any online store at your convenience.

But, with the ease also comes other risk factors to have at the back of your mind while doing your shopping online on Black Friday.

Below are 5 tips for staying safe online, so you can start checking out items on the shopping list for Black Friday.

Use Credible Websites

Trust is the watchword to staying safe online, so it is always recommended to shop at popular and trusted sites. If peradventure you don't know the site address and wish to utilize search engines, do not drift past the first page result as only the trusted and established sites can make the cut.

Security signs to lookout

Misspellings or websites using different domain extensions like (.net instead of .com, for instance) are some of the things to lookout for online. And ensure you do not enter credit/debit card details on a site without SSL Certification, that is, the site will start with HTTPS:// (instead of HTTP://), and a padlock icon will appear in the status bar on the web browser.

Avoid Public WiFi

Now is certainly not a good time to try out a free hotspot, only use the wireless facility if you have a virtual private network (VPN) connection. And if you must use a public WiFi, stick to known and popular providers.

Create Strong Password

The humble password remains the Achilles heel in many security breaches. So adhere to rules in creating unique and strong password for your account, as shopping online involves creating account, beating this old horse isn't completely out of place.

Think Mobile

Mobile apps are quite unmistakeable in the various app stores, more reason it is recommended to use apps for online shopping. The mobile apps are provided by the eTailers directly and you can find whatever you want to buy and then make the purchase without going to the store or the website.

In conclusion, it is advised to know what is too good to be true. In other words, avoid bogus offers, as many of such "offers" will come in via social media. Stay safe shopping online as there's no need to be any more nervous about shopping online than at offline store after all.

5 Tips for safe Online Shopping on Black Friday

Black Friday, for those not in the know, is the day following the fourth Thursday of November, generally regarded as the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. But now, it has spread over to other parts of the world, and major retailers around the world cut prices to insanely low rate, as much as 90% off, making it the biggest shopping day for bargain hunters.

It falls on November 27, this year - and Nigerians already given to eCommerce, have come to expect much on Black Friday deals.

Albeit, the trend is relatively new in Nigeria, this year's event may perhaps be a record breaker given the growing adoption of smartphones and increasing knowledge on the activities of eCommerce in the country.

While, Black Friday isn't restricted to online shopping, as offline stores are equally caught in the seasonal fever, we'd be concerned in presenting to you our best picks for online shopping with regards to trust and low price bargain.

Jumia Nigeria




Jumia Nigeria is arguably the eCommerce store that first introduced the Black Friday deals in Nigeria back in 2013, and since then has carved a niche for itself in the heart of consumers. The online store is promising to bring an extensive selection of products from top brands at rock bottom prices to consumers this Black Friday. With perhaps the most convenient and easy payment methods available, your Black Friday shopping will be an unforgettable experience with Jumia Nigeria. Simply head to their Black Friday page for more information.

Yudala Nigeria



This relatively new eTailer is a no pushover, with quite some stunning magic up its sleeve, it has positioned itself as the eCommerce store to beat in the growing competition in Nigeria. Launched in mid 2015, Yudala Nigeria delivers a hell of shopping convenience with an online and offline presence in more than 10 locations in Nigeria. With a promise of delivery to your doorstep anywhere in Nigeria in 24 - 48 hours, you simply can't beat the reach. You can get more details on their Black Friday page.

Konga Nigeria



Konga is the "YAKATA" eTailer, the huge market disruptor when it comes to price slashes in Nigeria. Konga Black Friday sales is actually starting from the 26th to the 27th of November, and they're promising free delivery to boot! Get more details here: http://www.konga.com/yakata.

Are you getting ready for the biggest online shopping of the year? You won't have anything to worry about choosing from the above online stores.

Black Friday: Where to get the best deals online in Nigeria?

Apple's new streaming set top box, Apple TV, has laid the ground work for a truly live TV experience, allowing users to order for whatsoever they're watching right on the screen. Apple TV connects to compatible big screens through HDMI input, while a dedicated App Store ensures unending entertainment contents such as movies and music videos, or even live game streaming.

The iconic fourth generation set box was unveiled on September 9, with a bevy of new features, including an awesome remote touch-pad and Siri voice recognition.

Siri support takes the obvious task off watching TV, allowing users to search and select contents through voice command, and quite capable of sifting through multiple apps at a go to find the exact music, movie or games.

While, the remote touch-pad has two microphones for picking up Siri voice commands, with built-in accelerometer and gyroscope that let it double as a game controller.

Apple's focus on a dedicated operating system, tvOS, with powerful hardware ensures better user experience, and effective tools for developers to create apps. It brings a redesigned iOS 9 feel to the TV set, with all the apps highlighted to make it easier to find contents for your TV.

Apple TV includes 2GB RAM, which is ample enough for the device to run a full-fledged App Store, with an A8 chip that's much faster than the A5 in the previous version, supporting up to 1080p video at 60 frames per second.

Albeit, keyboards are not supported, with Bluetooth 4.0 Apple TV can support third-party gaming controllers.

Apple TV is now available for US$ 149 (32GB) and US$ 199 (64GB), depending on the storage space to store apps, games, TV shows, movies, and music.

Apple TV: Is Streaming contents (videos, music and games) the future of TV?

The rumor was everywhere earlier this month about a purported Google's plan to merge Android with Chrome OS, and thereby face-out the later. The WSJ report claimed the Android/Chrome OS merger would happen in 2016, with Google set to launch new devices running the combined OSes in 2017.

While the Chromebook, the foster child of Chrome OS would ostensibly be subjected to an early death according to the report.

Lockheimer, SVP Android, Chrome OS and Chromecast has cleared the air refuting the report in its entirety, maintaining unequivocally that Android and Chrome OS will remain two separate products, and that Chromebooks aren't going away anytime soon.

What are the 7 Reasons Android will never merge with Chrome OS?

  1. Android caters for smartphone and tablet devices
  2. Chrome OS is mainly for netbooks and other lightweight computers
  3. Chrome OS is designed to work with "keyboard-based" platforms
  4. Android is optimized for all things touch
  5. Chrome OS is first Cloud
  6. Android is app-centric
  7. Security is fundamental for Chrome OS


Additionally, Chrome OS is built to run entirely off the Internet, and won't allow you to install programs or store any data locally; instead, all apps will run from the Web - with preferences and settings stored online.

Google, however, hinted that Chrome OS may eventually reach other platforms - like tablets and TVs, with a possible convergence of Android and Chrome OS. Albeit, Google is working on bringing the best features of Chrome OS and Android together, they will ever remain two distinct products.

7 Reasons Android will never merge with Chrome OS

Google started tinkering with deep learning neural networks back in 2011, resulting the first generation machine learning proprietary system, DistBelief. While, TensorFlow is the second generation iteration of that same technology, which is now a core part of its commercial products like Google Voice Search, Google Photos, and YouTube.

The company earlier in the week announced open-sourcing the platform, making the highly scalable machine learning system available for everyone from researchers, to developers - with the end to accelerate research in machine learning.

Albeit, machine learning is still in its infancy, open sourcing the library will enable researchers and developers to build systems capable of breaking down data to make more accurate decision based on the information.

What platforms does TensorFlow support?

TensorFlow is flexible and quite capable of running on older systems, making it ideal for every platform. It allows you to carry-out computation on one or more CPUs and GPUs on desktop, server, or mobile platforms.

Who can use It?

TensorFlow is an ongoing project, meaning it isn't complete, which opens room for everyone - including: students, academicians, independent researchers, developers and even hackers.

Google has made available a version for academic researchers with built-in binaries, and another version as API for developers. The company intends to build an active open source community and through their feedback and contributions ensure improvements to the source code.

What you need to know about Google's Open Source AI Platform - TensorFlow

Google's cutting-edge machine learning intelligence introduced with Inbox by Gmail app, is perhaps the best message management enhancement ever to hit the email system. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered app is able to automatically sort out your priority emails and also suggest/set reminders on calender events.

Now, the company has unveiled additional feature, Smart Reply, which enables the Inbox by Gmail app to analyze email contents and auto suggest appropriate responses.

As always, skeptics have already started to question the level of users' privacy exposed in the background processing involved in Gmail Smart Reply.

Gmail Smart Reply is built on a system of "recurrent neural networks", with "long short-term-memory" (most useful in predicting an accurate response) devoid of any human interception, meaning that no human is reading your email messages.

The machine learning works on data set that the developers' themselves does not have access to read and thus eliminating any privacy concerns.

How the technology works?

According to Google, the encoding of email is handled by one network, which after consuming the words of a message, produces a list known as vector. The vector captures the meaning behind the message, then a second network utilizes "the vector" to create an appropriate reply.

The feature has been rolled out on Inbox by Gmail for Android and iOS, so if you already have the app installed, you'll need to update to get the new AI experience.

Gmail AI: What's Privacy concerns about Smart Reply?

Generally, businesses have come to understand that social networking sites are great ways to build their brand. From creating brand awareness, as an online reputation management tool, to learning new technologies, and as a lead generation tool to intercept potential prospects.

Now, how does Startup founders fall in with this growing social networking trends? It's no longer optional, but inevitable for entrepreneurs to connect for support from partners, investors, customers and even their employees.

Below is a graphic presentation on 18 thriving networking sites especially for entrepreneurs to find advice, capital, or possibly co-founders - Infographic brought to you by Wrike - Free Project Collaboration Tools.

18 Top Networking Sites for Startup Founders

INFOGRAPHIC: 18 Top Networking Sites for Startup Founders

The Internet of Things (IoT), a network of physical objects or "things" embedded into electronics, with software and sensors, which enables these objects to exchange data, is indeed the new frontier to conquer in the emerging technology landscape.

Microsoft released Windows 10 IoT Core as a streamlined version of Windows targeted at small, embedded devices with or without screens. While, Google also announced Brillo, as underlying operating system for IoT devices, derived from Android.

Albeit, little is known about Brillo at the moment, we thought it wise to make a comparison of the two platforms based on major elements involved: Core services and Platform security.

Brillo Core Services

Brillo is built on Weave, which enable devices to connect with desktop and mobile, and also ensures secure network connections. With Metrics component, to help analyze data to understand usage patterns. The reports are useful to debug remote devices employed in field works and also to make available the latest versions of the software.

Windows 10 IoT Core Services

Windows 10 IoT Core utilizes same configuration and tools as other Windows 10 editions which eases integration with desktops and mobile. It is designed to work with Microsoft Azure IoT services, which brings improvement and efficiency, leveraging on advanced data analytics in the cloud.

Platform Security: Brillo vs Windows 10 IoT Core

Windows 10 IoT Core delivers same security standards available for Windows 10, with built-in defenses to help protect critical business information from leaks or theft, employing latest technologies like Secure Boot, BitLocker, Device Guard and Credential Guard.

While, Brillo is harping on enterprise-grade encryption to limit exposure to attacks, and intuitive update system which allows recovery of compromised devices quickly.

In conclusion, it is penitent to note that Google as a late entrant in the IoT landscape, means Brillo is certainly in the early days, but with promising interest from developers may perhaps be a repeat of the Android magic.

Platform Wars: Brillo vs Windows 10 IoT Core

Google's foray into web-hosting services is no longer news; the company launched Google Domains back in January 13, which still in beta is available only for United States. It provides domain hosting and a handful of extras like: free email hosting/forwarding, blogger integration and a host of website builder tools.

Google Domains most remarkable feature is perhaps the one-click Blogger integration, which eliminates manual input of MX records and other required verification codes.

And the fact that it's running on latest hosting technology, means up-time and delivery speed is unmatched, with added Google security and  rare domain names offerings like .coffee, .florist, et al.

How you can transfer/register a domain name in Nigeria and other countries

Despite the fact that Google Domains service as at the time of this post is only available to users in the United States, below is a detailed guide on how to register or transfer a domain name in Nigeria (other countries).




As you can see from the above image, the registration page has all countries included, so filling up your correct country information is not a problem.




However, the checkout page (Payment page) is actually where the U.S. restriction comes to play, so to successfully register/transfer a domain name from any other country, you need a U.S. issued card (e.g Payoneer MasterCard), simply fill in the card details as required.

And when it comes to ZIP CODE as most Payoneer Cards are issued from Belize City, which officially has no ZIP CODE, you can enter any nearby city's code and it works successfully.

Google Domains: How you can transfer/register a domain name in Nigeria and other countries

Facebook at Work, an enterprise version of the social network, is designed specifically for colleagues in organizations to communicate; which has been in closed beta since January, but now opened up for businesses that want to connect employees securely.

Albeit, the company has been tinkering with Facebook at Work internally for years, it surfaced that the office tool is for external organization only recently.

The service is rather a basic, but more secure version of Facebook to be employed on an enterprise network, whereby employees can follow/friend each other to get updates posted by each user.

Now, with more than 300 organizations signed up for Facebook at Work as part of the beta, Facebook though intending to make a little money from the new product has maintained that businesses will start with the free version and only pay for extra features or analytical services.

However, it’s unclear at the moment the number of employees, for instance, that a company is allowed on-board with the service, or if they’ll be charged extra to create a large number of groups.

Facebook at Work has a standalone app for iOS and Android, while on the desktop, users are able to toggle between their professional and personal Facebook accounts.

What you need to know about Facebook at Work?

Yahoo suffered a major breach in 2014, which led to the leakage of many users' email addresses and passwords online. The company has lately been tinkering with log-in features to replace the password, given that most of the breaches had stemmed from the humble password.

The Internet giant earlier launched a service that auto-generates a short password, which it sends to a user's phone at any log-in session, though closely tied to two-factor authentication, it differs as no initial password is required .

And as a step up, the company has extended this to its Mail app with a feature called Yahoo Account Key, which uses push notifications to provide a quick and simple way to access Yahoo account using mobile device.

Dylan Casey, Yahoo's vice president of product management, yesterday said at a press event in San Francisco that they're going to kill the password altogether.

Albeit, Yahoo's process is a take-on the common two-factor authentication, whereby a user has to first enter a username and password, before a message is sent to phone for completion of log-in, it works minus the initial factors.

If a user loses or smartphone is low on power, he/she can still log in using traditional username and password.

To get started, you'll need to turn on Account Key, and register your smartphone. While on opening the app you'll be sent a push notification. And simply clicking on the notification gets you verified. The Account Key is now available globally on iOS and Android.

Yahoo rethinks two-factor authentication: Is this end of the Password?

Microsoft HoloLens is untethered holographic device, enabling high-definition holograms to integrate with the real world. It is part of the Windows Holographic AR Platform incorporated into Windows 10 OS, which unlock all-new ways to connect, create, collaborate, and explore.

The wireless headset is able to project high-definition virtual content or holograms over real world objects, and works with apps developed for the technology; including Skype, Office and gamification.

It features high-definition 3D optical head-mounted display, with advanced sensors to allow interaction with AR applications through head movements, gestures and voice command.

Microsoft, however, believes that Windows Holographic project will be the future of computing, while bringing the digital experience into the analogue world.

Albeit, the potential of the HoloLens is enormous, but the real sizzle didn’t quite match the buzz generated. For instance, using HoloLens to play a game of horror genre, is not only terrifying, but capable of some psychological aftereffect.

The onus, therefore falls on the developers, if they can create apps with worthwhile experiences, HoloLens might perhaps be the next way to consume contents. And as Microsoft chirped, it belongs to the future - until we get there.

Microsoft HoloLens: Is augmented reality the Future of Computing?

As Social Media popularity is on the rise and coupled with the possibility of becoming a search engine ranking factor, it's important to incorporate Social Media into all facets of your content Marketing efforts.

Albeit, full Digital Integration of Social Media channels can be a really daunting task - or you may ask, just how is it done?

Below is an Infographic brought to you by Salesforce with the relevant Tips and Tricks for Successful Digital Integration with Social Media.

How to Integrate Social Media into 6 Facets of Marketing

INFOGRAPHIC: Tips for Successful Digital Integration with Social Media

Microsoft Office 2016 is perhaps the perfect definition of the next generation Office Suite for collaboration, as the operating system has evolved into allowing individual applications to work within one another. Before now, Office applications like: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint can only work on its own.

The company's slogan of "taking the work out of working together" has finally been met in the revolutionized new Office Suite.

The new Office Suite, Microsoft Office 2016, is purposely crafted to cover enterprise users, and mostly bearing in mind the different device types, hence opening up the Office applications to work with all platforms - Apple systems and Android.

Microsoft Office 2016 come bundled with several new features that makes collaboration as easy as a click away.

  1. Real-time Editing: Now many people can co-author a document with real-time editing capabilities, with ability to see changes made by other team members, which eliminates manual sending of document to each member of the team.
  2. Visual Insights: With the ever increasing data set, a forecasting intelligence model that allow users to cut down on the massive information with automatic insights.
  3. Skype Sharing: Sharing documents on Skype is now a breeze away, with options to mail or share on Skype, you can now reach your group members on Skype.
  4. Focus: Outlook now incorporates machine learning to know what a user considers important and filters your emails, cutting off spam extensively.
  5. Smart Lookup: You can now research on any given topic form within the application by right clicking on a phrase and selecting Smart Lookup, which utilizes Bing machine learning algorithm to provide relevant results.


Essentially, Microsoft has demonstrated with Office evolution that cloud technology is no longer an option, but the core of its services. From Office 365 to the newest Office Suite, the mantra has been consistently "cloud" and that is the base of the new possibilities that have endeared the Office Suite to enterprise.

5 Features in Microsoft Office 2016 for Collaboration in the Workplace

Crowdfunding in practice implies raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, usually utilizing the internet resources. It serves as an alternative finance method, quite typically outside the traditional financial institutions.

Crowdfunding is driven by individuals or groups who support an idea; and a platform that helps bring the parties together to launch the idea.

In 2013 alone, the crowdfunding industry grew to be over $5.1 billion worldwide, with hundreds of platforms to choose from, while more keep popping up every day. Now, which crowdfunding site is best for your small business? Checkout the comprehensive Infographic brought to you by Wrike - Online Task Collaboration.

Definitive Guide to Crowdfunding Sites

INFOGRAPHIC: Definitive Guide to Crowdfunding Sites

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) enacted in 1986 specified protocols allowing law enforcements access to electronic communications with it's associated data, which now importantly portends privacy concerns to emerging wireless and Internet technologies subscribers.

Albeit, the original intent was to protect the privacy of online communications, an approach for the time when very few Americans used the email systems, however as the Internet evolves into more business and personal hub of information systems, the law did not evolve as well.

Meanwhile, Internet technology has advanced drastically since 1986, and the ECPA has been proportionally stagnated.

As the ECPA specifications can no longer cover the vast amount of personal information generated by today’s digital communication services, its application, consequently, can no longer offer adequate protection.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, yesterday held a hearing on reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), with the intent to introduce legislation that would bring the ECPA in line with the realities of the digital age.

And given that America strategically dictates the norm for protecting online communications, necessitates that the U.S. Congress pass the ECPA Amendments Act and Email Privacy Act.

The ECPA reform may perhaps transcend the Geo-political line, as amending the ECPA is an issue that has brought all civil agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) together to fight on behalf of all Americans to strengthen privacy protections online.

ECPA Reform: Why it's necessary to Protect the Privacy of Online Communications?

Microsoft released Windows 10 with an edge-bait, and making the operating system free for the first time, ensured millions of users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 taking advantage to get their copy in no time, in fact about 75 million people upgraded to Windows 10 within just a month.

StatCounter’s global stats, puts Windows 10 adoption rates to about 5.34%, just after one week of the release, comparing Windows 7 which only reached 4.05 percent usage after its debut six years ago, and Windows 8 only achieved 1 percent of usage.

Now, how does Windows 10 adoption impact Microsoft's newest browser, Edge? If you had set Firefox or Chrome as your default Web browser in Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 upgrading to Windows 10 will automatically reset it to Edge.

And given the technical tussle required for people to reset their browser, introduced by Microsoft in Windows 10, now taking more than twice the number of clicks, while scrolling through hidden settings. So many people find it difficult to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows.

Albeit, when a user upgrade from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 to Windows 10 with "express settings" selected, it does indeed reset all default apps and their file associations, but requires a bit more effort to set new default apps.

Still, StatCounter notes that usage of Microsoft’s new Edge browser has steadily decreased since late July, and perhaps, many users haven’t really hit the “make default” button on Windows 10 to Edge, keeping in their old comfort zone usually with Chrome or Firefox.

How Microsoft Edge adoption stacks up against other major browsers

Google's take-on Twitch.tv, YouTube Gaming is now live on iOS and Android, with purported web extension in the works. The game streaming service will offer live streaming, promotional videos, and game-play footage, with over 25,000 dedicated pages of games and live streams, alongside a number of channels from game publishers and YouTube video creators.

While, Amazon-owned Twitch.tv, is now boasting of more than 1.5 million broadcasters and 100 million visitors per month.

Twitch is all about live streaming, where gamers can use it to see footage of video games by other users as well as broadcasts. YouTube Gaming, albeit, technically equivalent to Twitch, is still much more different than it is similar.

YouTube Gaming vs. Twitch

Monetization: Live streams will be "front and center" on YouTube Gaming, with obvious improvement in live experience that makes it simpler to broadcast your game play. But, Twitch has a mass of active and engaged users, with many of the prominent game streamers most probably reluctant to leave Twitch because of the perpetual discontent about YouTube’s model, which forces creators to channel their advertising via the platform.

On-demand Video: YouTube's capability to rewind a live stream to watch anything is simply awesome, albeit, its not the only streaming service to feature this sort of built-in DVR, but it is the only one to offer it for TI5.

Utility: YouTube’s utility far outpaced Twitch, and Twitch will have to evolve or more people will have to make the switch to Google’s alternative.

In conclusion, this competitive tussle will eventually result better game streaming experience for users, and portends improved services, far better than would have been possible if Google had succeeded in acquiring Twitch.

YouTube Gaming: Why Twitch may not be itched a bit?

The shipping industry is a mystery to most people. Other than paying shipping and handling costs when sending gifts or packages, how much time do you actually spend contemplating the maritime industry? If you are like most people, very little.

Yet shipping affects everyone. This is one of the largest industries worldwide. It is estimated that more than 90% of the world’s trade is moved by the maritime commercial shipping industry. This industry has done much to contribute to the expanding global economy by enabling low-cost and efficient movement of goods around the world. Nearly everything, from the parcels you send to imported motor vehicles, food and clothing, relies on the shipping industry.

In spite of this, the industry has often been criticized for being habitually conservative and slow to adopt new changes. This reputation is about to change thanks to technology. In the last couple of decades or so, the industry has embraced quite a number of changes all rooted in technological advances. These changes have come at the right time too, since the shipping market is ready for them.

A raft of improvements and new technologies has revolutionized the way things are done in the industry. These include the development of new concepts such as open-hatch forest-product ships and car carries, development of more efficient hulls and propulsion systems and even the automation of ships. Other innovations that have led to notable transformations include dual-fuel technologies, scrubber technologies, as well as the continued modifications being made in ballast water management.

A number of factors have combined to create ideal conditions for the adoption of these recent technologies. These include the enactment of new environmental legislation and regulations, as well as the need to increase efficiency in the industry while reducing costs and saving money. Stricter environmental legislation has prompted and promoted changes in engine technologies, exhaust treatment and in the fuels used by ships.

Technology, especially the Internet, has also transformed how shipping businesses trade with their clients. For instance, if you are a small business owner who ships freight every day, you can make use of the Internet to find a shipping operator who meets your business needs. You can also easily track your cargo from port to port until it arrives at its destination. This has made it convenient for businesses to transact with each other as well as with their suppliers and clients.

The maritime industry does face increased competition from air travel. Due to this, ship owners and operators have had to embrace technology in order to increase their competitive edge. Some shipping businesses still manage to fare very well and remain profitable to date. A good example is Bolloré Africa Logistics, a leading shipping agency in Africa. In addition to operating 13 container terminals across Africa, this agency also manages terrestrial container operations and customs formalities in some ports across the continent.

The industry is continuously evolving, and more technological advances are needed to increase safety and reliability of ships. It is necessary to adapt to change if the maritime industry is to keep up with the rapidly developing world.

How has Technology changed the Shipping Industry?

Mozilla has announced a major upcoming changes in Firefox add-on implementation, with the introduction of a new browser extension API, WebExtensions. Browser extension, on the other hand, is a computer program that extends a browser functionality.

Before now, the major browsers like: Chrome, Opera and Firefox are largely incompatible in terms of add-on implementation technology.

While, WebExtensions is the same technology used by Chrome and Opera and hence add-ons will now be more cross-browser compatible. This will enable Chrome Extensions to run on Firefox browser, albeit, developers will need to make major modifications to their add-ons to become compatible.

The new changes were necessitated by new Firefox multi-process methods, Electrolysis and Servo, which separates the browser into multiple processes (sandbox) and hence reduces the risk of exposing users to spyware and adware.

The new extension API will be included in Firefox 43 which is expected on December 15, starting which, all the unmodified extensions will have six months additional support.

If a developer fails to update their add-on within the period, it will no longer be able run on the new Firefox browser.

Developers are invited to the experimental WebExtensions support now available in Firefox Nightly, as the company is seeking feedback so as to fix bugs and expand the set of APIs that are currently available.

Mozilla embraces WebExtensions for Firefox cross-browser add-ons compatibility

Infinix Hot 2 is the first smartphone on Android One platform for Africa, now available in Nigeria, and 5 other African countries - namely: Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ivory Coast and Ghana. While, YouTube's offline feature was announced in 2014 alongside the Android One, allowing users to download videos to their device for later consumption without requiring network connectivity.

Expected to debut next few months on Infinix Hot 2, offline YouTube videos playback will make it possible for people to take videos offline to watch later during short periods of low or no internet connectivity.

The videos can be downloaded via mobile data or Wi-Fi and will be available for offline playback only through the YouTube app, accessible for up to 48 hours and are not transferable.

Install YouTube app from the Play Store, browse through videos in the apps’ window, tap the download arrow and you are presented with a number of video resolutions, simply choose the one most suitable for you.

It is recommended to download videos through a fast network (i.e, Wi-Fi), and note, not all YouTube Videos support the offline feature, so you will not be able to download all videos for offline playback.

YouTube offline feature is great for countries with slow networks and high data costs, especially in Africa, and will help users to overcome the challenges of data connection and cost to enjoy a smooth, surfing of YouTube videos.

What You need to know about YouTube offline feature for Infinix Hot 2

Alphabet is the new parent company, while the brand "Google" is now restricted to search business. Android One initiative was launched last year with the aim of making quality budget-friendly smartphones for developing markets, and first kicked off with India.

The company, yesterday launched Android One in Nigeria with a new smartphone built by Hong Kong manufacturer Infinix Mobility, in partnership with MTN Nigeria, while promising free and timely software updates for devices, including the upcoming OS Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

Other African countries the service is expected to kick-off includes: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco.

The African expansion is seen as part of Google's ongoing plan to revitalize Android in view of the foreseen challenge Microsoft is poised to unleash with Windows 10 Mobile.

The company sets hardware specifications for third-party manufacturers in an attempt to make sure that even at a low-cost, the smartphones meets above average standards and can run the latest version of the software.

However, the Android One program failed to make much impact in India, due to the competitiveness of the market. And the reliance on a single new handset for the project was certainly unimpressive.

But with the launch of Android One in African, given the proliferation of sub-standard smartphones by Chinese companies which many are already fade-up with, may bring some level of success, even as the program's geographic horizons is widened.

Google (Ah, Alphabet) launches Android One in Nigeria & 5 other African Countries

As the issue of websites evasion of browser privacy add-on, and still capable of unique tracking, even when all cookies are blocked by user and 'Private Browsing Mode' enabled, continue to rise. Mozilla has taken a step ahead in making privacy protection a serious feature in its browser.

Mozilla is testing a new privacy technology (Tracking Protection) to mitigate invasive tracking of users’ online activity by blocking requests to tracking domains.

The new private browsing mode in Firefox doesn’t just erase traces of your browsing, but also blocks online services that could track you while you’re surfing the web. It is now available starting with the Developer Edition for Windows, Mac and Linux, along with the Firefox Aurora channel on Android.

The new private mode in Firefox does not save history, and will block third-party access from monitoring users activities via cookies.

And since Firefox no longer downloads and render content from tracking domains, Tracking Protection also enjoys performance benefits of a 44% median reduction in page load time and 39% reduction in data usage.

The browser indicates when it blocks tracking elements by showing a shield icon in the location bar. While clicking the shield presents a door-hanger that allows the user to disable Tracking Protection for the given domain.

Some websites might not load properly due to the restrictions, however, there is a workaround and Firefox users can select certain websites, which can bypass these restrictions and load properly.

Mozilla tightens Private Browsing on Firefox with Tracking Protection

Microsoft, true to promise for Windows 10 convergence, an operating system to power all sorts of devices from desktops to phones to wearables, has released Windows 10 IoT Core, a striped down version for the network of physical objects or "things".

Otherwise known as Internet of Everything, IoT is the network of physical objects embedded with software, sensors, and connectivity to enable objects to exchange data with the manufacturer/operator or other connected devices.

Windows 10 IoT Core will power micro-computing devices like the Raspberry Pi 2 and Minnowboard Max, and can work irrespective of whether a device have a display. While, developers must create a universal app that functions as the interface for device without a display.

The latest version of Windows 10 IoT core (Build 10240) adds compatibility with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth which keeps the devices connected to the internet.

It is designed to have a low barrier for entry and easy to build professional devices, with support for Visual Studio, and a variety of open source languages. Improved API support has been added to the Universal Windows Platform that power Windows 10 apps.

If you're a developer, Microsoft has made several code samples for IoT devices on Github, as well as documentation and a growing set of libraries and helper tools for developers.

Introducing Windows 10 IoT Core for Internet of Things

Microsoft released a language translation app, Microsoft Translator, in line with its cross-platform philosophy, as a mobile app with built-in support for the Apple Watch and Android Wear.

Microsoft Translator is the latest translation app in the market, with support for about 49 languages, now available for free download in the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store.

The app is powered by same machine learning algorithm as in Bing, sized at just 5.33MB, as against Google Translate at 19.02MB, capable of recognizing varied accents with utmost precision, and works in real time when you point your camera at a piece of text, which clearly sets it ahead of Google Translate.

Albeit, Google Translate still has an upper hand, with a database of about 92 international languages as against Microsoft’s 49, along with eight Indian languages against Microsoft’s one (Hindi).

Microsoft's major edge is its support for smartwatch, capable of translating one language to another by just speaking to your watch.

The interface is equally more sleek and displays with very readable fonts, without compromising on resource and speed.

As expected, however, the degree of accuracy varies on the app, given that certain languages are not supported, still in developmental mode.

Microsoft Translator steps up the game with support for Wearables

Facebook Mentions is a mobile app introduced in 2014, making it possible for users to interact with athletes, musicians, actors and other influencers on the social network. With over 800 million people connected to public figures, from cheering of favorite players to following updates from celebrities on the go.

Facebook on Wednesday introduced a new way for users to connect and interact with their favorite public figures — through live videos.

The feature dubbed, "Live" is an immersive way for users to connect with public figures in real-time, and with the ability to comment on, like or share while watching the live broadcast.

Also, it allow users to see if friends or other public figures are watching, and if a user fail to catch the live broadcast, he/she can watch it later on the author's Page.

The mobile app is available for download on iPhone in the App Store in more than 40 countries around the world. If you want to get on board the live webcast (celebrities only), follow the instructions here, and Facebook will get back to you.

Watch Live Webcast from public figures (celebrities) on Facebook



Gantt charts were initially considered revolutionary, and extensively employed in information technology to represent data. It is named after Henry Gantt, who independently adapted it in the 1910s to illustrates a project schedule.

It is used to illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project.

Learn the Modern Gantt charts which shows the dependency relationships between activities. Infographic brought to you by Wrike - Making Gantt Chart for Project Management.

What is a Gantt Chart for Project Management?

INFOGRAPHIC: What is a Gantt Chart for Project Management?

Facebook has announced a new feature, Security Checkup, to help users in identifying and enabling the various optional security settings in a much easier way. The service which started roll-out on Thursday will among other things allow users to automatically logout from long-used devices, and to set alerts for suspicious login activities.

When fully integrated, finding the security checkup function would be a snap as it's going to be positioned at the top of the news feed for the next few weeks.

Otherwise, you can visit the Checkup help to try to access the new security check feature right now, or wait until you are prompted when you log in on desktop.

The process only takes a few minutes, and it's worth it, perhaps you use a lot of apps or are in the situation of logging into your account using public computers, simply click on the different sections to see login activity logs and possibly reset your password.

The list includes browsers and apps you're currently logged in to, but haven't used recently, then clicking on Logout of all, Facebook will terminate the sessions. And If you don't have account activities notifications enabled, you'll have the option to enable them using the Facebook app, and your email address or phone number.

The service is only available on desktop for now, but with so much activity on mobile, Facebook will definitely be prepping the smartphones launch soon.

How Facebook's new Security Checkup feature works

Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 10, is no doubt generating heated debate as concerns users' privacy, with some privacy advocates recommending total opt-out from the service. The "unusual" free upgrade to Windows 10, is perhaps marred by sneaky privacy policy, which has lead to unsettling speculations.

Albeit, the company is already notorious in secretly collecting users data through stealthy tracking activities, the latest move is even more profound as to the level of users' information involved.

According to Microsoft, “We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good-faith belief that doing so is necessary to protect our customers or enforce the terms governing the use of the services.”

Beyond that, even things like users' browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and Wi-Fi access details are also included in what you must give-up to Microsoft with the new policy.

Asides this, Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, also learns about you by collecting data about such things as your music, alarm settings, whether the lock screen is on, what you view and purchase, your browser and search history, and more.

While some settings are outside users' control, there is a way to deactivate the automatic sync option, which is activated by default. Simply go to settings and finding “Sync your settings” in the Accounts tab to deactivate.

Although much of this is structured to improve the quality of the service, but the fact that all is tweaked to the tech company's taking greater control over users personal information, is something to really worry about.

Windows 10: Microsoft's Sneaky Pry on Users' Privacy?

It’s no longer news that the long awaited Microsoft Windows 10 operating system will be publicly available on July 29, and definitely most users are planning on early switch to the new OS. But unexpectedly, during or after such upgrades, people tend to encounter some problems which will force them to go back to the previous version.

Most Windows users don’t know how they can go back to Windows 8.1 from Windows 10, considering all the techie twists, it appears almost a herculean task for many.

Reasons to Go Back to Windows 7/8/8.1



  • Error after upgrade
  • Unexpected data loss caused by system upgrade
  • Difficulty in adapting to the new Windows 10
  • Applications are not compatible with the new OS


If you encounter any problem upgrading to Windows 10, either you are not happy with the newly installed update or it messes up your PC settings; EaseUS System GoBack will help you to go back to a previous version of Windows and reset your system easily.

And it makes the downgrading job easier, so that you can do Windows 10 upgrade without any fear of system failure as you already know the tool that can save the day, in case anything goes wrong!



EaseUS free system go back software is a program that you can rely on to backup and restore your Windows system with only one click.

It makes the process of going back to windows 7/8/8.1 from Windows 10 effortless and easy whenever you have a need without the supposed associated hassles.

The process is as simply as launching the EaseUS System GoBack Free software and clicking "Backup System" before Windows 10 upgrade. It will quickly backup your previous Windows system, which only takes a little while. Once the backup job is finished, you can find the backup file in D:\My Backups\EaseUS_System_Goback.

Then, when you need to revert, just launch EaseUS System GoBack Free and click "Go Back" and you’re as good as you never migrated from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 in the first place.

EaseUS System GoBack: Easily Go back to Windows 7/8/8.1 from Windows 10

The era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is finally here, now every smartphone down to the tiniest IoT device, even your Home systems come with some form of voice-enabling capabilities, giving rise to the term smart home and apps.

Technological developments have literally put the world into our palms, with amazing ease and magical sophistication, making rare innovations a reality, which before now were pronounced impossible.

Api.ai is one of the latest technologies that introduce speech recognition capabilities to your smartphone or tablet and lets you interact with your device like a personal assistant.

Though it sounds a bit Greek and Latin together, API.AI speech interface is much easier to use. And if you are an app developer, this is an absolute delight to work on, effortlessly you can enable voice commands and make your app a big hit.

Below are few simple steps for you to follow:

  1. First, implement the API for your application, which takes just a few minutes depending on project requirements.
  2. Once implementation is done, the process is quite simple and easy to follow.
  3. Select what objects will interact and work on your app.
  4. Give a description about the objects.
  5. Create actions and scenario to work on.
  6. And finally, apply the commands into your application or web service, then confirm, with a few checks the technology is embedded into your apps.


Endless Possibilities With Voice Enabled Apps

Voice commands allow us to visualize our smartphones or tablet as personal assistant. But, there are lots of options with the voice enabled apps. Still curious what this API.AI is used for?

Below are few of the possibilities of this app enhancing technology:

  1. Enables voice command for any type of application ranging from smartphones to smart televisions and even smart homes.
  2. Robots or even wearables like smartwatches can also use this technology.
  3. Absolutely flexible, you can use this across any operating system.
  4. Cross platform means it works across Unix, Python, and even day to day web apps.
  5. Around 11 languages currently supported.
  6. It is a one stop solution for voice recognition, natural language and even text to voice options.


Will This API bore a hole in your Pocket? Find Out How Much It Would Cost You – You will be Amazed!

Depending upon your requirements for the API, there are different sets of packages for different requirements. However, you're allowed to download the free version and use it endlessly.

But, if you have a commercial app and want to use the API for business, there are 2 choices for you: Pay a specific amount for each request you make, which amounts to 0.003 cents per request. Or a Shared Revenue Program – For this you need to contact another developer and make a shared deal.

There are enough start up plans to let you try and experiment at a cheaper cost. With number of queries increasing or as per demand, more flexible will your payment be through different plans customized for your benefit.
The advantage is, as your app gains popularity, you can add up features to your app with its advisory council or even by your own ideas.

What's The Bottom Line Of API?

It is a proven fact that anyone will enjoy the power of voice more than giving inputs through typing words in their smartphones or tablets. API.AI is greatly and widely acclaimd for those extra benefits that it provides users. And when you choose to develop your website or app with API you are sure never to regret your choice.

How Api.ai Smart Up your Apps with Speech Recognition