Monthly Archives: December 2013

Facebook is Dead and Buried – according to study.

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A UK academic, Professor Daniel Miller of University College London, is leading an eight country, multi-city analysis of how Facebook is used, particularly among teenagers. His view is that the engine that drove Facebook forward, teen usage, is broken.

The study is called the Global Social Media Impact Study

Here is one big conclusion from it.

What we’ve learned from working with 16-18 year olds in the UK is that Facebook is not just on the slide, it is basically dead and buried. Mostly they feel embarrassed even to be associated with it. Where once parents worried about their children joining Facebook, the children now say it is their family that insists they stay there to post about their lives.

Teenagers are gravitating instead towards sites like Snapchat and Twitter, the former because interactions leave no permanent record, and the latter because it is so much easier to use. What’sApp and Instagram are also quoted by Miller (who acknowledges in his blog post on an academic website, The Conversation, that Instagram is owned by Facebook).

Teens don’t appear to be migrating away from Facebook as a statement against data gathering or privacy intrusions. The fact is, these alternatives are mobile-first apps and Facebook is still a web first platform. Even so, the share price had a great run this year.

Miller adds that young people are using alternative social networking sites for various reasons:

….the closest friends are connected to each other via Snapchat, WhatsApp is used to communicate with quite close friends and Twitter the wider friends. Instagram can include strangers and is used a little differently. Facebook, on the other hand, has become the link with older family, or even older siblings who have gone to university.

So by Miller’s own admission then Facebook is not dead and buried – it has been repositioned by one category of user. It’s important also to realize that the researchers on the study place the emphasis on change and diversity rather than decline, for Facebook.

The way people use social media differs hugely from place to place. These are ‘social’ media, intensely woven into the texture of our relationships. They lead us straight to intimate worlds of Chinese families split by internal migration, the new Brazilian middle class, cancer victims in London sharing the experience of terminal illness, Trinidadians stalking the latest scandal and much more.

But we can say two things for certain. We need to understand more about the diversity of usage within Facebook. We do tend to treat it as it were a homogeneous platform. And we can expect mobile to continue changing web usage habits in 2014, putting further pressure on Facebook just as its stock is beginning to fly.

 

Tips to Beat the Burglar this Christmas & New Year

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SatelliteThe weeks leading up to Christmas are the biggest shopping weeks of the year and for many retailers often accounts for 70% of their annual revenue. Stocking our homes with the latest electronic gadgets, computers, jewellery and must-have accessories is commonplace, unfortunately though it provides thieves with the perfect incentive to commit burglaries.

Read these tips to ensure your home is secure over Christmas and the New Year.

Deterring would-be criminals is one of the most effective forms of crime prevention. Invest in a motion sensor flood-light or even some outdoor Christmas lights to highlight your home’s exterior. This will hopefully make approaching your home too conspicuous for a burglar. Also, highlighting the fact your possessions are security marked and registered on Immobilise using window decals provide a further warning that your goods are traceable and not worth the risk of stealing!

Festive lighting – be secure. A common mistake of many festive decorators is to feed extension cables through partially open windows, criminals know to look for this vulnerability. When it comes to outdoor lighting, opt for solar or battery operated lights or install outdoor electrical outlets.

Dispose of gift packaging carefully. Refuse collections over the Christmas and New Year period are normally at different times. If you can’t take packaging to a recycling point, make sure you only put your rubbish out just before the collection and do your best to break apart boxes so that they do not advertise your new contents of your home to thieves!

Be careful not to advertise your home to burglars on social media! According to one recent study, social media is a commonly used tool for scouting potential targets. Social media savvy families have a tendency to publish their whereabouts during the holiday season, including any vacation plans. This lets burglars know when your house is going to be empty. Uploaded photos of pricey Christmas gifts can also be a problem as it basically allows burglars to go shopping just by viewing your Facebook profile.

Check doors and windows for weak spots. Government statistics show that 30% of burglaries happen through windows. Installing a few dead-bolts and new window hinges could increase the security of your home exponentially.

Keep your curtains, drapes and window blinds closed at night, making sure valuable items are out of sight. When going out for the evening make use of inexpensive timers to give the illusion of occupancy.

Away over Christmas – plan ahead!!. If you’re going away at Christmas be sure to cancel any newspaper or milk subscriptions. Arrange for a neighbour to park on the driveway to help create the impression someone is home. Do not to leave descriptive telephone answering machine messages or and again make use of light timers.

Secure garages & sheds. Make sure that garden tools or ladders that could be used to force entry into your home are not left lying around or accessible from an unlocked garden shed. Garages are often targets for burglars looking for tools, bikes and gardening equipment – make sure the garage is secure and your possessions are secured too in the case of bikes and tools. Naturally make sure anything portable / valuable is recorded on immobilise.

Don’t hide keys & use alarms if you have them. Burglars know to look for hidden door keys so don’t hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. Instead give the spare key to family or trusted neighbour. Many houses these days have alarms, many though are rarely set, make sure yours is on and protecting your home.

My Christmas Jumper with Phone App

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Buy yours from Digital Dudz

Fold up your folding bike.

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The whole point of allowing folding bikes on trains is to fold it up before getting in a packed lift or overcrowded platform, I don’t want filthy bikes touching my clothes. What’s the point of ticket barrier staff if they let full size bikes during peak rush hour?

How to be more productive with work on the lead up to the holiday season

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Hello

It’s safe to say we’re in ‘Silly Season’ – when we’re bombarded with discounts but only if we buy hundreds of the item in question, when we rather proudly wear a jumper that depicts imaginary characters, and when we never say ‘no’ to another pie full of fruity mince.

But just because it’s almost the end of the year does not mean we should let the quality of our work slip!

If you’re trying to optimise output when all others around you descend into festive chaos, it’s crucial to remember that the little things can make a big difference. Here’s a few tips to help you make the most of what’s left of 2013…

Be flexible
Sometimes you can be more productive working when and where you feel comfortable. A choice of working locations and staggered starting hours allow early birds and sleepy heads to work as productively as each other – so see if that could be an option for you.

Manage time
Make sure you’re using time wisely. A slow journey to work is a great time to catch up on emails. And if a non-crucial meeting is miles away, just give them a call instead of wasting time in the car or on public transport.

Remember what doesn’t need doing
Deciding what to do is important, obviously, but deciding what to leave until later is equally important. If you have too many things to do at once, it’s hard to focus, so always make sure your workload is prioritised.

All work and no play…
As tempting as it is to force yourself to work harder to meet deadlines, it can be counter-productive. Have a break, join in with the fun and relax – a little time out can work wonders for morale and help to refresh the body.

So go, get to work, and make it count. Until ‘Secret Santa’ arrives, of course

Why not take advantage of free phone conferencing with Powwownow, enabling you to have meetings from home or your mobile so you can be more productive without the hassle of travel.

Sunday Curling at Fenton’s Curling Rink @FentonsCurling

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A colleague invited me to join him and a few friends to a curling session on Sunday, my only understanding is that involves a slidey thing, a broom and takes place on ice, I didn’t know what to expect or what the rules entailed.

A short drive from London towards Tunbridge Wells to England’s only Curling Rink, Fenton’s Rink The current English Men’s team is based at the Rink – as is the Ladies’ junior side.

On arrival we watched a short video which explained the rules, how to play, scoring and safety. We were taking in to try on our special curling shoes and kippers. (A kipper is a rubber sole that covers the teflon slippery sole, you take the kipper off when you want to slide). Curling ice is not wet or greasy on the surface – so you shouldn’t find it difficult to keep your balance.

We stepped out into the rink and suddenly realised how cold it was and wondered if we were suitably dressed, but we were reassured once game is in play and we start “sweeping” we will soon warm up. Our host told us how to get on and off the ice safely where to put our feet and how to slide the stones.

Curling started in Scotland and originally was played outdoors. Over the years the game has been refined and is now played mainly on indoor ice rinks. The major curling countries are Scotland, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, Germany, USA, China, Japan, Holland, Italy and France.

The objective
is simple: to slide a granite curling stone weighing 20kg from one end of the ice rink to the other (40m) to a target marked on the ice. The player slides out of a starting block called “the hack” and releases the stone when it is on the right path. As the player releases the stone the handle is twisted to the left or right thus making the stone spin slowly as it travels down the ice. This makes it Curl down the ice – giving the name of the game – “Curling”.

HOW TO PLAY
Two teams of 4 play against each other using two stones per player and playing in turn. All players in the team are involved in every stone played, taking turns to deliver the stone, to sweep (two players) or as “skip” – who guides the delivery and tells the sweepers when to sweep. Sweeping can help to keep a stone on the right trajectory and make it go further than it otherwise would have done. After everyone has played the “end” is finished and the team whose stone(s) is nearest the middle of the target wins the end; one point for each stone nearer the centre than the opposition. A stone must be within the outer (12 foot diameter) circle to count. A game typically lasts 8 ends over a 2 hour session. Special shoes are worn to enable the player to slide over the ice. Skates are definitely NOT used as the surface must be perfectly flat and smooth. A single hair or piece of fluff is enough to make a stone go completely off course.

So if you’re looking for something new for a day out, team bonding or for a hen or stag do, curling is great fun and I can’t wait to go back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DifCAqy7fxQ