The Coders - Part 61

Raising Your Game with Digital Marketing

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

No business can ignore the impact of digital marketing in today’s increasingly connected age. Before you consider engaging professional support for web design in London, here is a look at some of the opportunities that SMEs should be investigating if they want to retain their competitive advantage.

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Social Media

Everyone knows about social media – or do they? Many business owners are simply not yet up to speed with the marketing opportunities that await on these social platforms. Whether you decide to have a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or another platform, you must have a social marketing strategy that forms part of your broader marketing strategy.

The reality is that the majority of your customers will already be using at least one social media channel, and your competitors will be out there engaging with them. This means that you need to consider your own position and get educated about the digital world and the opportunities that it offers you. Many of today’s digital platforms are far cheaper to use than traditional print and other forms of marketing, and the benefits of targeted online advertising can be huge, offering far greater audience segmentation and analysis than ever before to help you refine your campaigns.

Apps

Increasingly, users are engaging with apps – smartphone applications that allow businesses to deliver specific functions or smartphone-enabled content. Apps needn’t be expensive to develop, but they do require a specialist developer. You can find a range of these skills and more by taking advantage of London web design by VizionOnline or an agency in your vicinity that specialises in digital marketing.

Websites

As an absolute essential, every business needs a website. This can be a brochure site or a more complex site that allows direct sales and customer self-service and which integrates with your business CRM and other systems. You’ll need to engage the services of a developer and designer to get started – you’ll find plenty of agencies that specialist in web design and can offer entire teams.

The Next Step

Before you consider your next digital step, consider using the services of a specialist agency. This will give you access to the skills that you need for a successful build and ensure you attain your goals whilst sticking to your budget.

Guide

Is SEO dead?

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

If you are considering an online business, you have probably given a lot of thought to what your website should look like. No doubt you have thought about your branding and content, and perhaps you have chewed over the layout a little. More than likely you have also thought at least a little about search engine optimisation (SEO) and perhaps you have even consulted a London web design house; however, understanding what is acceptable and what is not is where things can get a little complex.Continue reading →

Guide

Optimising Your eBay Store Conversion Rate

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

Amazon and eBay are perhaps the two most important places for online sellers who want to move a high volume of products. They are both places that attract shoppers who are open to making impulse buys, and a god eBay store design can take advantage of that. The traffic is there, so the challenge for sellers is converting that traffic into customers.Continue reading →

Guide

Why Your Business Needs an App

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

There are many compelling reasons why your business needs an app. Our guide will help inspire you before you engage a digital agency that specialises in web design in Nottingham.

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Round-the-Clock Visibility

Figures suggest that the average US digital user now spends over two hours daily on a mobile device. Even if that time is typically spent on a few key apps – primarily social media, for example – other business apps have the chance to be seen every time the user swipes to access their apps screen. The human brain records every text, icon or image it sees on a subconscious but powerful level.

Direct Marketing

The beauty of apps is that they can provide a multitude of functions. For example, your business app might exist to provide information, a search tool, a news feed, a purchasing function, a messaging ability or booking forms. This gives you the ability to give your customers the information that you want them to see in a direct accessible way.

Customer Value

Many brands with loyalty schemes are now digitising old cards and making rewards collectible – and spendable – on their phones. This results in more app downloads and more engaged customers. There are even programs to help you create loyalty programs that are delivered by smartphones, such as PunchMe. When you speak to Nottingham web designers Web Fuel, you will find that they can advise on the strategic potential of your business app.

Brand Building

Apps can really help to build brands by being well designed and structured, being on-brand in their appearance and generally providing an experience that the customer will love. The more the end user engages with the app, they more likely they will be to purchase your offer.

Better Engagement

Apps are a powerful means of building user engagement, especially when they contain a messaging function to allow the user and the brand to directly communicate. Modern marketing is complex and busy, with a multitude of channels vying for attention and diluting messages. An app gives a business a chance to have a meaningful and high-value interaction with a customer and engage their loyalty by keeping the user close to the business.

What are your plans for building a business app?

Guide

How Mobile Technology Is Changing the Workplace

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

Until very recently, business computing meant a desktop PC or, if you spent time on the road, a laptop. But changes in mobile technology have started to bring big changes. Epic Office Furniture Australia advise that mobile technology has changed the office layout and created the rise of the collaborative office environment. Whereas before there was the typical rigid cubical set-up with a meeting room for communication, mobile technology allows for an open collaborative space where teams can communicate openly and work simultaneously. Thanks to the fact that a smartphone or laptop now has computing power and connectivity to match the PCs of a few years ago, it’s now possible to use mobile devices as a gateway to business systems. Many business packages such as CRM and sales administration systems now offer mobile apps as add-ons. This still requires the use of software testing services to ensure that information can be accessed and records properly updated to reduce potential conflicts.

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Rise of the Mobile

Many people now use a mobile as their main way of accessing the internet. We’re becoming a ‘mobile first’ society. This naturally has an impact on business, because what people can do at home they also expect to be able to do at work.

IT managers therefore need to cope with increased demand from users for work-supplied mobiles or to implement a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. This has a significant impact in terms of how corporate data is accessed and kept secure.

Network Considerations

Networks come under stress too, as more employees use mobile devices in the office, so there’s increased demand for wireless access. This means extra access points may be needed and also requires attention to network security.

Companies may turn to the likes of Bugfinders specialist software testers to ensure that there are no issues in accessing their information on particular types of device. It also means that admins will need a wider range of knowledge than they would have required in the past to deal with additional operating systems such as Android and iOS. Android is now the most popular mobile operating system, and it’s important that IT staff understand at least the basics surrounding its security.

The other big advantage of mobile devices is that they allow people to work from anywhere. That, of course, brings its own challenges in terms of using hotspots and networks that are outside the company’s control. This may require the use of technologies such as VPN in order to ensure that commercial information isn’t exposed.

One thing is certain: mobile devices aren’t going away.

Guide

Real Solutions to Enhance Website Protection

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

Does your IT person or team place a large emphasis on website development but does not consider website protection? It is not uncommon for this to happen. Although many people may not be the case, it could be a close second, which leaves your company vulnerable to any malicious attacks going around.Continue reading →

Guide

A Newbie’s Guide to Building a Website from Scratch

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

There are lots of reasons why you might want to build a website. Perhaps you have a small business and you want to expand your marketplace into the online world. Or maybe you are passionate about something and you want an outlet where you can write and post useful information to educate others. Whatever the reason, it isn’t as difficult to build a website as you might think. In fact you don’t even need any specialist knowledge. So if you are thinking about creating a website from scratch, here is a quick guide to get you started.Continue reading →

Guide

Top Web Design Myths Demystified

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Mike John / 0 Comment

Like many other areas, web design is no exception with regard to misleading information circulating about it. Many false notions about effective web design stem from people who know little about the industry or how a website works. Here are some of the top web design myths debunked.

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A mobile site isn’t necessary

Even if your website has been profitable for many years, don’t think this automatically means that you needn’t get your website optimised for mobile use. More and more of us are using mobile devices to search for content online. According to the Guardian 61% of users leave a website and look elsewhere if they don’t see what they’re looking for right away. If you’re not mobile friendly, you can expect to get left behind. And in the Spring of 2015 Google have introduced an algorithm that specifically targets sites that do not have

Local businesses don’t need a website

The old-fashioned notion that local businesses don’t need a website is very much outdated. Even if your customer base is centred within the area where you live, many people still like to find out information via a website about a business even if it is just down the road. If you’re a restaurant, for instance, customers might want to check out your menu online before making a visit, or they may check your site out to find directions.

Social media is a waste of time

If you own a website, avoid forming the opinion that social media is restricted to bored teenagers. Social media can have benefits for every business. According to Forbes 92% of marketers claim that social media is important for their business with 80% indicating their efforts boosted traffic to their websites.

Websites designed for free are fine

Although there are templates online that you can use to design a website for free, if you are a professional business looking to create a good impression, this isn’t a recommended option. It’s worth spending time and money investing in a website designed and put together by experts, like the SEO Gloucester agency, digitel.

Looks are everything

You won’t be able to get away with having a website that scores top marks for aesthetic appeal but zero for usability or functionality. A website needs to look good and work well for it to be a success. It should also be easy to navigate and contain information that is useful and relevant to its target audience.

Once you’ve got a website, you don’t need to change it

Technology does not stand still and in age where people are increasingly using different devices to view websites, you cannot rely on keeping your website the same as it was when it was first set up. Successful businesses will need to adapt their websites to make sure they take into account changes in technology, and they should also make sure they react to search engine optimisation methods to make the most of opportunities to boost rankings to their site. Stale content on a website will also not do your site any justice, so keep refreshing what you publish online and do not allow your website to stand still.

Plugin/WordPress

How to Setup ECommerce for WordPress Website

Posted on July 16, 2015 by abu murad / 0 Comment

Every business old or new, need a strong online presence to reach out to millions of people across the globe. If you are planning to sell something then mere creating a super cool website wont suffice, you need to adopt an eCommerce platform and setup a shop online. The article “How to Setup ECommerce for WordPress Website” will take you through the exact process that is required to setup your own online shop.
Continue reading →

Java

Quartz – Java Job Scheduling Service

Posted on July 16, 2015 by abu murad / 0 Comment

Most of the Java Projects, Enterprise Applications need some form of scheduling every now and then. People try to implement in number of ways like Timer, EJB etc. In one of my assignments I stumbled up on very interesting scheduling service known as Quartz. I was amazed by its simple but powerful implementation. Most interestingly its open source and can be integrated with virtually any Java application from the stand-alone application to the e-commerce system. Quartz supports all types of schedules, you can configure your timings from milliseconds to days to years. Quartz stands apart from other scheduling services by providing some state of the art features like Job Persistence, Transaction Support, Job Clustering, Listener Support.

Installation: Quartz get installed in matter of minutes. Only you have to download the latest jars that are available on their official site and add it to your project or application. That’s it!

Quartz allows you to divide your task in Job and run this job as per the schedule you have configured. You can uses a configuration/properties file to read the schedule. Sample properties file is shown below

#Extraction Frequency, (DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, HOURLY)<br />
FREQUENCY = DAILY</p>
<p>#Day of the month in case frequency is MONTHLY<br />
DAY_OF_MONTH = 15</p>
<p>#Day of the week in case frequency is WEEKLY<br />
DAY_OF_WEEK = 1</p>
<p>#Hour and Minute of the day for all frequencies except HOURLY(24 Hrs Format)<br />
HOUR = 20<br />
MIN =  05

#Extraction Frequency, (DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, HOURLY)

FREQUENCY = DAILY

#Day of the month in case frequency is MONTHLY

DAY_OF_MONTH = 15

#Day of the week in case frequency is WEEKLY

DAY_OF_WEEK = 1

#Hour and Minute of the day for all frequencies except HOURLY(24 Hrs Format)

HOUR = 20

MIN = 05

In ideal scenario, you would need a scheduler class and a job to schedule. Here I am providing sample scheduler and job which is executed by trigger we create as Hourly.

import org.quartz.JobDetail;<br />
import org.quartz.Scheduler;<br />
import org.quartz.Trigger;<br />
import org.quartz.TriggerUtils;<br />
import org.quartz.impl.StdSchedulerFactory;</p>
<p>import com.mycompany.MyJob;</p>
<p>public class MYScheduler {</p>
<p>    public static java.util.Properties props = new java.util.Properties();</p>
<p>    static {</p>
<p>        try {<br />
            java.io.FileInputStream fis = new java.io.FileInputStream(new java.io.File(“configuration.properties”));<br />
            props.load(fis);<br />
            fis.close();</p>
<p>        } catch (Exception e) {<br />
            e.printStackTrace();<br />
            System.out.println(e.getMessage());<br />
            System.exit(1);<br />
        }<br />
    }</p>
<p>    public static String FREQUENCY = props.getProperty(“FREQUENCY”);<br />
    public static int DAY_OF_MONTH = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“DAY_OF_MONTH”));<br />
    public static int DAY_OF_WEEK = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“DAY_OF_WEEK”));<br />
    public static int HOUR = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“HOUR”));<br />
    public static int MIN = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“MIN”));</p>
<p>    /**<br />
     * @param args<br />
     */<br />
    public static void main(String[] args) {</p>
<p>        MYScheduler scheduler = new MYScheduler();<br />
        try {<br />
            scheduler.schedule();<br />
        } catch (Exception e) {</p>
<p>        }<br />
    }    </p>
<p>    public void schedule() throws Exception  {</p>
<p>        JobDetail myJob = MyJob.getJob();</p>
<p>        Trigger myTrigger = TriggerUtils.makeDailyTrigger(“myTrigger”, HOUR, MIN);</p>
<p>        Scheduler scheduler = new StdSchedulerFactory().getScheduler();  </p>
<p>        MyJobListener listener = new MyJobListener();<br />
        scheduler.addJobListener(listener);</p>
<p>        myJob.addJobListener(listener.getName());</p>
<p>        scheduler.start();<br />
        scheduler.scheduleJob(myJob, myTrigger);</p>
<p>    }<br />
}

import org.quartz.JobDetail;

import org.quartz.Scheduler;

import org.quartz.Trigger;

import org.quartz.TriggerUtils;

import org.quartz.impl.StdSchedulerFactory;

import com.mycompany.MyJob;

public class MYScheduler {

public static java.util.Properties props = new java.util.Properties();

static {

try {

java.io.FileInputStream fis = new java.io.FileInputStream(new java.io.File(“configuration.properties”));

props.load(fis);

fis.close();

} catch (Exception e) {

e.printStackTrace();

System.out.println(e.getMessage());

System.exit(1);

}

public static String FREQUENCY = props.getProperty(“FREQUENCY”);

public static int DAY_OF_MONTH = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“DAY_OF_MONTH”));

public static int DAY_OF_WEEK = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“DAY_OF_WEEK”));

public static int HOUR = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“HOUR”));

public static int MIN = Integer.parseInt(props.getProperty(“MIN”));

/**

* @param args

public static void main(String[] args) {

MYScheduler scheduler = new MYScheduler();

try {

scheduler.schedule();

} catch (Exception e) {

}

public void schedule() throws Exception {

JobDetail myJob = MyJob.getJob();

Trigger myTrigger = TriggerUtils.makeDailyTrigger(“myTrigger”, HOUR, MIN);

Scheduler scheduler = new StdSchedulerFactory().getScheduler();

MyJobListener listener = new MyJobListener();

scheduler.addJobListener(listener);

myJob.addJobListener(listener.getName());

scheduler.start();

scheduler.scheduleJob(myJob, myTrigger);

}

Above scheduler class is creating an instance of job and a trigger to schedule the job. Job names are used so that job is uniquely identified in the schedule context. Here you will see that I am also trying to add the listener to the job. This is helpful when you want to do some another job once this is job is complete. e.g ETL. Here is the job and listener classes.
MyJob.java

import org.quartz.Job;<br />
import org.quartz.JobDetail;<br />
import org.quartz.JobExecutionContext;<br />
import org.quartz.JobExecutionException;</p>
<p>public class MyJob implements Job {</p>
<p>    private final static String CLASS_NAME = MyJob.class.getName();<br />
    private final static String JOB_NAME = “MyJob”;</p>
<p>    @Override<br />
    public void execute(JobExecutionContext arg0) throws JobExecutionException {<br />
        final String METHOD_NAME = “execute”;</p>
<p>        //perform your actual task here</p>
<p>    }</p>
<p>    public static JobDetail getETLJob() {<br />
        return new JobDetail(JOB_NAME, DGMEConstants.ETL_EXTRACTION_GROUP, MyJob.class);<br />
    }</p>
<p>    public static String getJobName() {<br />
        return JOB_NAME;<br />
    }<br />
}

import org.quartz.Job;

import org.quartz.JobDetail;

import org.quartz.JobExecutionContext;

import org.quartz.JobExecutionException;

public class MyJob implements Job {

private final static String CLASS_NAME = MyJob.class.getName();

private final static String JOB_NAME = “MyJob”;

@Override

public void execute(JobExecutionContext arg0) throws JobExecutionException {

final String METHOD_NAME = “execute”;

//perform your actual task here

}

public static JobDetail getETLJob() {

return new JobDetail(JOB_NAME, DGMEConstants.ETL_EXTRACTION_GROUP, MyJob.class);

}

public static String getJobName() {

return JOB_NAME;

}

MyJobListener.java

import java.util.Date;</p>
<p>import org.quartz.JobDetail;<br />
import org.quartz.JobExecutionContext;<br />
import org.quartz.JobExecutionException;<br />
import org.quartz.JobListener;<br />
import org.quartz.SchedulerContext;<br />
import org.quartz.SchedulerException;<br />
import org.quartz.SimpleTrigger;</p>
<p>public class MyJobListener implements JobListener  {</p>
<p>    final static String CLASS_NAME = MyJobListener.class.getName();</p>
<p>    @Override<br />
    public String getName() {<br />
        return CLASS_NAME;<br />
    }</p>
<p>    @Override<br />
    public void jobExecutionVetoed(JobExecutionContext arg0) {<br />
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub</p>
<p>    }</p>
<p>    @Override<br />
    public void jobToBeExecuted(JobExecutionContext arg0) {<br />
        try {<br />
            SchedulerContext context = arg0.getScheduler().getContext();<br />
            context.put(arg0.getJobDetail().getFullName(), false);<br />
        } catch (SchedulerException e) {<br />
            e.printStackTrace();<br />
        }<br />
    }</p>
<p>    @Override<br />
    public void jobWasExecuted(JobExecutionContext arg0,<br />
            JobExecutionException arg1) {<br />
		//Here you can again check for schedular context and take next course of action<br />
		//e.g some database/file level logging, next job trigger<br />
    }</p>
<p>}

import java.util.Date;

import org.quartz.JobDetail;

import org.quartz.JobExecutionContext;

import org.quartz.JobExecutionException;

import org.quartz.JobListener;

import org.quartz.SchedulerContext;

import org.quartz.SchedulerException;

import org.quartz.SimpleTrigger;

public class MyJobListener implements JobListener {

final static String CLASS_NAME = MyJobListener.class.getName();

@Override

public String getName() {

return CLASS_NAME;

}

@Override

public void jobExecutionVetoed(JobExecutionContext arg0) {

// TODO Auto-generated method stub

}

@Override

public void jobToBeExecuted(JobExecutionContext arg0) {

try {

SchedulerContext context = arg0.getScheduler().getContext();

context.put(arg0.getJobDetail().getFullName(), false);

} catch (SchedulerException e) {

e.printStackTrace();

}

@Override

public void jobWasExecuted(JobExecutionContext arg0,

JobExecutionException arg1) {

//Here you can again check for schedular context and take next course of action

//e.g some database/file level logging, next job trigger

}

You can see that MyJobListener class is implementing JobListener interface and methods jobToBeExecuted and jobWasExecuted are implemented. These method will give user full control to listen to the jobs status.