The Future of Internet

Many of us have forgotten the sound of 56K modem connecting to the internet as it was ages ago. In reality, for some, no more than a decade has passed since they’ve heard it for the last time. For those of you who are a bit younger and have no memory of Dial-Up, highest internet speed used to be 128 Kbps, which translated into downloading an average sized mp3 file for as long as 10 minutes. Those who were not lucky enough to have ISDN had to cope with double the download time.

Today, however, the situation is quite different and we tend to take our internet quality for granted Downloading an mp3 takes a few seconds at most, an average movie downloads in 10 minutes and we are able to live stream high-definition video without any trouble. Even our data has migrated from hard drives into the cloud. It is like most of our life is stored online.

Considering the world we live in and the way of life we lead, it is not so far-fetched to say that the large portion of our lives depends on the Internet and that, at the same time, its progress is our progress as well. With this in mind, it is evident that the new internet technologies will have a big impact on all of us. We’ll be looking into a couple of new technologies science has in store for us in the future and one that’s been with us for a while, but is still improving.

Fibre optic

Fibre optic is not a new thing. It is the upgrade to the existing cable and DSL types of internet. Though it’s been commercially introduced in the early 2000’s, the coverage of fibre optic is not as widespread as expected, given its age. Speeds gained from fibre optic are immense, starting at 100 Mbps all the way up to 1000 Mbps (gigabit internet) and even more in some experimental cases. Guys over at Fastmetrics created a table of compared internet speed tests of available conventional technologies.

Source: Fastmetrics

Some of the biggest players in the fibre optic internet business in the US are Verizon, AT&T, and Google Optic. Almost all of the world’s internet depends on fiber optic, because cables transmitting intercontinental data are made of optical fibers. Also, this type of internet communication is the backbone of high-speed mobile data – LTE and the upcoming 5G, as it is the only one capable of transmitting such high amount of data – up to 40 Tbsps.

Giga protocol

Current internet protocol TCP has been introduced in 1974. It has been serving us quite well, as a matter of fact, it still does. But, science is such that it won’t leave anything alone just because it works, when there is always a way for it to perform better. That is why Akamai came up with GIGA.

Giga is a new internet protocol that will hopefully replace the TCP protocol in the near future. Initial tests conducted by Akamai, which operates more than 200 000 servers worldwide, show that Giga improves upon TCP to 30% in average.

For example, tests in India and China show improvements of around 150%, and in Germany of only a few percent. This is quite meaningful, as the implementation of Giga does not require additional investments in equipment because it utilizes the existing one. All you will need is a computer and Windows older than XP. Oh, and ISPs to accept the new protocol as well.

5G network

Since the year 2000, phones have been able to connect to the internet via GPRS. Ever since the introduction of 3G we were able to use them for more than just reading the newspaper, browsing social media and instant messaging.

It is quite normal today that you download a song or a video in a matter of seconds to your phone. In the same time, we use our phones to upload photos, videos and high definition audio files to our social media profiles and our cloud storage. Even though some countries have just been connected via 4G, the 5G network is already in the works. It’s being tested by major operators showing massive improvements on the 4G – bigger speeds, lower latencies, more stability, better coverage, better spectral efficiency, etc.
The 5G network might be launched as early as 2020 in some areas.

We have already surpassed internet speeds that enabled us to transfer data at the same speed as we used to in local area networks (100 Mbps and Gigabit). Some older computers won’t be able to utilize the full speed of new protocols and connection types, which will lead to new advancements in the fields of hardware development. Higher internet speeds might even finally instigate the rise of remote gaming and extinguished the need for a locally owned PC or a console.

Who knows, maybe someday we’ll probably be connected directly to the internet via chips implemented into our bodies – Ghost in the Shell anyone?

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/the-future-of-internet/

3 Simple Ways to Increase the Online Visibility of Your Brand

Every business owner wants to showcase their business to a large number of people, to be able to build a strong customer base and, thus, increase their sales and their ROI. By managing to do that, they can easily expand their business and generate more income. The best and most effective way of raising the awareness of your brand is to increase its online visibility.

By boosting your online visibility, you will be able to reach out to more people and turn them into your customers. You will boost your reputation and ensure you stand out from the crowd. In order to effectively increase your online visibility, you need to implement proper marketing efforts that will create a lot of opportunities for you.

With the right marketing strategies, you can showcase your products or services to your target audience, ultimately enlarging your customer base and improving your brand. Without further ado, let’s take a look at a few simple, but essential ways that will help you increase the online visibility of your brand.

 

Blog Away

A blog is a very powerful marketing tool that is essential for every business. Running a blog is a perfect way to showcase your brand, as you can show your expertise and provide your readers with content of high relevancy. Apart from being a great channel to maintain an ongoing communication with your target audience and promote the products or services you offer, your blog can greatly increase your online visibility.

The more content you provide on your blog, the more visible your online presence will become. If you provide your readers with relevant content of the highest quality, they will always come back for more, thus increasing your page views and the traffic coming to your site, which will help you with your SERP ranking. Moreover, by creating great content, you will provide your readers with better user experience, which is also a very important factor for improving your search engine ranking, since Google uses user experience to determine the relevancy and performance of your website.

Having good SEO and plenty of valuable content on your website is crucial for your online visibility, so blog away and create the best content to attract your target audience and engage them in your brand.

 

Provide High-Quality Content

Content is the key for the success of every business, since it is exactly what will sell your products or services. Apart from creating fresh and original content for your blog, you should put your efforts into making every other piece of content on your website just as good and relevant.

Since your landing page is probably the first thing your customers will see when they visit your website, make sure the content you provide there is relevant and informative. Make sure it is engaging and shows your existing and potential customers exactly who you are. The same goes for every other page on your website, especially if you’re in the e-commerce business and need to have great descriptions of every product in order for them to capture the attention of the viewers.

To make your content more engaging, you should have a lot of beautiful images, as well as videos, on your website, since visuals have the power of easily grabbing people’s attention. Videos can tap into your customers’ consciousness and impact their purchase decisions, so it’s very important to include them on your site. They can also greatly improve your SEO ranking, thus increase your online visibility.

 

Engage in Social Media

Social media websites are some of the best marketing tools nowadays, so it is crucial to establish your social media presence. There is absolutely no better way to increase your online visibility than to promote your brand on various social media networks that enable you to showcase it to millions of people.

Since pretty much everyone is online for the most of their time, engaging people in your brand via social media can be an extremely easy thing to do. You just need to remember to always stay active and communicate with your customers. Allow them to give you feedback and respond to their comments and messages in a timely manner. It will show them that you respect them and value their opinion, which will only engage them more and make them want to visit your website to find out more about your business.

It will help you connect with your target audience and build a stronger relationship with them, which is essential for turning them into your customers. Social media engagement will draw more traffic to your website, thus increase your online visibility and improve your ranking in the SERPs for the desired long tail keywords.
There are a lot more marketing tactics and strategies you can implement to raise the awareness of your brand and improve your business, but these are the basic and most important ones that you should consider. Making your brand visible online is crucial for achieving your goals, so make sure you take these steps that are vital to your ultimate success.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nmanojlovic/3-simple-ways-to-increase-the-online-visibility-of-your-brand/

Getting Your IT Start-up off The Ground in 3 Easy Steps

The way from developing an idea into a startup to reading the unicorn status is a long and treacherous one. Motivated by the success of numerous IT startups, many first time entrepreneurs just dive into the industry without proper preparation, which in return ends in disaster for most of them.

Even if you have secured the funding, there are several important aspects that need to be considered when deciding to enter the world of startups. In this article we will explore the three main pillars of a successful startup launch, market research, staffing and marketing. So let’s start!  

Market research

You may think that you have the perfect app or software tool, one that users will go crazy for, but have you checked how popular or used are similar tools. Before even thinking about launching a startup it is imperative to do a comprehensive market research. From finding the right user pool to determining the saturation level for your specific type of product.

This might sound harsh but if there is no room in the market for your idea, service or product, it is better to delay the launch and work some more on what you can provide the potential customers. Containing the excitement can sometimes be hard, but it is essential for a smart and successful entrepreneur to know the exactly right time when to put out a certain product.

Getting the right talent for the right price

For most newly formed startups it can be hard to provide the adequate funds for obtaining the right kind of work force. Luckily when it comes to IT and software development startups, remote nearshoring teams are only a click away. Hiring workforce from a nearby developing country can have a significant positive effect on both budget and product quality.

For most people the first instinct is to hire people from their surroundings, colleagues, friends even family. Sadly, this type of decision can sometimes be more costly than productive, and for someone just starting out in the startup industry every penny counts. Initial funding can only get you so far.  

Figuring out the best marketing options

For any new company or product exposure is key. Brand recognizability comes over time and with good marketing strategies. With all the available tools online it is quite easy these days to form an effective marketing campaign targeting a specific group of users. For any IT startup social media can provide great insight into what type of marketing option would be the most effective.

Depending on the user demographic, different options are available. From the less costly ones like creating a social media buzz and an engaging website, to options like campaigns which include affiliate marketing and sponsored posts that can substantially drain your funds. For a startup that is still in its evolving stage, the less costly option is ideal for drawing in the prospected users.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/marcusjensen/getting-your-it-start-up-off-the-ground-in-3-easy-steps/

Sharing Resources: A Solution to the Rising Cost of Living

The generation known as millennials, those who reside between the ages of 20 and 34, exhibit a most interesting pattern of dependence that deviates from former generations. While most children from recent previous generations were chomping at the bit and could not wait to leave the nest, millennials increasingly choose to remain at home or return to live with their parents once again. According to TIME, these sorts of statistics have not been seen since the 1940’s. Reasons cited for this return to post Great Depression statistics include an increased average age for getting married and a general decrease in economic stability. Yet, critics of the trends emerging among millennial wage earners indicate that something more nefarious is likely at play.

Wage Stagnation

Wage stagnation, which occurs when average hourly wages do not increase with the increase in overall economic growth, is perhaps the greater indicator of why millennials get the sense that striking out on their own is not financially feasible. In simple terms, the cost of living is on the rise but the wages being earned remains the same. In essence, this means that the rich corporate owners are keeping the bulk of the afore mentioned profits, those arising from the increase in economic growth, within their own corporate coffers. Some fear this trend is intended to ultimately eliminate the middle class on a massive scale as the gap between the ultra rich and the ultra poor continues to widen at an alarming rate. According to this source, the reasons driving this wage stagnation arises more from intentional detrimental policy making by those with the greatest wealth and political power, rather than from slumping economic factors. In other words, those with the greatest means are making policies for the “have nots”, which ultimately ensures that a growing number of struggling millennials will not be able to strike out on their own. According to YesMagazine, it becomes essential to bring back the negotiating power that the labor force enjoyed before the 1980’s, when such actions as fully organized union strikes were utilized to force business owners to bend corporate policy to meet union demands. Only then will it be possible to normalize wage earnings back to a liveable range for millennials and subsequent generations. Until this happens, millennials are basically forced to share resources with their families or sink financially if that is not an option.

Living Conditions

As a means to cope with the current lagging financial environment, living at home provides millennials with the opportunity to survive while putting some money back for future needs. For those who do not have access to this luxury, even renting out a garage that has been modified to serve as a bedroom is often a lower cost option than trying to sustain monthly apartment rental rates. To make this option available, homeowners need to do a proper clean up, upgrade the garage with insulating door and place furniture to accommodate the modification of their garage for this purpose. Though such living conditions may not seem ideal to those who are used to having their own place, it should be realized that millennials are not as familiar with the idealism of those who have appreciated the luxury of financial stability necessary for living independently. According to article posted here, in order to scrape by and perhaps to even remove some of the stress of living at home, the couchsurfing app provides millennials with a community of people who freely let others sleep on their couch or use their free rooms to crash for the night. The fact that millennials are this adaptive in their shared resource-based living arrangements may itself be a sign of how something must give in order to bring financial stability back to the average wage earner. It is a continuing situation that causes many to wonder if politicians and business owners alike are in touch with the reality of the living conditions their questionable policies are ultimately responsible for heaping on millennials and others struggling to carve out a meaningful existence for themselves.

Conclusion

No one ever said that life would be easy. This has been a generation defining issue for millennials across the board. As an increasing number of millennials seek to keep their head above water financially, they find little support from politicians and business owners who appear to believe that an endless trend of wage stagnation is acceptable for these modern times. To adapt, millennials have had to learn to live cheaply and share resources with family and others to survive their working years: a time in which they should be thriving to secure the means to provide for their own children and better manage through their fast approaching retirement years.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/twitter-epicninjadaboss/sharing-resources-a-solution-to-the-rising-cost-of-living/

What to Watch Out for When Starting a Supplement Company

 

The supplement industry is a multibillion dollar juggernaut that isn’t going to slow down soon. The challenges of running a lasting supplement brand are many. The amount of competition in this industry is immense with the larger companies taking out advertorials in nearly every fitness industry magazine. Although the competition might be fierce, having a hit product can launch a supplement company into immortality. The following are just a few things to watch out for when starting a supplement company.

Marketing Challenges

Some of the larger companies have the budgets to send out free samples to thousands of people. As a supplement startup, it is important to get the products in front of the target demographic.

A great way to have a product tried is by going to bodybuilding conferences or expos. Free samples are given out by many major supplement providers; this is the chance to prove the uniqueness of a product.

Another option is through content marketing, which can be one of the best things that can be done for a supplement. Whether it comes in the form of people reviewing products or even just creating a buzz in forums, this can be the form of marketing that can even the playing field with larger companies.

Social media can also be a great way to interact with people who are interested in supplements. Just by answering questions about the product or about fitness in general could encourage a customer to try the product. The main focus of social media is customer engagement while building brand loyalty.

Skimping on Ingredients

There are plenty of supplements that add quite a lot of fillers. The quality of ingredients is extremely important as many of these supplements are scrutinized by people online. While higher quality ingredients might be a bit more expensive, consumers are willing to pay.  Certain supplements contain things that can be dangerous in high doses. The lack of supervision by the FDA can make using inferior ingredients dangerous to the users. The companies that have been around for decades specialize in the best ingredients for all of their supplements..

It Is Considered a High-Risk Business

The fact that the supplement industry isn’t tightly regulated leaves it difficult to find payment processors willing to work with the business. Payment processors that specialize in working with high-risk businesses are best as they can protect a supplement company from chargebacks or even people saying the supplement contained false claims.

The high risk and high reward nature of the supplement business can also make it difficult to get a business loan. While there might be loans available, the interest rates won’t be favorable. Banks like to see matching money from the person requesting the loan as this shows personal investment.

Having legal counsel on retainer is essential in nearly any business. In an industry as risky as the supplement industry, legal counsel can help with wording on labels. This lawyer can also go to court for any lawsuits, whether they are legitimate or trumped up. Pick a lawyer who specializes in product liability as having a certain ingredient that isn’t marked on a label can cause huge problems in case of death or injury.

The rewards for creating a successful supplement that becomes popular are great. The profit margins can often be up to 5,000 percent in some cases on a certain product. There are pre-workout supplements on the market that can be made for less than a dollar but sell from $30 to $50. Find a niche in the supplement industry and stick to it, you won’t regret it!

 

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nick-chalker/what-to-watch-out-for-when-starting-a-supplement-company/

Secure Your Future With a Career in Health Care Management

Based on the recent recession, bank failures, bankruptcies, and layoffs have become a common occurrence. With so many businesses facing financial troubles, is there an industry that seems to be protected? As a matter of fact, there is. Based on recent analysis, experts believe that the health care management field has become the most prosperous through both good and bad times. Employees are just as pleased with their career choice because they are making a difference. They are also better able to pay their bills because their salary is just as rewarding.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Over 100,000 workers have made health care management their choice in careers. The U.S. Department of Labor figures that one out of every five career choices over the next seven years will lie in the health care field. That comes out to approximately 20 percent of U.S. jobs will be health care related positions. The joy that comes with helping others through health issues such as cancer can be rewarding. Others want to get into the industry because the field is growing at an explosive rate. This means that each year the job opportunities in health care management will be staggering at every level.

Career Transitions Recommended

In order for a clinic, rehabilitation center, hospital, or research facility to function, they need a variety of health care workers at each level. Many of today’s hospital administrators have advanced degrees to back their positions. Registered nurses and physicians who hold a degree are recommended to make career transitions into health care management positions.

Diverse Backgrounds

No matter if you have a nursing degree or not, the career path to health care management is a wise choice. When considering an employment opportunity in health care, most individuals think of nurses, doctors or specialized techs. But these duties are usually supported by health care managers. Without an advanced degree in health care administration or management, you may find it a challenge to advance into an executive position.

A health care management degree provides students with the necessary skills to boost productivity. The rigorous curriculum also allows students the opportunity to assess, learn data drive and analytical approaches necessary to access the health care ecosystem. As more people face varying health-related challenges, your education will provide you with the tools to tackle the most complex of health care issues.

Rewarding and Satisfying Career Opportunity

There are very few professions where an employee can touch the lives of others the way you can in health care management. No matter if you bring someone new into the world or save a life, your daily tasks have a huge impact. Through your treatments and better education, you can even provide your community with the knowledge or tools to help prevent and treat diseases. Salaries are also rewarding in the health care manager field with CEOs earning over $220,000 on average.

Offers a Brighter and Secure Future

Corporations and small businesses have been hurt by the recession. The current shaky stock market has made it even scarier for businesses to think about growing and expanding their customer base. But for those in the health care industry, employees have seen a huge boon to their job prospects. Their salaries have even grown extensively to support the rise in food, gas and cost of living prices. With the transition from paper to electronic medical records, the demand for jobs in the field are proving stronger. If you have a degree, your job opportunities and salary rates will be even higher. If you find yourself not liking one position, there are hundreds of other positions you may want to explore.

Improve the Quality of Your Community

An amazing benefit to working in the health care industry is that your job can be life changing. A health care manager is focused on the health system and making it run efficiently. This can then help the patient and how they receive care. Health care administrators are instrumental in working toward policy changes. This includes better opportunities for the poor who lack coverage and preventative care. An administrator can also boost hospital visits through better physician and patient communication and making sure sick individuals enjoy a sterile and germ-free stay.

The Top Rated Health Care Jobs for the Coming Year

The health care industry has taken the top spot as some of the best jobs to have for the coming year. Based on stress levels, salary, advancement and work/life balance, there are five jobs that seem to be the most popular. These include physician assistant, nurse anesthetist, pediatrician, nurse practitioner, and anesthesiologist.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/nick-chalker/secure-your-future-with-a-career-in-health-care-management/

Tough College Assignments and How to Ace Them

No matter the school, the major, or the year you are in college, you will at some point (or at several points, to be perfectly honest) encounter a difficult, seemingly impossible, dreaded assignment. And while your first instinct may be to avoid the thought of it and put it off until its due date, that is one of the worst strategies you can utilize.

All assignments are doable, if you know how to attack them. Read on to find out how to make any difficult assignment a bit more manageable, a little less stressful, and maybe even a tad more enjoyable.

1. Break the assignment into smaller pieces

You do not want to write a paper, finish a report, or complete any of these large assignments in one sitting. While the thought of the entire project may sound daunting, think of it as a set of smaller, less intimidating steps that when combined, will create a final product. With each project, there are different strategies to break the work up. Separate the project in a way that is realistic and well-suited to the assignment, making sure you are including each stage of work. For example, for a research paper, you would want to break the project up into several mini-steps such as research collection, research analysis, paper outline, writing each section of the paper, completing the reference list, editing, revising, and so on. To help yourself even more, you could even break each piece up into smaller sections.

2. Create a timeline

Once you have your assignment pieces, you’re ready to start timing them out. Oftentimes, college professors only assign a final date, leaving the tough part of staying on task up to you. To avoid procrastination and keep yourself accountable, you should create a timeline that is realistic, manageable, and that will ensure you complete your assignment in time. Begin by giving yourself time to understand the assignment, as that is necessary before beginning any actual work. Give yourself time for several drafts, even if they aren’t required, as well as time to edit those drafts.

3. Determine what questions you have up front

If you have walked through the assignment, broken it into steps, and created a timeline, you should have a good understanding of the task you are setting out to accomplish. With that, you probably have a good deal of questions that you need answered. By compiling questions (and getting the answers!) that you may run into early on in the assignment, you are proactively avoiding problems that could potentially occur and slow you down throughout the process.

4. Meet with your professor, peers, or TA

Even if you find that you don’t have any questions you need answered, it is always a good idea to run your initial ideas by a group of peers or a TA. Speaking with other people about your plans for an assignment is always a good gut-check to make sure you have thought each part out carefully. When you’re talking things out, you may realize something you’re missing, a mistake in thinking that you’ve made, or you may realize you have even better ideas.

5. Incentivize completion of the project

There is nothing better than a little self-incentivizing to help yourself finish a project. Because you’ve broken up the project into so many pieces, you can choose a little incentive to get you through each part. Maybe you reward yourself to a treat for each milestone you accomplish—think ice cream or a Netflix binge. Or maybe you treat yourself to something you really want once you’ve finished the entire project, like a pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on or a weekend trip you’ve been wanting to take. Having something to strive for, aside from a good grade, can be extremely motivating and make the project a little more enjoyable.

6. Double-, triple-, and quadruple-check your work

The last step to nailing a difficult assignment is to thoroughly check your work. First, you are checking that your ideas are structurally sound, your assignment is presentable, and that your grammar and spelling are on point. But you also need to check to make sure that you have completed all parts of the assignment. If you completed step one, this shouldn’t be a problem, but it is always good to cover all your bases.  

No matter how much you love learning, there will be a time when a tough assignment comes along that you are not exciting about doing. While this is completely normal, those who know the tips and tricks to succeed on the project know that even the most difficult assignments can be manageable and rewarding.
Brittany Phillips is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/varsitytutors/tough-college-assignments-and-how-to-ace-them/