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Welcome to the Silicon Beach Training Blog
Welcome to our Training Blog. Here you’ll find training news, articles, competitions and links to free training resources.
Feel free to comment, share your thoughts or ask us any training-related questions.
In this guest post, James Christie of Social Media agency No Pork Pies looks at how Twitter has become so influential in today’s society, even having a say into the planning of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The Royal Yacht Britannia: now permanently moored in Edinburgh. Picture by Ian Mackay
In April 2009, it was announced that the British public would now be allowed to follow the Royal Family on Twitter at @BritishMonarchy (it now has 280,790 followers).
Commenting on the development, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen has been advised that it’s up and running but there won’t be any members of the Royal Family tweeting.”
A year later, the Queen ‘joined’ Facebook. “The Queen has approved the decision – she knows all about Facebook,” an aide assured us.
With this supposed knowledge of social media and micro-blogging sites, our sovereign is sure to be aware of how social network communities have reacted to the idea that a new royal yacht should be built to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The idea was first floated by the Daily Mail; the newspaper launched a campaign to build a luxurious new yacht in October 2011. The Mail backed the campaign with several lengthy articles and an impressive artist’s impression of what the yacht might look like (complete with a theatre and a deep sea submersible). However, the campaign sank without trace until 16th January 2012 when The Guardian published a leaked letter from Education Secretary from Michael Gove. Read the rest of "Will Twitter finally sink the idea of a new luxury ship fit for a Queen?"
Posted by Guest Author in Facebook Tips and Tricks, Guest Blogs, Internet, Social Media on February 1st, 2012 | No Comments »
With the number of new portable and mobile devices being used to access the web on the rise, web developers have to be able to cater for all of these to create successful e-commerce sites. This guest post explores some of the main features of e-commerce sites that need to be cross-compatible and ubiquitous across devices to ensure success, showing why full Mobile Development Training, iPhone App Training and knowing how to fully make the most of Dreamweaver & jQuery Mobile Web Design Training are all vital for adapting to today’s latest platforms.
Customers no longer stay confined to desktop and laptop computers. The trend is to be permanently connected through a host of mobile devices like smart phones and tablet computers. Hence the age old concept of designing websites specifically for computer screens has to be discarded for sites that can be customised for all types of mobile devices. Online businesses may have to spend more and make adjustments in website design to ensure that the customer’s click on the website is not a wasted effort simply because the site did not look readable, or did not offer all the features clearly visible on a computer screen. The only way to maximize sales is to catch the client with his first click, by extending all the options of the e-commerce site to all possible mobile devices.
Ecommerce functions for mobile devices must include at least the following:
- Login- Every user or customer must be able to login to an existing or new account from any device, be it a smart phone, laptop, tablet or kiosk in a commercial place. Multi-device logins need to offer all the features possible like registration that can be used by new customers, forgotten password or user ID, and security checks. The idea is to make the site as functional on a mobile device as it is on a computer. Modular websites can integrate user login features in their mobile apps with their standard site format, as has been done with leading e-commerce sites like Amazon. Read the rest of "Customising E-Commerce Sites For All Mobile Devices"
Posted by Guest Author in Android Training, Dreamweaver Training, Guest Blogs, iPhone Training, JavaScript Training, jQuery Training, Mobile App Development, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 30th, 2012 | No Comments »
The great Top SEO Trumps Blog Off has begun!
We have been slaving away creating the top SEO Game of the Decade. To get your hands on one of these limited edition Top SEO Trumps packs we are inviting you to take part in our Top SEO Trumps Blog Off!
Here’s a preview of how the cards look:
Simply write a blog post that meets the conditions below to be in for a chance to win.
There are 46 Top SEO Faces from the SEO world, each ranked by:
- Popularity on the web
- Twitter followers
- Google+ contacts
- Fanciablility (we are keeping our judges a secret for this category)
- Geek Cred
Can you guess who is hiding behind Danny Sullivan? If you can’t guess or want to see the other 45 Top SEOs then you can follow all those who made it into to pack by creating your own SEO circle from this one we made earlier, just click on the image to view or add this circle in Google+:
35 Limited Edition Top SEO Trumps packs are up for grabs.
Anyone can enter: SEOs, marketing people, social media specialists, bloggers, content marketers, and students, anyone who thinks they can write a good blog.
There are so many ways of winning that the playing field is wide open, there is a really good chance of winning so it’s worth a go. As all great SEO’s and Content marketers know, generating great content is just par for the course anyway. What have you got to lose?
Not only that, if you are one of our 35 finalists we will publicise your fine post using our many social media accounts, and link to it from all of our resources and blogs, as well as on our own well ranked site, so it would be good for your SEO too.
All you have to do is what you do best: write a great blog post.
How to win
- Write a blog post that contains a link either to one of these links
http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/seo-top-trumps OR http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/seo/
- Tweet a link to your post to: @sbttraining with the message: “My SEO Trumps entry” and the Hashtag #seotoptrumps
It’s as easy as that!
For example if this was my entry I would tweet:
@sbttraining My Top SEO Trumps entry http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/blog/seo-top-trumps (or shortened version) #seotoptrumps
You can publish your blog post anywhere (not necessarily on your own blog) as long as you identify yourself as the author somewhere in the post and tweet the link with hashtag as above.
After the closing date April 1st 2012
Votes will be counted and verified and prizes will go to the authors of the winners of the following categories:
- The 5 funniest posts
- The 5 most original posts
- The 5 most useful posts
- The top 5 posts that drive the most traffic to the destination link.
- The 5 top most liked posts on Facebook – where that information is available
- The 5 most +1’s on Google Plus
- The 5 most tweeted posts – where that information is available
Good luck and get blogging!
Become a future top SEO trump with our many SEO related courses. SEO training will provide you with the best practice approach to optimising websites and content for higher rankings, you can then use the knowledge learnt on our Social Media course to market your website and build strong brand identity. If you want to measure how your site is doing (and your social media efforts) then Google Analytics training is essential, while Advanced Google Analytics training is available for those who already use it on a regular basis. Don’t forget, we also now provide Content Marketing training – great for building brand and author identity whilst gaining valuable backlinks!
Posted by Heather Buckley in Competitions, Facebook Tips and Tricks, Google+, Guest Blogs, News, Offers, SEO, Social Media on January 25th, 2012 | No Comments »
Now that the Christmas festivities have finished and the New Years Eve hangover has fully worn off, a certain sense of deflation seems to have settled over the UK. No one’s got any money, there’s no celebrations left to look forward to and the emphasis is very much on cutting back on the booze, getting to the gym and getting early nights. However, even if you are currently in a state of detox, there’s no need to be glum because spring is just around the corner and there’s a whole range of spring festivals and events in Sussex to look forward to.
Why not learn a new skill this spring? It could be the most exciting thing you do this year! If you’re thinking of a career move in 2012, want to dust off some old skills, pick up that new talent you’ve been thinking about for a while or even flourish in your current role then training courses are the best way to start. If you want to get your creative juices flowing then our Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator courses are all perfect. If you want to take the web by storm then our Web Design courses are all tailored to different skill levels and SEO and Social Media are both important as well. If you are looking further up the career ladder or want some help in the corporate environment our range of Business and Management training courses are all very useful. We run everything from Management Skills Training and Leadership Training to accredited PRINCE2 and Six Sigma Training. Spring is not just for learning though! In your time off why not attend some of these great events…
Sussex Beer Festival takes place on 8-10 March and if you’re having a bit of a dry month at the moment then this is something to really look forward to. The festival has around 230 beers on offer, including a range of British and foreign beers, as well as other mouthwatering tipples, such as ciders, perries and wines. Tickets cost between £4 and £7, depending on the day you go, and include a free souvenir glass and programme.
Beer by Tim Dobson on Flickr
2012 sees the 45th Brighton Festival taking place between 7 and 29 May, guest directed by Vanessa Redgrave, and celebrating themes of liberty and freedom. The festival is an important annual event for the town and is the largest multi-art form festival in England. You can expect to find a broad selection of dance, music, art and film on the programme and a wide range of events for all the family. Read the rest of "Spring Festivals & Events in Sussex"
Posted by Guest Author in Brighton, Guest Blogs, News, Personal Development on January 24th, 2012 | No Comments »
We have now added Content Marketing to our Blogging Training course to create the mighty Blogging and Content Marketing Training course, so you can get a head start on your internet marketing endeavours.
It can be tough to get your brand, company or website noticed on the big World Wide Web. Fierce competition for search engine rankings and SEO dominance is rife between websites gunning for the same keywords and with the same general target audience; so what can you do to get yourself to stand out from the crowd?
Currently, one of the most effective methods of generating interest from users and building up back links to appease the search engine lords is content marketing. This form of marketing has many advantages and uses which should be explored by anyone looking to extend their website’s visibility, outreach and exposure.
Why should I do it myself?
The internet is made of content. It’s what people use it for; to find useful information, tips and entertainment. By creating your own content you can write about the topics your website, blog or company specialise in from as many angles as you can think of. Doing this not only gives you more searchable content to be found via search engines it also gives you the opportunity to stamp your authority on a subject, working your way into becoming an expert in your field that people will look to for knowledge, answers and cutting edge info.
However, if you aren’t ready to put yourself forward as an expert just yet, content marketing still has some valuable other uses which when used properly will help improve your site’s traffic and exposure to new users.
If you would like to find out more about content marketing then have to look at our post on Guest Blogging and Great Places to Post Your Content, or read on to find out more about how blogging and content marketing can benefit you. Read the rest of "Why Should You Start Content Marketing?"
Posted by Daniel Twigg in Facebook Tips and Tricks, Google+, Guest Blogs, Internet, News, SEO, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 23rd, 2012 | No Comments »
Brighton-based car share website Catch-a-ride have just launched their photography competition and it is being judged by Silicon Beach Training‘s co-founder and photographer, Heather Buckley.
Catch-a-ride is set up to encourage people to car share by connecting drivers and passengers. This is a great idea to reduce travel costs, emissions and traffic!
Read more about the competition at Catch-a-ride’s blog or we’ve provided all the info below…
The Competition
The competition theme is ‘Car Share’ so send in your most interesting photo of people car sharing for a chance to win a fantastic prize. You can interpret that as you like but the most interesting one wins! Just don’t break the law of the road or your entry will be discounted.
The Prize
Up for grabs is a 16-megapixel Nikon Coolpix compact camera, perfect for taking more photos of your car sharing adventures!
The Rules
1) Only UK residents may enter
2) All entries must show a car share journey but must not include any activities that go against road safety
3) By entering, you agree that www.catcharide.co.uk may use your photo on their website. Photos will not be used for any other purpose.
4) Photos must be in JPEG format and a maximum of 1MB.
The Entry
To enter, send your car share photo to: contact@catcharide.co.uk
The Closing Date
All entries must be in by 15th March 2012. Read the rest of "Car Share Photo Competition"
Posted by Heather Buckley in Brighton, Competitions, News, Photography on January 19th, 2012 | No Comments »
Flickr is just one of many websites protesting against SOPA and PIPA today by giving Flickr users the option to blackout their images for 24 hours. If you log in and view your Flickr images today (Wednesday 18th January 2012) you will see this box appear below your photo:
Unlike Wikipedia and a number of other websites, Flickr is not forcing its users to join the protest and is not preventing them from showing their content. This is because you own the rights to your images and so it should be your option. Respecting content ownership, nice one Flickr! If you choose to ‘darken this photo’ in protest of SOPA and PIPA here is how your photos will appear:
Don’t worry, you can change your photos back at any time and the darken effect should disappear after 24 hours!
Create images you are proud to show off and use to make a point by coming on a Photoshop Training course in Brighton.
At this point you may be wondering (if you’ve avoided newspapers and messageboards for the past week) what on earth SOPA and PIPA are, and why you should bother covering up your lovely photos for a day in protest against them. Read the rest of "Flickr Protests Against SOPA/ PIPA"
Posted by Craig Charley in Internet, News, Photography, Photoshop, Sales & Marketing, Web Design, Web Design Training on January 18th, 2012 | 2 Comments »
“How can I provide a faster service to my customers without taking on more people?”
What does “work smarter not harder” really mean?
A common mistake in many workplaces is to take on too much work at the same time. The more products or projects being worked on in your organisation, the longer will be the average lead time (the start to finish time for the product or project to reach the customer). This is a mathematical inevitability (Little’s Law for those who want to delve deeper). Working harder won’t get everything to the customer more quickly if there are just too many products or projects in the system.
“How does the Theory of Constraints help me?”
Nowadays the largest use of lean thinking and Six Sigma is in information processing (transactional processes such as finance and insurance) and service industries (such as travel & vacation businesses). You may well be in this sort of industry. Silicon Beach provide excellent training courses on Lean Six Sigma with many participants from transactional and service organisations. In this training we learn that the “Theory of Constraints” is an essential partner to Lean Six Sigma and has a several powerful messages for supervisors and managers. One of these is about how many products or projects to have in the system at one time, and how to organise the work. Read the rest of "Theory of Constraints Part 1: Relay Runner"
Posted by Andy Trainer in Lean & Six Sigma on January 16th, 2012 | No Comments »
