There is an unavoidable growing synergy between television and social media in the UK. On demand and catch up services are searchable on YouTube and are so well integrated, it is difficult for users to define if they are watching a YouTube or a streamed service. Television shows and even commercials are using social media to involve viewers and create a buzz around story lines.
The business advisory firm Deloitte claim that there is a limit to just how effective the merging of social media and television is. Deloitte’s findings affirm that it is young enthusiasts who fuel the success of these campaigns.

The recent BT advert featuring the Adam and Jane saga came to an end with an online campaign for the public to decide what happens next via Facebook. Over 1.6 million Facebook users voted. Although hailed a success, the question still remains, is that a big enough slice of the UK’s 24.2 million Facebook pie?

Sometimes solutions to computer issues can be more simple than you think.
I recently received a call from a client about one of their users not being able to open attachments properly when using their webmail portal to access email. Each time the user clicked on an email attachment they were met with unreadable computer language – indecipherable squares and ±!@£$%?|:”}{?(*&^.

Following a Skype call with the user where their screen was shared, I found that each time he opened a PDF attachment, the computer attempted to open it up in Microsoft Word displaying obscure text and symbols! First thing we checked was whether he had the ability to read PDF files i.e. did he have Adobe Reader installed on his computer? It turned out as his computer was new, he did not have it installed. I directed him to download Adobe Reader 9 from Adobe’s site. Since installing Adobe Reader, he can now open all emails and attachments with no problems. This is often overlooked, but the program is not usually installed on new computers as standard.

Something to keep in mind when investigating issues, sometimes the solution is not as hard as you think!

If you are having similar issues, please don’t hesitate in contacting us, the solution may be more simple than you think!

There has been a receipt spate of attacks on the WordPress platform. The attacks appeared to be a campaign to spread malware through thousands of legitimate sites. The attacks appear to redirect users to malicious sites known as scareware sites which claim to have identified an infection.
If you are using WordPress, here are some hand hints and tips for securing your site.

Create a Strong Password

This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but investigations into the WordPress attacks by WPSecurityLock found that..

“…99 percent of the sites that we have seen and fixed had very weak passwords to both their FTP and their hosting accounts” [Regina Smola, co-founder of WPSecurityLock]

Avoid Using “admin” as a Username

This is the default user that is created when WordPress is first installed. There have been several methods of exploiting this user that have been developed over time. A new  username and password should be created with all the administrative privileges. The admin username should be deleted straight after.

Create Custom Login Links

Anyone who has used WordPress before knows the default login address of www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php, especially hackers. Malicious bots can also gain access to your files with this default information. Custom logins addresses can be created to prevent unauthorised people from gaining access to the login screen.

Limiting Login Attempts

A login limiter prevents hackers and scripts from guessing your password through trying several possible variations. With login limiters, you can set how many attempts to login are allowed before ‘locking out’ an IP address.

Limiting IP Address Access

If you always login into your WordPress administration panel from a single location like your office, then it is wise to limit the IP access. This basically means only your office computer (and the others you choose) can access the administration panel. This will deny you access should you try to gain access unsung another computer.

WordPress Virus Protection and Firewalls

There are plugins that can be activated to protect against malicious code such as bot injections and other malicious exploits. Many of the good options provide email alerts with information on suspicious activity.

Update to the Latest WordPress Version

This is a must for anyone who uses WordPress! After each version update, WordPress publishes the weaknesses and bugs that were found in the previous version.

If you would like more information on WordPress and protecting your WordPress site, please feel free to contact us today for a no-obligation chat.

Branding is an essential part of any business strategy and is vital for setting your company apart from the competition. There are some simple points of consideration that can help you create a strong company image that potential clients can relate to and recognise.

1. Research other organisations within your industry to get a feel of what is already out there.
2. The name is usually the first branding decision. Aside from being memorable, the name should be short and easy to spell. Many people prefer to check if an associated domain name is available before settling on a final name.
3. Your online presence should also be part of your client communication strategy.
4. What social media platforms do you want to target?

• How will you facilitate client feedback, complaints and issues?
• How will you deal with negative comments directed towards your company?
• Do you want to maintain a company blog?

At each of these points communicating your USP (unique selling point) should be at the forefront of your mind.

For more information and advise on building a company brand, please do not hesitate to contact us for a friendly chat.

As the Internet is becoming more essential to our everyday lives, criminals are also using this medium to try and scam people. I often receive the ‘Nigerian Scam Letter’ in one form or another. My Gmail accept often sends these letters straight to my spam box, but every so often a couple will work their way through to my Hotmail inbox.

The most recent of the scam letters had the subject: “THIS MESSAGE IS NOT A SPAM OR VIRUS (STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL)?”

There was an urgent short message and attached was the JPEG below.

My reply to this was “as a good will gesture could you please send me a cheque for £5000 and then I will proceed”, to which they never replied. Big surprise!

I would love to hear of any similar scams and any good responses to send back to them if any!

It was not a question of if, but when. Sony Pictures has released the trailer of ‘The Social Network’, which is the story of the birth and growth of Facebook. The Radiohead song “Creep” playing in the trailer, it appears the film will not simply be a rags to riches tale, but something that may even question the issues and controversy surrounding the most popular social networking site to date.

Here is the trailer, let us know what you make of it.