Keeping Current: Blogging | Sign Me Up, Scotty!

With the plethora of information widely available on the internet and new content being created and published by the minute, it can be difficult to keep track of your favourite reads.  Second by second, gigabytes of information make it onto the world wide web, published, shared, edited, re-published. The problem occurs when there is so much information to comprehend - how do you keep track of it all?

Image Source: Link

RSS To The Rescue!

RSS feeds are a great solution to this issue. RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a selection of web standards to form a feed, a stream of information that is regularly updated and can be delivered to a number of different locations. Generally, the site will display the RSS logo as an icon (pictured below) if RSS is supported. Most popular blog formats support this type of technology - Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr are all popular examples that support RSS. But what do you do with it?

Look for the RSS logo!

RSS Readers

An RSS reader is a piece of software, a website, an app or in some cases a stand alone product that allows you to record the RSS feed URL (the address that contains the regularly updated information) and displays any posts from these feeds, generally in chronological order (although many readers allow additional sort options). The idea - you add all of your favourite news feeds, blogs, audio and video streams into your RSS reader thus allowing you to oversee all new articles, posts and uploads published from your favourite sources. As soon as a new article is posted online, it is available within your reader to view in one, centralised location.

What Services Are Available?

The now closed-down service "Google Reader" was a very well known, well used product in the Digital landscape that allowed you to follow all of your favourite feeds in one place. Google unfortunately shut this service down in July 2013, claiming low usage by users (which was argued by a large number of hardcore Reader users). However, when one service fails, an opportunity arises in the marketplace for a replacement. Here are some alternative services to stay up to date with your favourite feeds.

• Feedly (www.feedly.com) - Recommended to me by +Donal Phipps, this has proven to be my favourite RSS reader at the moment. Simply sign-in with your Google credentials and start inputting your favourite websites or blogs. Feedly searches the website for any available RSS/Atom feeds and displays the results. Click "Follow" and all new posts will be tracked. Additional options such as sharing articles to Buffer, Evernote or your favourite Social Media sites are also available. Your feeds are also syncronised in the cloud and Feedly offer a free mobile/tablet app to keep up to date on the go. Feedly has a clean, simplistic design, allowing you to focus on what is important - the content! 
• BlogLovin (www.bloglovin.com) - Designed specifically for you blog lovers, this site is aimed at helping you keep track of your favourite blogs. I feel it is targeted at those who don't already have favourite websites in mind, as during sign-up you are encouraged to follow some top-performing blogs before you are able to add in your own. However, still a fairly straightforward, free service, allowing you to stay on top of the content that matters to you.
• FeedReader (www.feedreader.com) - Similar to the likes of Feedly, this free service allows your track your favourite RSS feeds on desktop, web and mobile. The service has recently undergone an overhaul, refreshing its look and has become more in-fitting with the likes of Feedly.

Atom vs RSS?

You may find yourself asking the question on the quest to keep current, "What is the difference between Atom and RSS?" 

The Atom standard was developed more recently and intended to replace RSS, to consolidate the programming languages used and to 'iron-out' some of the bugs or difficulties experienced with some RSS feeds. There are different versions of RSS in use. RSS 2.0 is the most common. It is used for news/blog feeds as well as for Podcasting. Atom, is a more standardised way of providing XML content updates. However, it has not received wide acceptance yet outside of the blog communities. (Again, almost all blog tools can generate an Atom feed on the fly.)

The answer - either format is perfectly acceptable to use, it is really down to personal preference as you should not really see any major noticeable differences between the outcome of two technologies.

Credits & Squared Online

Credit must be given to +Donal Phipps, who inspired me to write this article. As part of our course requirements for Googles' Squared Online course, each 'Squared' member has to write a blog, outlining their thoughts and experiences of the #SquaredOnline Course. This is a fantastic task, the explosion of blogs popping up from classmates as a result has been astonishing - never has my Google+ feed been so active! Every story is different, Digital means something different to every person (see my blog post: "Digital + Becoming T-shaped" here.) I love reading them, I like to get an insight into the inner workings of each and every person on the course and through the blog posts produced, you can learn a lot about everyone. Syncronised into my Feedly account, I can now sleep happy knowing I shouldn't miss any future blog articles!

Do you have a favourite RSS reader? I would love to hear your views and comments!

Digital + Becoming T-Shaped!

The Squared Online course by Google has definitely been an early hit with my fellow Squared classmates. Yesterday, we has our second class. We were introduced by Aiden, followed by a class with Mike Berry. Mike was fantastic at presenting the course and has worked as a Digital Lecturer, Trainer & Consultant for the likes of Imperial College Business School, Hult International Business School and the NHS.

There was a lot of discussion in the course as a result of the questions raised in the lesson. Interestingly, one of the questions asked, "What would you like to get from Squared Online?" ties in nicely with one of my previous blog posts, "What does Squared Online mean to you?"

Another interesting debate arose when discussing the word "Digital". What exactly does "Digital" cover? What does it mean? I have summarised some of the responses from the discussion below:

"Digital is a whole new way of doing things" - Chris Farrance

"Digital has become a way of life" - Narayan Sahota

"Connected intelligence" - Carman Telehoi

"The future of marketing" - +Camilla Shuckburgh 

"Multi-screening, sharing, communications" - +Amy Vears 

"Digital is Connectivity...anywhere...anytime" - +Qurat Qaiser 

"Interconnected, real time communications" - +Samuel Carbonero 

As you can see from the examples above, the term "Digital" has a different meaning to each and every one of us. A fantastic idea and explanation of what a Squared student aims to be is T-shaped. Now, I know what you're thinking, how can someone be T-shaped? 

The T-Shaped Theory

The illustration above aims to outline the "T-shape" theory. Along the top, lay your general skills, a 'jack of all trades' as such. These skills could be Social Media, Google Adwords, Data Analysis, Mobile Traffic. The aim is to have the broad knowledge of the Digital Marketing world, and to specialise in one key area. Maybe it starts in the reverse - you are a specialist in a dedicated area, ultimately looking to broaden your knowledge across the board.

Integration is a key aspect of the "T" based theory. Regularly, different departments are responsible for different aspects of a campaign or strategy. The key to understanding this is to understand how each of the departments are interlinked, how an action from one area of the business has an effect on another area of the business. Having a true understanding of this then allows data to be used and processed in new ways, extracting new information from data already in existence. 

Planning future campaigns and strategies using this knowledge of how each department links and joins to another allows an individual the consideration of various requirements for all areas of the business, resulting in a campaign maximising returns for a business.

Some great thoughts and phrases I would like to close this post with, courtesy of +Mike Berry;

"Keep an open mind, challenge your assumptions and fail small - win big!"

What does the term "Digital" mean to you? It would be great to hear your thoughts!

Infographics: What Makes Infographics So Popular?

Infographics have hit the web and continue to spread virally across social media and blogs like wildfire. In fact, Infographic publishing is rising on average by 1% per day. But what makes an Infographic so popular? Below, a great example of an effective Infographic. Further down, 5 key reasons why Infographics are effective.

Source: The Web Marketing Group

5 Reasons Why Infographics Are Effective

1. Easily Understood - Inforgraphics are laid out in a very visual manner. Considering 90% of the information that comes into the human brain is visual, this tends to make sense! Facts and figures are separated into smaller categories, separated and divided out in an easy to read format.

2. People Love Facts & Figures - Something I have noticed throughout my time sharing and promoting content online, is that people love facts and figures. Have a read through your Twitter or LinkedIn feed and I bet you will find a couple of statistics posted. Humans are interested in detail, factual detail that matters to them, an Infographic is a fantastic way to illustrate this information.

3. Shareable via Social Media - An Infographic is ultimately a picture. What type of media receives the most comments, retweets/reshares and activity? Pictures. Naturally, due to the format they are produced in, colourful, interesting and relevant Infographics always provide a hit with viewers.

4. Raising Brand Awareness - A well put together and managed Infographic, if popular with the target audience is likely to be shared, discussed and commented on. This provides an opportunity to raise awareness of your brand or company linked to this Infographic. By incorporating the company logo, website or slogan directly into the image, not only are you providing useful information, you are also directing your audience back to the original source, your company or brand.

5. Additional Website Traffic - If viewers like an Infographic or article, they may want to reshare this with others. More often than not, it is common courtesy to link back to the original source of the material. For SEO purposes, this helps your site rank higher in results, due to increased number of links directing back to your site. Search engine algorithms, much like Google's "Page Rank", will help to promote and push up your site within the listings.

Infographics are an important part of web content in todays digital age and should be considered when creating any marketing strategy. The five points above only touch the surface when looking at the benefits and features of an Infographic. I'm looking forward to learning from Google's Squared Online specifically how to research and build your own; a very exciting prospect. 

What great Infographics have you seen around the internet? What advice would you give to others looking to build their own?

What Does Squared Online Mean To You?

The Squared Online Digital Marketing Course, from Google offers students the opportunity to develop, strengthen and learn the very latest developments and understanding, within the Digital Marketing and Social Media industry. 

For myself, Squared Online means 'KNOWLEDGE', having a true understanding of the digital industry and how to use my skills effectively to create strategies, relate to customer and fan bases and market products and services to the best of my abilities, using the tools available online. In addition, I'm looking forward to making some great new friends along the journey!

For some, the word 'OPPORTUNITY' - developing the knowledge and know how, to better your career prospects. I have already spoken to a number of Squared students who have referred to Squared as a method of standardisation, a way for clients and agents to hire staff knowing they have the key skills, leadership and learning behind them to remain competitive in the marketplace, or who may be able to offer additional input or speciality around online advertising, community engagement or web analytics as a result.

LEARNING, CONFIDENCE, SELF-FULFILMENT, NETWORKING are some other examples used by others to describe what the course means to them.

For each student, Squared has a different meaning, so what does Squared Online mean to you? Post below with your comments!

SocialRacer - A Blog Introduction!

Hello and welcome to the first post of my blog, SocialRacer! I've created this blog, firstly to outline my experiences of Google's Squared Online, as a Squared Online student, secondly to share thoughts, opinions and reviews of all things digital! I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting... now keep on reading!

I wanted to share with you what attracted to me to Google Squared and what I'm hoping to achieve. Squared Online is a relatively new introduction into the world of learning from Google, in partnership with the Home Learning College and endorsed by the IPA. The Squared course is described as:

"The digital marketing course and qualification for tomorrow’s connected leaders. Developed by Google, built by the best practitioners and delivered collaboratively online, we are a new movement in career learning." - Squared Online

I have always had a keen interest in Social Media, Marketing and Brand Management, and have worked with companies of all sizes to help support them in achieving their Social and Marketing objectives. Having undertaken some smaller Social campaigns, I began to get a good threshold on the technology available and the ways it can be used to connect with your audience, whether it be fans or customers alike.

Taking this to the next step, I am particularly interested in analytics and the world of mobile. With mobile usage estimated to grow 300% worldwide by 2017*1, every business should consider their online presence and how they should keep up in the digital, ever-growing and constantly transforming online landscape.

By learning with the support of Google, The Home Learning College and Key Speakers throughout my course, I hope to expand my knowledge of Digital Marketing in every area and be able to use my knowledge, sharing it for the benefit of others. Social Media and Digital Marketing are very keen personal interests of mine and such a great opportunity could not be missed! I have had my initial "test" lesson, just to make sure all the technology is up and running, which went very smoothly and run by Aiden Carroll from the Squared team. Aiden made a great first impression with the group and left everyone buzzing at the end of the first session. Looking forward to our first "Learning" class - will keep the blog updated as I progress!

If you would like to connect with me and follow me on my Squared journey, follow this blog, SocialRacer and feel free to connect with me across other platforms - links can be found below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Google+: plus.google.com/+AdamPrettyjohns

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adampj

Twitter: www.twitter.com/adampj87

Article Sources:

*1 - http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/03/mobile-data-use-to-grow-300-globally-by-2017-led-by-video-web-traffic-says-strategy-analytics/