Watching the Great North Run on TV this morning got me thinking about challenges. Firstly I should start by saying I was meant to be running this year but had to pull out so it is with sadness and inspiration that I watch this today. My thoughts then turned to why I started wanting to take part in GNR in the first place.
The challenge of developing the sales at V8Media is well just that a challenge it is something I love and am passionate about. However there is a great risk with me being the workaholic that I am to spend far too much time just working and forgetting that occasionally I need to have other interests! We always set goals in business both company and personal ones, however I never used to set personal goals.
I got round this problem a few years ago by realising that I may be somewhat competitive in nature and actually I always need pressure and a challenge to thrive. So I decided as a past time I would start setting new challenges/goals. My first one was to run the Great North Run in 2007 Sounds good in principle right? Wrong I had never liked or had the desire to run in my life! I watched the GNR for the first time in 2006 and I was reminded of home (Sunderland) and also that I used to watch it all the time as a little girl. So that was it my mind was set I going to run it no matter what. I trained for a year, I remember the first run I did it was 10 minutes long and only round the block, I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse and couldn't breath! Was I mad yes but determined definitely. I get the goal and achieved it and never looked back. Running on the big day in 2007 was one of the most inspiring things I have done, the people I met, the desire to finish, the emotion of the knowing 12 months of training had paid off and knowing you were doing something worthwhile for charity (that year monies raised was for Shelter).
So in 2008 I did again this running for Leukemia Care. So sitting here watching this year GNR knowing that I should running has made me think. What challenge should I set next? I will be running the GNR next year anyway so I have 12 months to select a charity to support and training. This time next year I will be on the starting line full of inspiration, emotion and the desire to complete my goal!
I also think another bigger challenge is on the horizon so thinking caps on for the next personal goal.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Why to use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube?
The answer is quite simple: because we, humans, are social creatures. We need to be in touch with others. We crave attention, compassion, love.....
On private basis we want our friends - sometimes who live apart of thousands of miles from us – to know, that we just came back from holidays, we just had a new baby, we are happy, we are sad. And that’s what facebook is about. To be near people.
But how important is Social Media with regards to business? Well, researches show that people don’t trust TV adverts the way they used to. We are bombarding with them constantly. So if most of us will see advert on telly selling new amazing facial cream and the first reaction will be: “yeah, right!” But different story, if we read that our friend X bought this cream and is so happy with it – this will make us think: “hang on a second, if X likes it, it probably is really good”. And without us realising, this cream is ending in our shopping basket. Because we trust our friends, we trust people’s opinions.
So having your business on Social Media gives you unique opportunity to be social, to be known not only for your brand, but as a person. Building relationships with your followers gives you chance to have new customers. They might be your followers or friends of your followers – you never know.
Twitter is fantastic for sharing links, information and telling people what you are doing right now.
Facebook is great for sharing statuses, images, links and building good relationships with others.
YouTube gives you opportunity to share little movies with your customers, followers, friends. Sometimes is better to explain your product on YouTube than having just photos on the website.
The possibilities of Social Media are endless. Use your imagination and soon you will be well known.
On private basis we want our friends - sometimes who live apart of thousands of miles from us – to know, that we just came back from holidays, we just had a new baby, we are happy, we are sad. And that’s what facebook is about. To be near people.
But how important is Social Media with regards to business? Well, researches show that people don’t trust TV adverts the way they used to. We are bombarding with them constantly. So if most of us will see advert on telly selling new amazing facial cream and the first reaction will be: “yeah, right!” But different story, if we read that our friend X bought this cream and is so happy with it – this will make us think: “hang on a second, if X likes it, it probably is really good”. And without us realising, this cream is ending in our shopping basket. Because we trust our friends, we trust people’s opinions.
So having your business on Social Media gives you unique opportunity to be social, to be known not only for your brand, but as a person. Building relationships with your followers gives you chance to have new customers. They might be your followers or friends of your followers – you never know.
Twitter is fantastic for sharing links, information and telling people what you are doing right now.
Facebook is great for sharing statuses, images, links and building good relationships with others.
YouTube gives you opportunity to share little movies with your customers, followers, friends. Sometimes is better to explain your product on YouTube than having just photos on the website.
The possibilities of Social Media are endless. Use your imagination and soon you will be well known.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Engagment
Congratulations to Charlotte and Tom who got engaged on 2nd September in Turkey. Also Charlotte turned 21!
Oh to be that age again.
Google Homepage - New 'Google Balls' Google Doodle has visitors confused!
We say they are celebrating their birthday... that's an assumption. Who knows, they could be quitting search all together to move in to rubber ball production? I did also see a rather technical guess that it was to do with a representation of how the first colour image was Produced on TV.
Usually with the Google logo doodles, there is an alt tag or a link in the image so you can see exactly what they are celebrating, but with this one there is nothing. However, Google does usually celebrate the company birthday on the 7th of September so we're happy to go with that!
On the other hand, if you want something a little more light hearted and fun, TechRadar have produced an article about what else the balls could simbolise, including reasons like:
So go check that one out, and if all else fails, put your suggestions below.
Friday, 27 August 2010
Why do I like Slide Share
What Is SlideShare?Why do I like SlideShare?
I came across SlideShare just by chance, just browsing Internet one day. And I must say - I do like it. SlideShare is a very simple online slide hosting service. It’s free and users can upload their presentations saved in PDF, PowerPoint or OpenOffice.
Wikipedia says that there are 12 million visitors to that website a month. 12 million! It’s pretty impressive.
But why do I like SlideShare? Well, I think it reminds me my childhood and school days, when teachers were showing us slides in the in dark classroom. To me, SlideShare is like YouTube, but in slow motion. For people who like to learn and access information via visual senses, it is the best tool ever. You can stop slides at any time and have a think about what you just saw and take in the information. And let me tell you – some of them are masters of design. I could watch them over and over again...
If you get a minute or need a moment to unwind (don’t we all?), please visit our SlideShare profile: http://www.slideshare.net/v8media
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Effective Web Practices in a Recession
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Effective Web Practices in a Recession
View more presentations from V8Media.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Getting Indexed by Google
We get asked by customers on an almost daily basis 'how can we be indexed quicker?' We explain the different elements that go in to getting a site indexed, including the process of adding links, getting links back to their site, ensuring the content is optimised correctly etc etc etc.
Well I decided that easiest way to explain this in a quick, easy and short summary, would be to go to Google themselves. If you haven't seen, GoogleWebmasterHelp on Youtube gives you interesting little snippets of help and information to help you with SEO. This video explains getting indexed:
I hope that helps clear that up a little.
Well I decided that easiest way to explain this in a quick, easy and short summary, would be to go to Google themselves. If you haven't seen, GoogleWebmasterHelp on Youtube gives you interesting little snippets of help and information to help you with SEO. This video explains getting indexed:
I hope that helps clear that up a little.
Friday, 30 July 2010
How to organise an Open Day
Open Day is a great opportunity to meet your Clients as well as potential Clients. So do not hesitate to organise one. It is not so difficult at the end of the day. What you need is a piece of paper, pencil and a head full of ideas. Imagine you want to organise a party with a twist. The twist will be that you are inviting Customers and you need to find something to make your day interesting.
Listen to your work colleagues. They can come up with some fantastic ideas. This time the idea was to have short presentations about marketing and importance of SEO.
But start with the easiest thing: do shopping list. We all love shopping, don’t we? So think how any people you want to invite and what you would like you to feed them with. Do you want some serious canapés and salads and other things or just simple nibbles? If the weather is hot, stick to the nibbles and cold drinks.
Then plan activities – if it will be presentations – ask people who know the stuff to prepare one.
And then think again about lovely stuff like: posters, balloons (if you fancy), little gifts for your visitors.
Do some research, do some shopping. Prepare the room, drinks, nibbles and wait for your visitors to appear.
Then – enjoy your time with them.
Listen to your work colleagues. They can come up with some fantastic ideas. This time the idea was to have short presentations about marketing and importance of SEO.
But start with the easiest thing: do shopping list. We all love shopping, don’t we? So think how any people you want to invite and what you would like you to feed them with. Do you want some serious canapés and salads and other things or just simple nibbles? If the weather is hot, stick to the nibbles and cold drinks.
Then plan activities – if it will be presentations – ask people who know the stuff to prepare one.
And then think again about lovely stuff like: posters, balloons (if you fancy), little gifts for your visitors.
Do some research, do some shopping. Prepare the room, drinks, nibbles and wait for your visitors to appear.
Then – enjoy your time with them.
Friday, 16 July 2010
It is time for a Makeover?
Speaking personally I wish I had a magic wand and do a full body makeover. Where would I start? New hairstyle, remove the bags under my eyes, some liposuction – the list is endless. I feel having a makeover would make me more self confident, easier to buy clothes that fit and would generally give me that feel good factor.
The reason for that statement is that have you thought about your business having a makeover? The easiest and more productive way to do that would be to revamp your website to ensure it is optimised for the search engines. So many businesses neglect their websites which can be a very good source of income for so little cost. The benefits would include a good initial impression to your business, increase in visitors which could lead to increase in sales.
An example of this is that V8Media revamped a website for http://www.deputydriver.co.uk/. Their previous website had proved to be difficult to rank well in the search engines so V8Media rebuilt the website to ensure that it could be optimised and promoted well in the search engines and now deputy driver are feeling the rewards for the ‘makeover’. Please see below their testimonial:
In May 2009 we asked Charlotte and Claire to rebuild our website in such a way that it would maximise the optimisation and make it extremely search-engine friendly. The time scale was quoted 4 – 6 weeks.
By July it was up & running & since then, we have reaped the benefit.
Enquiries via the website have increased enormously & today we would say that around 90% of our wedding car enquiries come to us via the net.
A very satisfactory outcome, thank you for a good job well done.
John Stanford – http://www.deputydriver.co.uk/
Go on – treat your website to a makeover – what are you waiting for?
The reason for that statement is that have you thought about your business having a makeover? The easiest and more productive way to do that would be to revamp your website to ensure it is optimised for the search engines. So many businesses neglect their websites which can be a very good source of income for so little cost. The benefits would include a good initial impression to your business, increase in visitors which could lead to increase in sales.
An example of this is that V8Media revamped a website for http://www.deputydriver.co.uk/. Their previous website had proved to be difficult to rank well in the search engines so V8Media rebuilt the website to ensure that it could be optimised and promoted well in the search engines and now deputy driver are feeling the rewards for the ‘makeover’. Please see below their testimonial:
In May 2009 we asked Charlotte and Claire to rebuild our website in such a way that it would maximise the optimisation and make it extremely search-engine friendly. The time scale was quoted 4 – 6 weeks.
By July it was up & running & since then, we have reaped the benefit.
Enquiries via the website have increased enormously & today we would say that around 90% of our wedding car enquiries come to us via the net.
A very satisfactory outcome, thank you for a good job well done.
John Stanford – http://www.deputydriver.co.uk/
Go on – treat your website to a makeover – what are you waiting for?
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
A New Arrival Has ...well... Arrived!
Hello,
As many of you will have already known, Nick (our Technical Director), has been expecting a little bundle of joy to arrive! Well on July 7th, at 11.37am, Matilda Eve Crowther arrived! And here she is:
Mother and baby are doing well. Father... well he could be recovering for some time yet!
We wish Nick, Hannah and Matilda all the luck and look forward to meeting Matilda Eve soon!
As many of you will have already known, Nick (our Technical Director), has been expecting a little bundle of joy to arrive! Well on July 7th, at 11.37am, Matilda Eve Crowther arrived! And here she is:
Mother and baby are doing well. Father... well he could be recovering for some time yet!
We wish Nick, Hannah and Matilda all the luck and look forward to meeting Matilda Eve soon!
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Hereford and Worcester Chamber Awards
V8Media did extremely well to become a finalist at the Hereford and Worcester Chamber Awards.
Even though we didn't win in our category we are all very proud to have been shortlisted and then put through as a finalist.
Well done team!
Friday, 18 June 2010
Employee of the Month!
Employee of the Month award in May went to our dear Claire. She really deserves it!Claire was chosen because:
a) it's about time!
b) she has put in so much hard work for the company and she deserves the recognition :)
c) for sticking with it despite everything
d) for effort she is putting in to develop our company.
d) for effort she is putting in to develop our company.
Voucher to posh shop is on its way, I am wondering what Claire will spend it on....
Well done Claire!
Friday, 28 May 2010
V8Media Summer Offer
Fantastic Offer from V8Media! Available until 31st June 2010. See our website for details: http://www.v8media.co.uk/offer
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Colour: Why it’s so important on the Web
Being a designer at V8Media means being concerned with colours. Not only colours, but the psychology that surrounds them and how to positively connect with a website audience without being too bold in our assumptions!
Combining a clever user experience with attractive prowess is not always an easy task. There can be a lot to think about when designing for a wide audience, especially when psychological aspects are involved i.e. Colour!
Colours are associated with emotions, moods and feelings. They can dramatically affect the way in which a user perceives your website. By choosing a good combination of colours to reflect your branding and the image you want to portray, your target audience will feel more connected to your brand, company or organisation.
Colour meanings can be subjective, but some colours have universal meanings, some of which are listed below!
• Red
Strength, boldness, excitement, passionate, can represent both love and anger.
• Orange
Affordability, stimulation, creativity, cheerfulness, enthusiasm. Shares attributes of both red and yellow and can be associated with energy and warmth.
• Yellow
Happiness, energetic, a happy colour. It can represent joy, comfort and intellect.
• Green
Durability, reliability, safety, honesty, optimism, freshness. Signifies nature, growth, and renewal. Green is sometimes associated with envy or jealousy.
• Blue
Depth, stability, professionalism, loyalty, reliability, honour, trust. Calming and cool, but too much can be depressing. Often associated with a corporate business.
• Purple/Violet
Power, nobility, luxury, royalty, elegance and wealth. It’s also a mysterious colour, and is thought to be creative – hence V8Media’s purple!
• Black
Elegance, sophistication, formality, strength and mystery. It is very versatile and can be edgy, traditional, modern and sexy all at the same time!
• White
Associated with purity and innocence. It goes well with any other colour.
• Gray
Intelligence, seriousness, neutral and balanced. It is conservative and sophisticated, but can also be seen as moody.
• Brown
Endurance, relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring and earthy. A down-to-earth colour that can represent stability and reliability.
Resources:
Colour Meanings
Colour Theory
The Psychology of Web Design
Colour Scheme Designer
Combining a clever user experience with attractive prowess is not always an easy task. There can be a lot to think about when designing for a wide audience, especially when psychological aspects are involved i.e. Colour!
Colours are associated with emotions, moods and feelings. They can dramatically affect the way in which a user perceives your website. By choosing a good combination of colours to reflect your branding and the image you want to portray, your target audience will feel more connected to your brand, company or organisation.
Colour meanings can be subjective, but some colours have universal meanings, some of which are listed below!
• Red
Strength, boldness, excitement, passionate, can represent both love and anger.
• Orange
Affordability, stimulation, creativity, cheerfulness, enthusiasm. Shares attributes of both red and yellow and can be associated with energy and warmth.
• Yellow
Happiness, energetic, a happy colour. It can represent joy, comfort and intellect.
• Green
Durability, reliability, safety, honesty, optimism, freshness. Signifies nature, growth, and renewal. Green is sometimes associated with envy or jealousy.
• Blue
Depth, stability, professionalism, loyalty, reliability, honour, trust. Calming and cool, but too much can be depressing. Often associated with a corporate business.
• Purple/Violet
Power, nobility, luxury, royalty, elegance and wealth. It’s also a mysterious colour, and is thought to be creative – hence V8Media’s purple!
• Black
Elegance, sophistication, formality, strength and mystery. It is very versatile and can be edgy, traditional, modern and sexy all at the same time!
• White
Associated with purity and innocence. It goes well with any other colour.
• Gray
Intelligence, seriousness, neutral and balanced. It is conservative and sophisticated, but can also be seen as moody.
• Brown
Endurance, relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring and earthy. A down-to-earth colour that can represent stability and reliability.
Resources:
Colour Meanings
Colour Theory
The Psychology of Web Design
Colour Scheme Designer
Friday, 14 May 2010
Employee of the Month!
In April our Employee of the Month Award went to Charlotte, for amazing work, dedication to projects and managing them. She received a voucher to her fav shop, and she was jumping with glee for good 5 minutes. Not sure what Charlotte spent her voucher on, though.
So we have moved…
V8Media left the lovely countryside and headed for big city. We now have a superb office located in the middle of Hereford – could we ask for better place to be? Surely not!
The team is now in a spacious, bright, open plan office, mixed with the welcoming atmosphere and smell of coffee and freshly baked doughnuts, enough to make anyone just happy. We all love our new office.
We settled quite quickly and are ready for the new projects to come rolling in!
Here some photos from "behind the scenes":
Our New Address:
Suite 203
Berrows Business Centre
Bath Street
Hereford
HR1 2HE
Direct Line: 01432 382031
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
From Employee to Employer – The Journey
I am now on my way into my journey as a Managing Director of v8media Limited. Like any journey there have been a few distractions along the way, a couple of 'pit' stops and at times I have had to stop to get the 'map' out to make sure I am on the right road.
There have been times on my journey where I have had to stop to ask for directions. The great thing about my journey is that I haven't planned my final destination. I am on this journey to observe the landscape around me, meet new people and gain experiences along the way.
I am not alone on this journey, I have great companions with me in the v8media vehicle.
What I am trying to say, especially to those who are new to the role of Managing Director, is that you need time to stop and reflect, you need to ask for help and guidance at times and you need to embrace and map out your role. I have been extremely fortunate to have had help/mentoring and assistance and wish to personally thank the following people/Companies:
There have been times on my journey where I have had to stop to ask for directions. The great thing about my journey is that I haven't planned my final destination. I am on this journey to observe the landscape around me, meet new people and gain experiences along the way.
I am not alone on this journey, I have great companions with me in the v8media vehicle.
What I am trying to say, especially to those who are new to the role of Managing Director, is that you need time to stop and reflect, you need to ask for help and guidance at times and you need to embrace and map out your role. I have been extremely fortunate to have had help/mentoring and assistance and wish to personally thank the following people/Companies:
- v8media family
- Barbara Hankins
- Mike Hankins
- Peter Relf
- William Lyons
- Stewart Officer
- Sharon Kidson
- Tim Kidson
- Business Link
Friday, 19 March 2010
Internet Security
Hi I'm Mark and I work for Tea. Oops I mean V8media really. However a cuppa is never turned away. While consuming tea, I've noticed lately that there seems to be quite a few customers who have called with concerns about internet security. Either because someone they know has picked up a virus and lost everything on their computer or their credit card or paypal/ebay details stolen and used to purchase tickets to see Cliff Richards. They could at least have bought something decent like Oasis tickets.
Anyway the Internet has dramatically transformed our communications making it possible for people around the world to easily exchange information faster than ever before. But the Internet is a very open system and that openness also creates an enormous problem. Anyone is able to access the network, yet not everyone has good intentions. To avoid becoming a victim, here are a few useful tips.
Use anti-virus software.
Viruses can spread rapidly, damage your data, bombard you with advertising or even steal personal data for criminal use. Anti-virus software can help prevent an infection. There are two free to use anti-virus applications available to choose from. free.avg.com or http://www.avast.com/
Passwords.
Many online services, such as banking, auction sites and e-mail require the use of passwords. A secure password is a must. Simply picking a single word such as “excellent” is very easily guessed and it will only be a matter of time before your account is stolen and suddenly someone's purchased Cliff Richards tickets using your paypal/credit card. Something like “3xc3llent1094” is far more difficult to guess.
Software Updates.
You've probably read about security "holes" that turn up periodically. Once they're discovered, you can download fixes. For Windows users, an easy way to update your system is by clicking on the Windows Update option under the Start menu or by pointing your web browser to this link: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.
Be wary of e-mail attachments and application downloads.
A virus can hide in an attachment or an application you download, particularly non mainstream applications. Opening it unleashes the virus. The safest thing to do is to scan the attachment with anti-virus software before you open it.
Use a firewall.
A firewall is a software program that blocks unauthorized access to your computer. Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X have built-in firewalls, so make sure they're activated if you use those operating systems. Alternatively most broadband modems/routers have a firewall built in.
Be wary of scare ware advertising.
Some websites, particularly amateur and non mainstream sites can have adverts constructed to look like an anti-virus software identifying viruses on your machine. Some of these are just a ploy to get anti-virus software sales by making users panic buy however some can even be viruses disguised as anti-virus software.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Introduction
So here I am – opening my first ever blog! I work for a new company v8media – what a great name! I would say: the best name for the best company. You watch this space, we may be small company, but we are growing stronger every week.
I noticed recently that I have OCPS – Obsessive Compulsive Promoting Syndrome. Yes, you guessed it, I am working on SEO. And believe me – it is obsession for me. I am promoting websites when I am working, I am promoting them when I am having a shower, I am promoting websites even when I look at Google – always checking, always thinking how to improve rankings of our customer’s websites. Very often I am finding myself checking other websites, let’s say when I am buying new shoes (yes, my other passion) I am looking at how well their website is promoted. Oh, is there any OCPS Anonymous Group I could join?
First thing I want to say is how important text on the website is. Gosh, some people just still don’t get it. Content is everything. Good text, full of keywords, written in good English, written for visitors rather than Search Engines – that’s what I like the most. And all the little tweaks like alt tags containing keywords, like great description of the page – just icing on the cake. So my job is to convince our customers how important it is to have well written content, this can make or break promoting websites. As someone said before me: Content is a King!
And if you want any gossip about who works in v8media I will tell you (but please, do not spread the word). We have:
Kay – Managing Director (oh, doesn’t she love her chocolate but not the bulging belly that goes with it)
Claire – Sales and Marketing Director (who loves dancing and secretly eats crisps.)
Charlotte – Project Co-Ordinator and eMarketing Specialist (obsessed with her haircut and attached to her mobile phone)
Nick – Development Manager (quiet man with a great sense of humour. He’s also expecting his first child in June)
Mark – Network Administrator (knows all the answers to the most silly questions)
Andrew – Designer (he made all the ideas come true. He also has a passion for Rugby)
and there is me (but you know something about me already, so... if you want more gossip – come back soon for update).
All these people drink much too much tea and coffee, eat too many biscuits and buy too many kebabs but that’s what they need to keep them going.
I noticed recently that I have OCPS – Obsessive Compulsive Promoting Syndrome. Yes, you guessed it, I am working on SEO. And believe me – it is obsession for me. I am promoting websites when I am working, I am promoting them when I am having a shower, I am promoting websites even when I look at Google – always checking, always thinking how to improve rankings of our customer’s websites. Very often I am finding myself checking other websites, let’s say when I am buying new shoes (yes, my other passion) I am looking at how well their website is promoted. Oh, is there any OCPS Anonymous Group I could join?
First thing I want to say is how important text on the website is. Gosh, some people just still don’t get it. Content is everything. Good text, full of keywords, written in good English, written for visitors rather than Search Engines – that’s what I like the most. And all the little tweaks like alt tags containing keywords, like great description of the page – just icing on the cake. So my job is to convince our customers how important it is to have well written content, this can make or break promoting websites. As someone said before me: Content is a King!
And if you want any gossip about who works in v8media I will tell you (but please, do not spread the word). We have:
Kay – Managing Director (oh, doesn’t she love her chocolate but not the bulging belly that goes with it)
Claire – Sales and Marketing Director (who loves dancing and secretly eats crisps.)
Charlotte – Project Co-Ordinator and eMarketing Specialist (obsessed with her haircut and attached to her mobile phone)
Nick – Development Manager (quiet man with a great sense of humour. He’s also expecting his first child in June)
Mark – Network Administrator (knows all the answers to the most silly questions)
Andrew – Designer (he made all the ideas come true. He also has a passion for Rugby)
and there is me (but you know something about me already, so... if you want more gossip – come back soon for update).
All these people drink much too much tea and coffee, eat too many biscuits and buy too many kebabs but that’s what they need to keep them going.
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