Most people are used to running a “Free up disk space/defrag” combo on their computers every so often to try and improve performance, but what happens when your computer starts to run as if it’s bogged down in molasses, and you just can’t imagine what’s causing the lag?
Over the past few years I have moved a lot, so I am used to using a laptop rather than a desktop.  I have also lived in a country (Spain) where a stable internet connection meant driving to the largest office building I …

Interested in which of my various marketing activities work best for my own sites?  Here is a snapshot of the top traffic sources from May / June.

Searches for my name
I am quite happy with this being my top source of traffic.  It´s the online equivalent of word of mouth referral.  I have been focusing on networking activities over the past few weeks, and several new clients have hired me after one of their associates had recommended me for consulting about online marketing campaigns.
Blog comments
I advocate blog commenting as  a great …

If you have been having trouble viewing the statistics for your website in Facebook’s Insights dashboard you are not alone. Here is a workaround, and an update on the problem

People often view my life as glamourous.  When I say “people” I mean 9-5 desk workers whose eyes glass over within 5 minutes of entering their office, and who spend their day carrying out tasks that they neither care about nor enjoy, but are obliged to complete in exchange for a paycheck at the end of the month.  People who dream about starting their own business, following a dream, breaking free of the shackles of the rat race, yet never quite seem to go through with it.
Let me be clear …

You know the situation – you have the best intentions of  keeping your blog up to date, but somehow time slips by and before you know it you are staring at your website in June and wondering why there is still a sprig of Holly adorning your logo.
It’s a common malady, but for someone in my position fairly inexcusable.  After all, how can I advise people on how to run their websites when mine is the online equivalent of that shelf that your Mum runs her finger along and helpfully …

This great video (brought to you by Microsoft, believe it or not) is a great illustration of how old advertising canons and methods just aren’t attracting consumers in our Web 2.0 world. A cool, humourous reminder to rethink your marketing strategy and embrace the new media wave.
‘The Break Up’

I used to dread speaking to clients or potential clients on the phone.   I think it is because I am a writer.  I am used to putting down my thoughts and having the ability to re-read, edit, re-write till I am happy.   The spontanaeity of a phone conversation always filled me with a feeling of insecurity that never lent itself well to closing a sale.  My lack of confidence in my speaking ability inevitably tainted their perception of my writing abilities.
For a while I gave up.  Removed my phone number …

We have become brainwashed by numbers in recent months. Everyone is desparate to have thousands of followers and fans. We have become obsessed with the quantity of online stalkers we can command, rather than the quality of sales leads that these mobs might translate into.

We seem so desperate to crush our language these days.  It seems inevitable that in cramming our thoughts into 140 characters, and abbreviating the English language into a new staccato short hand for texting we are losing some of our lexicon.
Huge chunks actually.
And while many people will tell you that we can get by quite nicely on our limited vocabulary, I can’t help feel a sense of loss for the hundreds of words that die out daily.
Where is the campaign against the extinction of rare words such as ‘twixt’ and …

I am currently in the middle of putting together some education packages for teachers about the internet and social media, and how they relate to modern education, so this video is particularly interesting to me.
The video covers all of the positive aspects of harnessing Twitter to encourage classroom participation, so I won’t reiterate them all. Suffice to say that I think it is crucial that teacher embrace and utilize new technology, and take advantage of such popular platforms such as Twitter to engage and connect with their students, rather …