3 Steps to Identify Blog Topics that are Relevant to Your Audience The author's posts are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz. If you're reading this post right now, chances are that you have experienced this (or know someone who has): You have the deadline of a blog post coming, but you still don't know what to write about. Sometimes you get away by writing about breaking news or a trend in your field, by doing a review of a new product or service, or by covering a recent conference or meetup that you have attended, but you can't do this all the time. And you might be an experienced blogger, copywriter, or marketer. This likely happens because although you know where to find the data—and might even have it already—to get you inspired and identify ideas, the hardest part is to make it actionable, since it's so easy to get lost in such a vast amount of information. Step 1: Gather the relevant data Here's the data that you will need: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Some examples; rinse and repeat.
The innovators: Britain's economic future relies on seeking out the new | Business If one word links great British industrial figures through history, from George Stephenson to Alexander Graham Bell, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, then it is innovation. Without that spark, railways would not have run, factories would not have been lit and the world as we know it would not have been created. But economic growth and social progress will atrophy unless Britain overhauls its approach to innovation. Brunel's railways are centuries old, as are many of the assets of a bygone era of empire. With the digital revolution hammering at the door, and George Osborne's aim for £1tn in exports by 2020 posing an intimidating challenge, there is no room for hiding now. Innovation is accelerating among new technologies that have ever more uses. A society, political class and business community steeped in innovation – and how it is changing – would force such questions to the forefront of national debate. What constitutes a good innovator?
UK SMEs increasingly confident in adoption of latest IT technology Node4 research has shown that 60 per cent of UK SMEs have partly or fully outsourced their IT infrastructure - with over 31,000 SMEs in the UK. This means that there are now more than 18,600 businesses that have moved some part of their IT provision off premises. The findings also highlight that one in ten SMEs have already deployed a fully cloud-based IT infrastructure - meaning that over 300,000 employees in the UK are already experiencing the full flexibility and efficiency benefits of cloud-based IT solutions. Increasingly companies see technology and IT as a business enabler, something that their organisations can’t do without. Paul Bryce, Business Development Director, Node4, commented: "Many studies continue to claim SMEs are struggling to adapt to this new landscape and are at risk of being left behind. "SMEs are not ‘making do’ with out-of-date infrastructure. Image source
Emergency admissions to hospital: managing the demand |National Audit Office “Many emergency admissions to hospital are avoidable and many patients stay in hospital longer than is necessary. This places additional financial pressure on the NHS as the costs of hospitalization are high. Growth in emergency admissions is a sign that the rest of the health system may not be working properly. Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 31 October 2013 Many emergency admissions to hospital are avoidable and many patients stay in hospital longer than is necessary, according to a report today by the National Audit Office. Today’s report points out that, at a time when NHS budgets are under significant pressure, the number of emergency admissions to hospitals is continuing to rise, albeit at a slower rate than in the past. The main factors behind the increase in emergency admissions include the slowness with which the NHS has developed effective alternatives to admission to hospital. Publication details: ISBN: 9780102986990 [Buy from TSO]
Small business growth hampered by fears about technology risk Smaller business owners identified online marketing and e-commerce as key opportunities for future growth, but 39% were concerned about the risks associated with the use of technology, according to the latest SME Risk Index by Zurich Insurance. The main technology risks cited by respondents were failure of local network systems, cyber attacks and damage to their social media reputation. Richard Coleman, Director of SMEs at Zurich Insurance, commented that while it was important for firms to take the opportunity to grow, it is also “important that they plan sufficiently ahead for the long-term risks on the horizon, such as the significant changes underway in technology”. Read more Where next? Take the next step into high-quality business advice and support If you are ready to take the next step towards getting help with issues, problems and opportunities you may be facing or new business ideas you would like to explore, there are THREE ways we can help you:
untitled Monitor Monitor is becoming the sector regulator for health care. Its primary role will be to protect and promote the interest of people who use health care services. It will do this by making sure that the health services provided by the NHS are effective and offer value for money, while maintaining or improving the quality of patient care. Licensing providers of health care will be one of the main tools Monitor will use to do this. Monitor is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department of Health. More information: www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk Human Tissue Authority The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) regulates human tissue, such as donated organs, to ensure it is used safely and ethically, and with proper consent. It works to promote the interests of the public by regulating organisations that remove, store and use human tissue for research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, teaching and display in public. More information: www.hta.gov.uk Care Quality Commission Healthwatch England
ICT estate to shrink with consumerisation IT Trends 2013/14 published today by Socitm, the professional association for IT leaders in local public services, says economic pressures, societal changes and technological advances are combining to put huge pressure onlocal public service managers to reconfigure what they offer to their organisations and to do so at lower cost. Against this background, service managers need modernised services that will run at much lower cost. "The ICT function will have a smaller estate to run, but one that calls on cloud services to meet cyclical peaks and troughs of demand," the report says. "To do this effectively, ICT managers and their services will need to call on a broader range of skills than in the past." As in previous years, Socitm¹s IT Trends 2013/14 is compiled from a number of information sources, but principally a detailed questionnaire sent to heads of IT in local authorities and other local public services during last year.
Browser Wars Infographic Diehard Safari fan? Well, you may want to consider switching to Chrome if browser speed is of any importance to you. That’s what the data in our latest Browser Wars infographic tells us. Using our Real User Monitoring (RUM) feature, we’ve once again culled the average browser speeds experienced by end users of nearly 3 million application instances and the data doesn’t lie. The last time we put browsers head to head back in November 2012, Safari was voted most popular browser on Mac operating systems despite the fact that Chrome dominated in speed. And remember: No matter how perfect your app code is, your end users’ experience can still suffer if the browser they’re using is slow. **According to the raw data reported to our database from devices, our report showed BlackBerry 5.0 as the fastest mobile browser speed with an average page load time of 1.55 seconds. Asami Novak is a content strategy and development manager at New Relic.
Using Process Mapping for Information Flows Since 1953, the Graham Process Mapping method has been the choice of experts worldwide who need to understand the details of their data flows. Third generation Ben Graham was on a past Business901 podcast and I asked him specifically about process mapping and later the difference between process mapping and value stream mapping. Entire Transcript and Podcast Link: Process Mapping with Ben Graham Joe: I think there’s often confusion about process mapping. Tell me what process mapping is and isn’t. Ben: There are a lot of different types of process maps that you’ll see out there. Joe: When I look at process mapping, I think a lot of people think of Visio or, like you just mentioned, a lot of this stuff out on the web. Ben: That’s right. Joe: When you mention all the different shapes and everything and the consistencies of having that common shape, it makes it much easier for people to understand and share, doesn’t it?
The Eight Pillars of Innovation The greatest innovations are the ones we take for granted, like light bulbs, refrigeration and penicillin. But in a world where the miraculous very quickly becomes common-place, how can a company, especially one as big as Google, maintain a spirit of innovation year after year? Nurturing a culture that allows for innovation is the key. As we’ve grown to over 26,000 employees in more than 60 offices, we’ve worked hard to maintain the unique spirit that characterized Google way back when I joined as employee #16. At that time I was Head of Marketing (a group of one), and over the past decade I’ve been lucky enough to work on a wide range of products. Some were big wins, others weren’t. What’s different is that, even as we dream up what’s next, we face the classic innovator’s dilemma: should we invest in brand new products, or should we improve existing ones? Have a mission that matters Work can be more than a job when it stands for something you care about. Think big but start small
The Reinvention of B2B Marketing inShare44inShare This report accompanies the B2B Lead Generation & Conversion Roundtable. The Reinvention of B2B Marketing explores the changing role of marketing within the enterprise. It is based on a survey of almost 400 senior executives at organizations with revenues in excess of $250MM. The research was conducted in partnership with Sparks Grove. The Internet has radically remade the way in which B2B products and services are researched, bought and maintained. This report looks at what transformation really means for B2B organizations, specifically focusing on the new responsibilties taken on by marketing and the changing relationship between marketing and sales. The report highlights include: Why is marketing and its role in the enterprise changing? The Reinvention of B2B Marketing - Table of Contents You can purchase just this report for $695.
Micromanagement - Learn how to avoid it! - Online Management Training from MindTools Helping Team Members Excel – On Their Own Learn how to stop micromanaging your people, in this short video. You've assigned an important task to a talented employee, and given him a deadline. Now, do you let him do his work and simply touch base with him at pre-defined points along the way – or do you keep dropping by his desk and sending e-mails to check his progress? If it's the latter, you might be a micromanager. Micromanagers take perfectly positive attributes – an attention to detail and a hands-on attitude – to the extreme. Luckily, though, there are ways to identify these overzealous tendencies in yourself – and get rid of them before they do more damage. First, though, how do you spot the signs of micromanagement? Signs of Micromanagement What follows are some signs that you might be a micromanager – or have one on your hands. Resist delegating. What's Wrong With Micromanaging? Possibly – if the worker has exceptional confidence in his abilities. Escaping Micromanagement Tip:
Introducing the Open Development Toolkit! We’re excited to announce the launch of a brand new project from School of Data together with Development Initiatives, the Open Development Toolkit! The toolkit will act as a hub around open development, bringing together tools and training materials in one place. The toolkit’s content will be focused on increasing data literacy among civil society and journalists in aid-receiving countries, and it is envisioned that much of it will have a high reuse factor among other audiences. To begin with, the toolkit will focus on data that is available around the aid sector. There are already many data portals and tools around aid data, and this is where we’ll begin—by curating training documentation around these and seeing where the gaps are in tools that already exist. In addition to curation and community-building, the toolkit will also have a software aspect. For more information, please see the Open Development Toolkit site (under construction!)
7 tech habits of a successful entrepreneur While time is money might be an old cliché it’s one which still rings true today, as any entrepreneur and business owner will testify. With products to sell, problems to solve and ideas to develop, alongside the everyday challenges of running a business is there ever enough hours in the day? ‘Don’t work hard, work smart’ is another cliché that’s always bandied about by those wishing to seem efficient, but its one that I don’t fully subscribe to. It’s impossible to make a success of any business without an incredible amount of hard work, punishingly long hours and a steely determination to succeed; but that doesn’t mean we can’t work smart as well, right? If you open the curtains right now you’ll see there’s a revolution going on. I’ve been a tech-evangelist for as long as I can remember and I couldn’t operate without the gadgets and services which I use to keep me connected to my team, boost my efficiency and to help me increase the productivity of my businesses. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.