[Review: Fitbit Versa Smartwatch]

After Fitbit’s release of the Fitbit Ionic, sales were not as high as Fitbit expected. By introducing the Versa into their line of products, Fitbit is back in the competition for providing one of the best smartwatches to date.

The Fitbit Versa is a health and fitness smartwatch designed to help you live your best life. It provides many of the same features as the Ionic but with a new, lighter design. Read on for a review of all the features included in the Versa.

Lighter Design

At first glance, the Versa looks similar to an Apple Watch with its bright color touchscreen and lightweight aluminum body. The body is a square shape with rounded edges and contains three buttons on the sides of the watch. The Versa comes in five unique colors:

• Black case and black band
• Rose cold case and peach band
• Silver case and gray band
• Rose gold case and woven lavender band
• Graphite case and woven charcoal band

Each watch can be customized to fit your style by changing the bands and the clock face. Changing the bands isn’t as easy as the ones on Apple watches, but you can easily change Fitbit watch faces in the Fitbit app settings. With the Versa, Fitbit provides more custom face options for you to choose from.

One of the most attractive elements of the design is the Versa’s incredible battery life. It can last four days and nights without you needing to charge it. For a comparison, all-day battery life for the Apple WatchSeries 3 is typically 18 hours.

Lower Price Tag

The price for the black, peach and gray band watches is $199.95, while the woven band watches sell for $229.95. The Versa does not have a GPS, making it less expensive than the Fitbit Ionic.

Compared to other smartwatches such as the Apple Watch Series 3 that starts at $329, the Versa is an excellent deal. It features many capabilities that are comparable to Apple Watches and other smartwatches for a fraction of the cost.

Health and Fitness Tracking

Fitbit smartwatches continue to be one of the best motivational methods for improving your health, and the Versa takes fitness tracking to the next level. It provides many of the same features as the Fitbit Ionic:

• All-day activity tracking for steps, distance, floors, miles and calories
• Guided breathing sessions
• SmartTrack technology that automatically records activities such as runs, aerobic workouts and sports
• PurePulse Heart Rate technology that tracks your heart rate
• Sleep tracking
• Swim workout tracking

However, the Fitbit Versa also offers some unique health and fitness tracking features that help make this watch an attractive option.

• Female Health Tracking: Fitbit will soon be releasing a feature to turn on female health tracking where you can log your period, track your cycle and gauge ovulation.
• On-Screen Workouts: This feature is available by downloading the Fitbit Coach App for $7.99 per month or $39.99 per year. The app will deliver on-screen workouts that provide step-by-step guidance to walk you through various workout moves. The app workouts will also adapt based on your feedback.

The one element that differs from the Fitbit Ionic is the built-in GPS. When using the Fitbit Versa, if you go on a run without your smartphone, the Versa can’t trace the distance or pace accurately.

Phone Compatibility

The Versa is made for everyone and is compatible with iPhone, Android and Windows phones. On your Versa watch, you will be able to receive calls, texts, calendar and app alerts. Fitbit announced that they would soon be adding additional functionality for Android users to send quick replies to messages straight from their watch.

A few things users have noticed while wearing the Versa is that the messages roll down from the top as opposed to appearing on the whole screen. Also, the text size is small. Users find that the call notifications make it easy to reject or accept a call straight from their watch.

Wallet-Free Payments

Wallet-free payments are available because of a built-in NFC chip which stores credit cards for use on your watch. However, the Fitbit Pay feature is not included in all Fitbit Versa’s and is only available in special editions of the watch.

Lots of Potential

The Fitbit Versa appeals to a variety of people and helps individuals manage their day while tracking key health information. The elegant and lightweight design makes this watch an attractive option. The Fitbit Versa may have the potential to become the greatest smartwatch of its time.

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[The future of cryptocurrency mining: is it profitable?]

Cryptocurrency mining is the process by which new cryptocurrencies are generated. It has been a very popular method of generating cryptocurrencies for close to a decade now – but questions are now being asked on the profitability of the mining operations. Let us take a detailed look at what mining is, what the problems that surround mining are – and what the future of cryptocurrency mining looks like.

Understanding Cryptocurrency Mining

Cryptocurrency mining, simply put, is the process using which virgin cryptocurrencies are generated. The process involves making use of processing power to solve complex mathematical problems – which results in solving of a block on the blockchain and the block rewards are given to the miners in form of cryptocurrencies.

Interestingly, when cryptocurrencies first burst onto the scene, there was no such word as ‘mining.’ The words which were used back then were ‘forging’ or ‘minting.’ However, with time, internet slang caught on and the process became ‘mining’. Mining is an analogy often used because cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are compared to gold – as they are finite in number and have to be ‘mined’ to be extracted.

Cryptocurrency miners also help verify transactions – thereby ensuring that the flow of funds over the blockchain remains smooth. Hence, miners and the process of mining is an important part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Mining can be done using various processing equipment depending on the kind of currency which is being mined and the mining algorithm and protocols that they follow. Currencies such as Ethereum and Monero can be mined using GPUs but the same is not possible for Bitcoins as only ASIC devices can generate enough processing power to mine it profitably.

Challenges Faced By Cryptocurrency Miners

Over the years, there have been a number of problems which affect cryptocurrency miners and the mining activity. Let us take a closer look at these problems:

1. Price Instability

The biggest challenge to cryptocurrency mining is perhaps that of the unstable nature of cryptocurrency prices. Bitcoin prices, for instance, went from $19,500 to $6,500 over a period of four months. This price instability can be a major factor in discouraging miners from proceeding with the mining activity as this price instability can lead to major losses for them as they cannot plan a proper income in advance.

2. High Cost of Equipment

Another major problem that is faced by cryptocurrency miners is that the cost of the equipment is too high. ASIC devices run into thousands of dollars – and the cost of GPUs too, is on the rise. This rising cost of GPUs hurts not only the miners but also the community of gamers who have to pay a higher price for these graphic cards. Also, a mining rig often contains of multiple ASICs or multiple graphic cards – and the cost of all these equipments put together can be too high at times.

3. Obsolescence

Technology evolves at a rapid pace – and same is the case with cryptocurrency mining equipment. These devices tend to get obsolete quickly as newer devices which can mine with a greater efficiency and greater power come out at frequent intervals. Every six-seven months, a new mining device comes out – which can outperform all older devices. While this doesn’t necessarily act as a drawback – but there comes a time when you will have to upgrade, because mining algorithm is such that it keeps increasing the difficulty at regular periods of time, which is often a hefty investment.

4. Government Regulations

Sometimes, government regulations too, can act against the favor of miners. Governments of some nations such as Germany has introduced laws which are miner friendly and they keep mining tax-free. However, nations such as the US will even tax the income generated by mining operations. China has been imposing strict laws on miners – even limiting their power supply – hence government regulations play a big role for miners.

5. Electricity Consumption

Another major, major issue faced by cryptocurrency miners is that of electricity consumption. Mining requires a high processing power – which requires consumption of a high amount of electricity. Moreover, this high volume of processing also leads to generation of heat. Devices need to be kept cool in order to keep the mining operations going. Hence the electric requirements are too high and act as an additional cost.

The Future of Cryptocurrency Mining

After looking at all the problems which are faced by cryptocurrency miners, one might wonder if it is still advisable to mine for cryptocurrencies in 2018. The answer to this question is – yes, absolutely. Mining as a business operation is quite risky. However, the rewards too, are lucrative. In 2017, mining operations rewarded you with the same number of currencies as they do today – but the price of those currencies was lower than what it is now.

The best advise that any aspiring miner can get is to calculate the risk vs rewards situation before they begin mining. Cryptocurrency mining calculators can help you calculate the total cost of the mining activity (including factors such as electricity cost, the hash rate, difficulty, pool fees – etc.

Basically, the advantage that cryptocurrency mining calculators have is that they allow you to be forewarned about the cost that it would involve and the time that it would take for you to break even and start making profits. If both of these verticals feel appropriate to you, you should totally begin mining for cryptocurrencies.

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[I downloaded my Facebook profile information and it seems fine except for a Russian connection]

Like many other people around the web, I decided to download my Facebook profile information and see if there was anything weird or shocking about it. At first glance, everything seemed perfectly fine and normal. In fact, I even tweeted that I didn’t see anything abnormal or creepy about the data Facebook had on me.

I just downloaded my Facebook profile data and it’s literally everything I expected… am I doing it wrong?

— Jeff Weisbein (@jeffweisbein) April 12, 2018

Surely, I must be doing something “wrong” or rather, I thought, maybe everyone else is just being extremely paranoid, overdramatic and perhaps just looking for some page views. This post was actually originally going to be about how my Facebook profile data is exactly what I expected it would be. Nonetheless, I decided to take a second look at the profile data and started to dive into the various different pages of my profile, including scrolling through several years of timeline posts and cringing occasionally, finally making my way back to the page called ads.htm.

Scrolling through this page for the second time, everything looked normal to me under the category of Ad Topics, I could definitely see how Facebook could either infer or had gathered data over the years showing that these are in fact my interests. Then, I got to the following section: Advertisers who uploaded a contact list with your info. I started combing through the list again, everything looked fine until I got about 20 advertisers down and saw:

Инвестиционная группа Federation

“Well that looks Russian,” I thought to myself, so I Googled it and sure enough it is Russian. Thanks to Google Translate I was able to learn that the above advertiser is the Investment Group of the New Generation. According to the Investment Group’s site description, “The purpose of the investment group Federation Consulting is high incomes. We achieve it by providing customers with direct access to the US and European stock markets, informed investment decisions and access to quality analytics.”

I’m not sure how they got my contact information, which leads to me the question of: could they have only got it from one of my Facebook friends (if it wasn’t directly from me)? At this point I’m not sure and the past two days of hearings on Capitol Hill with Zuck didn’t answer this question (or many other questions). I’d love to find out. Again, I need to note this is the only really strange thing I found in my profile data from Facebook. The rest of the advertisers who uploaded a contact list with my information made sense to me.

If you have this Russian investment group listed in your Facebook advertiser data or if you have any insight into how it could end up there, please let me know. You can contact me via email, in the comments below, or tweet me.

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[XYO Network is paving the way for Smart Cities with its location-verification system]

With all the technological advances of our day and age, how it is possible that finding parking spaces and paying traffic tickets still have to be done manually? It becomes especially ponderous when one considers that a car is already a connected device. If the technology is there, how much longer until it can be implemented, rendering these problems obsolete?

XYO Network has both the will and the means to hopefully make searching for parking a thing of the past.  The company is bringing blockchain to the real world, with a decentralized location-verification oracle network.

While Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies are seemingly taking over the world, their current efforts in blockchain technology are confined to cyberspace. All modern blockchain, cryptocurrency, and tokens exist as economic tools for the underlying platform’s economy, focusing solely on online applications rather than real world applications. XYO aims to change this.

The XYO Network’s ecosystem of crypto-location technologies combined with its revolutionary protocols provide any location reliant markets with the ability to employ transactions dependent on time or location of delivery. The company’s main goal is to develop location-based technologies that connect the digital world to the real, physical world.

XYO’s technology is uniquely applicable to the creation of Smart Cities. Just recently, the company held a hackathon to build parking and traffic flow applications on its blockchain using data provided by the City of San Diego. If every car in San Diego would work as a Sentinel, a location verification device, then XYO Network’s open-ended technological infrastructure would enable drivers to know the exact location of open parking spots, to be able to pay for parking through their cars rather than by using a meter, and to pay ticket fines over the blockchain. The traffic management system can also optimize red and green traffic light phases to optimize traffic flow.

While the XYO’s concept is intriguing, it’s hard to wonder how long it will actually take for cities to begin implementing Smart City technology, as we have yet to see blockchain technology being implemented in the “real world.” Nonetheless, the prospect of never having to drive around searching for a parking spot ever again is exciting. Perhaps we may be closer to living in Smart Cities than ever before.

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[BitJob brings smart contracts to students and freelancers looking for work]

Life as a broke student or freelancer is never easy, jobs can be hard to find and you never know if the contract will fall threw. That’s where bitJob comes in. The blockchain-based application allows students to receive immediate payment while building their resumes. Employers can use the application to find the perfect match for their short-term or contract job.

Founded by three childhood friends who realized the that both employees and employers could benefit from a decentralized way to seek one another, bitJob also offers the option to forgo cryptocurrency and receive instead USD or your local currency. Then company was founded three years ago and hopes to turn the HR recruitment process upside down, ensuring that candidates have validated evidence of their abilities, unlike a traditional CV. BitJob gives students the opportunity to gain paid work experience, unlike traditional unpaid internships.

“The employment market is moving towards online jobs without the need for physical access to offices or factories. We love to call this era the Industrial Revolution 2.0,” explained bitJob Co-founder & CEO Dror Medalion.

The company held its ICO in September of 2017, raising $2 million USD.

Running on the Ethereum blockchain bitJob is a peer-to-peer application, that is already backed by big names. In February the company announced that they were partnering with the blockchain projects division of the Dutch government, and will soon begin it’s pilot project in Holland. Following its ICO, bitJob announced their collaboration with Lemonade, an insurance company powered by artificial intelligence and behavioral economics. Lemonade’s insurance API is set to be integrating into bitJob’s marketplace, bringing insurance policies to the students and allowing users to receive customized rates for rental and homeowner insurance.

While there is no doubt that bitJob has the potential to help students create a reliable income stream for themselves while getting valuable career experience, I am not entirely sure it needs to be on the blockchain. The application itself already offers payment in local currencies and USD and while I understand and appreciate the use of smart contracts here, I’m not yet 100% sold on what/if any additional benefits utilizing blockchain technology brings to the app.

Either way, blockchain technology is without a doubt here to stay, and bitJob has already caught the eye of both investors and students. 

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[Earning money while you travel: a beginners guide]

One of the biggest concerns that travelers have when going away is money. Whether it’s solo travel or a couples vacation, it’s certainly something you will experience. How much will you need? What if there isn’t enough to do all the things you want? What happens if an emergency hits and you need more funds? These are all common questions that can run through your mind when planning a trip, no matter how long.

But, what if you could make money while you were traveling? You would have a lot less to worry about, you could spend a lot more time abroad and fit more into your trip. It’s tempting to disregard the idea as wishful thinking or a scam. Many online marketers offer “get rich while traveling” schemes. This isn’t one of those schemes.

Earning money while you travel is actually not that difficult. The easiest and most versatile way of doing this is through online jobs. These types of jobs are actually rising quickly in both well-established companies and in small niche businesses. There are a few caveats that need to be considered first if you’re thinking of adding to your income while traveling with online work.

Disclaimer

Like I said in the above section, this isn’t a “get rich while traveling” scam. So, unfortunately, there are a few things you’ll need to consider before you pursue online work. For a start, you’re going to have to work hard.

A lot of short-term online work is basically freelancing. This means that you’re going to have to build up your reputation. For most freelancers this will mean a bit of work for low pay, or even for no pay. Then, when you do get a steady stream of work, you’ll still need to work hard to put out a good quality product or service and keep deadlines.

So, if you’re going to pursue online work, start early in order to get experience in your chosen field before traveling and get comfortable with hard work.

How To Earn Money While You Travel

Freelance Writing/Content Creating

This is another popular option. Freelance writing or content creating is where you write articles or create other content like videos or graphics for another business. You can pick up jobs like this by setting yourself up on sites like upwork.com, freelancer.com, or guru.com.

For braver individuals, you can email companies to pitch the idea of you working as a content creator on your own.

As mentioned above, this may mean a lot of deadlines and content to create. So, make sure you enjoy this type of work before getting into it.

Online Consulting/Training

For readers who are qualified in certain fields, like health and fitness, medicine, or human resources, online consulting and training is an option for work while traveling.

Many personal trainers have already started online training for added freedom while working. Meanwhile doctors, lawyers and similar professionals can all join consultation sites as well as freelance. They can also usually get a job in a different country with little issue.

For personal trainers, much like writers, the biggest issue is building a following and reputation. Fortunately, doctors or lawyers generally already have online practices they can join and get paid from.

Affiliate Marketing

Aside from subscriptions and product sales, this is the most common way to make money from travel blogs or writing reviews. Sites like Amazon have an affiliate marketing program where you can write reviews on products they sell and get paid for every reader you end up referring to their products. Many travel sites, supplement and clothing brands also offer similar schemes.

The main trick with this job is gaining a following and producing reviews or articles that will stand out to readers and make them want to visit the sites of those who sponsor your work.

Start A Travel Blog

An obvious, and popular option for those who travel frequently. Starting a travel blog is a good place to start for those who are passionate about traveling. It’s diverse in how it can be done and is easier to do as the content is coming from personal experience. You can do things like create a subscription service for reviews of different trips, cheap flights, couples vacations, or build a following and start affiliate marketing (discussed below).

The one drawback to this approach is that it takes a lot of time to build up a client base and following. This means it can be months, or sometimes years, before you are making a significant amount of money from it. But, if you’re looking for a fun way to make a little extra money, this is a good place to start.

Short-Term Brick-and-Mortar Jobs

Despite its emphasis in this article, online work isn’t the only way you can make money while traveling. There are plenty of short-term jobs that will provide cash in hand for a day of work. Examples would include bartending, cleaning, or even laboring on a construction site.

So, if you can speak the language in the country you’re traveling to and are a bit short on cash, speaking to hiring agencies or checking job sites in the country may help you find some work.

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[5 absolutely essential features for your app]

The phrase “there’s an app for that” is taken quite literally in the world we know today. Thousands of apps are available for everything from entertainment to productivity. Getting your app in the spotlight takes some work. To get there, there are some features you unquestionably include before your app launches to the public.

Navigation Menu

How many apps have you seen that don’t have some type menu? Probably not very many. An easy-to-use menu is crucial to help users navigate the features of an app. A lousy menu display can keep some cool features hidden, and the best menus can enhance users’ ability to use the app to its fullest potential with ease.

There are several different ways to incorporate a menu into your app that makes the user experience enjoyable and effortless. Research the different menu options before deciding where and how to include it.

Quick In-App Tutorial

With an in-app tutorial, you’ll provide your users with a quick explanation of the app’s features. Rather than stumble around in a new app for minutes, hours, days, or a month, the best tutorials can make users productive in less than a minute. An excellent question to start developing the tutorial is: “What are the most important parts of this app that users need to know about?”

At the very least, your tutorial should include a walkthrough of the menu, primary functions, where to search within the app, and the communications area if your app has one. The walkthrough doesn’t have to cover every single feature that’s offered.

Instant Communication and Push Notifications

Whether users are messaging customer service or each other, it is essential to offer instant communication and receive notifications as soon as possible. It’s almost expected to be able to send a message directly from an app without being taken to another email or message app. Depending on the purpose of the communication you’re hosting in your app, it is wise to include an option to turn those notifications off if the user desires to.

For example, in apps like the Special Guest App, the talent will likely want to know immediately when someone is interested in booking them, and those wishing to book talent will want to know as soon as possible if the talent is available. Without instant communication and notification enabled, the possibility of disgruntled users will be higher.

Accessible on Multiple Devices

In the digital world, some users have several devices they use to access the same content. It’s not uncommon for someone to switch between a cell phone, tablet, and computer to view what your app has to offer. One feature that is crucial to keep all users with multiple devices happy is the ability for the app to adjust to each device.

Despite varying screen sizes, and it is possible for all devices to provide the same experience. On the backend, make sure your app can identify which device is being used so the proper specs can populate the user’s screen.

Loyalty Programs

No app is complete without a loyalty program. A loyalty program is more than just a benefit to your customers.  By adding a digital punch card to your app, you turn your app into a marketing tool. The mere presence of a loyalty program is what will entice users to download your app.

Now, with your app parked on their home screen, you have a direct line of communication with potential customers.  You can quickly send out your push notes to alert them of sales, bonus offers, or new product launches.

Conclusion

A lot of thought and research goes into creating your app.  But, the bottom line is there are a few essential features that your app must have.  With a robust loyalty program, push notification capabilities, and an easy to navigate interface, your app will be well on its way to home screens across cyberspace.

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[The importance of web design and SEO for starting an ecommerce business]

Web design and SEO… These are topics that keep web developers, search engine marketers, and web entrepreneurs up at night. Irrespective of your chosen niche, the success of your website, any website, depends on the number of visitors it gets on a daily basis. It’s a simple equation. The more visitors you get to your ecommerce business site, the more chances you have of making sales. Qualified traffic is the secret here, and SEO is one of the methods website owners use to generate that traffic. We’ll talk about SEO later on in this article. But before we get to the topic of search engine optimization, let’s talk about web design.

Phase one: Hire a professional web designer

Small business owners face the same reality, wherever they are.  They have to work within the confines of their operating budgets, and that means hiring professionals they can afford to do the things that they themselves cannot do. And that indeed includes small business web design. And since it’s small business websites we’re talking about, let’s, right of the batt, put to rest the notion that anyone can create a meaningful online presence for his or her business by using one of those DIY platforms out there. With very few exceptions, going the DIY route is a recipe for failure. Notwithstanding the fact that when all is said and done, you will not be saving much of anything, let alone money spent, time wasted in learning a set of skills that are never going to be sufficient to ensure your business site has a decent chance at being successful, frustrations and so on.

Your new ecommerce business website is a reflection of who you are, what your company’s mission is all about and as such, it is crucial to hire a developer who specializes in small businesses and who has the required knowledge to bring together all the elements that make a good website.

Working together with a knowledgeable website designer, you will arrive at a point where your website will have all the components put together to turn a dream into reality. The messaging will be just right, the branding will be an accurate reflection of what your philosophy is, and you’ll have the type of content that your visitors will want to learn from.

Phase two: Hire an SEO professional

To get visitors, you’ll need to hire a search engine optimizer, someone who is knowledgeable about the various aspects of internet marketing.  An SEO professional who has the methodology to put in place a system that favors the growth of organic search and the wisdom to know the difference between generic traffic and qualified traffic.

Hopefully, where you were in phase one, you allocated time and effort in:

• Keyword research
• Competitor research

Based on this work, and your expertise in your industry, you will have already created content (in phase one) that will have taken into consideration the data gathered during your research.

With phase one behind you, now is the time to delve deeper into this type of research.

Keyword and competition research

Any time you spend looking through your competitors’ websites is time well spent.  It will give you a clear idea of the keywords your competitors are targeting for themselves and which ones among them you’d need to choose to have a reasonable chance of a high ranking.

Bearing in mind that your highest ranked competitors have several years of experience on you, here are some keywords you should avoid:

• Generic keywords
• Keywords that are too broad
• Keywords that are too competitive

You might say that if your competitors manage to rank at the top of search engine result pages, then why wouldn’t you and that would be a very valid point. But you have to start somewhere and setting temporary goals which will be more achievable in the short term would be the right course of action.

It is highly recommended that you target low competition keywords first. Also known as long-tail keywords, these types of keywords might not generate as much traffic as their more competitive cousins, but in the short term, they are a lot easier to rank.  Add a few low competition keywords to your basket of high ranking terms, and soon, their combined search volume might very well be just as high as that of the more competitive keywords.

In the best possible scenario, finding a high-volume keyword with less competition would be ideal. Some tools can help you find these gems, but given how expensive they are, you might want to rely on your SEO professional to provide you with this particular data. I’d also recommend utilizing a tool like Ubersuggest by Neil Patel to help find good keywords to target.

The importance of social media in internet marketing

Google might not like this, but over the years, the traffic generated by social media has slowly crept up to a point where today, social media generated traffic is the top source of all website referral traffic. Of course, this trend largely depends on the nature of the website but to ignore the potential of social media in any internet marketing campaign would be a mistake.

Lastly, you will have to ensure that your website speed is up there with the requirements of the search engines. Slow sites, pages that take a long time to appear are counter-indicative of the search engine good practices recommendations and will only serve to cause your visitor to leave your site as fast as they got in.

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[Speed up WordPress with these plugins and tips]

So you want to speed up WordPress and make your site load blazingly fast. I don’t blame you. It’s critical that sites today load quickly as many users won’t wait around for slow sites to load. This article will provide you with plugins as well as tips and advice for how to speed up WordPress.

WordPress is a great Content Management System (CMS), there’s no doubt about that. We use it here at BestTechie and roughly 30 percent of the web uses it to power their sites as well. That being said, while WordPress is an amazing CMS, it isn’t the fastest. In fact, right out of the box, WordPress sites load much slower than non-WordPress sites. This has been widely documented and is a reason why a recent partnership between Google and Automattic (the company behind WordPress) makes so much sense. Google will be building out a dedicated team within the company to help advance WordPress by working towards improving performance and bringing the platform’s ecosystem up to current web experience standards more quickly via technologies such as Progressive Web Apps (or PWA).

Plugins to speed up WordPress

One of the keys to speeding up a WordPress install is to utilize a caching plugin, which will help your site by improving load time that then typically results in better Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and increased conversions. Our favorite caching plugin (and what we use here at BestTechie) is WP Rocket because it offers a wide range of features and works extraordinarily well. Here are some of the key features we love in WP Rocket.

WP Rocket features

Multiple types of caching including page caching, browser caching, and the ability to preload the site’s cache. Page caching is what most caching plugins offer, this allows your server to quickly serve up a page/post without having to query it every time someone requests the page. Browser caching is a nice additional feature because it means that static files such as your site’s logo and CSS can be store within the visitors browser so if they visit another page, it makes loading that second page even quicker. Additionally, with WP Rocket you can configure DNS prefetching which allows you to reduce the amount of time it takes to resolve an external domain, this is extremely useful for loading Google Fonts, videos, ads, or any number of elements hosted elsewhere quicker.

Minification and Concatenation of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript means that WP Rocket will reduce the size/weight of those types of files which results in faster load times. WP Rocket can also be configured to defer JavaScript loading until after the page has rendered, which also will provide speed improvements.

Lazyloading content is easy to configure with WP Rocket as well. When you have content such as images configured to lazyload, they are loaded only as your visitor scrolls down the page, improving the load time of the page. This is a technique used by sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Yahoo to speed up the site and also make it appear more responsive. It’s also worth noting that in addition to images, WP Rocket can be configured to lazyload iframes as well (good for embedded YouTube videos, for example).

Easy and quick to install and setup. WP Rocket makes it extremely simple to speed up WordPress, with just a few clicks you’re on your way to a speedier site (no coding knowledge required).

WP Rocket starts at $39 for one site with a yearly license that includes all updates free of charge (so long as your license is active). It’s well worth the cost and I highly recommend it. I mean, you can see for yourself how fast BestTechie is, right?

I also recently came across another similar plugin called PageSpeed Ninja that I tested and was also really impressed with. It offers many of the same features as WP Rocket, however, it’s currently in beta meaning the plugin is not 100% completed and may be buggy, so use at your own risk. That being said, while in beta, the plugin is free to use. No word on what/if anything it’ll cost once it leaves beta.

Image optimization 

Another plugin you will likely want to take advantage of to help speed up WordPress is EWWW Image Optimizer. With more than 600,000 WordPress sites using this plugin already, here’s why it’s definitely worth considering adding to your site. EWWW Image Optimizer will increase your page speeds by way of image optimization, and as we discussed before, increased page speeds can result in better search engine rankings, and will also improve conversion rates (increased sales and signups). Additionally, the plugin will also save you storage space and bandwidth by optimizing images uploaded to your server.

Every new image uploaded to your server will automatically be optimized by EWWW Image Optimizer. Additionally, the plugin can also optimize all the images that you have already uploaded, and optionally convert your images to the best file format. Depending on your site, you can choose pixel perfect compression or high compression options that are visually lossless (I prefer lossless compression because many times the images are important to the content).

Tips to speed up WordPress

In this section of the post I’m going to discuss some tips and things you can do server-side to improve your site’s speed.

Enable HTTP/2 and HTTPS on your server. HTTP/2 provides speed benefits over HTTP/1.1 and many browsers including Google Chrome and Firefox support it (however, they only support it if your site is also running HTTPS which is why I included it in my recommendation). There are also SEO benefits to using HTTP/2 as GoogleBot as added support for HTTP/2 so websites that support the protocol will likely see an additional rankings boost from speed. If you’re interested in learning more about HTTP/2 give this article a read. I should note that if you don’t have much (or any) server administration experience make sure you find a good web host who can assist you with these things.

Implement Redis caching on your server too. Redis is a data structure server that can be used as a database server on its own, or paired with a relational database like MySQL to speed things up. More specifically, the first time a WordPress page is loaded, a database query is performed on the server. Redis remembers, or caches, this query. So, when another user loads the WordPress page, the results are provided from Redis and from memory without needing to query the database making the site much faster to load. Once you have Redis installed and configured on your server you will need a WordPress plugin to interface with it, I like this one.

I hope that helps! If you have any questions, comments, or additional tips and recommendations that I may have missed feel free to leave a comment or tweet me.

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[Invest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency with Bitcoin IRA]

So you want to invest in Bitcoin? There’s now a service that I just found called Bitcoin IRA that makes it extremely easy and pain-free to invest in Bitcoin as well as other cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Ripple, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash.

The difference between Bitcoin IRA and investing in Bitcoin yourself is that if you use Bitcoin IRA, you are creating an official retirement investment vehicle. Now because of this, as you would imagine, starting a retirement account that hold Bitcoins and/or other cryptocurrency will require significantly more steps and procedures to set up than with cash purchases. Which is why Bitcoin IRA offers a full-service (and licensed) solution that facilitates the process for account set up, rollover of funds from an existing IRA, execution of a live trade, and moving funds to a secure digital wallet for all account types.

In terms of what kinds of retirement accounts that can be rolled over into a Bitcoin IRA–the answer is pretty much any. You can rollover funds from an existing IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, 403b, or 401k into a self-directed Bitcoin IRA account. At the end of the day what you will have is an IRA account that can hold various cryptocurrencies and perhaps most importantly, it’s a tax deferred account. Because it’s an official retirement account, the tax rules are the same as any other IRA you may have open, so your Bitcoin IRA account will receive tax deferred status, allowing it to appreciate in value without immediate tax liability. After you reach retirement age of 59 ½ and begin withdrawing funds, you will pay taxes at that time. Additionally, as you would expect, if you wanted to withdraw funds prior to turning 59 ½ you would be charged a penalty. That being said, you can absolutely sell your funds so long as it is used to reinvest in an IRA or is held in your BitGo wallet in a liquid state.

Once you are ready to make the investment with Bitcoin IRA, there’s a couple things you need to know. The first is that there is a $20,000 minimum investment. The second is that there is an initial one-time service fee that varies depending on investment amount (the fee, according to Bitcoin IRA, is intended to cover the assistance with the setup and rolling over your retirement funds). And lastly, there is a minimal custodian and security fee.

This is the first service of this kind that I’ve run across which is why I thought it was worth sharing. It’s an easy way to invest in Bitcoin long-term. That being said, there are a few other things I should note:

• Currently there is no way to transfer Bitcoins or any other cryptocurrency that you already own into your Bitcoin IRA account.
• You cannot use an exchange such as Coinbase to buy Bitcoin for your Bitcoin IRA. Everything must go through Bitcoin IRA.

Obviously this is a huge deal for most people, we’re talking about retirement savings, so definitely spend time and think through how much you would be willing to invest (and potentially lose) before making any investments. Also, I’d definitely give the ebook created by Bitcoin IRA a read before doing anything. I believe in cryptocurrencies and think there’s a definite future there, but I can’t stress this enough: do your own homework.

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[sultan_emerr RIP]

RIP Sultan!

[The State of Handheld Gaming Systems, Early 2018]

We gamers love to game — there’s no mistaking that. But we still have lives to lead and responsibilities to take care of, and that means we can’t always be stretched out on the couch in front of our TV.

Handheld gaming systems allow us to stay gaming while we’re on the go. They’re the devices we toss in a bag and pull out in waiting rooms, on the train ride home, and while we’re waiting for our next flight in the airport. And at press time, in early 2018, they’re a dying breed.

There are still a few consoles striving for your attention. But in our latest look at the state of handheld gaming systems, we find that one company owns the space, while the one competitor left is fading fast.

Nintendo Switch

But wait, you say! The Nintendo Switch is a home console! To those who make this argument, I say — you’re right. It is a home console. But out of its dock, it’s also a handheld gaming console, and it’s the closest we’ve come so far to realizing the dream: being able to play the same game while we’re both home and away.

The Switch is a bit underpowered compared to its next generation competitors, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This means the home console side of the equation isn’t going to blow anyone away. But the Switch is a stellar handheld, sporting a 720p display and the same console-quality titles you get on a home system. If you care about portable gaming, the Switch is now where it’s at, and for the foreseeable future, where things are headed.

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo continues to support the 3DS, though fans who’ve moved onto the Switch may not understand why. The answer lies in install base: the Switch is relatively new, but the 3DS, which has existed for over 5 years, has sold tens of millions of units. The 3DS family, including the 2DS, also offers lower-priced options to those who can’t drop $300 on a new system.

The system already has an amazing back catalog of titles, and you can expect to see new releases for the Nintendo 3DS going into the next year or two. But make no mistake: time is winding down on Nintendo’s handheld-only system.

PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita had the potential to do big things. Sony promised games on the system would reach AAA console quality, but alas, the support just wasn’t there from big publishers.

The funny thing is, the PlayStation Vita — just over six years old now — is still worth picking up at the right price. It’s graphically more impressive than the 3DS, and for a long time, it was the place to find quirky indie titles that you could play while traveling. But don’t confuse the Vita’s vast indie library with the possibility of future support. Releases are slowing to a crawl for the console, and the Switch is quickly becoming the place for indies to put their titles. If you have the extra cash, the Switch is the better bet. If you’re looking to spend less and can nab a Vita and some games for under $150, the Vita isn’t a bad system to own.

What are your thoughts on the current state of handheld console gaming? Let us know in the comments below!

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[Track crypto prices with this awesome app]

If you’re really into tracking crypto prices then you need this app. Aptly named, Crypto Price Tracker, allows you to do just that: track the crypto prices for more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies from over 18 exchanges in 32 fiat currencies. The app will also let you set alerts and manage your portfolio which is helpful as cryptocurrencies are very volatile.

The Crypto Price Tracker app features sleek animated price graphs for all crypto prices and will show you the growth (or loss) during the last day, week, month, three months, and year. The app also has a built-in wishlist feature to easily track your favorite coins in one place without having to scroll through hundreds of cryptos or search for your favorite ones every time you open the app. Another nifty use for the wishlish feature is that you can also use it to add the same coin from multiple exchanges to monitor the price differences for arbitrage.

Crypto Price Tracker on an iPhone X.

As I mentioned before, you can set alerts to always keep yourself up-to-date, but perhaps more importantly, you can create time-based alerts to get prices of a coin as a push notification daily/weekly/monthly at a specific time. Additionally, you can create price threshold-based alerts to get push notifications when the price of a certain coin drops, goes up, or decreases or increases by a certain percentage. Not that you HODL’ers care about that though.

It’s also worth mentioning, using the Crypto Price Tracker app, investors can create a portfolio within seconds by just entering the amount of coin they own and the buying price. The app will show you profit/loss, 24 hour gain/loss, total gain/loss, and the total current value of your assets.

Overall, Crypto Price Tracker is a well-designed and useful app that works on both iPhone and iPad. And you can’t beat the price: free.

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[Japan shuts down Bitcoin exchanges resulting in many questions]

Question marks are surrounding Japan’s cryptocurrency exchange industry following the closure of two bitcoin exchange operators at the end of March. Mr. Exchange and Tokyo GateWay were told to cease trading immediately after returning funds to retail investors, according to Nikkei. Heightened regulator scrutiny of Japanese bitcoin exchanges has meant both Mr. Exchange and Tokyo GateWay have withdrawn applications previously filed with the nation’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) to unveil crypto services to domestic customers.

Since the hacking of Coincheck earlier this year, which saw $533 million worth of the cryptocurrency NEM being stolen by cyber-criminals, lawmakers have come down hard on cryptocurrency exchanges in Japan. Now, as part of a scheme introduced last April, all trading platforms must secure a license to legally operate in Japan from the FSA. It’s not yet clear whether Mr. Exchange or Tokyo GateWay failed in their efforts to obtain an FSA license. Nevertheless, at the end of March, bitcoin fell to its lowest price in a number of weeks due partly to the shutdown of these Japanese exchanges and a blanket ban on Twitter advertising on the cryptocurrency.

As of the New Year, the entire cryptocurrency market had been worth over $800 billion but, as of the end of March, the market’s total value had collapsed to less than $300 billion. On March 30, the traded bitcoin price and US-based investors are watching keenly fell by more than 5% to less than $7,500. The move by Twitter to join Google and Facebook in banning cryptocurrency adverts is said to have had a considerable effect on the price of bitcoin lately, maintaining the negativity in Japan, which is widely regarded as the cryptocurrency capital of the world.

Concerns linger regarding many other bitcoin exchanges that have previously been permitted to operate without official FSA licensing. Four additional unregistered crypto exchanges, Bit Station, FSHO, Raimu and bitExpress have opted to close their doors without prompting and others that choose not to apply for FSA licenses will be forced to follow suit.

In recent months, some of the world’s largest banks are becoming increasingly wary of the prospect of bitcoin being used to fund criminal activity. Lloyds Banking Group denied its customers from using their credit cards to purchase bitcoin, stating the move would expose customers to significant losses if bitcoin was to fall drastically in value. At that point, bitcoin was valued at over $11,000 in the markets but investor sentiment has been somewhat volatile ever since, resulting in the price ebbing and flowing significantly.

That sentiment was shaken following the news that Tokyo GateWay’s website had been taken offline promptly, with no official line from the exchange on why it had ceased operations. However, a blog post dated March 29 from Mr. Exchange officially confirmed that it had withdrawn its FSA application admitting it is “difficult to be in a state of readiness” to adapt to “changes in the virtual currency landscape.”

On the plus side, 16 cryptocurrency exchanges have successfully received their FSA license since the new scheme began. The fact that leading internet giant, Yahoo! appears keen on launching its own domestic virtual currency operation by next April suggests it’s still possible to thrive in Japan’s regulated cryptocurrency arena.

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[Fluence wants to make data hacks a thing of the past using blockchain]

From Yahoo to Equifax to Sony and so on, data breaches have become one of the biggest threats of the our time. While big companies are at considerable risk, they are not the only targets for hackers. App developers, who utilize — particularly vulnerable — cloud services, are also in danger of having their sensitive data breached or stolen. Is it possible to keep one’s important data secure in this day and age?

For Fluence, the answer is yes. The company aims to eliminate insecurity over data breaches by providing decentralized data storage and management on the blockchain for Web 3.0 applications, guaranteeing users more privacy, control, and security over the decentralized apps they are building.

Using advanced network architecture, Fluence utilizes a system of independent nodes that split up sensitive structures of data to store and manage, ensuring that data is both replicated and protected. The nodes “check-in” on one another to make sure each is storing and securing data properly. If one node goes down, the data will not be lost: the network will find new nodes to replicate, secure, and encrypt that data. Fluence users do not require a special license or agreement with any commercial vendor, and all operations on the Fluence network for data storage and management are paid with the native Fluence token (FLU).

The Fluence team.

Fluence also announced a partnership with FriendUP, a service that enables developers to create their own virtual cloud computer online. Friend offers a complete operating environment that, combined with blockchain technology, provides the infrastructure necessary for the safe and responsible exchange of information. Friend can be accessed and used anywhere through a browser and provides a customizable desktop environment that is shaped by the needs of its users.

While the Fluence model of complete decentralization is an exciting prospect, especially in this era of data vulnerability, there is another vulnerability to consider: the state of the crypto market, itself. Daily cryptocurrency fluctuations have experts wondering if and when we will see tokens become a commonly-accepted form of payment. Nonetheless, the prospect of completely decentralized data storage is intriguing.

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[Aditlys could improve the lives of Hemodialysis patients with first tissue-growing implant]

When a patient is diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, he or she will soon find out that they will go through Hemodialysis until a donor organ can be found. This procedure keeps patients alive during the tedious await for a transplant but dialysis is also uncomfortable and painful, patients get their blood diverted into an external machine, where it’s filtered before being returned to the body, sometimes up to three times a week. This often causes serious damage to the veins. Aditlys’ medical technology is developing a restorative, polymer-based vascular access solution that will allow patients to grow new blood vessels. This device could not only reduce complications and healthcare costs associated with these treatments, it could also turn their lives around for the better.

Currently, the only options for patients approaching chronic kidney failure are, kidney transplant, peritoneal dialysis, and hemodialysis. To get the procedure done, Hemodialysis patients might have to visit the hospital several times a week but that’s not the hardest part of the process.

Hemodialysis consists of purifying the blood of a sick patient through the use of an external machine, the dialyzer. In order to connect to the veins of the patient, an access path has to be made surgically, prior to the first treatment. The options currently available for creating this access path are through a fistula, connecting an artery to a vein, or a graft which uses a plastic tubing, made from “permanent polymers.” Both have proven to cause complications such as infections, or failure of maturation, leading to a non-usable access path.

Aditlys is a medical technology firm and developers of the first bioresorbable polymer-based graft for patients undergoing dialysis. The technology and bioabsorbable materials enables a patient’s body to naturally form its own blood vessel for positive, long-term results. Aditlys is now introducing medical technology funding to the blockchain community with its upcoming token sale.

The solution Aditlys developed is a polymer-based implant that has a porous structure which allows a patient’s healing response to develop tissue that fills the structure and creates a blood vessel. As this occurs, the device is gradually replaced by the body’s own tissue, leaving a natural, fully restored blood vessel, with no foreign material to disrupt the life-saving treatment.

Along with Nobel Prize winning science and research to back them up, Silvere Lucquin’s, CEO of Aditlys, hope was to explore permanent solutions to one of the most common diseases affecting people around the world, “In doing so, we have developed a VA product that can reduce complications and, in turn, hospitalization expenditures. Aditlys is offering a new perspective in vascular treatments by bringing in regenerative medicine techniques.”

The idea is still in its early stages and it might still take a while until the company can implement the procedure on patients or have vascular doctors using the tool in place of what currently works. Nevertheless, it’s clear that any improvements on this field could make a difference in kidney disease patients’ lifestyle for the better.

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[The pivot from grow at all costs to sustainable growth (feat. Ethan Agarwal)]

Welcome to TechieBytes episode 13 titled The pivot from grow at all costs to sustainable growth (feat. Ethan Agarwal)

Today I’m speaking with Ethan Agarwal, the founder & CEO of Aaptiv, an audio-based fitness app for iOS and Android. We discuss Aaptiv’s grow at all cost strategy and its recent pivot to a sustainable growth strategy as well as how other subscription based companies can do the same.

TechieBytes is also available on iTunes, Google Play, Overcast, Spotify, and Pocket Casts. Subscribe today!

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[Here’s how to browse Instagram at work without getting caught]

A friend of mine recently shared this with me and I thought it was too good not to share with everyone else. An inspired developer with the username billcccheng created a nifty little app (or script, really) that you can run on your computer and use to browse your Instagram feed directly from the Terminal. The script, which is freely available on Github (along with the complete source code), is easy to install and works as expected.

Here’s how it looks when you run the script on your computer:

Without Color (Stealth Mode)

With Color (Less Stealthy)

Pretty nifty, right? Now you can look busy at work while actually just browsing Instagram. Of course, doing your work is important too, so don’t forget to eventually get around to it.

In terms of installation, it’s really simple, you’ll need to download the code from Github, save it, and then run the following command from the Terminal (within the folder containing the code):

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Then once it’s installed, run either of the commands below to initiate the script:

Without Color
python3 start.py

With Color
python3 start.py --color

Have any other cool little apps/scripts? Let me know in the comments or feel free to tweet at me.

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[5 tools to help you write killer essays]

Writing can seem like hard work all by itself, and you’ve undoubtedly spent hours staring blankly at your screen hoping for inspiration. And that’s just the writing part! Before that, you need to search for resources, do research, and organize your findings so you can properly cite them later.

We’ve put together a list of some helpful online tools and apps you can use to better streamline your essay writing process. Work some of these into your writing routine and — trust us — you’ll have a much better experience.

Memonic

When you start doing research for your essay, there are a number of different tactics you can use to keep track of your sources. You could open up a Google Doc, for instance, and paste a bunch of URLs into it. Or you could jot your sources down in a notebook and refer back to them later. Memonic makes the process of saving content — and keeping track of where it came from — a whole lot faster. It adds a “bookmark” button to your browser and enables you to quickly clip bits of websites so you can find what you need and keep moving.

ReadCube

Saving a bunch of files to your computer can give you a headache when it comes time to look through them all and, later, reference them in your essay. ReadCube aims to make this process much more friendly by letting you search through all of your saved files from one location, and cite a source without ever having to get lost in a folder full of junk.

Readable

What good are custom descriptive essays if those reading it can’t understand what you’re trying to say? Readable’s readability score looks at your text and determines how difficult it would be for someone to read. If a sentence is too complicated, Readable highlights it and offers up suggestions on how it can be improved. And when your essay is easier to understand, the point you’re trying to make comes across more clearly.

EssayMama Citation Generator

One of the most confusing parts of writing an essay comes when it’s time to assemble your citations. Most essays require a section for references, which means you need to cite every source used in your paper to prove you’re backing up your claims with facts. EssayMama helps make the citation generation process easy, allowing you to plug in your sources and choose the reference style you need for your paper. EssayMama takes it from there.

Essay Writing Checklist

Once you’ve wrapped up your essay, you should do a run through it and make sure you haven’t missed anything. The above essay writing checklist gives you a handy way to go step by step through your paper and make sure you’re including everything you need.

Do you have some tools of your own that you want to shout out? Leave some links for us in the comments below!

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[5 tips on last-minute prep for GDPR]

Although it’s been coming down the pipeline since 2016, the General Data Protection Reform (GDPR) is officially going into effect on May 25, and its impact will reach over 500 million users across Great Britain and the European Union.

Designed to allow EU citizens more control of their private data, GDPR intends to reduce the likelihood of fraudulent web activity and enforce strict parameters that businesses must comply with to collect, manage and protect this data responsibly. You can find more information on the basics of GDPR here.

So what does that mean for companies who operate in the digital economy and interact with customers or colleagues in the EU? Under this new GDPR model, if a breach in data security happens in relation to your business, there could be significant liability. In other words, it means you need to prepare for when the transition occurs.

To shield your organization from legal damages, ensure that a GDPR compliance strategy is geared for launch before May 25. With that date just a couple months away, here are some last-minute pointers to get ready for the impending changes.

Know What “Personal Data” Entails

In this era of interconnection, a person can be found online through multiple avenues, so it’s important to consider any possible form of identification and keep these details separate in your database. Otherwise, this information can easily be accessed and combined to violate the person’s internet security.

Think outside the basics of name, phone number or email address, and get more specific with details such as passport number, driver’s license, bank account, credit card, postal code, genetics or biometrics, IP address, workplace, union affiliation, social factors and pseudonymous (encrypted) data. If you’re unclear if something might be “personal data,” the UK-based IT Governance blog offers a thorough breakdown.

Check Your Geographic Bandwidth

Even if you don’t think your business has direct engagement with UK or EU entities, it’s a smart idea to double-check in case your partners, vendors, contractors, and automation or support teams have European connections. Whether you’re a global or domestic company, the worldwide web earned its name for a reason, and you need to be aware that data can transmit anywhere if the right security measures aren’t taken.

To protect against this back-and-forth pinging of sensitive information, find out if any suppliers or business partners might cause you indirect exposure to the EU. Follow that supply chain and determine if your organization has any kind of geographic link to the countries within the boundaries of GDPR mandate, then make adjustments to ensure that your data handling practices are in exact compliance.

Make Sure to Obtain Explicit Consent

Under this new model of identity protection, assuming that a customer has given their consent to gather and store data could mean serious legal implications for your business. The person must clearly grant their permission, and you must openly communicate what obtaining this information will be used for.

Another facet of GDPR regulation is giving customers the right to be forgotten which allows them to unsubscribe from digital marketing content and verifies their data will be erased from your records at such a time when they choose to opt-out. Since the right to be forgotten is not an optional service, it’s ideal to minimize the amount of data needed because the more you collect and retain, the higher your risk will increase, points out internet security writer and expert Riva Richmond.

Create and Maintain Accountability

When it comes to understanding how data is expended, there are two main functions—the controller and processor. The controller decides how information will be utilized, and the processor carries out those directives. As a business manager, you are the controller who has the final word, but you need other people on staff to hold you accountable and ensure there is no mishandling of personal data.

To integrate this level of accountability, more companies have started hiring Data Protection Officers (DPO) to monitor all data entry and usage practices within the organization. The role of a DPO is to reinforce GDPR compliance, train employees in this discipline and serve as the lead point-of-contact for data processing activities.  So consider adding this position to your team or find an existing staff member who can step into the role effectively.

Store and Sync Data in One Location

In order to maintain the most secure and trusted privacy setting for your customers, keep it stored on a central platform instead of dispersed in various locations. This allows for both a safe and seamless integration, rather than having to import the data from one storage file to another which might cause information to leak into cyberspace.

The most efficient method of consolidating personal data is through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. This tool removes third-party interference, so the data is firewalled and inaccessible to anyone without the proper clearance. Just make sure to choose a reputable CRM—it’s worth the investment—as both the customers’ peace of mind and the integrity of your business depend on it.

This new legislation is about to invoke many changes to how personal data is authorized, collected, stored and managed. So the most effective step you can take is just to keep yourself informed. Know the parameters of GDPR compliance, verify that requests for consent on the website are clear and succinct, and be accountable for your actions as the data controller. May 25 is some weeks away, but the time to prepare is now.

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[LeadCoin takes the lead in modernizing the sales and marketing industry using blockchain]

Sales people like to sell and marketing departments like to create; so, looking for or determining the quality of leads is really the last thing either of them want to do. And yet, the act of purchasing an expensive list of leads or investing in web marketing ads through Facebook and Google has become one of the most frustrating factors of marketing and lead generation efforts today. This is due to the fact that more than half of the information on leads taken from these lists is wrong, outdated, or irrelevant, and a big waste of time for sales people.

With the emergence of blockchain, industries are discovering a new way to enhance the quality and efficiencies of their services, including LeadCoin, the first blockchain-based lead sharing network. LeadCoin uses blockchain technology to allow businesses to sell their unused leads and buy hot leads from other businesses in real-time. The targets of leads, meaning us consumers, are incentivized to proactively participate and share their needs for products or services.

According to LeadCoin, the web marketing industry led by the duopoly that is Google and Facebook, is consuming budgets without providing the right returns on investment, with only 3% of site visitors turning into paying customers. This isn’t to mention the low conversion rates seen with lead lists many times bought for over $10,000! By using LeadCoin’s method of reselling your leads or buying only relevant and quality leads, businesses can recover their lost marketing budgets. So for example, if you are a client looking for a wedding photographer, but by mistake you “clicked” on the Facebook ad for a wedding videographer, the wedding videographer may call you. After a short conversation, the videographer will understand that the offer is not relevant and, with your permission and more detailed information, he/she will be able to refer you to the photographer you need, while also gaining back some of the money they invested in the ad that got you here in the first place.

Smart contracts are becoming an attractive way to model businesses which rely on trustworthy transactions between parties. Smart contracts are integrated within blockchain technology, as they are a decentralized computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify, or enforce any  agreement or accord made with the use of a contract. Building the platform on the blockchain allows LeadCoin to utilize smart contracts to replace the “middleman,” and provide a cost-efficient alternative to advertising. The decentralization of blockchain ensures a collaborative economy where one entity alone cannot control the platform or manipulate any transaction.

LeadCoin recently reached their hard cap of $50 million in its crowd sale, in order to continue growing their platform. While I understand the concept of smart contracts, I’m still not sure why blockchain is necessary for this. You receive payments in the platforms LDC token, which, but I’m not fully convinced that LDC tokens are better than, or will one day replace, FIAT currency. The idea is great, but it still seems like too much of a hassle. They do say “time is money”, and this seems like this process would take too much time from me as both a consumer and as a small business with limited resources. But on the other hand, investing a little time in understanding the process behind LeadCoin could undoubtedly lead to a rise in a company’s ad market value.

Regardless, I think the uses of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology are moving in interested directions and LeadCoin is definitely an innovative application in the space. I think that removing the ‘middleman’ in such an industry is great progress in making the business world a more fair space.

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[Budgeting tips for first time business owners]

Anyone who has ever owned a business can probably tell you that is it no easy task. There are countless things that a business owner needs to be able to juggle, and it can be especially difficult if you’re doing it alone. To ensure that your new business is running smoothly, there are certain things that need to be taken into consideration. Budgeting is one of the most crucial aspects of running a business and can make or break the overall success of your business.  Here are a few important budgeting tips for first time business owners.

Use Technology As A Budgeting Tool

Thanks to modern technology, budgeting as a business owner is now easier than ever. Consider using utility tracking software as a tool to track your energy expenses.  Utility tracking software can help you keep track of how much energy you’re using by tracking your expenses and creating a custom budget that is designed to help you save money. By using a utility tracking software, you will be able to actually see where your energy dollars are going, allowing you to assess your current energy usage and look for energy-saving solutions. Many businesses have seen incredible improvements since using utility tracking software, so if you are looking for a high-tech way to manage your utility expenses, consider using utility tracking software.

Overestimate Expenses

While using utility tracking software can help you pinpoint how much you’re spending on utility bills each month, it is still important to make sure you’re putting as much money as you can in your business’s savings fund. It is imperative that as a business owner, you are financially prepared at all times for emergencies. Having more money in your savings account is better than having too little, so you should always be socking away as much money as you can each month. Being financially prepared for anything that may come up at all times is one of the most crucial parts of running a successful business.

Look For Ways To Reduce Energy Expenses

Although utility tracking software can help you track your energy expenses and be transparent in helping you see where your energy dollars are going, it is still important to assess where you can cut corners and save money. One way you can do this is by switching from fluorescent lighting to LED light bulbs. LED lighting is up to 80 percent more energy efficient than traditional lighting, making it the smarter option for businesses looking to save money on their energy bills. Another thing that can help you save money on your utilities is making sure you unplug any electronics that aren’t being used at the end of the day. Unplugging things like coffee makers, printers, or lamps when they’re not being used can save you extra money at the end of the month, so be sure you’re taking small measures to reduce your energy expenses.  

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[Blackmoon Crypto sets a new standard for legalized investment vehicles through self-regulation]

Last Friday, the Bank of England’s (BOE) Governor, Mark Carney, called for greater regulation of cryptocurrencies, calling the huge price surges and volatility ‘speculative mania’: “The time has come to hold the crypto-asset ecosystem to the same standards as the rest of the financial system. Being part of the financial system brings enormous privileges, but with them great responsibilities,” Carney stated in his speech on Friday.

While suggesting in his speech that the time has come to hold the crypto scene to the same standards as traditional financial systems, he also argued that “elements” of this ecosystem should be regulated in order to “combat illicit activities” as well as to promote market integrity and protect the safety and soundness of the financial system. Crypto regulation is a hot topic lately, one I discussed with David Drake, the chairman of LDJ Capital, a big investor and advisor in the crypto/blockchain world, in a recent TechieBytes podcast episode.

The skepticism of financial regulators towards the potential of cryptocurrencies is not rare, yet it’s still hard to ignore the massive amount of money invested in this field. There’s no doubt that crypto-asset investors are getting higher returns to their investments, due to the fact that tokenized funds are much more cost-efficient than the traditional ones we are all familiar with.

Blackmoon Crypto, a company that tapped into the world of blockchain-based finance in 2014, claims to be the legalized-home for investment funds. The company has exceeded $100M in deals after raising over $30 million in a successful ICO for its native token, the BMC.

One of the main issues of the crypto-investment world is the lack of diversification and absence of compliance with the existing and foreseen regulations. Blackmoon addresses these issues by setting the standard as the one-stop solution in setting up tokenized funds, regardless of whether such funds invest in the fiat or crypto world. However, in an age when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is cracking down on companies issuing initial coin offerings, I’m a little skeptical if the solutions that Blackmoon offers are still relevant and actionable in the upcoming future, along with other solutions that Fintech companies are currently developing.

Blackmoon ensures that its managed funds are fully compliant with existing laws and regulations, by combining pioneering technologies, techniques, interfaces and legal framework.The end-to-end platform allows investment managers to maintain a fund without having to go through the hassle of creating a legal infrastructure behind it. This solution effectively eliminates any known barriers for the creation of funds, an aspect that is also an important milestone in bridging the fiat and crypto economies.

The technology of blockchain and Bitcoin are here to stay, there’s no doubt about that. But to bring value to investors, it’s going to need tighter rules and more responsible companies with their eyes on the future, maybe Blackmoon with it’s ambitious self-regulation is one of them. The next step that needs to be taken under consideration is figuring out how to establish rules and to set up reasonable expectations/regulations for making the market work smoothly.

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[Downie makes it easy to download YouTube videos on your computer]

We’ve all been there, you find a YouTube video you love and you want an easy way to save it to your computer. Or maybe, you found an amazing live recording from a band you like and just want to save the audio without the video. The latter situation is one I’ve found myself in time and time again and until recently I never had a good way download YouTube videos to my computer. Through my Setapp subscription (which is like a Netflix for Mac apps) I stumbled across an app called Downie.

Downie makes it extremely simple to download YouTube videos to your computer–all you need is the URL of the YouTube video(s) you want to save to your computer and Downie will start downloading. With Downie you can easily download HD YouTube videos with support for up to 4K. In my tests using Downie, videos downloaded fast and without any issues. You can even have Downie convert the downloaded videos to MP4 format so they will play in iTunes right away.

Getting started using Downie

There are a few ways you can have Downie start downloading videos for you, the first way is you can drag a link from any browser either on Downie‘s window, or the icon in the Dock. Additionally, if you have more links, or links within some text, just drop the whole thing onto Downie – it will scan the text for links. Or lastly, you can use copy and paste – just press Command-O in Downie and you can insert as many links as you want in a single go.

Entering a YouTube video URL to download.

Download YouTube videos with Downie

I decided to try and download a TV show that aired in 2007 on ABC but that I couldn’t for the life of me find anywhere but on YouTube due to the fact it was canceled after one short 8 episode season–and it worked wonderfully. I was able to feed the URLs for each episode on YouTube of show (which is called Traveler in case you were curious to check it out) into Downie and away it went.

Downloading Traveler with Downie.

I also tested Downie by giving it a link to a music video and setting it to only extract the audio as an MP3. It worked perfectly and was definitely much easier than me having to use something like Audio Hijack to record the audio coming out of Google Chrome.

Final Thoughts

In addition to YouTube, Downie also has support for more than 1,000 different video sites making it extremely versatile and useful. Downie is an easy-to-use app that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a simple way to download YouTube videos onto their computer. The app is available for $20 stand-alone or you can get access to it (and many other apps) via Setapp.

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[BlockEx gives traditional financial institutions an upgrade using Blockchain]

It’s kind of funny to watch the dance of many banks and top financial institutions, and their changing views on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. One minute Goldman Sachs is labeling crypto a “business risk” or insisting that the bubble burst will burst, but then the next minute they are investing in the technology itself. In fact, Goldman Sachs has an entire page dedicated to explaining the technology in a very positive light. It’s understandable why traditional financial institutions might be defensive of crypto considering the initial idea of blockchain was centered around cutting the banks and financial institutions out. Unfortunately, the skepticism and hesitation has left them a step behind in mastering the technology for their own financial services and a huge window has opened for blockchain entrepreneurs to reshape the system from the grassroots.

One of these companies is BlockEx, a pioneering fintech company providing a next generation financial exchange platform for blockchain-based digital assets. The platform manages the entire lifecycle of blockchain-based digital assets, including origination, issuance, exchange, settlement and redemption. It was recently selected as one of the 100 most influential FinTech companies in The Financial Technologist event, and has won a number of awards in the FinTech and blockchain field. BlockEx is quite unique when it comes to blockchain and FinTech services. Its foundation is grounded in both traditional and digital training.

BlockEx forces all ICO issuers to subscribe to a set of governance guidelines that the company has adopted from its regulatory business plan. The BlockEx team collaborates with third-party accountancy firms and fiduciaries that help with four-eyed checks of smart contracts on a daily basis. Furthermore, the due diligence process continues with a technical review of the startup. The company is heavily influenced by traditional compliance methods, and is rooted in traditional financial regulatory practices adding a layer of protection and security for their investors.

BlockEx dashboard.

What brings BlockEx two steps ahead of current traditional financial institutions is its mastery of technology such as blockchain, automation and its adaptation into financial services. The technology is used for a variety of solutions improving the financial services itself. Security is one of its largest solutions. Blockchain assets provide an enhanced level of security, increasing the security of the system from hacking and fraud. Blockchain also provides an easy mechanism to allow users to securely transfer the assets between parties and facilitates easy audit of user accounts.

Needless to say, the technology has a huge role to play in financial institutions despite what they say. The question is whether Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and others will embrace the technology or use their powers to push against it. Their influence can sway blockchain in many different ways. It is no question that they have the financial backing to blow blockchain FinTech companies like BlockEx out of business. They even have the opportunity to buy them out and use the innovation as their own. There is also the potential for consumers to adopt blockchain assets and financial service companies, completely rejecting the traditional financial institutions all together.

Now is a crucial time for early adopters like BlockEx, and will certainly be a pivotal time for the major financial institutions. It will be interesting to see what path the blockchain takes in its role in financial markets. In the meantime, it is quite enjoyable to see the big guys shake in their boots a little, questioning their methods and remapping the industry.   

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