Powerful Communication Podcast

There's a wealth of content on social media aimed at inspiring and motivating us to live better lives.   A cottage industry of well-being podcasts has developed, with celebrities telling us how to be more mindful and sharing experiences of their own mental health journeys.   Some if it is very good.   My particular favourites include Sophie Ellis Bextor's 'Spinning Plates' podcast, there's also 'H...

It's Mental Health Awareness Week and I'm looking at some ways I think technology can improve our lives - rather than stressing us out.   Smartphones are incredibly useful tools - for example - most of the time, they know almost exactly where you are.   And this has led to a surge in popularity for a fairly new sport, called GeoCaching.   Get some friends or family together, download the official...

Something a bit different all this week on the Digital Minute as we mark Mental Health Awareness week and look at how 'digital' can help us live more fulfilling lives.   Mental Health Awareness Week is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation and there's a wealth of good resources and information on their website at mental health.org.uk   And I want to think a bit about these mobile devices...

It's official - Zoom kills creativity. That's the headline I saw on Linkedin today - this is based on a study published in the highly respected Nature journal. It involved more than 600 people and found that working in person generated more and fresher ideas. The group taking part in virtual meetings generated fewer ideas and researchers found participants tended to spend more time focussing on ea...

cameo.com is a website where celebrities will sell you personal video greetings of themselves.   You'll find everyone on there from former pro wrestlers to forgotten soap stars, musicians, reality TV stars and even some legitimate big names still enjoying successful careers.   How much you pay generally varies according how bright the celebrity's star is shining.   Well now Cameo have cut a deal w...

It's been another funny 24 hours on social media as Twitter users celebrated 'Ed Balls Day'   Every April 28th, we remember the day Ed Balls, star of Strictly Come Dancing and former politician, sent a tweet containing simply his name.   He'd been searching for news articles about himself and inadvertently typed his name into the 'Tweet' box and sent it.   As we now know - if you make an embarrass...

Lots of people have been asking me about podcasts recently.   It's easy to get started and some hosting providers - like Podbean have a basic free plan which allows you to get started.   You don't need much equipment - £20 or so will get you a couple of lavalier or clip-on microphones which you can connect to your phone and start recording.   More advanced set ups could use portable multi track re...

It'll be months before we see the impact of Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter.   The 34 billion pound takeover deal won't go through until later this year and while the right and left argue about the merits of the much promised 'free speech' that Musk says is a priority for him, a far bigger issue is how exactly will he get any sort of return on the money he's paying for the platform.   It's hardly...

Artificial intelligence and the metaverse isn't going to be some entirely 'seperate' world that you only access by wearing a special headset.   Some of it might be like that, particularly if you're playing games in a virtual reality world, but there will be another far more useful aspect which is already here.   Certain products for sale on Amazon now feature 'View In Your Room'. This opens your c...

Is Google planning its own range of watches?   Tech commentators have spotted a change on the Google Store, which now displays a 'Watches' tab.   Google doesn't currently make watches although it bought FitBit a couple of years ago - until yesterday Fitbit products had their own category on the Google Store, now they sit underneath the 'watches' banner.   Experts reckon a Google Pixel watch could...

Are you smart, opinionated and do you enjoy writing?   Have you ever considered making money from blogging?   Platforms such as medium.com let anyone sign up, start writing content and if what you say generates enough interest, you could end up getting paid.   Blogging is free and easy to do and you can talk about absolutely whatever you want.   The more specific and niche the topic - the better....

You can always rely on the internet to debate the burning issues of the day and over the last 24 hours one of the most trending topics was: what exactly is the filling of a Creme Egg?   Cadbury say they produce around 500 million of the eggs every year but a surprising number of fans took to social media to join the discussion, with many having no idea the 'goo' is in fact fondant, which does incl...

Lots of football over the weekend and a clue of what might lie ahead from the college sports scene in America.   The University of Centra Florida's football team are starting their new season with QR codes instead of number's on the player's backs.   Scanning them with a smartphone takes you to the player's biography page on the team's website.   I could see this catching on in the UK - there are...

Etiquette is one of the most important elements of success on social media.   Being able to 'read the room' and say things in an appropriate tone.   Treating others the way you wish to be treated and respecting other people's boundaries are all valuable things to learn - in life and on social media.   One key attribute is being able and willing to let someone else have the last word.   All too oft...

  Online hactivist group Anonymous has released a video threatening Vladimir Putin with further cyber attacks against his regime - telling the Russian leader 'your secrets are not safe', until he stops attacking Ukraine.   Anonymous claim to be 'ethical hackers' and have taken action in the past against governments and corporations.     SocialMediaToday.com is highlighting some strong growth for a...

If you're an Android phone user - be careful about the apps you install onto your device.   Google has been forced to take action after it emerged more than a dozen apps contained malicious code which has been harvesting people's phone numbers, email addresses and even their locations.   Among then was a widely used QR Code scanner which failed to meet its data protection policies.   There's no su...

Twitter has confirmed it IS working on an edit button.   The feature is one users have been requesting for years but it's fraught with difficulties.   What if someone Tweets something perfectly reasonable, you ReTweet it and they then edit it to something offensive?   It's been suggested some sort of 'edit history' might be included.     I'm always looking at ways your tech can save you money.   O...

Elon Musk - the world's richest man and co founder of Tesla, is now the biggest shareholder in Twitter.   Musk bought 9.2% of the company and has previously expressed concerns about Twitter not doing enough to adhere to the principles of freedom of speech.   On the 25th of March he even asked his followers if they thought a new platform was needed.   There's been a fierce debate about the role of...

Are you sometimes asked to sign documents you've received online?   You can print them out and physically sign the paper with a pen - but you then have to scan it back into your computer or take a picture of it with a phone.   It can be time consuming and frustrating.   Online e-signature software like 'signature' and 'docusign' are often used in a professional context but there might be an even e...

Google is encouraging businesses to make the most of a free opportunity to promote themselves online - by filling out their own 'Google My Business' profile.   You can do it through the website or dedicated Google My Business mobile app.   It's entirely free and lets you start to manage how your business is displayed across Google products including the main search results as well as Google Maps....

Watch out for those social media April fools.   I won't give anything away and spoil the fun but if you are browsing your favourite social media channels or seeing messages from friends or famous brands and news organisations and you're thinking 'that can't be right!' - then just remember what day it is!   An incredible story breaking in the Washington Post with allegations that Facebook's parent...

RODE have made a name for themselves manufacturing microphones and some of their range work well if you need sound for videos or live streams and video conferencing.   Now, for the first time, Rode is getting into headphones.   Their first set of headphones are aimed at high end users involved in 'critical listening' such as mixing and mastering.   Thanks to podnews.net for breaking the story.    ...

canva.com is one of the most widely used online design tools in the world.   The Australian company launched in 2012 and has grown quickly over the last 10 years.   It lets you make graphics, presentations and videos simply and quickly - drag and drop - you don't need complex design skills.   Some people think that makes the designs look a bit repetitive and it's hard to create a truly original lo...

'Throwback Thursday' is an internet trend where people post pictures and video clips from years gone by on their social media feeds.   Lots of people take part from businesses to individuals and celebrities.   It can be fascinating to see how technology looked in years gone by, to relive   memories or to cringe at some of the fashion choices.   Throwback Thursday also provides some escape from som...