Powerful Communication Podcast

I've got some new televisions to tell you about today, from LG.   The new G2 Gallery Edition id the premium model - these are OLED televisions with increased brightness on the previous model and wall mounts in the box. There's also an improved stand if you'd rather not mount them.   The new range brings down the weight and features a thinner bezel.   Sizes range from 55 inches all the way up to 97...

The head of Instagram has been giving more details about how Hashtags work on the platform and the impact they have on the number of people who see each post.   Adam Nosseri says Instagram's algorithm doesn't automatically favour hashtags and push them out to people - although there is evidence they did at one time - instead, he says they're used to categorise content and people interested in that...

It's been a long-time coming but the new version of Apple's mobile operating system finally allows iPhone users to unlock their phones with Face ID while wearing a COVID protection mask.   The feature is included in iOS 15.4 which is available for the iPhone 12 and onwards.     The South By South West conference is taking place in Austin, Texas this week - it runs until Sunday.   It's the 35 annua...

Accessibilty is essential in today's digital world.   If you have a website, have you considered if it's easy for people with visual impairments to access?   Have you used colours and fonts which are difficult to read? Or challenging language that might be hard for someone to understand if English isn't their first language?   Technology is incredible and screen reader software helps people who ar...

Digital has not been kind to bank giant TSB.   It blamed a duplicate payment error on its IT systems once again.   Thousands of customers were affected and found themselves paying for things twice.   Some were left with little or no money in their accounts leaving some stranded or unable to pay for goods at the shops.   After almost a whole day of uncertainty, TSB announced late in the afternoon t...

This week is British Science Week so we thought we'd take a look at the impact of digital on science.   The first point that catches my eye is that British Science Week is in fact 10 days, which started on Friday and runs until this coming Sunday.   Keep in touch with all that's going on on Twitter @scienceweekUK and the official website at britishscienceweek.org   Your local schools, libraries, c...

Shopping on Twitter is now a thing as the social network makes further moves into its e commerce strategy.   2022 seems to be the year Amazon faces some tough competition with the social networks all wanting to make it easier for us to buy things from businesses using the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.   Social commerce is the battle ground.   Twitter Shops is described as an...

Some brands are great on social media when it comes to showing awareness and support for a particular cause.     Others look a bit desperate and crass and sometimes even attract allegations of tokenism.   International Women's Day earlier this week is one example and some companies even fell victim to the Gender Pay Gap Bot.   This is a Twitter account, set to find companies using social media to...

Twitter users…if you've ever taken to Twitter to share details of a mistake you made - for example putting diesel in the petrol tank or salt instead of sugar in your coffee…it could prove to be a lucrative move.   We've discovered that Specscavers is going round looking for 'blunder' Tweets and then paying the original composer of the Tweet if they give permission for Specsavers to turn it into an...

Unique content that people would pay for is the holy grail in today's content driven digital economy…and podcasts are at the heart of it.   Big tech companies are searching for the next Joe Rogan and they're prepared to pay a lot of money to secure their services and tie them into exclusive deals.   Expect to see podcasts given a more prominent position inside streaming services like Amazon Prime...

Listen up if you own a Fitbit Ionic Watch - the fitness trackers are the subject of a voluntary product recall after reports the battery could overheat and cause serious burns.   The company is now owned by Google and says it sold 1.7 million of the Fitbit ionic devices around the world between 2017 and 2020.   The company says 0.01% of the units sold suffered overheating but it's acting out of an...

Ultra short social media videos are getting longer and at the same time, expect mainstream TV shows to get shorter!   TikTok has announced it'll soon permit video uploads of up to 10 minutes in duration, potentially paving the way for a whole new genre of entertainment.   The feature will roll out to all users in the next few weeks and is set to heap pressure on YouTube which until now has had the...

Businesses and public sector organisations around the UK are being warned to be extra vigilant when it comes to cyber security as the threat of an online attack sparked by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies.   The National Cyber Security Centre issued guidance, saying there was a heightened risk of malicious cyber incidents overseas which could have an impact on UK institutions, s...

The major social media platforms have been awash with messages of support for the people of Ukraine across the weekend with some users changing their profile picture to the Ukranian flag and celebrities ditching their usual selfies to highlight charities working with those affected by the conflict and sharing details of how to donate to the relief effort.   There are also reports of millions of po...

If you're looking for some good accounts to follow on TikTok - the Met Office channel is probably quite useful just now.   For laughs, check out Canadian star Call Me Kris who has more than 42 million followers for her sketches with a unique range of characters she all plays herself.   Dr Julie Smith is a British psychologist who's gained a huge following and a lot of praise for the way she brings...

'Reels' are the ultra short 15 second video clips originally launched by Instagram as part of their efforts to combat the rise of TikTok.   They've been a huge success, so much so that Reels have now been extended to Facebook.   So prepare to have your feed filled up with friends and family members as well as businesses you follow sharing video clips of them doing dances, pranks and other content...

Blogging is a really enjoyable hobby, a fun way to express yourself creatively and, if you put the work in, could even generate some income or become a whole new career.   It's easy to start, using a free platform such as blogger.com or wordpress.com and you can write about anything you like.   There are successful blogs on almost any niche you can think of - from hillwalking to board games from t...

Former US President Donald Trump's new social media network has gone live in the United States.   The 'Truth Social' app was developed by Trump's new media company after he was banned by Twitter last year amid claims he was inciting violence during the Capitol Hill riots.   The platform is available to iOS users in America and there are various reports of users experiencing technical problems.    ...

We're fast approaching a situation where webcams are built into our everyday lives and no longer require logging into a computer or even using a smartphone app to access them.   Facebook Portal is already a feature in some households and now a new Sony Bravia television comes with a camera perched on top of it.   The XR A95K recognises where you're sitting when you're watching TV and adjusts the s...

Social media video clips are getting shorter and shorter and now YouTube is pushing its 'Shorts' feature more prominently.     Channels will include a new area for short clips, of up to 60 seconds in duration.   The advantage YouTube has over TikTok and Instagram is since it's owned by Google, 'Shorts' could be indexed by the search giant and made to appear on the front page of the Google search l...

The weather is dominating much of the conversation at the moment with #stormdudley trending across the UK.   Severe winds and driving rain led to some dramatic images and video clips being shared across social media.   One of the most shared shots was taken by photographer @peter_j_byrne and shows an enormous wave crashing into the seafront at Blackpool.   Remember Storm Eunice is up next and the...

Do you work in an environment where there are lots of presentations and PowerPoints?   One way to liven it all up is to explore the world of Pecha Kucha.   This is a Japanese presentation technique where the speaker is limited to 20 slides which display for 20 seconds each and autoplay.   This forces the presenter to be extremely well organised and to keep up otherwise they'll get entirely tied in...

The landline phone is on borrowed time and if you're with one of the major networks such as BT or Virgin Media you might have received a letter telling you to get ready for the change.   The old copper phone network will be completely switched off by the end of 2025 but many customers are being encouraged to make the change sooner.   The important thing to keep in mind is that if you find yourself...

Watch out for romance scams this Valentine's Day with criminals targeting vulnerable singles on social media.   More than 304 million dollars was lost to romance fraud in the US last year - victims looking for relationships are targeted by confidence tricksters who strike up a relationship with them and then claim to be ill or need money for travel.   The situation is so serious that TikTok has is...