Powerful Communication Podcast

Today we say good bye to one of the biggest names in the history of the internet.   Microsoft Internet Explorer finally retires today after a 27 year run and of course it was, at one point, the world's most used web browser.   Microsoft has gradually been phasing out support for the software in favour of its new 'Edge' browser.   Latest figures show just 0.45 percent of internet users access the i...

An interesting move from buy now pay later app Klarna.   The company has been affected by the economic crisis and conflict in Ukraine and announced a 10% reduction in its workforce, about 700 to 750 people.   The CEO posted the names of around 560 employees who're losing their jobs, on Linkedin, and encouraged other companies to consider hiring them.   The decision has had a mixed response with so...

I've spent the weekend playing with the new Mario Strikers Battle League game on the Nintendo Switch.   Think of the colour and madness of Mario Kart but on a football pitch with no rules and you're half way there.   Special moves such as Hyper Strikes get you two goals at once and you can take your opponents out of action by throwing items at them.   It's incredibly fast moving and being good at...

Today we're looking at getting started with websites.   And one of the first things to look at is the domain name, that's the address people type in to visit your website.   So, for example google.com or yourname.co.uk - those are domain names.   When the internet began, there were only a few extensions - .com, .net, org., .co and each country had its own, for example . co.uk or .us   But now ther...

1960s TV puppet sensation 'Thunderbirds' is coming back..and heading straight for digital.   The classic Gerry Anderson creation is now owned by ITV Studios, who've announced a partnership with a gaming platform due to launch this summer.   Thunderbirds International Rescue Club is gearing up for launch and promises immersive 'Metaverse' experiences, an online game, digital collectibles including...

Lots to digest for Apple users after the company held its annual World Wide Developers Conference last night.   Among the highlights - you'll now be able to unsend and edit text messages.   There's a complete reinvention of the 'Car Play' in car entertainment system.   Users of Apple Maps will be able to put in up to 15 stops for a single route and safety features will help people in abusive relat...

Google has announced it's to tidy up its video calling apps.   For the last few years Google Meet has been aimed at business users and Google Duo was like FaceTime for consumers.   Neither has really been as widely used as Google would like with Zoom and Microsoft Teams really dominating the whole sector.   Part of that was Google's failure to properly explain what the products were, who they were...

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations feature heavily across social media at the moment.   The Royal Family has - for a number of years now - embraced social media.   The official Instagram account is sharing a mix of behind the scenes preparation for the events taking place this weekend and highlights from the Queen's 70 year reign.   You'll also find official royal family channels on Faceboo...

One of the most powerful figures in all of digital media is leaving her role at Facebook's parent company.     Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008, becoming Chief Operating Officer and was the most senior person in the entire company after founder Mark Zuckerberg.   She effectively ran the company during its most successful period and achieved widespread praise for her 'Lean In' book, which ai...

Business website Bloomberg has published fascinating insight into Google's attempts to battle Amazon for online shopping.   The search giant has never really had a a strong e-commerce strategy but now it's changing direction and trying again.     Google wants to make it easier for customers to find what they want to buy - and then buy it - without having to go to 3rd party websites.   One to keep...

Email newsletters still outperform social media when it comes to getting a return on investment for marketing - and that's why so many businesses send so many emails and they're so desperate to get you to sign up to join their mailing lists.   You probably deal with some companies where you're very happy to be on their mailing list and get details of new products and sometimes even discounts.    ...

Here's a new player in the video editing business - it's called veed.io and it's an online browser based video editor.   There's nothing to download and a decent free plan as long as you don't mind restrictions on the duration and quality of the videos.   It makes it particularly easy to add captions to videos and then share them to social media.   Like CapCut which I mentioned on a previous broad...

Here's your 60 second round up of the latest technology news.   Could Playstation be planning a 'pro' version of its PS5 console?   Chinese electronics giant TCL says it expects to see one - and an upgraded Xbox sometime in 2023 and 2024.   It's unclear whether the company has any insider knowledge or if this is an educated guess - Playstation fans have flooded social media with complaints that th...

The online dating market is expected to be worth 3.5 billion dollars by the end of 2025.   One of the key elements to consider when choosing one to use is whether you prefer a system that lets you browse and read profiles and then decide who to contact, or something based around an algorithm where you enter information about yourself and the software then suggests 'matches', or would you prefer so...

I've a few sites to mention today if you're interesting in taking your video game playing to the next level and perhaps trying to become a video game influencer.   Some gamers are growing a fan base and even making money by streaming themselves playing games and to make the most of it, you need a ready supply of games.   Research from Affise highlights the platforms gamers should consider.   Top o...

Glassdoor is a bit like TripAdvisor - but for staff.   You'll find it at glassdoor.co.uk and it encourages employees to anonymously review their current or former employer.   It can hep you find out how much you should be earning and, according to research is a useful early warning of things that might be wrong with a company.   Like any review site, you can't 100% trust everything you read there...

Comsteria delivers the UK' smost relevant media relations training. Follow this podcast for regular tips and tricks to get your point across with clarity and personality in TV, radio and newspaper interviews. Visit us online for more. www.comsteria.co.uk  

The Digital Minute is here for you if you've any questions or issues with gadgets or technology.   Email me your questions to colin@colinkelly.ne t and I'll do my best to answer them.   I get a lot of people asking about live streaming and how they can get better results.   If you're working from a PC or Mac and video streaming or streaming yourself playing video games, the graphics card is one of...

Gap is the latest retailer to set itself up inside the MetaVerse.   The clothing chain has opened a virtual space inside Roblox although you won't be able to buy anything.   The experience is aimed at teenagers and let's them hang out at a photo booth and juice bar, there's also a Style Stage where they'll be encouraged to show off their style.   It seems the plan is to create a positive, fun spac...

Netflix makes almost all its revenue from subscription fees.   And some of the big streaming giants are concerned that their service might be among the first cuts being make if they are trying to reduce their household outgoings.   Of course the companies themselves are also having to pay more just to run their businesses as all of us try to deal with the cost of living crisis.   Netflix has alrea...

It always annoys me when I'm in a queue at a cafe or takeaway and a group of people in front of me, who're together, all want to pay separately.   Technology should make this a thing of the past.   Check the app store for 'bill splitter' apps.     There are dozens to choose from including KittySplit, Splitwise and Billzer.   Some are best suited to situations where you're out and about - there are...

Good news for Chromebook users, Google announced last week that one of the most popular video editing software apps will soon be available on ChromeOS - LumaFusion is a real hit with iPhone and Android users but until now hasn't run on Chromebook which have lacked a real serious video editing system, this would be a great step forward and make Chromebooks more useful for content creation and creat...

His deal to buy the company hasn't gone through yet but Elon Musk is already working to give users a better experience of Twitter.   Over the weekend the billionaire Tesla founder Tweeted what he called very important information to fix your Twitter feed.   Following his instructions changed what you see from a tailored, personalised feed based on what Twitter's algorithm thinks you want, to somet...

Friday the 13th seems like an appropriate day to tell you about some of the misinformation that flies around the internet…and in fact, it's making some of us ill.   Some people take pleasure in sharing fake news, or winding other people up..everything is amplified and there are even bots - machines, bits of software and code - that are designed to cause trouble online.   The fact is that spending...

Many of us understand the importance of making responsible decisions about the food we consume.   What if we were to apply that same thinking to the content we consume from the internet and social media channels?   It's Mental Health Awareness Week and now would be a good time to start taking control instead of passively scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and the like.   These platforms open us...