Review Archives - CyberGuru

Five tips to spring clean your website

cyberguru Design September 11, 2015September 18, 2015design, maintenance, redesign, redevelopment, refresh, Review, updates, website

It is hard to believe we are now in September! Spring is here, and we suggest it is time to spring clean your website. We hear many organisations reflect on whether having a website is worth the effort when they aren’t getting as many visitors as they would like. Our top recommendation is that you need to regularly update your website and content. If you have a blog that hasn’t been updated in sometime, by posting new articles regularly, you are more likely to increase your interest in your business.

The following five tips will help you spring clean your website:

Have you recently posted any new articles onto your website or social media platforms? Search engines are often crawling over your website, determining how often you are updating to determine its relevance in their searches. As mentioned above, by regularly refreshing content, search engines will visit your website more often and result in more visitors.
Is the information on your website up-to-date? A review of your website content should take place on a regular basis. It is worthwhile to spend the time to refresh and go through all of the content on your pages to ensure it is updated. If it isn’t, then it is time to archive it so it is not referred to, or mark the content as under review or maintenance.
Are the contact details you have on your social media and search directories accurate? We have seen a Google Business Page with an organisation’s address or phone details, but these are not their current details. Imagine if a client tried to visit you, referred to by Google to your location, and they discovered they weren’t there? They may think you are out of business!
Are all your links working? Check to make sure all of the pages go to the correct locations, especially if you are referencing external or third party websites. As many websites are undergoing refresh or review, it may be worthwhile automating the link checking process this so you don’t have to keep checking if websites have changed.
Are you maintaining your content management system and plugins to protecting your website against vulnerabilities? We have a number of clients who are taking advantage of our Website Maintenance Service, who for a monthly fee, get regular maintenance on their website, including full backup, installation the latest updates to the content management including plugins and translations and testing the website. If you aren’t doing it, is your website designer doing this?

If you haven’t already have a website, perhaps it is time to consider a new one, or if you do, redesigning your existing one if it has been online for some time. If you are considering getting a new website or having redesign your existing website, or need some assistance in taking advantage of some of the new developments, such as adding mailing lists, integration with social media platforms, our Design computer solution can help. We can also perform the Website Maintenance Service. Please contact us today for more information.

Microsoft Windows 10 is here!

cyberguru Exclusive July 29, 2015July 30, 2015opinion, Review, Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 launched today. There has been a greater fanfare for this version of Windows than many before it. Here at CyberGuru, we have seen the launch of Windows 98, Windows Me (also known as Millennium edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 and of course, Windows 8. There has been many editions and updates over this time. Whilst Windows 95 was prior to our official commencement, we were very much enjoying it as a hobby at that time! It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since this operating system, which was the last operating system with such interest.

Perhaps the reason why Windows 95 had so much interest in it as the introduction of the Start menu. It was it was a revolutionary change over Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 at the time. Similarly, Windows XP improved the “experience” of those who were running Windows 95 and Windows 98. And sure enough, Windows 7 took the baton from Windows XP with many kicking and screaming to keep running it. Windows 8 removed the Start menu and introduced the full start screen, and caused many to turn their back on it.

It is often said every second release of Windows that is seen best to skip, for reasons such as bugs, compatibility and sometimes even one’s desire to upgrade, but often because the “skipped” releases are rushed out the door by Microsoft. So much so, Microsoft’s announcement that this would be the “last version of Windows” is been often reported with this release of Windows. Truth be told, we understand that Windows will still continue to be developed and likely to become a subscription (or “as a service”) product similar to many other products on the market today. We are hoping that Windows 10 is a product that is continued to be developed and maintained well into the future and from the looks of things it is going down this way.

As Microsoft rightly states, it brings the best of Windows 7 and Windows 8 together. It rightly brings back the Start Menu, as well as introducing a new web browser to replace Internet Explorer, known as Edge. Another new addition is Cortana, a personal digital assistant similar to Apple Siri and Google Now. This is not currently in Australia but is anticipated to be available later this year. Some of the other new features being introduced into Windows 10 include Continuum, which automatically adjusts Windows to the type of device you are using, Task View, which allows you to add virtual desktops, and finally Windows Hello, a new way of using facial recognition to log onto your computer.

At a time when many of our clients are considering to upgrade, we are suggesting a considered approach like any new product especially whilst it is still “version 1.0”. If you are using it on a personal tablet device or one that you are happy to experiment on, you may find the new features compelling to move to. However, if you are in an organisation reliant perhaps on legacy or Windows XP Mode applications (those not designed for Windows 7 or Windows 8), is a significant upgrade. To operate effectively, as such we would consider waiting for at least until the beginning of new year before considering upgrading. Most new computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8 will be compatible, however we encourage you to check with us and your Get Windows 10 application before going ahead.

Windows 10 isn’t as big as upgrade as previous upgrades have been. From moving to Windows 98 to Windows XP, or even Windows XP to Windows 7, we saw considerable resistance to change. As Microsoft is offering free perpetual upgrades from Windows 7 and Windows 8 until 29 July 2016, it will be of interest to see whether they achieve their desired take-up of the product and remove the memories of Windows 8 from as many as possible.

New computers with Windows 10 operating systems will become more commonplace over the coming year. A client I spoke to today when I advised it was the launch of Windows 10 this afternoon, said she never wants to move from Windows 7 – but over time this will become a necessity in order to keep operating. In business’ today, we see the take up of Windows 8 gathering more momentum. The opportunity to move straight from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is there, will this put a path in Windows 8 upgrades? Only time will tell.

Here at CyberGuru, we are preparing ourselves and equipping our knowledge and skills to be ready to help our clients with the transition to Windows 10. If you have any questions, require any consulting, support or training, please contact us today.

Windows 10 Review – Initial thoughts

cyberguru Announcements October 14, 2014November 10, 2014Initial thoughts, Review, Windows 10

Just over a week ago, Microsoft announced the release of the Windows 10 Technical Preview as the successor to Windows 8. More than just a significant version number increase, it has brought about a number of changes to the Windows interface that have been most requested since early previews of Windows 8, including the return of the Start menu.

Having used the Windows 10 Technical Preview over the past week, I am excited to see the return of the Start menu. Whilst I had become increasingly accustomed to the Start screen, the main navigation which has been in place since Windows 95 through to Windows 7, caused much fear into the hearts of users has been taken over by a full-screen tile-based interface. Fortunately, Windows 10 brings back the Start menu but also uses the tiles to allow for shortcuts to applications.

: Windows 10 Desktop – click to enlarge screenshot

Windows 10 Start Menu - click to enlarge screenshot — Windows 10 Start Menu – click to enlarge screenshot

Apps now also open in Windows rather than in full screens. As someone who likes to have multiple windows open at the same time and work between them, this might encourage the use of more apps. Currently, they are only able to be resized horizontally. Hopefully this will change in future releases. Windows has also brought with it virtual desktops, similar to that of other operating systems. You could choose to have one screen for work-related programs and one for personal ones. There is also a new Task View which shows the open programs to switch between apps and desktops.

Windows 10 About – click to enlarge screenshot

: Windows 10 Task View – click to enlarge screenshot

File Explorer also adds “Add to Favourites” onto the ribbon. You can now also find most recently accessed folders or files. There is also a new Search button on the task bar but seems to be more internet-based searching using Bing rather than the existing programs, apps and settings and files search in Windows 8.1. However, there is Search Everything on the Start menu which also this searching.

Windows 10 File Explorer – click to enlarge screenshot

: Windows 10 Search – click to enlarge screenshot

We will continue to keep you informed of the changes as identify them. If you have any questions or would like to know any more about, please feel free to contact us and we’ll see what we can find out!