Small businesses have their work cut out for them. They don’t have the financial muscle of big businesses that spend a huge amount of money promoting their products and services.  So, they are forced to use out-of-the box promotional efforts to improve the visibility of their business and also increase their sales figures.

One of the ways used by small businesses to improve their sales figures is integrating ecommerce into their Facebook business page.

Leveraging Facebook Popularity

Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking platform in the world today. Most internet users have a presence on Facebook.  It is a huge resource of target audience that is waiting to be tapped. As a small business, you can use the popularity of this platform to give a push to your sales figures. By making your storefront available on Facebook, you are making it visible to Facebook users, who don’t have to stray from their Facebook accounts to buy your products or services.

The Online Shopping Mall

One of the biggest business advantages of Facebook is that it has slowly but surely started emerging as an online shopping mall. Integrating ecommerce features into a Facebook business page, is very much like opening a shop in a mall.  You are actually making your business and its products and services more accessible to users who spend a large part of their day in the Facebook environment. This betters your chances of making sales.

Enhanced shopping Experience

Your Facebook business page will help you administer all your Facebook Ad and will be the platform for all your promotional endeavors. The idea behind creating a business page on Facebook is giving your business an opportunity to attract a target audience based on their interests, preferences, region and various other factors. But what next! Once you have made an impression on your target audience, how do you make sure that they have a look at your products and services?

You can ensure this by integrating a storefront within your business page. There is no need for prospective customers to login to your ecommerce site.  They can shop for your products and services from your business page itself.

Impulse Buying

Facebook user love to explore and connect. This is why they are on Facebook in the first place. Studies indicate that many businesses both big and small are blending ecommerce with their Facebook page to create an environment for impulse buying.  A person having a glance at your business page might want to give your products and services a try at the spur of the moment. For small businesses, it’s important that such an opportunity is provided to customers. This can set the ball rolling for word of mouth publicity for your products and services across Facebook and beyond.

Integrating ecommerce in the Facebook Page is a great way for business and product promotion.. But, it must be used in the best possible way for ensuring maximizing returns.

Google has started looking a little different. For starters, the Google Home Page offers users a cleaner look, with its smaller logo and all the links being moved to the top and bottom edges of the browser. As a user, you might not realize the value of these changes, but on closer scrutiny you can pick up the finer points of the design and understand why the changes have taken place.

With the latest changes Google, as is its norm, is making search more effective and simpler.  The updated design highlights key action buttons with bolder colors. Another notable change is that for every search result, the user will find a URL directly beneath the headline.

The Spotlight is on Content Creators

In the recent past, Google has updated and modified its algorithm to put emphasis on quality content. Now, it has further improved upon its emphasis by making certain changes in the design element.  With the new changes, Google will highlight the authorship of the content.  This is possible if you link your Google profile with your content. This is currently a pilot program, but there is no doubt that it is going to be a step in the right direction for ensuring that only high quality content tops the search engine rankings.

Improvement to the Map Style

Google Maps has also undergone a designing update that aims to give users more map centric information and also simplifies the look and feel of the map. The idea behind the design change is to offer users more map, so they get a better idea of the location they are searching for and how to reach the location.  The map style has become bigger, better and more informative. In a nutshell, it’s become more polished.

The process of updating designs for improving the search engine experience will continue unabated. For now, it’s time to enjoy and appreciate the changes in design and making the most out of them.

First Apple and Google said it and then it was Microsoft – There is no beating HTML 5. The thumbs-up given by the three big boys is being reflected in the internet chatter surrounding HTML 5. So, one thing is for sure, the benefits of this structuring language are definitely not a result of rumor mongering. They are there, and they are up for grabs.

So, what are the features that are making HTML 5 such a talked about version. Why is this latest HTML revision being touted as being the best ever? Let’s take a look.

Introduction of new Elements

If it’s being called the new and improved version, there must be some new element that it brings to its users. Well, there are plenty of new introductions; let’s start with the ‘header’; it can be used to put in branding information or even more in depth information such as ‘table of contents’. Another element that is worth a mention is the ‘nav’ element. It is used to contain link groups that link with other pages or various sections of the same page. Only primary navigation link groups are a part of the nav element. Another important element is the ‘aside’ element, which is used for representing content restricted to the main area of document.

These elements might look like the rehashed version of some previous elements, but the difference lies in the way they have been defined. They are a step up from their previous versions and help you structure your document in a semantic manner.

New APIs on Offer

There are plenty of scripting application programming interfaces on offer including, an offline storage database, a drag–and-drop functionality, browser history management, 2D canvas element, and many more. Some of these technologies are a part of the W3C HTML 5 specification while all of them figure in the specifications for WHATWG HTML. There are also other technologies such as ‘File Writer’, Web SQL Database’, and ‘File API’ amongst others that are not a part of either W3C HTML 5 or the WHATWG HTML.

While mentioning the APIs it’s important to debunk a common misconception. You won’t be able to integrate animation within web pages using HTML 5. If you want to animate your HTML elements, you must use CSS3 or JavaScript. 

Mobile Device Friendly

HTML 5 is still a work in progress and therefore has limited support. But, every early indication suggests that it’s going to be a good bet for structuring and presenting mobile friendly content. Devices that are powered by Webkit support HTML 5. And the fact that most of the popular mobile devices on the market are founded on the Webkit rendering engine means, HTML 5 is definitely a language of the future. Most of the features of HTML 5 are already being used in development of iPhone web app; there is no doubt that in the near future, it will be used to develop web applications for other mobile platforms as well.

HTML 5 is the next big thing and something that has been developed keeping the future in mind.  It will definitely change the way we leverage the power of the World Wide Web.

Diehard Apple fans need very little convincing to get them to appreciate a new development that aims to improve the usability of their devices. But there is a section of users, who take such developments with a pinch of salt.

Apple has just unveiled the iCloud, its online service, that the company says is a whole lot more than "A hard drive in the sky". The initial applause that greeted the launch of this service has died down somewhat, and experts and users alike are taking a hard look at what's on offer, and whether iCloud is really the next big thing. Like many other Apple products and services, will it bring out a loud and emphatic "WOW" from its users, or will it be caught in a web of skepticism.

Let’s take a look.

More than just a storage 'Cloud'

Think of iCloud as a cloud that acts as a store room for your music, apps, calendars, and a whole lot more. You will be forgiven for thinking this is just another file storage platform. But, Apple has taken file sharing to a whole new level altogether.  These apps, music etc can be pushed into your devices wirelessly and automatically. ‘Effortless’ is the word that comes to mind if we were to describe the Apple iCloud in one word.

MobileMe Reloaded?

For many people, the iCloud came across as an improved version of its earlier service MobileMe. Well, it is and it isn’t. At one end, the company has definitely tied up the loose ends that were found in MobileMe and has come up with something much better. But, with the iCloud, Apple has redefined the way data can be updated and managed. It has also put primary importance on the fact that iCloud will sync with all Apple devices.

What’s more, it’s free!

All consumers, including new and existing ones, will be offered free 5GB worth of data storage. If you want additional storage, you will need to pay for it.

Automatic Sync – A Big Plus

The convenience with which your data will be synced is the biggest WOW factor in the Apple iCloud. This is why Apple’s iCloud is looking more and more like a winner? It can best be explained with an example – Say you have taken a collection of photos with your iPhone and haven’t decided on where to store it yet. The Apple iCloud will come to your rescue. It will copy your photos and store them, giving you time to decide on a place where you want to store them in the physical world. This remains true for everything that you do with your Apple devices – iCloud will store a copy of everything. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about any new updates and whether your device is keeping pace with them. All updates will be done automatically, without you having to worry about them.

Cutting through all the fanfare linked to the Apple iCloud, it’s important to note that this is a product that brings to users real value. This and the fact that the company is putting money where its mouth is, reflected in the billion dollar data center that’s only going to support the iCloud services, ensures that users will definitely go WOW. If not now; definitely in the near future.

The spotlight is now on social media buttons that can be integrated into your website or blog. These buttons help visitors share the content on your site with friends, family and colleagues. As webmasters begin to unearth the hidden potential of social media and its use for business promotion, more and more websites are displaying such buttons.

A website must be developed to compete against the best in business; it needs to cover all bases and make sure that it uses every marketing tool available at its disposal, to promote its information and products and services.  Social share buttons have emerged as a new tool in the intensely competitive world of online promotion.

A one-click shortcut

As a website owner, you might wonder as to why integrate a social share button. If visitors want to share your content or link with somebody, they can always logon to Facebook, Twitter etc and do it. Why have buttons on your website? Yes, your website visitor can do this, but they won’t. Why would they waste time and effort in going through the whole process, after all, you aren’t paying them for it, are you? What social media buttons do, is that they offer a ‘shortcut’ for your visitors. All they need to do is click on a particular button, and they are done. They wouldn’t mind doing that.

Impact your marketing efforts

You want your website content to be seen by the maximum number of people. And for this to happen, you are using numerous online marketing tools and techniques. Using social media buttons will make your marketing efforts even more worthwhile. You will give relevance to your site content, by enabling users to share it across various social networking sites. If you get your buttons and content right, there is a good chance that your social media button will leave the kind of impact that you are looking for.

Promotes a Culture of Engagement

Unlike some of the more overt online branding efforts, integrating social share buttons on your website is a way of branding, but one that is not ‘in your face’. When visitors come across a social media button placed on a particular page, they are given to understand that you want to interact with them at a certain level.  For you, customer engagement is more important than just selling your products and services. This is one way of ensuring that your prospective customers see you as a credible and professional merchant, whose content they wouldn’t mind sharing with the people they know.

A word about the different Social Media Buttons

Some people are consumed by the benefits they see in Facebook and Twitter when it comes to social media buttons. No doubt, these buttons help share content and links, quickly and conveniently, but you must not forget that there are other social media buttons available. Take for example LinkedIn. If you are offering the kind of products and services that are targeting working professionals, this social media button might be better suited for your needs. Stumble Upon, is yet another button that can be used. It’s a popular social media platform, which means your content can be seen by many prospective customers. Google +1 is a recent entrant in the world of social media buttons, and helps people recommend the links and content that interest them.

There are plenty of options available. So, the best way to go about it will be to use a combination of social media buttons, which you think can effectively market your site.