The US Department of Labor announced on June 6, 2018 that the United States had 6.7 million job openings and only 6.4 million workers to fill them.
The reason for this wide job gap was due to the fact candidates for the work simply didn’t possess the correct qualifications. The Department of Labor announcement went on to say that three million of these job openings were in the field of information technology.
This article will focus on the specific areas of information technology where these job openings exist.
Network administration
Websites, newspapers and magazines are filled with ads looking for qualified network administrators. Companies are looking for candidates who can function in the cloud and using servers on site. The problem faced by many organizations is the candidates who apply for these positions do not have the right qualifications. Network administrators need three basic certifications: CompTIA A+, Microsoft Certified system expert or Microsoft certified system associate and Cisco Certified Network administrator.
The certifications mentioned above involve fixing a computer, handling a corporate server and installing plus configuring routers.
The certifications listed above can be obtained in less than one year.
Cyber Security
The next area, which is experiencing high demand is cyber security. All networks are open to some type of cyber-attack. Cyber security professionals can also repair a network, which has been damaged by a cybercriminal.
The Certifications required for cyber security are:
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Network +
Cisco Certified Network Associate
CompTIA Security +
Certified Ethical Hacker
Linux Fundamentals.
The certifications listed in this program are completed in less than one year.
Database administrator is another area, which is receiving a great deal of demand. In this program employees are paid to organize, secure and backup a company’s information. The two popular database classes to take are Microsoft and Oracle.
A student can receive the database certification in less than one year.
Computer programming is another area receiving a lot of demand. Computer programmers are needed for gaming, application development and website backend functionality.
Computer programmers will receive their certification in one year.
Finally web developers are needed. Pew research confirmed that 75% of small businesses having less than five employees don’t have a functional website. If you become a web developer, you can be the person who builds it for them.
A career in information technology is only a telephone call away.
Call ABCO Technology between 9 A.M and 6 P.M Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email all questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at:
11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588
Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
Get one of those three million jobs. Get certified for information technology today!
Would you like to learn and possess the technical skills to make this world a better place? ABCO Technology will teach you the computer programming skills to do just that. This article is the story about Brigitte, a cyber application that was created to prevent school bullying and other offenses against students.
A World Without Bullying: Brigitte’s Story
Some people call me a “bully buster.” As a teen I did my own research about bullying, I wrote a survival guide, and I was bullied myself. I believe there’s a lot we can do to stop bullying!
To share that hope, I often visit elementary, middle, and high schools. If I came to your school, here’s what I’d do in the all-school assembly: I’d ask everybody to close their eyes for a minute.
Then I’d ask you to think of a time when you may have been bullied. Perhaps somebody said something mean to you or gossiped about you. Somebody may have punched or kicked you; the point being, an individual or a group of people did something to you that made you feel bad about yourself.
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With everyone’s eyes closed, how many hands do you think would reach into the air? Ten, 20, maybe 40, tops? The answer is … at least ¾ of the students raise their hands — 3 out of every 4 kids admit to going through similar experiences of bullying!
You’re Not Alone
If you have been a victim of bullying, you probably understand how lonely it feels. You might have even thought to yourself, “There can’t be anyone else in my whole school going through this type of torment!” But, as my experiment shows, it’s simply not true.
I know that when I was in eighth grade, I sure felt that way. I have always been rather tall — I’m like 5 feet and 11 inches tall now — and I’m also quite the science nerd. I went to an all-girls middle school so things were pretty catty, especially to someone who was a little different from the rest of the pack. I went through a lot of shunning and name calling in eighth grade and I used to spend our lunch and break times in the bathroom, many times crying.
How It Felt
I remember some of my best friends turned against me and I just felt completely worthless. I convinced myself there was something about me that made all of these people turn against me and ostracize me! I feel really lucky that I have such a great family to help me rise above it and channel all of my pain into a project that will be able to help other kids survive similar or worse experiences.
I started doing research with tweens and teens to figure out just how many people actually are suffering from bullying. That plus my personal experience led me to write a book called “Dorie Witt’s Guide to Surviving Bullies.” It’s a made-up story about very real happenings and feelings.
I began my process by creating a questionnaire and online survey. I administered my questionnaire in various focus groups in which students came together and talked about bullying. You can find some of the questions and answers at the beginning of each chapter of my book! In my opinion, it shows that bullying is a universal issue that kids like you and me across America are dealing with every day!
So, I’ve gone from being bullied to helping other people get through it. When I talk to school groups, I close the exercise by asking everybody to close their eyes and think about a time when the situation was reversed. Was there a time when you were the one who wasn’t being too nice? (p.s. In case you were wondering, my hand goes up every time for this question, too.)
But it’s not just my hand. Again, about 3 in 4 people — most of the audience — say they have sometimes been the bully!
So I always ask, “If we know bullying can hurt so much, why do we sometimes turn around and become a bully ourselves?”
What Counts as Bullying?
When you think of bullying, you have to consider all four types: physical, verbal, nonverbal, and cyberbullying (using computer or cell phone). I think a common misconception we have is that physical bullying is the worst, when really all four types of bullying can be equally painful. Verbal bullying (like using words such as “gay” as insults or speaking badly about another) or nonverbal bullying (such as ignoring another person) can have long-lasting effects.
As you get older, it’s also good to know that bullying can be different as you go from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. From my experience, in elementary school, much of the bullying happens on the playground and involves physical bullying and friendship troubles. You do, of course, find a lot of verbal bullying too.
In middle school, bullying gets amped up. I saw a lot of gossiping and social exclusion among girls, many times much physical bullying among boys and also verbal and cyberbullying among both boys and girls. By high school, the problem of bullying gets a little better because we’ve matured, but it doesn’t just go away.
From what I’ve seen, bullying in high school can be more aggressive. The word choices may change (harsher words and curse words). Also, teens communicate more freely by text or online. Because some kids are just physically big, that can make a bully scarier. In addition, many high schools are quite large and it can be difficult for teachers to be everywhere to stop the bullying if they see it.
What YOU Can Do
If you see bullying happen, then, as I explain in my book, you are a not-so-innocent bystander. Bystanders are so important and they have potential to make such a big difference!
Bullies like feeling popular and that they have the support of their friends and classmates in general. If you see someone bullied, you can help take that feeling of power away from the bully. How? The hardest thing to do is step in on the victim’s behalf, especially when you are the only one standing up. It’s a great thing to do, but here are some alternatives that also can be very helpful:
1.Talk to the victim afterward. Ask if the person is OK, tell them you think what happened was wrong, and offer to help them contact a grownup.
2.Use “group correction.” This is when a bunch of people agree that they’re going to stand up to a bully. You can just calmly tell the bully to stop and leave the person alone. This works best when students have been trained in how it works, which is why schools need to educate kids about this.
3.If you can’t do 1 or 2, at least tell a grownup (teacher, coach, parent) about what you saw.
Adults really can actually help, even though I get it, we don’t always want to admit this can be the case. But sometimes problems are way out of our hands and we need to get somebody else involved who can make the situation better. (p.s. The bully never has to know you were the one who got an adult involved and so you don’t have to worry about being targeted next.)
I understand it is very daunting to stand beside the victim instead of behind the bully. But think about it: Wouldn’t you want somebody to do the same for you?
It is important that adults help us with stopping bullying, but we also need to take some responsibility ourselves! It doesn’t even matter if the victim isn’t your best friend in the world. As I say in every single school I speak in, “You don’t have to like every single person, but you do need to respect them.”
The Last Straw
We all reach a point when we say, “Enough is enough! I can’t take this anymore!” By definition, bullying is a repetitive action, meaning it happens over and over again. It’s this repetitiveness of bullying, which I like to call the “daily grind,” that can really affect people so much!
Many times we can’t tell what the last straw is for somebody and we don’t always know how our words and actions may affect another person! One small insult or sarcastic comment gone awry could send someone over the edge, while a smile or other gesture of concern and kindness could save them from reaching that point.
There’s Hope, Really!
So I’ve talked a lot about the bad stuff. But there’s good, too!
I don’t think people are born “bad” and wanting to hurt other people. I think we can make a difference if we start teaching kids from a young age. We can’t just tell them bullying is wrong. We have to tell them why.
Everywhere around us we see so much violence whether it be on the television or in video games that I feel we have become desensitized to pain. People need to be reminded that violence is not actually commonplace. In the real world, when people are violent, it has big consequences.
Kids, parents, and schools need more resources to teach about bullying. Where I live in Massachusetts, I helped pass one of the most comprehensive anti-bullying laws in the nation. Because of this legislation, all schools must have programs in place for anti-bullying as well as mandatory reporting by teachers. Schools cannot choose to ignore a bullying problem, they must act.
Ending bullying is really a community effort and the more we spread the word, the harder and harder it will be for people to simply put it aside as “kids being kids.” I guess some people call me an idealist for my optimistic hope for the future, but I think we need to stop focusing on the negative and start thinking about the positive. If we live our lives in goodness, we will be able to share that with others around us!
I realize that I may not be able to end bullying forever. But I believe I can help spread support and resources across the country — and maybe the world someday. Then kids just like me know that they are never alone when facing bulling. There will always be somebody, somewhere willing to listen and to help!
This article defines the need. Here is an App. Meet Brigitte. This app was built by a group of millennials who wanted to end bullying of all types by making the process of reporting very simple. Brigitte is spreading throughout the east Coast and schools all over the country are adapting this application for student protection.
If you are interested in solving world problems like bullying, it’s time to think about creating a powerful application.
ABCO Technology’s computer programming program will do just that. Call our campus between 9 A.m. and 6 P.m. Monday through Friday. Call today at: (310) 216-3067.
Email all questions to info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for funding.
Are you a US veteran, network administrator or a person who allowed their certifications to laps? Would you like to gain a big advantage over your IT competition?
If you answered yes to these important questions, The CompTIA Security + certification is for you.
The CompTIA Security + is gaining in popularity across the United States. Over two million companies are requiring the CompTIA Security + as a major requirement for network administrators.
The reason for this surge in demand for this certification is because of the massive increase in cybercrime. Cyber-attacks are a normal part of a network administrator’s business day. These attacks usually are made upon the corporate server, routers, attacks on individual work stations and in some cases hackers have been known to gain access through a device like a simple printer or fax.
On May 15, 2018 Banks in Mexico had to admit that cyber-criminals stole twenty million dollars due to hacking. In fact Money transfers had to be suspended for 24 hours so the crimes could be sorted out. Only one result came from this attack, more cyber security professionals were hired.
The US government is requiring all companies who contract with them, have a person on staff who is certified in cyber security. The last thing our government wants is to have important information fall into the wrong hands. News leaks dominate the news today. Cyber security is one solution to stop vital information from falling into the hands of the media. The CompTIA Security + is the certification most recognized by the US government.
What is needed to fight these attacks, is a qualified person who has certified cyber security skills. The CompTIA Security + is your credential, which will prove to employers that you can defend their network against a cyber-attack.
The CompTIA Security + is not a standalone certification. In order to receive maximum benefit from this certification, network administrators should have the CompTIA A+, Microsoft’s MCSE, Cisco CCNA and if the MCSE isn’t possible the CompTIA Network + will be sufficient to advance to the CompTIA Security + certification.
The CompTIA Security + is completed in 78 hours. While in class, you will learn the critical strategies you can employ to harden your network against all kinds of cyber-attacks.
In addition, the US Department of Defense recognizes the CompTIA Security + as a major proof of cyber security competence. In fact, the CompTIA Security + is a key part of a Department of Defense security clearance known as DOD 8140.
Veterans, persons working in network administration and candidates who have various degrees in the field of information technology will benefit from this information packed certification.
After completing the CompTIA Security +, many of our students move onto the Certified Ethical hacker, which provides all of the tools you will need for network penetration testing and defense.
You will receive access to over 600 tools, which will enable you to defend your organization against a cyber-attack. Cyber-security is big business in 2018. Students who train and become certified will be in demand. Jobs for cyber security professionals are listed in all 50 states. If you obtain this certificate, you can choose where you want to live. Most important, you will know that you have the earning power to receive a solid income so you can buy that house or car you’ve always wanted.
If you are interested in learning about cyber security, contact ABCO Technology.
Reaching our campus by telephone is easy. Call Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM. Our phone number is (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for education funding.
ABCO Technology is located at:
11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588
Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
Become a cyber-security certified professional today!
If you can repair a computer, laptop or smart phone, you’ll have a job today! The CompTia A+ is the ultimate certification for a high school senior or teenager to enter the work force. The CompTia A+ is the best starting point for a career in the field of information technology.
Gone are the days of those easy to get summer jobs most high school seniors used to enjoy. In the work place of 2018, workers who have specific employable skills are hired. Those who are not trained to do a specific task, sit home watching TV or stream their lives away on the Internet.
The CompTia A+ certifies that its holder can repair all types of computers, install devices on a network and repair smart phones. Local Apple stores are constantly looking for young workers holding these skills.
The CompTia A+ can be completed in a standard course, which lasts 78 hours. The material is usually completed in five weeks. Students taking the A+ course pass two exams: 901 for hardware and 902 for operating systems.
It is important when taking this exam that you learn how to answer those simulation questions. Many of those self-study manuals can’t duplicate the new simulator questions found on the A+ exam. CompTia, like many vendors is moving away from the multiple choice format.
After passing both exams, students will be able to apply for the job of desktop technician, computer repair specialist or work for an information technology customer support center.
The problem today is that most companies report that it is very hard to find qualified young candidates. If you are between the ages of 17 and 24, this opportunity is right for you. Get trained and certified for A+ today.
ABCO Technology offers a comprehensive program for the CompTia A+. If you are interested in this opportunity, contact our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday by telephone at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for federal education funding.
Over the years, I’ve written and reprinted many articles for ABCO Technology’s Facebook page. Today I want to reprint and give special credit to Tiernan Ray who writes for Barron’s magazine. This article about quantum computing is published with an investment perspective, however readers interested in information technology careers will grasp the job possibilities represented in this brilliant article written by Tiernan Ray.
Technology Trader
Getting Your Mind Around Quantum Computing
Is five years beyond your investment horizon? If so, ignore what I’m about to say: In five years, we will have practical quantum computers, long the holy grail of computer scientists.
That prediction comes from Microsoft (ticker: MSFT), which is pursuing novel avenues to build a computer that operates on the strange quantum mechanical properties of subatomic particles. Such computers may solve previously intractable problems in information technology.
Even if quantum computing lies outside your portfolio considerations, there are implications worth pondering. Quantum computers are already being “simulated” by Microsoft, meaning that some of their basic operations are being mimicked on plain old microprocessors and memory chips.
As quantum computing grows nearer, and as programmers eager to learn about it explore it through mimicry, it could ripple through technology. The race for innovative chips, software, and cloud computing could be affected. Companies that shoulder the risk and reward include chip makers Intel (INTC), Nvidia (NVDA), and Micron Technology (MU), and cloud-computing operators such as Microsoft, with its Azure cloud service; Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google; and Amazon.com (AMZN).
QUANTUM COMPUTERS EXPLOIT nonlinear aspects of quantum particles such as “entanglement” and “superposition,” in which particles exist in not one but several states simultaneously. That makes possible computations in parallel, rather than the traditional one-by-one processing of classical computing. Nobel physicist Richard Feynman helped propel the field in a series of 1981 lectures, when he proposed a computer built using individual atoms. Because atoms have “measurable physical attributes,” known as “spin,” said Feynman, digital ones and zeros could be represented, or encoded, in them. Later, scientists broadened the concept. Instead of ones and zeros at a subatomic level, the qualities of entanglement and superposition could give quantum computers the ability to dramatically multiply the work that can be done in a given amount of time.
Making quantum computing practical has taken decades of fundamental research. A turning point came in 2012, Microsoft’s quantum team leader, Todd Holmdahl, told Barron’s last week. That was the year a team that included Leo Kouwenhoven, principal researcher on Microsoft’s quantum team, found evidence of the Majorana fermion. The Majorana is a particle with the property of being both matter and antimatter at the same time. Prior to that, its existence had only been hypothesized.
Kouwenhoven and the Microsoft team have gained greater control of the Majorana since then, says Holmdahl. Today, they are using it as a storage medium to manipulate a qubit, the fundamental unit of information in a quantum computer.
The Microsoft approach has its detractors, but Holmdahl and his colleague, physicist Julie Love, who heads business development, believe that the company will end up with the best qubits, that is, those with the lowest error rates. Minimizing errors means that the eventual Microsoft quantum computer should involve a far simpler design than rivals, and one that’s more scalable and practical.
The eventual quantum machine could offer breakthroughs in computationally intense fields, such as the chemistry of heavy metals. Artificial intelligence could be dramatically sped up.
OUTSIDE OF MICROSOFT, MANY FIRMS, including Alphabet, IBM (IBM), and various start-ups, are actively working on the technology, and programmers increasingly want to simulate the computers before they’re available commercially. That could further boost demand for DRAM memory chips. To simulate a relatively simple quantum computer involving just 40 qubits requires 16 trillion bytes of DRAM, a thousand times as much as the average laptop. That’s nice for Micron Technology (MU), which makes such components, along with Samsung Electronics (005930KS) and SK Hynix (000600.Korea).
Such simulations should fuel demand for Azure and other cloud-computing providers. After all, it’s much easier to roll out trillions of bits of DRAM if you’re Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Amazon AWS than it is for the average shop to buy tons of memory chips for laptops. Moreover, the algorithms to simulate quantum computing are still being theorized and tested. By rolling out new software, Microsoft and its cloud rivals can make the case that their services are perfect for learning about the new technology.
Quantum simulation may also put a strain on today’s chips. After all, current chips were first developed 60 years ago for processing simple bits, not for qubits with their multiple simultaneous states Traditional processors that manipulate integer or floating-point arithmetic might suffer by comparison to novel designs based on other principles.
The chip industry is already undergoing great change, and industry veterans are reinventing themselves with new start-ups. One is Ampere Computing, led by former Intel software executive Renee James. While James declined to describethe design of her new chips, she says some will be built to handle tasks such as artificial intelligence. Quantum could fuel such specialization, if there is enough demand to run the new emerging algorithms. While Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are both seeing a renaissance for their graphics chips, they may have to prepare for computers with very different requirements.
And what of Microsoft? Its quantum efforts have to be reckoned with. The effort may be the most promising development at the company since Satya Nadella became CEO four years ago. Regardless of whether Microsoft makes it across the finish line before others, the fact that it is competing in the race is encouraging for those rooting for the company.
Related: Microsoft: We Have the Qubits You Want
Getting Your Mind Around Quantum Computing
TIERNAN RAY can be reached at: tiernan.ray@barrons.com
ABCO Technology offers classes in five major areas of information technology, which include: networking, cyber security, web development, computer programming and Microsoft Office products. Call our campus today between 9 AM and 6 PM. We are available Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
Train and certify for a career in information technology today!
2018 might be the Chinese Year of the Dog, but it’s going to be Google’s Year of the Machine. In this year’s article I go through my predictions for 2017 and my new predicted Google focus for 2018. Want to see how I did for 2017? Read on..!
Google Assistant
Last year I wrote a piece focused on mobile and correctly predicted Google would continue to move away from big algorithm updates, and have a continued focus on the mobile index. So let’s start off with a quick recap of what I said last year.
The main thrust of the article was about mobile and how Google was going to be focusing on this to increase revenue from Adwords…
Google has access to brand new markets and a shortcut into markets they were previously struggling with. Desktop would never provide access to these as there are way too many barriers to ownership rates rising so dramatically (such as cost and internet infrastructure).
Mobile has solved a key problem for Google. 99% of revenue for Alphabet comes from Google and 77% of that comes from AdWords. That mobile traffic is key to this figure and they are going to be doing their best to keep pushing it.
And this is from an FT article on the third quarter earnings for Alphabet last year:
Strong growth in mobile search, programmatic advertising and smartphone use in Asia helped accelerate revenue at Alphabet to the fastest rate in almost five years, surpassing estimates for sales and earnings in the third quarter.
I did focus more on Africa than Asia, which was misplaced with the amount of investment Google has placed in the Asian market and the potential gains there. However, Africa is still an incredibly important market for Google and one they invested in massively during 2017, pledging to train 10 million people in Africa in online skills.
Additionally, Google has launched and continued to progress the mobile index, with mobile SEO further splitting from desktop.
One of the other noteworthy predictions was that we weren’t going to see any major updates on the desktop index anymore. With updates instead being small and frequent unnamed (by Google) corrections.
In 2017 we saw lots of small updates detected by the community and whilst there were a few new penalties put in place, for example targeting pages that used interstitials too heavily, these were not big algorithm shifts. The days of penguins, pandas and hummingbirds are over. It makes the lines even more blurred as it’s harder to point to things and say ‘after update X we know Y is now the case’. As a result of this, I would expect decreasing amounts of consensus across the SEO world as this continues. See our Google algorithm updates in 2017 for a recap of the year’s updates.
Finally, for the recap, I also talked about ‘Peak Mobile’ in some markets with Google’s focus shifting to changing user behavior for those who already owned mobile devices…
In the UK and US smartphones have reached saturation or are at least very near that point. With over 70% penetration in pretty much all the key markets (Europe, US, China), growth in mobile is going to be relying more on changing user behavior of existing device owners. Therefore we can expect more focus from the search engines on user behavior.
Google went on to broker a deal with Apple and they switched from Bing to Google to power Siri results on iOS in September 2017.
I’ll come back to this in the next part of the article where I lay out my predictions for 2018 as I think it’s strongly relevant.
The 2017 article is worth a read and covers a few other points as well. All the information I put across was an extension of the activity that was already taking place, so it was all a pretty safe bet. This year however I am going to go decidedly off piste…
The new device
There is a battle of the machines going on between Google and Amazon, with both of them vying to get themselves in your home. Google has ‘Home’ and Amazon has ‘Alexa’. Both of these are physically little more than glorified bluetooth speakers. However that speaker is linked to their respective AI offering.
Think about the last time there was an entirely new device for you to be served content from. We had desktop, then laptop and then mobile. An honorable mention goes out to tablet as well but it’s pretty much lumped in with mobile. But that’s it. Since 1998: 3. Well that’s now 4 with Google fighting a pitched battle to get into your home in yet another format. It’s Google VS Amazon or in other words Home VS Alexa.
Google is putting increasing resources into this battle, having realized that Amazon was leapfrogging ahead with Alexa. You might think this device is insignificant for Google as it has really limited potential as an ad serving platform. Which is correct. But, it’s got massive potential as a data collection platform, and crucially with every search or query made through Alexa, which is not visible to Google. So it’s losing out on that data.
Google Home is going to become increasingly integrated with other devices and they are going to keep driving the device cost down offering different model types. I also think that Google Assistant will be released, for free, for any manufacturer to use in their 3rd party device. There were a couple of examples of this popping up with select manufacturers right at the end of last year. Google doesn’t care about the hardware, it’s about getting Google Assistant into as many homes as possible. I can see it becoming a standard integration into bluetooth speakers, especially as Google have a track record for developing and releasing products free for any manufacturer to use, Android being a great example. That’s how they came to dominate mobile search and it’s how they’ll dominate voice search as well.
Google makes a massive $0 from Android the software, but they make billions in revenue from the searches conducted on Android devices. They also, importantly, don’t have to pay handset manufacturers for Google to be the preset search on those devices.
Looking at the recent increase in the range of Alexa products, it does look like Amazon is throwing the kitchen sink at it hardware wise and this could be in a pre-emptive strike against Google releasing Assitant out to any 3rd party to use for free. Interestingly within the EU the right to data portability will mean that consumers will be allowed to port their personal data between devices. This might sound like a win for the consumer, but it could have a dark side. It’s forcing companies to put aside their differences and develop a universal data format for our personal data. Theoretically this means it will be MUCH more useful to third parties and easier to compile even bigger data pools. Also if you swap back and forth between devices you’re sharing that data in more places, adding more information to their own networks.
The machines are coming from your home
I wrote an article recently about Natural Language Processing, which we now use within our classes, which touched on some of the current limitations of these offerings. They are a long way from perfect and if you know what you are looking for, specifically the things these types of AI are typically bad at, it’s very easy to trip them up with simple questions.
One of those question types is comparisons. You can ask ‘how far away is the moon’ or ‘how far away is the sun’ and get an answer without a problem. However ask ‘which is furthest away, the moon or the sun’ and although the information is there it’s too complex for Alexa to process. It takes a leap in understanding of both the question, processing of information and expected result to be able to respond, and this is simply out of current reach.
It’s this ability to process the information that’s already present for a more useful result which I think Google is going to try its best to leverage. Last year I touched on ‘micromoments’ which are the moments when a consumer pulls out their phone and checks information mid-decision. That point where you are walking down the street and want to know where the nearest restaurant is. These moments are incredibly valuable as they are hugely actionable – you are ready to make a decision right there and then and your next action will likely be to commit or purchase.
“Mobile has forever changed the way we live, and it’s forever changed what we expect of brands. It’s fractured the consumer journey into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments. Each one is a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences.”
This is just one touchpoint where Google hopes to be able to utilize AI to better deliver on. This ‘in the moment’ advertising is the context. However, there are also optimizations of the ad served to make sure that it’s the right ad as well as the right time. For example, based on past behavior they might look at what colour ads, placement or type you have responded to best previously. They then roll all that information into one to serve you an ad at that point that is contextual (meaning served in the correct context such as a restaurant ad as you are walking down the street looking at restaurants) and personalised (as in tailored to you specifically based on past ads you have responded well to).
Use of AI allows for taking huge amounts of data from multiple different behaviors, touchpoints and importantly, patterns and roll this information into an ad.
A big part of the opportunity for marketers is how AI will help us fully realize personalization—and relevance—at scale. With platforms like Search and YouTube reaching billions of people every day, digital ad platforms finally can achieve communication at scale. This scale, combined with customization possible through AI, means we’ll soon be able to tailor campaigns to consumer intent in the moment. It will be like having a million planners in your pocket.
We’re getting closer to a point where campaigns and customer interactions can be made more relevant end-to-end—from planning to creative messaging to media targeting to the retail experience. We will be able to take into account all the signals we have at the customer level, so we can consider not only things like a consumer’s color and tone preferences, but also purchase history and contextual relevance. And all of this will be optimized on the fly in real time.
This is a mission statement from the Google VP of marketing, Marvin Chow, in September 2017 and I strongly believe it’s where they are going to be focusing a huge amount of effort and resources this year. Adwords is where Alphabet gets almost 80% of its revenue after all.
Taking AI a step further
Something not mentioned in the 2017 article – and where I am probably heading pretty deep off-piste – is predictive behaviour based upon modeling from using AI to process and understanding multiple user data. In other words, it’s not just looking at your past behavior but the past behavior of people like you.
For instance there are correlations between people and the products and services they like. So Google will be increasingly modeling you and trying to ascertain what you may be interested in from what type of person they think you are. On a simplistic level this is showing you ads for pet insurance after you googled ‘dog food’. People who purchase dog food also purchase pet insurance. There is a clear correlation. However things get a bit more weird when you take into account the multiple touch points. For instance you visit the vets and start getting ads for a specific pet insurance policy.
You’re already targeted based on past behavior, and that can then be combined with the ads that the people who meet other key criteria for you such as your age, gender, income etc have responded well to. Now you’re being pushed a single highly targeted product – advertising that is both contextual and personalized.
By the way, if you don’t want Google to know where you are all the time you need to go into your timeline within Google maps and turn off the tracking services. This is for both Android and iOS devices. This is the tracking on my device:
However I still continue to get notifications when I arrive or leave some places (particularly my local supermarket) asking me to ‘rate my experience’. This is without using Google Maps (I know the way to the supermarket!) so Google appears to still be tracking me through my device despite having it clearly set up not to. Which is comforting.
Following on from this, understanding people and patterns through AI will be Google’s biggest driver in 2018; it follows on perfectly from the mobile adoption focus. They need mobile adoption for tracking and will be trying to use this to their advantage.
So what do you think Google’s focus in 2018 will be?
If you think I’m right, wrong or anywhere in between please do have your say in the comments….
Do you think Google is tracking us too much?
Will AI be taking over advertising?
Does it even matter
ABCO Teaches a comprehensive program for E-commerce and search engine optimization. Call our campus today between 9 AM and 6 PM. Call us at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
One of the biggest challenges parents face in 2018 is the fact that jobs for millennials or teenagers are very hard to find.
The reasons are simple.
First of all the #US is moving toward a #skills oriented economy and teenagers or millennials haven’t had the opportunity to train for a skilled job.
Second the skills based economy with political pressure is artificially forcing wages higher than the market will bear. The higher wages forces teenagers out of the conventional restaurant jobs, which they have held for the past 100 years.
The solution to this challenge is to train your son or daughter to ensure they have an employable skill early in life.
One skill, which has high demand and job growth is computer repair. When we talk about computers, we are talking about laptops, iPhones and iPads. All of the mentioned devices will breakdown. The device itself could malfunction or simply be dropped.
A training course and certification, which trains millennials to compete in the computer repair field is the #CompTia A+. Training for the CompTia A+ or a course in computer repair can be accomplished in approximately 78 hours.
After the training is completed, the candidate passes two exams to obtain the CompTia A+ certification. These exams are: 901 for hardware, which covers the building of a computer and 902, which covers all of the operating systems, which can be installed on that computer. The CompTia A+ also covers setting up a small network, installation of printers and installation of online faxes.
Employers are looking for young people who can fix computers. Jobs come in many forms. Websites including Indeed and Glass door have many listings for young candidates with the A+ computer repair certification.
#ABCO #Technology teaches courses in networking and cyber security. Our school is ideal for the teenager who wants an employable skill. The CompTia A+ is a major part of this training. Call our campus between 9 Am and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email all questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE # 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
The design of a company’s website plays an important function in attracting prospects and customers, generating leads, and potentially creating satisfaction.
Generally speaking, a website has between 15 to 30 seconds to convey a favorable impression about a company, as well as the products and services offered, to online visitors; therefore, paying attention to the site’s design is a key factor in how well it performs.
Design Basics
To some extent, a website’s design will be influenced by a company’s industry and culture. As an example, a website for a law or accounting firm will likely have a more serious design approach than a party planner or an ice cream parlor.
An effective website blends design, text, images, and video to provide a good overview of a company and what it offers. A website’s images can highlight both team members and the workplace, as well as provide a personal touch that helps differentiate a company from its competitors.
To avoid increasing a website’s startup or “load time,” it’s a good idea to optimize images for online display. Because the screen resolution is lower than print, using a “save for web” command in a photo-editing program reduces the “density” of the image so it will load more rapidly. There are also many plugins available for WordPress-designed sites that will aid in optimizing load time for pages and images.
It’s also helpful to consider readability as a site’s design is prepared. Dark text on a light background, for instance, is easier to read. It’s also an excellent idea to consider the target market’s age — if your target market skews over 40, making text easy for on-screen reading will help improve your site’s usability for visitors. Font type is also a key factor in the design of a website. Fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, or Georgia are all easy-to-read fonts that can be read clearly through a variety of browser types.
Improving Search Results
A website’s content is a critical factor in how the site is indexed by search engines. Thus, it is important to make sure that headlines and content relate to products and services offered.
Consider what keywords or phrases customers are likely to use, as they search for offerings that a company specializes in, and include those phrases in page titles and headlines. Avoid repeating keywords over and over, since search engines may penalize for “keyword stuffing;” yet make sure that the site describes the company and what it does, utilizing the terms necessary to find the website online.
Prepare for Scanners
Since most visitors scan a site quickly (think 15 seconds), instead of reading it carefully, it’s helpful to break up text with headlines, bulleted lists, and images. Keeping sentences and paragraphs short is another helpful way to improve the appearance and readability of a website. Important elements and the company’s contact information should appear “above the fold,” which is the portion of the screen visitors can see without scrolling down. Most people won’t bother to look for information that’s not directly in front of them.
Navigation Drives Results
While most people think of how a site looks, good design also includes navigation menus that are straightforward and easy to understand. Therefore, a web designer should make it as easy as possible for visitors to find their way around the site, since confused visitors will likely hit the back button instead of exploring a website further.
Some navigation tips:
•Place a company brand/logo in the upper left corner of every page, and make that logo a clickable link to the home page.
•Keep navigation menu items to a minimum. Professional web designers suggest using seven items or less on a navigation menu.
•The navigation menu should use descriptive titles. Summarize what a user will find on the specific page. Rather than have a menu item called “Team,” consider expanding it to “Meet Our Team.”
•Keep design usability in mind. A user should never have to go more than three levels deep (or three clicks away) from the homepage to find information.
Enlisting the Help of a Professional
Depending on goals for the website, enlisting help from a professional web designer could be a profitable investment in making the website as appealing and functional as possible. If you’re technically inclined, or wish to tackle the site’s appearance yourself, most web hosting companies offer a wide range of website templates designed for small businesses. Additionally many website building companies offer templates for little to no cost. WordPress and Wix are just two of the well-known companies that offer simple solutions for web design that don’t cost a fortune or require a programmer to code.
When working with a professional, it’s important to ask if you’ll have the ability to update or add content yourself (and how easy those updates will be to perform). If you have to rely on the web designer for future changes, additional costs will be incurred and possibly delays in having the website updated. Instead, ask the designer to include content management features so you or your colleagues will be able to update the site yourselves.
If you prefer to do it yourself with a design template, customize the images or graphics to give the site a more personal look and feel that better matches your company and its personality.
Either way, remember that creating a website is not a one-time project. You’ll have to plan for frequent updates as you develop more content and change your design periodically to prevent the site from appearing out of date.
#ABCO #Technology teaches a comprehensive program for web design. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
good web design = success. Become a successful web design professional today! #Website
Shares of Eastman Kodak stock were soaring Tuesday after the company announced a new #cryptocurrency initiative.
The company unveiled a licensing partnership with Wenn Digital to launch an image rights management platform called KODAKOne and a photo-centric crypto currency called #KODAK Coin.
The stock price opened at $3.10 a share Tuesday and rose as high as $7.65 after the announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. When the stock market closed at 4 p.m., shares were trading at $6.80.
In a release, the company said the KODAKOne platform will be an encrypted, digital ledger of rights ownership for photographers to register both new and archival work that they can then license for use.
The company describes KODAK Coin as “a new economy for photography,” which will allow photographers to receive payment for licensing their work immediately upon sale, sell their work confidently on a secure block chain platform.
The system will be open to both professional and amateur photographers.
Initial reactions from financial analysts were mixed.
CBS Marketwatch said Kodak was “boarding the block chain bandwagon,” hoping to capitalize on the crypto currency trend to boost its stock price.
Bloomberg said, “The move comes as investors snap up virtually any asset related to digital coins or the block chain technology that underpins them — no matter how tenuous the tie.”
The Financial Times was more blunt in its criticism, calling it “Kodak’s last desperate bid for relevance
Encryption, which has been a part of information technology for 25 years is now experiencing an expansion of its use. Bitcoin has been the number one crypto currency out of 1375 different encrypted currency chains. Now that Kodak has entered this market we have 1376. This writer believes Kodak’s entry will gain in popularity because it is focused upon a specific industry, which is photography. Could Kodak’s new currency be the beginning of a new trend, where different services have their own currency? This appears to be the new reality.
#ABCO #Technology teaches classes in encryption in our cyber security program. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. Call today at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who qualify for funding.
ABCO Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
Encryption is opening up numerous opportunity. Join #CyberSecurity today to learn more.
There is an old saying, which dominates the marketing and search engine industries. This saying states “content is king.”
Content comes from information. If content is king, then information is power.
The question of how to use this information begins with its storage and access. Information is stored in columns, rows and tables, which makes up what information technology experts call a relational database. The term relational means one piece of information relates to another. This information must be easily accessible, have the flexibility to be manipulated into a report and the presentation should be in such a way that other relationships can be drawn from that information.
One occupation, which has the job of making all of this activity take place is that of an Oracle database administrator. Oracle, handles the nation’s largest databases including those from the US government, major educational institutions and Fortune 1,000 companies. Google uses a customized version of Oracle for its search engine.
#Oracle #Database administrators are responsible for the accessibility, security and safety for a company’s information.
This includes client records, financial data, product information and all other documents needed for an organization’s successful operation. Oracle database administrators do not have to possess a four-year college degree. The person entering into this occupation must be well organized, enjoy categorizing information and have a passion for making that information accessible to those persons who need to use it. Security is also a major concern. The database administrator will become proficient with Oracle’s database security protocols and procedures.
The Oracle database administrator is accomplished when students train and pass two Oracle certification exams. The first exam a student must successfully complete is that of Oracle Certified Associate. The #OCA is usually completed after eight weeks of training in an accredited Oracle class.
The final exam, which is the Oracle Certified Professional, which carries the title of database administrator is usually passed after three additional months of training.
Oracle database administrators are experiencing a wide variety of job openings throughout the country. The job sites of Indeed and Glass door show the average salary for Oracle database administrators at approximately $93,000 per year. As you gain experience in this occupation, your salary will increase. Oracle has specialized databases, which include Oracle financials, Oracle medical and Oracle biological. Students can specialize in one of these databases after passing the Oracle certified Professional exam. Naturally specializing in a specific field will mean an increase in salary.
If you are interested in training for this exciting career, contact #ABCO #Technology. You can reach our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all qualified students.
#ABCO #Technology is located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304
Database administrators are in demand, train and certify for a job today!
