Ace Exford

Stories By Ace Exford

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  Buying Guides

  Buying Guides By Ace Exford

  3 Best Tech Gifts of the 2016/17 Festive Season

  With the festive season coming to an end, I've decided to review the coolest tech gifts that I came into contact with these holidays. 1. Google Home Here's one tech gift that I may or may not have bought for myself this Christmas. It's one of the latest speakers to hit the market. Google Home is a voice activated speaker powered by Google assistant that utilizes a wireless connection and dual microphones to make sure it captures every 'OK Google' command. It has a sleek/minimalist design and has a customizable bottom, allowing it to fit nicely into any room. For me, it's the best set of speakers I've had to date and with Google home priced at $130 it doesn't break the bank either. Making it an ideal gift for any causal music fan. 2. Light Up Shoes When my nephew received a pair of shoes with LED lights embedded into the sole it caught not only my eye but also everyone else's eyes in the room. Looking like something out of 'Back To The Future', it's seems like shoes that light up are coming back into style. Originally created in the 90's, they've come a long way and are now USB rechargeable with a 6 to 8-hour battery life. The neon LED lights now even light up via remote control in multiple settings and styles. They're not that expensive either with a cheap pair of light up shoes costing around $40. Making them an awesome gift for the youngsters. 3. Microsoft Xbox One S This is one my younger brother received from his partner and is one suited to the gamers. The new Xbox One S is classed as the ultimate entertainment system. With upgraded hardware allowing it to play 4K video as well as display HDR content. It's also slimmer and sleeker than ever before, making it easy to store when it's not being used. While there technically isn't that much different from the Xbox one gaming wise, it's still something to keep everyone entertained until the next generation is released. With the Xbox One S priced at just under $300, it's very affordable for a gaming system and an awesome gift for that special gamer.

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  Social Media

  Social Media By Ace Exford

  My Experience with Instagram's Feed Algorithm Change

  Earlier this year, the social media giant, Instagram introduced an algorithm change that switched users feeds from chronological to 'best posts first'. When it was first announced many people and small businesses, who were already effectively using Instagram, were extremely frustrated with the change. They'd already experienced this type of feed on Facebook (the owner of Instagram) and weren't happy with it. So much so that they even managed to create a petition to keep Instagram chronological which got nearly 400,000 signatures. Now of course this petition did nothing, but they were certainly on the right track - considering the update may be contributing factor to the 33% drop in engagement (that's likes and comments) this year. Now that we've had over 8 months to learn about and adapt to this change, here are a few things that I feel the algorithm takes into consideration when determining where your post ranks in another user's feed. Timing While it may no longer be the number one factor of feed ranking, I think it still plays a major role. Of course the more recent your post, the higher its chance of being put at the top of others news feeds. With older posts tending to fade away. Previous Interactions Essentially the more someone has interacted with your account in the past or the more you've interacted with theirs, the more likely your post is to appear at the top of their feed. Mutual Friends The algorithm also takes into consideration your following and followers. I've found the more accounts you have in common with another user, the higher your content will rank on their feed and vice versa. Engagement Without a doubt in my mind, this is the most important point when it comes to determining a user's post feed. Now the amount of likes, comments and views your post is able to generate is going to servery determine its place in the feed. I've experimented with this theory by buying likes from Gramlike, an Instagram service. I found that the more likes your content is able to generate, the higher it will rank in feeds. As these posts had an increase of natural engagement compared to posts without the extra likes. However, I believe it also has to do with the percentage of likes to followers. The higher the percentage of followers that like your post, the worthier it seems to Instagram and hence the higher it goes in the feed. I discovered this after ruining one of my old Instagram accounts by buying followers. The added followers of course never engaged with my posts. This lead to less natural engagement because it was placed lower in the feeds due the fact that I had a smaller percentage of followers interacting with my post. With all being said, knowing a little more about the Instagram feed algorithm can certainly help you increase your engagement on Instagram. However, as it was before the change occurred, the best way to maximize your engagement is to post quality content and to always be engaging with your followers.

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  Social Media

  Social Media By Ace Exford

  The Basics of Twitter

  With over 300 million users, Twitter is now one of the biggest sites on the internet today and if you don't already have an account, you are certainly late to the party. However, Twitter isn't going anywhere so why not get started today? Setting up an account couldn't be easier. With just need to fill out a small amount of information required and you're ready to go. You can access your account via the website or even by downloading the useful app for your phone. Before you get started, you may want to take a look at your settings and tweak the privacy options depending on what you feel comfortable with. Once you are happy, you can go ahead and upload a profile picture as well as a cool banner for your profile and even enter some information about yourself. If you have a website or want to direct your followers somewhere, there is even space for a web address. Now, you are ready to get into the fun. If you want, to get started you can 'follow' your friends and family which means that you will see their activity on your feed. For example, if they retweet (share) someone else's post, it will come up on your feed as well as their own tweets. If they follow you back, the reverse will be true in that they will see your activity. When you tweet, you can '@' someone if you want them to see it or if you are currently with them and they will be joined in the tweet. Furthermore, hashtags (#) are also used to connect users. On the home screen, you will be able to see what is trending and if you want to join the conversation, just use the hashtag in your next tweet. Twitter is all about connecting people and helping others to stay in touch; through tweets, replies, direct messages, and more, you will keep in touch with all your friends. Twitter also presents an opportunity for users to keep up with the latest news of their favourite news channels, musicians, sportspeople, celebrities, and more. Many celebrities use Twitter to send out message and release new music as well as making exclusive announcements. Of course, as with anything on the internet, there are some things to be mindful about on Twitter. Firstly, there are a number of 'fake' accounts so be careful who you follow; you will normally see that they have no posts and thousands of followers. Secondly, you will get added by strangers and accounts that promise thousands of followers in just seconds. If you are careful and just use Twitter for what it is for, it can be a great way to network with friends, family, businesses, celebrities, and more!

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