Bath Business Web's Guide to Everyday Distractions and Multitasking - Focussing on the Task at Hand

Some people will tell you that it is only women who can multitask. And it's usually women who tell you that. But is that truly the case? 

Well actually, none of us can. Multitasking suggest that one person can do two or more things at the same time. This requires the brain thinking of two things at the same time. The human brain however, is not able to think of two things at the same time, let alone do two things at the same time. So no, you cannot multitask whoever you may be.

The actual aim is not so much to multitask, rather to organise a multitude of tasks effectively and efficiently. However, as we all know this is easier said than done. As during the course of a day we can be bombarded with phone calls, emails, people knocking on our office door, unscheduled meetings and so on and so forth. Any number of distractions  can steer us away from what we want or need to do in the course of our daily work.
  

There is a term known as ‘Infomania’. Which is basically an information overload or continuous distractions, such as the phone ringing, answering emails immediately as the come in, colleagues coming to our office for advice etc. Research suggests that these distractions can seriously reduce our mental sharpness, reduce intelligence and decrease our IQ levels by 10 points.

The research carried out by Psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson also found that multitasking and distractions can slow us down and cause brain overload, stress and inefficiency. Dr Wilson said ‘infomania can reduce mental sharpness and those constantly breaking away from tasks to react to distractions suffer effects similar to losing a nights sleep.’

  

Renowned American neuroscientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Miller, has found that we do not truly multitask. Rather, that the human brain switches rapidly between tasks. This places a much greater stress on our brains than if we conducted those tasks one after another. Professor Miller's research also found that if we simultaneously focus on two similar tasks, that use the same part of the brain (talking on the phone while writing an email for example) we can overload our brains processing capacity. Which in turn leads to inefficiency of those tasks as we carry them out.

  

All of these distractions can lead to poor performance and greater levels of unnecessary stress.

 

We also feel stress at the fact that tasks are taking longer than expected, as we persist with inefficient multitasking in the hope that we can catch up.

 

Such interruptions can cause frustration and pressure and potentially lead to less resistance to distractions. 

 

These people are prone to poor levels of work related performance and become more susceptible to interference.

 

The more we multitask the more we are prone to distractions and we go full circle.

 

The key is to find focus in our work and everyday business.

 

The aim is to create a personalised routine to mange and deflect distractions appropriately. 

 

It is good to remember that focusing on one task at a time can actually improve intelligence, reduce stress levels, increase mental sharpness and help us become more productive.

 

 

As you become more conscious of this you can plan your day more productively taking into account the tasks you need to complete. You can then manage any distractions and find the focus you desire in your work.

 

Things you can do to help yourself:

• List and prioritise your most important tasks in order of their completion time. Remember you can always review that list at any given moment and change the order of priority as you go on with your day.
• Find ways to avoid distractions or interruptions when working on each individual task.
• When focusing on a particular task make a pledge with yourself that for that time you've set aside, you will devote it only to that task and no other.
• Create time during your day to deal with any unexpected issues or tasks which may arise.
• Manage you day so you create time slots during your day to read the emails which need your attention, rather than responding to them constantly or immediately.
• Have someone take your phone calls or have moments in your day when the answerphone or voicemail does it for you. After all that’s what it is there for.
• It can be useful to create moments in your day to escape to a quiet place where you can be guaranteed to not be disturbed.
• Agree with your colleagues that when your door is open they can have a few minutes of your time and anything longer can then be arranged for later. When your door is closed then you must not be disturbed apart from anything you deem as urgent. Be clear with your colleagues what that may be and let them then take responsibility to make that call as and when it is necessary.
• If you start to feel you are slipping into multitasking or reacting to those distractions, then stop, take a break and refocus your mind on the task at hand.

Take a break to refocus

Divide you day into segments:

• Spend five minutes at the start of or day to organise the day ahead.
• Once a day decide on the tasks which you will want to aim to complete or which are the two or three most important for that day or that week. Don’t overdo it. Be realistic as to what you can achieve.
• Take into account how you will manage any unknowns or distractions before your day starts.
• In the morning create time to focus on your tasks. Everyone has their own approach to organising their time. So think about the best time in the day for you to schedule those tasks. You know how you work. Whether you are better working earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. Ensure you block out at least two time slots where you will be protected from answering the phone or checking emails.
• Around midday, allocate yourself some time to clear up any clutter to help you rejuvenate your mind and enable you to focus on the important matters for the rest of the day. Time maybe to check those emails or telephone calls. Devoting a moment or two in your day to do this will help avoid distractions and mean you are managing your day rather than reacting to it.
• At the end of your day take a moment to pause, take a breath and consider what is working and what is not. Give yourself a moment to reflect on your day. A few minutes just to think about how it has been going. Compare what you wanted to happen with what actually did happen. Consider the meetings that took place, the work you did, the tasks, the jobs, any conversations on the phone or by email etc.

Consider how things are going

Remember to ask yourself: “How did my day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I take on? What did I learn about how I managed my day? What shall I do the same or differently tomorrow?”

The daily cycle of preplanning, clearing the clutter, avoiding unnecessary distractions and learning from your daily experiences, will lead to a more focused and productive future.

Winston Churchill was said to wake very early. He then worked from the time he got out of bed until late morning. He then went for a brisk walk and returned for a weak whiskey and soda. By early evening he was ready for a short nap. He claimed that this allowed him to fit one and a half’s days’ worth of work into every 24 hours.

  

Charles Darwin was also reported to be another very early riser. Preferring to work early spending all morning in his stud and end his day by noon.

  

For many people there seems to be a strong link between their ability to create and manage a routine and success. Other people may wish for a more flexible approach. However, flexibility works better with a framework. As without it you only get anarchy and chaos. Imagine the human body without a skeleton. It would not stand up for a start and be floppy and unable to respond. A framework or structure can increase your ability to be flexible and be able to respond or react accordingly. The routines you create can be rigid or flexible, and making even the smallest changes to your days can help to increase productivity.

 



Create an individual routine

A daily routine can help you increase your personal productivity, work satisfaction and professional success.

Everyone is different with how they will want to organise their day or their week. Consider when you are the most productive or creative. Is it in the morning, afternoon or evening? When might you best work alone and when do you prefer to work alongside others?  Consider when you are more likely to have less or more distractions when managing your time.

 

Having that appreciation of when it is best to do certain tasks will allow you to be better at arranging the things you need to do day by day. However you decide to manage your routine ultimately is your choice. In doing so you then choose that your days working on your business will become more productive, more satisfying and rewarding and can lead you to greater and greater success.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

Bath Business on the Web

The Internet is awash with colour and graphics. When it comes to Bath Businesses on the Web, they too show off their colours and design in exceptional detail. 

Website Design by Bath Business Web Ltd 

There is an array of websites which will draw one in to a world of business and commerce. Websites which offer insight into the world of their owners and information on products and services. It is truly amazing how many different ways there are for a business can sell itself on the Internet.
 
The whole concept of the Internet is about communication which is achieved in a variety of ways.

Pictures and images show off various aspects of the business, while the colours and tones draw us in. 




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The use of text and well written dialogue whether it is for builders, plumbers, shops or restaurants needs to be interesting to the reader. They need to capture and captivate the readers imagination to want to continue and find out more about the business and what it has to offer. 

 

Just like the overall layout or design, the text and the flow of information and interesting written communication is often the key as to whether or not the reader will go beyond the first page. Enticing a potential customer to the page with your contact details is a challenge in itself.

 



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Each and every Bath Business on the Web needs to make a good impression. After all you are advertising and marketing your business. You are showing off your brand, creating an image and more often than not, a first impression.

 

You will therefore want your advertising on the Internet to be bold and stand out from the crowd. The colours need to reflect your business and the font you use can sell or not sell your company name. You may want to use glossy pictures of your work, videos or state of the art video graphics with your own on-screen presenter.
 

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The very layout of your website will ensure the reader is drawn to those special offers or the encouraging prices you want to share. Well positioned links or buttons will tempt the viewer to go to places in the site which will lead them closer to wanting your product.

 

People will also come to expect certain styles or certain layouts from the various businesses, shops, professionals and tradespeople which advertise their business in this way.

As a Business in Bath you will want to make sure your website design meets the standard and professional expectations of your trade. If you want to maintain credibility and ensure any new customers have faith in your services, then that design could make or break you and your business.

 

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Whatever you do, get advice from a qualified and experienced website professional who can help you design a website which matches the business you own. 

They will also advise you on the content and information which will drive your website up the search engine rankings.

No point having an artistic design with informative content if no one gets to see it.

Every business needs to advertise. All successful businesses have a variety of well tested marketing strategies. A website is just part of that. 

In this day and age of the Internet being such an integral part of our lives, can you really ignore that fact that a majority of people have that Internet experience sitting in the palm of their hand.
 



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You deserve more for your business. Your business is your lifeblood to success.

You will want to do everything in your power to help it succeed.

A website is your opportunity to show off your business to the world. It is your platform to encourage and entice people to buy your services or your products.

A website is like having a newspaper advert, bill board, radio or TV ad, business portfolio and business card all in one.

Nowhere in the history of business has there ever been anything quite like it.


Ensure you advertise  and promote your business in the best light and that your website is professionally built and correctly coded for search engine optimisation.

Ensure it is compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers.

Ensure that people will find it and act on what they see.

Whatever you do, however you do it, always bear in mind the impression you are creating for your business.

So maybe it's time to act. Time to get on the Internet or pick up the phone and have a chat to the people in the know. 

Bingham
Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

http://www.webdesigninbath.com

Working Mums of the UK

Well this could be a hot potato if ever I wrote one. A man writing about working mums. Well bring it on I say and tell me what you think. I am just here to raise an issue which was raised on breakfast TV this morning. Have to say the two parents represented appeared to me to be both middle class and intellectually very bright and well educated. Not necessarily the people I would ask about the issues of working mums. Possibly not that representative of the vast majority of parents who are on low incomes and pay more an hour for childcare than they receive themselves. But that’s just me.

Do working mums get a good or fair deal from their employers? Do childless women or men have to work more hours to subsidise working mums? Is it really that easy for working mums to balance the books with childcare? Is it worth single working mums to actually to go work in the first place as childcare costs mount up?

To be honest I am not going to answer any of these questions. The reason for that is not because I am a man. After all I have a right to my opinion and can make a reasonable well thought out argument regarding any topic if I have researched it or have personal experiences which I can reflect on. I had a mum who worked. I have friends who are mums who work. I have worked with many mums who work. What I want to do is just continue the debate, as I can obviously see there is one to be had.

For me there are so many variables and circumstances to this that it cannot be so easy to say one way or the other. There are for instance a multitude of ways that business owners or employers consider this personnel issue. Because for them, that is exactly what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. Except they may feel a moral responsibility to support individuals who maybe, like themselves, have children.

It can of course be the other way round and the employee feels that the employer, as a parent themselves, will be somehow more in their favour when it comes to taking leave for a sick child or taking calls from their children’s school during the working week. I have seen it from both sides. Employers who damn the parents for wanting to do the best for their children or employees who damn employers because they have expectations of what the employer should be offering.
 
Surely in this day and age of equality, duty of care, accountable management, being a responsible employer (or employee), good working practice, improving moral standards, good working conditions etc. etc. You see where I am going with this.

At the end of the day if we just consider this as a personnel issue and don’t get caught up with the emotional stuff, which both sides sometimes want to drag into the discussion, it would be a lot easier for everyone to come to an agreeable conclusion. I for one, don’t want to see employees be penalised or marginalised because they have children. I don’t want to see employers or business owners under unnecessary pressure when they are balancing up the needs of their business and the productivity levels of their staff.

At Bath Business Web Ltd we do have working mums and dads. They would be the first to agree that there have been challenges because of the commitments and needs of both parties. BBW Ltd strives to move forward, learn, develop and grow from these experiences.

Ultimately businesses are there to make money. They are there to generate a sustainable and seemly profit. In doing so they also have a duty to their employees to treat them in accordance with current law, legislation or generally agreed moral or ethical practice. They are not there to meet the personal needs or requirements of each individual employee. However, knowing these needs or requirements and working together with their employees, even in a small way, will always be the most beneficial and satisfactory way forward for all.

So many people have so much to say on this emotionally charged topic. There are at least, a number of places for parents when seeking help, advice or information.

We need to continue the debate because it is not going away. We need parents to nurture and develop the next generation of entrepreneurs or employees. We need to support working parents and fly the flag for all those who want to contribute to the workplace as well as raise a family.  We need not cave in to the emotional or unrealistic expectations of certain individuals who just go out to create confusion or a selfish viewpoint.

We need to get realistic and up-to-date in our thinking when it comes to working parents, whether we are the employer, the parent or government politicians.

It would be great to hear what you have to say regarding working parents. Whether you are a parent or an employer. How do you think the UK deals with mums and dads in the workplace?

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

Advertising & Marketing for Tradespeople

Whether you’re a plumber, bricklayer, roofer, electrician, plasterer, landscaper, shoe repairer, window cleaner, gardener, clock repairer or any of the many trades that we all need from time to time – you have to advertise and market your business.

You may well be in the fortunate position of getting most or even all your customers through ‘word of mouth’, which is great. When it is working that is. However, you have no control over whether or not it is working. But you can manage it. You can encourage it.

How do you therefore influence word of mouth, create more work or keep up the momentum of the numbers of customers contacting your business?

There are a number of ways you can do this. All have their benefits and of course all have a cost implication in time or money. What we know as ‘paper’ advertising, such as directories or business pages are getting thinner by the year.

Once upon a time there were people who would test their strength by ripping in half a Yellow Pages with their bare hands. Well that has just got easier. Have you seen the thickness of Yellow Pages or Thompson lately? Talk about a crash diet.

Alternatively you can take out a page in a local glossy magazine. The type we read in doctor’s surgeries, dentists or hair salons. Many of these magazines are often out of date. Not only that but your business may get lumped together in the advertising pages at the back of the magazine and get lost in the crowd. People don’t generally go looking for trade’s people through such magazines. The other thing to bear in mind with local magazines, is that each month you can be forking out the cost of building the equivalent of a five page website. And a website will always be visible and can always be kept up to date.

The ever increasingly and most popular way to find a business is on the internet.

A few years back we went to our computers and looked in such places as Yell.com or some other national directory. Then, we went to Google and typed the nature of the trade we wanted and the place we live. We could then see any trades person with a website, see who they were, what they had to offer, read testimonials and gauge how qualified or experienced they were. All their details being up to date and informative.  The website could even draw us in with video displays or galleries of photos showing previous jobs done, the products they use or examples of the skills of their trade.

Now mobile phones and tablets are taking over as the number one technology to seek, explore and contact local business or trades. This has meant all business getting up to date with websites that are compatible with the variety of mobile viewing platforms. When people are searching for a business in their area on their phone or tablet they want the information swiftly at hand and be able to view it with ease. To then follow it up easily with an email or phone call.

Increasingly people want to know more about the people behind the business.

People want to know the person, get feel for the ‘human side’ of the people behind the adverts or the websites. And that is where social media comes in. Social media sites such as Facebook and particularly Twitter, enable a business to engage on that ‘human’ level to an audience of thousands, if not millions. When you buy a product in a shop you are more likely to return if the shopkeeper has treated you well and given you that ‘human’ contact. Contact which has left you feeling important and that your custom is appreciated. Those shopkeepers and any sales people who have such insight to this will know and manipulate this psychology of human need. Then both shopkeeper and customer have a ‘win win’ situation. Well that’s exactly what business is now doing with social media.

Sometimes for many trades people the idea of advertising or marketing on the internet, whether by website or social media, is a million miles away from their everyday work. When you are working on a customer’s house, installing new windows, digging up a garden, repairing a boiler, up a ladder or fixing an electrical appliance, the world of the internet can seem an alien concept to advertise your business. After all, most trades are very practical, structurally substantial or have been created by blood, sweat and sometimes a few tears. Whereas the internet is more of a virtual world, a visual experience of text, images and videos which tempt and draw us in sometimes seductively and intellectually. The two worlds could not be more different.

However, you plumbers, bricklayers, roofers, electricians, plasterers, landscapers, shoe repairers, window cleaners, gardeners, clock repairers or any of you trades people out there in the real world.  You just go look in your jacket pocket, go look in the glove compartment of your van and pick up your mobile. Because that’s where that virtual world of advertising and marketing is. That is where all that social media chatter is taking place. Right in the palm of your hand.

Now, if you tell me you’re not advertising on the internet or you’re not going to consider doing so, then bare this in mind. Those people with tablets or mobile phones, of which you are inevitably one And let’s face it, who do you know hasn’t got one or the other. Well, they don’t go searching through paper directories or magazines at home anymore. They just reach into their pocket and get in touch with the world you deny. A world that reaches more people than any advertising medium has ever done in the history of everything.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd

Social Media - Common Mistakes That Can Cost You Business

Social Media is proving to be incredibly important to businesses, large or small. Every time you send a tweet, update a status or publish a blog, you are creating something that is made for the world to see. Engaging with current and future clients, sharing knowledge and becoming an online presence can be conversational, fun and highly profitable. 

However, making silly mistakes such as spelling and grammar, or publishing inappropriate content or content not relevant to your business can be worse than having no social media presence at all. Remember, what goes on the web, stays on the web. 

TOP TIPS

Spelling & Grammar

Inappropriate  & Relevant Content

As a business, you need to beware of being associated with certain opinions that may cause your business or reputation harm by putting off potential customers. People use your Facebook or Twitter to get to know the person behind the business, be sure they like what they see. If you don’t want them to see your private information, set up a completely separate profile. 

• Avoid overly political views, pictures, rants  – debate a news story if it is relevant to your business, the local area or trade but avoid being too one sided.
• Don’t swear, post offensive pictures or comment on other peoples posts in an offensive manner.
• Keep photos relevant to your business, staff, locations etc. ( Ask your staff first before posting any pictures of them)
• Avoid directly "bad-mouthing" other companies. If it is a complaint regarding services, contact them directly. If it is a company in direct competition with yours, they will come off better in the long run.

If you aren't sure if a post or tweet is appropriate for your business, then it probably isn't. 

Bath Business Web Ltd - Professional Webdesign, Professional Results.

Website Content: Colour

Colour Matters for your Business

Colour plays a very important role  in the world we live in today. Colour can change actions and affect thinking. It can sooth or irritate your eyes, suppress your appetite or raise your blood pressure.
Colour is irreplaceable - therefore, colours used for a product, website, business card or logo can cause powerful reactions. To a potential customer, your marketing materials are the first impression of your business or product. Giant corporate businesses will spend huge amounts of money on colour market research and have discovered that people make a subconscious decision about a product or environment within minutes of viewing, largely based on colour alone.

Colour References

When deciding on colours for your brand or website, keep in mind the different reactions that people have to colours:

RED - danger, passion, energy, warmth, stop
PINK - love, femininity
ORANGE - stability, reassurance, warmth
GREEN - nature, energy, calming, go
BLUE - soothing, loyalty, protection
YELLOW - sunshine, energy, happiness
PURPLE - creativity, fertility, joy
BROWN - security, stability
WHITE - youth, cleanliness, pure
BLACK - drama, eccentricity, elegance

Colour & Websites

We've all had to deal with websites with unpleasant colour combinations. Although the colours used may be the owners favorite colours or colours from the business logo, they are either very hard on the eyes or make the text difficult to read.
Using too many colours, or the wrong combination of colours could turn off your potential buyers completely. On average, you should choose three colours (or shades of those colours) at the most. Match them with the rest of your brand, as using colours from your existing brand makes your website more recognisable and gives consistency.

Pick colours for your target market. Who is your target market? What do you want to say? How do you want to say it?
As the owner of your business, you should know your target market - demographics such as gender, age and location play an enormous part in business and marketing.
Ask friends, family and colleagues what colours they feel are suitable for your type of business, experiment and try to see patterns in your results.
If your target market is 40-50 year old females from Bath, ask them what colours they find attractive. It really is that important.

You want people to view your website. Remember, it's easy for your visitors to press the back button.

Professional Websites with Professional Results - Bath Web Design

Website Content: Testimonials

Anyone can say their business offers a great service or product. But potential clients want proof. They want to see endorsements from happy clients that have received a quality service. And the more quality endorsements you have, the better.
Testimonials from your best clients are a great addition to a website, along with photos of the work completed.

1) Who?
Note I said “best clients" above. Pick clients that are most like the people you want to work with in the future.
If possible, use people with "influence", such as other business owners, or individuals that have a recognisable name.
Choose clients whose testimonials will highlight the key aspects of your business and your key selling points - as always, know your target market and what they are looking for.

2) What?
What was it like before they used your services? - define the problem.
What was your business like to work with? - talk about specific work you did with them, how they feel about the work, how it was carried out, how you were different from other businesses.
What specific results were achieved? - The more specific, the better and proof of the value of your service.

3) How?
Based on your business size, you should have a list of between 10 and 50 previous or existing clients that you feel that you can contact. You can contact them via e-mail, phone or in-person - depending on your relationship with them. They can choose whether to have their full names, business names etc used. If they are not interested, thank them and say goodbye.
If you decide to meet in person then a video testimonial can be an interesting way of presenting it. But you must ask the client if they are comfortable with it, use the right equipment and be sure that it can be shared in the correct way.
The testimonial needs to be easy to read, short but sweet sentences. Summarise your clients words using direct quotes and capturing the essence of what was said. Share the finished testimonial with the client, ask if it reflects their experience and that they approve.

4) Where?
Put your testimonials where people will see them! Your website, printed promotional materials and signage are the best places. Review your testimonials and keep them appropriate and up to date.

Add pictures, format the text and spell check!

Lastly, thank your clients. A handwritten note stating where the testimonials are published and maybe a small gift is a good way to show your appreciation and hopefully ensure that they come back to you for more business.

Bath Business Web Ltd - Professional Web Design with Front Page Results - Take a look at OUR testimonials here http://www.bathbusinessweb.co.uk/Static/Testimonials

Website Success

Over the last 7 years, Bath Business Web has strived to achieve hundreds of successful websites with successful front page results. The search engines and algorithms of Google have become a mine field, particularly in the last 12 months with the arrival of Google Panda and Google Penguin changing the way that websites are being displayed within search results.

There are many people with different levels of knowledge regarding the Internet and websites and with the internet unlikely to disappear anytime soon, it is important to take the building of a website seriously and remember that first impressions count.

Over the years we have spoken to hundreds of large and small business owners who seem baffled as to why their website does not appear in the first two pages in Google. Unfortunately, there seems to be a high level of businesses who have not achieved the success on the Internet they thought they would.

All we can do at Bath Business Web is advise and take experiences from the hundreds of people we have come into contact with.
A website for your business is there to help and increase your profits by supplying you with new clients or even existing where they check out your portfolio. Once again, this will determine whether they feel. Here are some tips on Website Success:

1) Seek professional advice; companies that can display and demonstrate success with previous clients and have no problem in proving front page search results. Ask to be shown a Google Analytic report of website traffic and statistics.  Look at “bounce rates” of their previous websites and determine whether this is a high percentage, meaning that users are looking at the website and disappearing.
2) Be wary of using cheap build your own website templates, as websites aren’t just built for “pretty pictures”.  The cheap templates that you can use e.g. “build your own website” usually come with catches or clauses and don’t provide the standards you would want for your business.
3) Very seldom have clients been able to demonstrate success at having their website built on the cheap (where the phrase is often followed by “my brother, auntie, uncle, sister, mate down the pub did it for me”). Remember if you have a toothache, you don’t get your brother, auntie, uncle, sister, mate down the pub to put a filling in for you. This should also apply when you decide to have a website built for your business.
4) Please ignore the myth of throwing in key words and thinking that Google will recognise them and place your website on the front page. These theories were forgotten 10 years ago. There is a series of intelligent coding behind the scenes of a website which Google will identify when assessing the quality, content, navigation and the value of a website. Google now pays particular attention to spam.
5) Be aware of social media and how important a part it plays when bringing traffic to your site and often in search engine optimisation.
Use the experts at Bath Business Web, who are on the front page results for “seo bath” and “search engine optimisation bath” “website design bath” and “web design bath” from millions of results. This brings success for themselves and their clients.

Pay For Professionals. It works.

Website Content: Photos

Photos are a vital part to any website; drawing a potential customers eye and keeping them looking at your site, showing your work in an attractive way, and showing what you do as a business.

They can be photos of staff working hard, before and after shots, products available and any number of other subjects.

With nearly everyone owning a mobile phone with a camera, taking up to date photos either for a website or social media can be a quick and extremely easy way to advertise your work. However, many people think that photos taken on a mobile phone can look grainy and unprofessional, and while this can be true, there are tricks that can be used to make mobile phone photos look better than you would expect….

How to take better photos with your phone

1) Get Close

A lot of mobile phone cameras, particularly the iPhone, really prove their worth when you bring them close to your object. When you get close up, you can normally have more control of lighting and stability. If there is a window in the background, to avoid darkening the rest of the image, cut the window out, your phone should adjust the lighting composition.

2) Crop, Don’t Zoom

Most smartphone cameras offer a digital zoom option, but you are nearly always better off avoiding it completely. Your image will noticeably degrade the moment you try to “zoom”, mainly because the camera is guessing what the image looks like and it’s not very good at it!

However, if you crop the picture, you’re simply sampling the information that has been recorded, meaning that there is a higher resolution and quality to the picture.

3) There’s an App for that…

It’s surprising how a photo can be changed just by playing with contrast, brightness or by using a “filter” and there are hundreds on Apps on the market to do this. However, when using a filter, less is more. Don’t be tempted to go overboard or go for the very popular “ retro” look, it isn't suitable for a website, although to some extent it can be used with social media, depending on the photo.

Whatever App you pick, it’s worth spending a little time getting used it and learning the functions… It can make all the difference.

 

4) To Flash or not to Flash

Generally, flashes on phones can’t handle the job. They are LED lights that are too close to the camera, too bright and the duration of the flash is too long. This causes many issues with a photo, usually making it blurry, giving people “red-eyes” and it can wash the colour “temperature” of the photo out, making it look grainy and yellow. But, what do you do if it’s dark? Unfortunately, even with the newer smartphones, there is only so far you can push the technology in low-light. Try looking for other light sources, or taking it at a certain time of day when the sun is in a good place to light a room. This is generally first thing in the morning or mid-afternoon.

5) Watch Out for Lens Flare

A “lens flare” is when light from a bright light source, be it the sun or a lamp, flashes across the picture. It causes loss in detail, contrast and colour accuracy. To prevent this, try moving to having the light source behind you, this then lights the shot but stops a flare across the picture. You can also cup your hand around the lens on your phone to create a DIY lens hood, cutting the amount of flare down if the source is at the side of the frame.

6) Frame Your Picture

When taking your picture, think about positioning and balancing the shot. Make sure the camera is straight and level with the subject. Most phones and digital cameras have a “grid” option and this can be very helpful to ensure that you’re balancing everything needed into the shot and “framing” it at the same time. Focusing on points of interest and they’re placement in the photo is key. Take several pictures of the same subject but at different angles – it’s easier to find the best photo with lots of choice.

7) Steady Does It

The most common cause of a blurry picture is a photographer with shaky hands. Try stabilising your arms against something, leaning against a wall or placing the phone or camera on a solid surface.

8) Remove Clutter

Particularly when it comes to website photos, clutter is a crime! If you’re taking a shot of the bathroom you just fitted – move the tools and mess out of the way! If you’re taking a picture of a beautiful kitchen – get rid of dirty cups and plates in the sink! It makes a huge difference and means that a website designer can use the whole picture rather than having to crop the mess out of it.

(Photos taken by myself and our clients)

Web Design in Bath, email us and mention the blog!

Weekly Update

It's been a busy week at Bath Business Web! Firstly, as part of our web design package, we give customers support and maintenance for their websites as well as doing the design and hosting work. 

That means our customers can come to us and discuss updates to their content, such as adding videos or testimonials, as part of their support contract. Our team make constant tweaks and changes in line with customers needs. When you have over 300 clients that means an ongoing stream of work for our web designers and information writer (aka me!).We love it though, keeping their websites fresh and performing well is the core of the business. 

Along side those small changes, every so often a customer needs a major overhaul on their website. They may be shifting their business focus in a new direction or re branding, whatever the reason we are more than happy to take on redesigns and rewriting. 

Finally, we are always pushing for new growth and that means new clients. Our custom built websites are focused entirely around the customers business and their expectations. The finished product is checked and approved by the customer before it goes "live". 

So I am pleased to share with you the revamps and new sites we have finalised this week.

Patrick from Just Carpentry popped in and discussed his existing websites from us for Bath, Marlborough and Trowbridge. A content overhaul was in order and we were pleased to have everything up to date for him by the end of the week.

Chris Pritchard Roofing has gone live and we will be monitoring it closely to make sure it is ranking well in the next few weeks. 

A&G Automation Ltd is a long standing client who's newest site is now live and ranking on the search engines.

Another typical week at Bath Business Web, with satisfied clients and up to date, contemporary web design at its best.

To find out how you can benefit from our website packages and customer support, get in touch by

 email, facebook or twitter!

Mission ad:tech 2012

Starring Dan C and Company Director Duncan Short

After our early morning arrival at the train station feeling slightly groggy and in need of a bacon sandwich, Duncan and I talked about our main objectives for the day. We needed to find a new platform/CMS that allowed us to create beautiful, multi platform sites and some new directory software to bring our current directories into the 21st century. With this is mind we made our way off the tube and headed for Olympia.

Once we had our passes and were scanned in, I was immediately struck by two things. Firstly the size of the place (hundreds of stalls, zones and networking areas) and secondly the large amount of people (mainly incredibly attractive women) that were walking around!

Intrepid Explorers

We visited a number of stalls as we began to find our way through and whilst they were fascinating, none of them were exactly what we were looking for.

Our first golden find was a seminar by the company Epiphany Search. These guys are a leading SEO giant with an arsenal of tools and a ton of useful information about the changing face of SEO and how to deal with Google and its ever morphing algorithms. We both came away from this talk a lot wiser and much of the information learnt will be used by our very own SEO teams in future campaigns.

As we continued deeper into the maze we met a number of interesting people who gave us advice on lead generation, software that could read entire websites for the partially sighted, mobile apps, mobile marketing, HTML5 responsive design and social media. 

 

Good networking needs pizza

We decided to have a break and a Pizza Express To Go. This was exactly what was needed in order to regain some of our energy and as we ate we met several exhibitors who were eager to chat about the reasons for us being there. They told us about their stalls and then pointed us in the direction of some stalls they thought we would find interesting. We took their advice and went out and found them.

The first happened to be Epiphany (the company whos seminar we had been to earlier). Here we relaxed with a smoking cocktail (yes, really!) and spoke to Dan their head of SEO. He was an absolute wealth of information and ended up being the best find of the day.

Dan enlightened us on a new CMS called Umbraco that would suit all our cross browser needs whilst still having complete freedom with design. He discussed our directory and highlighted how our backlink structure was working and ways we could improve some of our rankings even further. He then took us through various software packages we could use to spice up our old directory. To put it shortly the man was a god!

A victorious retreat

The rest of the stalls we visited turned out to be brilliant but completely irrelevant to what we needed. We decided after a little while that we had found what we were looking for from Dan the man and that it was time to leave.

In honor of #talklikeapirateday we went out in a blaze of glory taking as many useful freebies as we could find. With our boots full of swag (mainly of sweets and pens) we left, ensuring we had one last snap that really encompassed our day at Ad:Tech.

Dan C is our head web designer at Bath Business Web. Email him for a chat!