Archive for September 2011
Facebook in 2012 – This is where Powwownow stand!
Following Facebook’s F8 developers conference recently, the world’s largest social media site has gone through some pretty big changes; and so for what it’s worth, here is Powwownow’s two penneth worth on the ever-transforming, possibly monopolising giant that is…Facebook 2012.
Facebook has unveiled sweeping changes to its website, including partnerships with major music and film companies, in a bid to transform the world’s biggest social network into a key entertainment hub. The seemingly unstoppable Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, has announced new partnerships with Spotify, Netflix and the Guardian amongst other media companies as he said that 800 million people worldwide now use the social network.
The Futures Bright, The Future’s Wallet Shaped: What do you make of Google Wallet?
Google have launched Google Wallet; its mobile payments system in the US.
In a blog post published on Monday, the company said it had been testing Google Wallet extensively and was launching it in collaboration with the operator Sprint, as well as partners Citi, MasterCard and First Data. With its near field communication (NFC) system, built into Android handsets, the revolutionary new technology will act as your payment card of the future, apparently.
Powwownow included in the prestigious Tech Track 100
Powwownow is extremely proud to announce our inclusion in the prestigious 2011 Sunday Times Tech Track 100, the definitive league table that ranks Britain’s 100 private tech companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years.
With our turnover growing from £2.2M in 2007 to £6.3M in 2010, and predicted to be in excess of £11M in 2012, CEO Andrew Pearce said, “Our philosophy at Powwownow has been to use technology to simplify the way traditional business is conducted, and by combining that with innovative marketing we have successfully carved out a niche in the UK conference calling and web conferencing market. Being included in Tech Track is a genuine mile stone and testament to our ongoing ambition.”
Lending to SMEs falls by 42%
So not only are SMEs being charged way more than they should be (see article below), we also heard this week that lending under the Government’s flagship small business lending scheme, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), has plummeted, falling by 42% over the last year according to the independent finance advisor Syscap.
The value of loans offered under the EFG scheme fell to £433 million in the 12 months to the end of June 2011, down from £742 million during the previous twelve month period.
Syscap points out that in the most recent quarter, between April and June 2011; just
£93.1 million worth of loans were offered to small businesses under the EFG scheme, down from a peak of £254.9 million in the same quarter of 2009.
If that trend continues, the Government is unlikely to reach the £600 million allocated for additional lending under the scheme between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012.
SME’s overcharged by £3.6 Billion
With many of Powwownow’s customers being small to medium sized enterprises, we were shocked to learn that many SMEs in the UK are being forced to pay up to three times more than larger businesses; all to the sum of a horrendously unreasonable £3.6 Billion. According to new research by huddlebuy.co.uk, this is threatening not only the survival hopes of an enterprise-led economic recovery, but the very existence of hundreds, if not thousands of companies.
A typical UK start-up faces an additional bill of £1,200 each year for each employee compared to established big businesses. With 396,000 new businesses created in the UK in the year to March 2011 alone young start-ups are being overcharged by £475 Million.
Powwownow’s Top Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
We all know conference calling in place of travelling to meetings can significantly reduce your carbon footprint, but there are of course many, many more ways. Here, we take you through Powwownow’s top five methods of making sure you stay as green as possible with the help of some of our favourite tools on the web.
1) iHitchhike
Ride sharing is an effective way of reducing the impact of transportation on the environment, but it comes with two thorny problems: How do you a) find a car going your way and b) make sure that driver isn’t a psycho? The Facebook app, Carpool, or something like it, could eventually be the solution. By using your own social network to search out rides, it allows you to differentiate between your friends and creepy truckers, and if the app can gain some traction — which it hasn’t yet — you could be hitching a ride anywhere with your mouse-button index finger, not your thumb – Or even getting paid to provide rides.
Powwownow Recommends: The Conversion Conference
Conversion rate optimisation can add thousands of pounds to your business’ bottom line if conducted correctly. That said, the processes involved can sometimes be complicated and often confusing, and if these are practised incorrectly, companies can stand to lose just as much.
Thankfully events such as the Conversion Conference (30 November – 1 December 2011) can make life that little bit easier. Packed full of experts and industry insiders, the two day event is a must for anyone wanting to maximise the online potential for their business.
From learning how to improve sales and dramatically increase your site’s conversion rate, to talks on best practice and interactive sessions – no stone will be left unturned.
To make matters even better, Powwownow are offering you a 15% discount on the ticket price; details of which can be found here.
When you fill out the registration form, simply enter the code POWWOWNOW011, and hey presto, you’ll have started saving money before you even get through the door. We will be down there ourselves, so if you are going to be there then be sure to let us know – it’s always good to say hello!
For more details, check out the website here: conversionconference.co.uk
Powwownow Explain ‘Putting Your Business in a Cloud’
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network, typically the Internet.
However, despite predictions that the cloud is likely to have its biggest uptake with small businesses, many SMEs still don’t know what the term means, according to the latest survey from website for freelancers, PeoplePerHour.com.
Nearly three-quarters of SMEs don’t use cloud computing – down from the 82% recorded in a similar survey in June. But nearly half of those not using the cloud said they didn’t know what the term meant, while 36% didn’t see a need for it, 10% thought it was too expensive and 9% said they were worried about security problems.
In Powwownow’s opinion, Cloud services have all sorts of benefits to SMEs, especially when it comes to accessibility, productivity and flexibility. That is why we thought we’d clear a few things up and tell you all about ‘putting your business in a cloud’.