26Apr 2018

7 Ways Your Website May be Screaming “I Am Out of Date!”

Website Out Of Date
Website Out Of Date

There are two types of website owners. There are those that understand that a website should be the center of your online universe. It shouldn’t just be attractive but pertinent and informative. It should funnel leads and prospects to you. Your social media and promotional materials should point to it. It should be a vibrant force in your online marketing efforts.

Then, there are those who had their teenage cousin create their website years ago. It likely hasn’t been updated since. It is prone to error messages and spam and hasn’t produced a lead in months or years. Owners of these websites will complain that internet marketing doesn’t work “for them”. They probably haven’t visited their own website in years and are too embarrassed to have others view it. Here are 7 ways your website may be screaming “Help me, I am out of date!”

  1. An Out of Date Copyright. One of the easiest to spot tell-tale way your website is shouting “Out of date!” is a copyright year that is not current. Back in the day, these types of texts had to be manually updated but, of course, today, there are apps for that. There should be no excuse for an outdated copyright date; and if your website has one, please get it fixed.
  2. It is Not Mobile Capable. Pew Research now says that about 80% of Americans own a smartphone. When you look at the 18-34 demographic, that number climbs to over 95%. These smartphone owners are using their devices to look up news, information, reviews, and to shop for goods and services. Your website should be designed to be responsive to smartphones, with basic information like location and contact data upfront and easy to find. Many smartphone users are “ready to buy” but will move on quickly if your information is hard to find or see. Make sure you view your website on a mobile device and make the necessary changes to make it appealing when seen on a smartphone.
  3. Contains Outdated Information. There are many ways a website’s content can show it is behind the times. There could be older dates on news releases or outdated blogs. The content itself may tell readers in more subtle ways. For example, your main page copy may say “Serving our customers since 2005” but then also say “In our ten years in business”. This can be avoided by using evergreen content on your website, especially if keeping it updated may be a challenge for you.
  4. It has a Look that is So 2000. It is hard to imagine that the year 2000 was almost two decades ago. Your website may look like it. It may be boxy, slow loading, and use giant navigation buttons. You know it when you see it. If your website looks vintage 2000, your potential customers will simply move on.
  5. It Doesn’t Link Your Social Media Accounts. Modern, well-designed websites should make it as simple as possible to connect with your organization. This includes logos and links to your various social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, and more. Websites that don’t include their social media links can appear out-of-touch. You’re also not taking full advantage of the valuable synergy that your social media and website can build together.
  6. Uses Flash or Java. Patience has grown increasingly thin when waiting for websites to load. Outdated software like Java and Flash can drag your website down. If you are going to use video, consider using an off-site service like YouTube. Make sure all software used on your website is supported by popular web browsers like Google Chrome.
  7. Not Using an Eco Web Hosting Company. One of the ways you can demonstrate you are connected to what’s important today is by choosing an eco web hosting service that offers environmentally-friendly features. How will your users know you are using a “green” web hosting company? At OrangeWebsite, we offer all of our clients access to use a choice of free banners that can be easily installed on the pages of their website. These banners tell visitors they are working with an organization that cares about the planet. It is not only the right thing to do, it is a terrific way to attract like-minded prospects and customers.
Website Out Of Date

What Makes OrangeWebsite Eco-Friendly?

The story of OrangeWebsite.com starts with our location in Iceland. Ours is a country that gets just about 100% of their electric energy from renewable resources like hydro-electric and geothermal. Because our data center is located in a cool climate, we are able to use much less energy in conditioning air for our servers. We even offer employees the ability to work remotely from home, using less fuel for work travel and keeping more cars off the road.  This form of web hosting has been referred to as organic because it is better for our planet.

If your website needs an overhaul, maybe it is time to start with an eco-friendly web hosting company that offers a choice of hosting plans to fit any size organization. Iceland has a superior technological infrastructure with quick load times to both North America and Europe. We have clients in over 100 countries across the globe. We offer anonymous web hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and payments can be made by Bitcoin, PayPal, cash by mail or wire transfer. We are an ultra-secure hosting company that minimizes the data we keep on our clients. We even provide a 30-day, money back guarantee to ensure your satisfaction.

Is your website screaming for help? Sure, you will want to start with a fresh new design and include valuable content. Of course, you’ll want it to be mobile capable and easy to maintain. You should also consider starting with green hosting from OrangeWebsite. Contact us today to learn more!

18Apr 2018

Whatever Happened To…?

Whatever Happened To

Whatever Happened To…

Whatever Happened To

Whatever Happened to….?

Computers, the internet, and cell phones are such an important part of everyday life it is hard to imagine the world without them. Our computers now fit on our laps, our cell phones in our pockets, and we can seemingly pull the internet out of thin air almost anywhere. The road to get here, however, has been paved with some amazing, if not short-term, digital devices, programs, and web trends. We thought it might be fun to revisit some of these digital creations to discover what happened to them.

Mosaic – If you were browsing the internet prior to October 1994, odds are you were using a browser called Mosaic. Since Mosaic made it possible for users of Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and the Unix X Window System to all use it, it facilitated more widespread use of the internet. There were four generations of Mosaic; 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0. Although it made a huge impact, it was on the scene for only about 4 years. The creators of Mosaic, Marc Andreessen, and Jamie Zawinski, went on to develop Netscape. Today, Mosaic.com takes visitors to a sales and marketing company. Netscape.com, interestingly enough, redirects to America Online (AOL).

Floppy Discs – Before flash drives, computer users saved and exchanged data on thin magnetic discs called floppy discs or diskettes. In the mid-70’s, large 8” discs were frequently used, eventually being replaced by the 5 1/4” disc and then the 3.5 inch disc. Subsequently, zip-discs arrived on the scene, being replaced with CDs and DVDs. Now, these too, are being escorted out by digital storage and file sharing services on “the cloud”.

Myspace – There are people who make things happen and then there are those who wonder “what the heck happened?” Myspace experienced a bit of both with its meteoric rise and fall. The social media website took the internet by storm in 2003 and in 2005 was purchased by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp for over a half of a BILLION dollars. So what happened? Some say that Myspace got too greedy tried to own it all, others say News Corp was too “corporate”. Others suggest Myspace was unresponsive to the needs of its members. What really happened was Facebook. Today, MySpace continues as a music, entertainment, and culture website, a mere shadow of its former self. Today, Facebook has over 2 billion members worldwide.

Whatever Happened To Flooy Discs

GeoCities – Members were able to build websites reflecting their personality and hobbies and millions of people did just that. GeoCities started in 1994 and at one point was the third most visited website on the internet. Yahoo acquired GeoCities in 1999 and the service was discontinued in 2009.

GameBoy – When Nintendo released its GameBoy portable gaming system in 1989, it quickly sold one million units. It was pretty basic with a green monochrome screen, and Sega soon competed in the space with its more colorful Game Gear system. They were multiple incarnations of the Game Boy including Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. Over 200 million GameBoy units ultimately were sold.

FarmVille – Developed by Zynga and released on Facebook in mid-1999, it soon became the most popular game on the social media website, a spot which it held for two years. In 2010, at its peak, Farmville had almost 84 million users. After 2011, the game began losing active players. In mid-2011, it fell to 7th place on Facebook’s gaming list. By May of 2016, it was ranked 110th in daily users. While the game has lost much of its luster it is still available and has been joined by Farmville 2.

Energy Gobbling Data Centers – Unfortunately, data centers that waste energy and pollute the planet are still a big issue in technology today. They have been referred to as “the steel mills” of the modern area. The United States Department of Energy says that data centers use 10 to 50% of the amount of energy of typical office space. Much of the energy used is not just to power the servers but in keeping the space cool to keep servers functioning properly. It is estimated that 10% of all the power used by the US Government is used powering data centers. This is a global problem that continues to this day but there are alternatives.

Whatever Happened To Game Boy

Choosing an Eco Web Hosting Company

Hosting websites in a traditional data center is like still checking your Myspace page, storing data on floppy discs or playing Farmville. You just shouldn’t do it anymore. Not when there are “green” web hosting solutions like OrangeWebsite. We are an eco web hosting company headquartered in Iceland, considered one the safest places to host a website on the planet. Our cooler temperatures allow us to use less energy in powering our data centers. In Iceland, over 99% of the electricity is produced from renewable resources like geothermal and hydroelectric. We even encourage our employees to work from home, using less fuel by putting fewer cars on the road.

When you host with OrangeWebsite, you have access to a selection of “green” labels to place on your website, verifying you are using an environmentally friendly hosting company. This can help you appeal to a broader audience of like-minded people to use your services. Hosting with an eco web hosting company not only is the right thing to do, OrangeWebsite makes it practical. We offer a variety of hosting plans to suit an organization of all sizes and needs. We provide a 30-day money-back guarantee and offer secure web hosting. At Orangewebsite.com, you can sign up anonymously and pay via Bitcoin, cash by mail, PayPal or electronic transfer. We offer a 99.9% uptime and 24-hour technical support. Iceland offers exceptional modern Freedom of Speech legislation as well.

Don’t get caught in dated technology or yesterday’s thinking. If you are interested in moving forward with green web hosting, contact us at OrangeWebsite.com. We are the organic web hosting solution.

06Apr 2018

It’s Not Just Facebook. Ways You Are Giving Up Your Privacy

facebook privacy
facebook privacy

It has been referred to as a “breach” and misuse of private information. It has been the buzz of social media and it may have long-lasting impact, particularly in the United States. We are talking about Cambridge Analytica’s use of information it retrieved from Facebook and Facebook users. This data was apparently used to target political ads to influence the American election.

Before we get too far into the weeds on the subject, it should be noted that the purpose of all political advertising is to influence voters. This should surprise no one. It should also be noted that this information was gathered within Facebook’s own guidelines. If there was a breach, it was, in fact, the “breach of trust” Mark Zuckerberg referred to in the interviews he gave following the news. People trusted Facebook with their information. That being said, Zuckerberg made his fortune gathering information from users and selling his “audience” to companies wanting to target certain groups and individuals. Internet privacy is to a great degree, an illusion. We’ve all had that startling experience of searching for a topic or service and all of a sudden we are seeing ads for that product on our social media. Where did we think this information was coming from?  We were, and are, providing this wealth of data ourselves, and doing so willingly.

The Evolution of “Mailing Lists”

In pre-internet days, magazine companies would sell their subscriber lists to companies who saw value in targeting people interested in the content of a particular magazine. Just by having your name and address, and knowing the types of magazines you subscribed to, marketers could do a surprisingly effective job of reaching target audiences for decades. As time progressed, people became a little more comfortable filling out paper surveys and polls,  giving their opinions and more private information. They were often rewarded with an entry to win a prize in a drawing or by getting a free sample.  Soon, digital loyalty cards began stockpiling data on consumers with the promise of saving 25 cents on a box of detergent or a package of frozen peas. The internet and social media then really opened the floodgates.

Privacy, the Internet, and Social Media

You have read every page of every term of use you have agreed to on the internet, correct? We didn’t think so.

Software companies, gaming sites, social media platforms, search engines, and others have become adept at concealing their intended use of your personal data in extensive terms of use forms. Some of the very websites that have been critical of Facebook are participating in the same consumer data gathering strategies Facebook uses. While they will often say these terms of use protect consumers from misuse, it actually protects them. It demonstrates users have granted them permission to use this personal data for their own purposes.

What social media added to data gathering is the ability to connect friends and family. In the case of the Cambridge Analytica situation, not only was information gathered about users who volunteered it, but additional data was gathered from those who were connected to those users. The very platforms promising to “connect us” are connecting us with those who want to influence our product and services choices and even our political opinions.  The more information gathered, the better we could be targeted and we’ve been freely giving it up in droves.

Smartphones, GPS, Apps, and Siri

There are those who believe that deleting their social media accounts will help protect them. While it may slow down the train, it has already left the station. Search engines know what you are looking at and the subjects of interest to you. GPS devices know where you are and can even predict where you are going. Smartphones know more about you than your spouse. Then we invite digital assistants like Siri and Alexa into our homes to gather information audibly. We do it so willingly, in the name of convenience, or to have access to discounts or “loyalty points”.

Why are so many apps free? Because the value of the data being gathered far exceeds any monetary gain these companies could otherwise realize. The real eye-opener is when these activities are combined from various vendors it creates an even more complete dossier of your searches, purchasing and travel habits, and relationships. We won’t even get into facial recognition and fingerprinting data that is a increasing part of our everyday activities.

Nobody is suggesting that going back to flip phones is the answer. At least not yet. But we can benefit from knowing how we are making our personal data so available. We can minimize access to our info by choosing providers who have no or little interest in acquiring personal data. You can make the move to an eco web hosting solution provider that is more interested in the providing superior customer service than gathering your information. We invite you to learn more about OrangeWebsite.com.

The Privacy Benefits of Using OrangeWebsite.com

Look, we’ll be honest. We have absolutely no interest in your private information. If you are looking for anonymous web hosting, we are your provider. We make our money from building a worldwide base of website hosting customers who want a 99.9% uptime, anonymous sign-up, and no government interference. Customers appreciate our willingness to accept payment by Bitcoin, cash by mail, PayPal, and wire transfer. We are based in Iceland, an Internet-friendly country with internet and freedom of speech regulations. We also happen to have a stable government and an excellent digital infrastructure. We offer 24/7 technical support.

We view ourselves as a landlord, offering our worldwide customers rental space on our servers. We want to make sure you are comfortable and if you have an issue, we are accessible. As long as we have a valid email address to contact you and a way to receive timely payments, the rest is up to you. If you are becoming more conscious of your personal data and how providers may be using it to compromise you, choose OrangeWebsite.com. Secure. anonymous, and guaranteed.

28Mar 2018

The Growth of Digital & Virtual Assistants

Virtual Assistants
Virtual Assistants

The Growth of Digital & Virtual Assistants

They are referred to by various names including digital assistants, virtual assistants, voice assistants, and most recently smart speakers. Odds are you or someone you know has or soon will have one in their home. You may already use one on your phone. It is another in a series of digital advances designed to either make your life more convenient, find out more about you or potentially both.

Rather than having to undergo pesky typing into a digital device, users can simply make their request by speaking out loud into or at least near enough to the device so it can “hear”. They are in smartphones, televisions, computers, and in our automobiles. While this article will begin with a general look at the technology involved, we will ultimately focus on in-home voice speakers and their amazing growth in popularity in recent years.

The History of Speech Recognition

Many don’t realize how long speech recognition technology has been around. It was first introduced by Bell laboratories with a simple device named “Audrey” in 1952. Audrey could recognize numbers spoken by one voice. In 1962, IBM introduced “Shoebox” that could recognize 16 English words. Slowly, speech recognition improved through the 1960’s where it included more and more vowels and consonants in a variety of languages.

In the early to mid-1970’s, the United States Defense Department got involved and the technology made great strides. “Harpy” resulted in a system that could mimic the vocabulary of the average three-year-old. Eventually, Bell Labs introduced a system that could recognize multiple voices.

The next advances in voice recognition were accomplished through predictive voice recognition, where words were recognized on patterns of speech. In 1987, a doll named Julie could mimic speech and was marketed as “…the doll that understands you.” If that sounds a bit creepy think about what we are placing in our homes today.

In the 1990’s, voice recognition became much more available for consumers as computer speeds advanced. It was often cumbersome, however, and software frequently had to be trained to the user’s voice. Systems were frustrating due to misunderstandings between the users and the software. Early phone editions were particularly aggravating as callers would have to repeat themselves incessantly to get the software to “understand” what they wanted.

With the growing popularity of the internet, Google helped the technology take a huge step with its Google Voice Search App for the iPhone in the 2000’s.

Other milestones in the development of voice assistants was in 2011 when IBM’s “Watson” appeared on Television’s “Jeopardy” program and Apple introduced Siri. Microsoft responded with Cortana in 2013 and in late 2014, Amazon introduced Alexa and The Echo. The Assistant from Google made its debut in 2016 as did the Echo Dot. Later that year, Google Home was launched.

Virtual Assistants

The Growth of Voice Speakers in the Home

So, here we are now, over 65 years after Audrey recognized spoken numbers and 55 years after Shoebox was demonstrated at the World’s Fair, Through that time, interest has been shown from everybody from doll makers to the US Department of Defense. It has been employed in our phones and our cars. Now, however, it is reaching a new level of convenience and/or voluntary intrusion, depending on your perspective.

Estimates are there are about 30 million Google Home and Amazon Echo voice speakers in American homes. Penetration is expected to reach 55% within the next four years. There are a growing number of companies like Lenovo, LG, Harmon Kardon, and even toy maker Mattel who have set out to grab a share of this rapidly growing market. What’s behind this growth, how is it impacting us, and what is next?

Convenience Trumps Privacy

Voice speakers or as some are now calling AI voice speakers are another example that people are not only willing to trade personal information and privacy for convenience but will actually pay for the privilege. Convenience is king and technology-based companies like Amazon and Google fully understand that. It also affords them something even more valuable than just the sales of these devices. The real value to these tech companies is the consumer data and insights they provide.

It is not unlike the sales of cheap printers in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Consumers were lured in by cheap printer prices and convenience, They may not have been aware of the expensive replacement cartridges that awaited them. Companies promoting voice speakers may, in fact, be making these devices more and more affordable to gain access and insight into consumer behavior and information.

What This Means for Marketers

So, if all of this history and growth in voice recognition and ultimately AI voice speakers is interesting, what are the practical aspects for those with websites who want to sell more of their products and services? It starts with understanding that much of these activities are search related. “Alexa, find me a local rock and roll radio station.”, “Siri, who has the best pizza near us?” or “Google, what is tomorrow’s weather going to be?” are basic searches, initiated by voice rather than typing. There are already over one billion searches conducted by voice every month. By 2020, just two years from now, it is predicted about a third of all searches will be conducted without a screen. More and more people are joining the voice search option and feeling more comfortable with it, including those using voice speakers. This may help you craft verbally friendly SEO efforts along with written keyword strategies.

Why You Should Choose Orange Website

OrangeWebsite.com is an Icelandic-based web hosting solutions provider committed to the growth of our customers. We are in an internet-friendly country that respects the privacy of internet users. We provide a variety of hosting plans that can be paid through private secure and private payment options like Bitcoin and cash through the mail. Learn more by visiting OranageWebsite.com and get started today.

24Mar 2018

The Eleven Most Important Reasons to Choose a Web Hosting Company

Web Hosting Company
Web Hosting Company

The Eleven Most Important Reasons to Choose a Web Hosting Company

The factors surrounding your choice of a web hosting company will likely depend on your specific goals, needs, and budget. For most, however, there are certain qualities they seek in a web hosting solutions provider. Before you make a choice, consider these eleven important factors in your selection.

  1. Uptime – One of the biggest factors in the selection of a web hosting company is its reliability. A hosting services provider should not just boast of their uptime, they should be able to guarantee it. Server reliability and backup systems have improved tremendously through the years. Today, you should expect near 100% uptimes that are guaranteed.
  2. Customer and Technical Service – Costumer service and technical support often go hand in hand when considering a web hosting company. This is the “human” component of web hosting which is so important when you need to have a problem resolved. If you have an issue, you should be able to connect with someone in a timely manner. You should be treated as a valuable customer with every contact.
  3. Choice of Hosting Plans – Not every website is equal or has the same requirements and not every web hosting company offers the same services. You’ll want to make sure the hosting provider you choose can accommodate the traffic, software, and applications important for your website’s functionality. Finding out your hosting company is inadequate after you have made your choice can be problematic.
  4. Security – Today, more than ever, security should be a concern when selecting a web hosting company. Two factor authentication methods for client logins, server SSH logins, and other security features can help ensure the security of your websites. Not asking questions regarding security can be asking for problems.
  5. Location – Location can be a factor for several reasons. The location of a data center can not only affect how quickly users can access its servers, but you’ll want a hosting company in a country that is stable politically. It should be an Internet-friendly country that embraces freedom of expression and has regulations that protect web-related freedoms. Its location should have a solid technical infrastructure adding to reliability.
  6. Environmentally Friendly – As the world begins to have a greater understanding of how much energy is consumed by data centers and how they contribute to pollution,  finding “green” or organic web hosting solution providers has increased in importance. These eco web hosting companies take steps to use energy efficiently, often passing savings onto their clients. Using a “green” hosting company also provides marketing opportunities for companies who want to appeal to this market.
  7. Pricing – While pricing isn’t necessarily at the top of the list, it would be naive to think it isn’t a significant factor. You certainly don’t want to pay for more than you need and you want to get what you pay for.
  8. Testimonials – This shows how current and previous customers view a web hosting company matters. Look for a web hosting company who is willing to share testimonials from real customers about their services.
  9. Payment Options – More payment choices and payment flexibility can make working with a web hosting company more convenient. There are plenty more options available out there than credit cards.
  10. Anonymity – For many companies, anonymity can play an important role in a choice of a web hosting company. If this is important for you, make sure to inquire about the steps a web hosting solutions provider takes to keep you anonymous.
  11. A Satisfaction Guarantee – You’ll want to select a hosting company that has enough confidence in its products and services to guarantee them with a money back guarantee. If a service doesn’t back its services, consider your other options.

Not all web hosting companies are the same. When you consider all of the above, we think you’ll discover why more and more companies of all sizes from all parts of the world are are choosing OrangeWebsite.com as their hosting services solutions provider.

How OrangeWebsite Measures Up

OrangeWebsite meets and exceeds expectations. We have a 99.9% uptime guarantee that is backed with 24/7, knowledgeable technical support. We serve customers in over 100 countries in time-zones across the globe. We have a variety of hosting plans to suit almost every budget and every technological need. Plans can be paid for by using Bitcoin, PayPal, wire transfers, and even cash by mail. We are an ultra-secure hosting provider located in Iceland, considered one of the safest hosting countries in the world. We have quick load times to both Europe and North America. Iceland obtains almost all of its electricity from renewable energy sources like geothermal and hydroelectric, helping us achieve our status as an eco web hosting provider. Because of our climate, we use much less air conditioning to cool our data center servers, using less energy. OrangeWebsite provides our clients the ability to place a selection of “Green Seals” on the pages of their websites. These easy to install digital labels indicate that your organization cares enough about the environment to use an eco-friendly hosting provider. We take steps that protect your anonymity and offer a 30 day money back guarantee. View our testimonials online and learn more about getting started today.

Choosing a web hosting service provider is an important decision. Choose wisely. We invite you to discover the benefits of OrangeWebsite.com.