Ads Manager: The Basics

admin - January 26, 2017June 20, 2022

So, for those of you who don’t yet have a Facebook Ad Manager account, or do but are new to the system here is the basic rundown of all you need to know.

Social media marketing is currently a huge industry and an amazing way to interact with your clients in a personal setting through their feeds.

Currently, Facebook uses Ad Manager as a system to aid those employing paid advertising on Instagram and Facebook and offers a tool where you can view your ads, make changes and see the results of the advertising campaigns you are running for your page.

When creating an ad, ad manager will first get you to create a campaign. At this point, Ad Manager will get you to choose an objective whether it be awareness, consideration or conversion in order to make sure your ads get the results you want.

The next step will be creating an Ad Set. For every campaign, you can have multiple ad sets as long as your objective is that same. Who sees your ad, where your ad is displayed, your budgets and schedules make up an ad set. Depending on your campaign objective you will also different selections to make and information to provide.

Due to the sheer amount of data that Facebook has their Audience function is superb. You can select from the primary categories; demographics, interests, and behaviors all of which have subcategories that can be as specific as the date of a wedding anniversary or if one of their favorite foods is seafood.

Finally, the next step is actually formatting your ad. At this point, you can either choose to pull pictures from your page of upload new images. It is good to keep in mind that images with less text will perform higher in the algorithm. Additionally, ensure you correctly link your ads to ensure that you are getting the most for your money.

When & Why You Should Choose Drupal

admin - January 18, 2017September 6, 2022

Why Choose Drupal

The short answer for “why choose Drupal” is that is is the same Content Management System (CMS) trusted by the White House, the Australian Government, The Economist, Brisbane City Council, Virgin Australia, Flight Centre, by the Royal Mail, Harvard University and QUT, we can go further with this examples, but maybe you have got the idea, from Government to E-Commerce, from Education to News Corporation’s when things are getting tough it is Drupal that can do the job. But, yes, do not worry, Drupal can handle smaller jobs too.

The long answer is that Drupal is one of the best Open source CMS in the world (if not the best) that can scale to the enterprise level and handle millions of requests a day without losing speed. Drupal has built-in cache systems that can scale from small to large websites. It can be easily integrated with external cache systems such as Varnish or Memcached (to say few). It can be integrated with powerful search engines such as Elasticsearch and Apache Solr. When it comes to the external use of API’s, Drupal can handle all of it and more!

CMS, Security, and Flexibility

Did you need a multilingual CMS? Nothing compares with Drupal, and that it is from his nature of being a European-born in Belgium by the hands of Dries Buytaert- “citizen” that it was created to reflect the European reality – a community made up of many made of a lot of languages.

Did you say security? Drupal has proven, during its life, that it can reach standards that reach only in closed systems (where the code is not known to the public). This feature can be attributed to Drupal’s dedicated security team and to one of the largest developer communities in the world that in a short time can respond to any issue that can arise (as of December 2016 there are more than 2.500.000 members).

Do you need complex workflows and content architecture? Drupal offers flexible architecture, your content can be managed in the way you want by who you want at the time you want and only at the level you want. You are in total control of your content.

When Use Drupal

Now, let’s take a look at “when” to use Drupal. The short answer, when your project is important and you are ready to invest the money that it deserves.

What we mean is that if you need a “quick” website with a pre-build template it is better to use other CMS, such as WordPress. This is more rapid to deploy and set-up, but obviously this comes with a cost, that can be that your website can be more easily hacked or at some point some functionality can’t be deployed. Additionally, certain functionalities you may want to be deployed are costly as a plugin may be your only option. In its most basic form – If you want to build a blog, use WordPress; if you want to build WordPress, use Drupal.

Drupal vs. WordPress – Which Should You Use In 2022?

That said, it’s your choice based on your budget, and you can call Digital8 for an obligation free chat so we can help you make the right decision.

Out With The Old, In With The New, Here’s What’s To Come & It’s All Totally New

admin - January 11, 2017August 29, 2022

After the disaster that was 2016, we are looking into the future wistfully. Here’s hoping that in 2017 we won’t have to say goodbye to any more ports or jacks and we will finally see an end to Apple’s dongle fetish. On a more optimistic note, 2017 might be the year that Samsung releases a phone that doesn’t have the mission impossible “self-destruct” setting. Ultimately the tech put out by the mainstream leading companies this year, whilst groundbreaking has inevitably turned into a meme. To prove my point all one has to mention is Pokemon GO!

With a warmth in my heart and high hopes in mind here are some of the cooler products being released this year.

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo’s next games console is set to be released this year. Formerly referred to as the Nintendo NX, the Nintendo Switch is speeding towards us and here’s what we know about it. The Nintendo Switch is like nothing we have seen before as it offers a hybrid gaming experience.

The console is essentially a tablet with two detachable controllers on either side that can be used individually or attached to the tablet. Additionally, the tablet also has a docking station to ensure players can game on their TV’s. The Switch was revealed in October 2016 and is set to be released in mid-March starting at roughly $340 AUD.

The iPad

We have been waiting for what seems like a lifetime for a new and improved iPad series and this march we could be getting just that. Rumours have alluded to the fact that Apple will be updating the 7.9 inch Mini and the 12.9 inch Pro, however, there is also talk of a new 10.9-inch iPad Pro with a slimmer bezel design that would make it the same size as last year’s 9.7-inch iPad!!!

Along with the classic upgrade to performance and responsivity rumours are also circulating that the traditional home button could be given a miss. In addition to performance enhancements, it has been reported that, like the next iPhone, the iPad may also ditch the traditional Home button.

The next iPhone

This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone (please take a moment to stroke your black turtlenecks and shed a tear for Steve Jobs, the genius behind this marvellous device.) This is one of the most exciting announcements yet and the rumour mill is working faster than it does at an upper elite high school.

Currently, Apple is believed to be testing MORE THAN 10 prototypes for the new device, because of this it is unclear which features that are currently in testing will stay and which will go, however, it is clear that they are working hard to make this one of the most impressive phones yet.

Some of the popular rumours that are currently in circulation include a radical redesign, potentially featuring an edge-to-edge aesthetic. This rumour also says goodbye to the top and bottom bezels and projects that Apple will build the front facing camera and touch ID right into the display??!!?? More interestingly, this design is crucial for wireless charging… (coincidence?)

As for advances in security, Apple is believed to be incorporating iris or facial scanning technologies which will potentially be available in all sizes. Whilst on the topic of size, Apple is assumed to be maintaining the 4.7 and 5.5-inch devices. However, there is speculation surrounding the possibility of a 4-inch device also being placed on the market.

Currently, there are no pricing estimates nor is there a date for the release, but it is safe to say the Apple release will be in September and it will be epic.

Samsung Galaxy S8

The Galaxy Note 7 exploded onto the market and flamed out just as quickly (ehhhhhh ;))

All jokes aside, this year Samsung needs to make a bang in the marketplace in order to account for the loss of revenue last year. Rumours have suggested that the new Galaxy S8 will be almost bezelless and we may even be saying goodbye to the home button However the removal of this feature is no great loss, as it makes way for new technologies to be included in the device such as an upgraded inbuilt fingerprint reader and optical sensor. In other reports, it has been suggested that Samsung may also follow Apple and say goodbye to the headphone jack

What is React Native?

admin - January 11, 2017June 20, 2022

When working with our clients to develop apps we discuss all of the platforms that we believe will successfully support their product/idea. Regularly we are questioned what the different softwares are and in particular we are often asked, what is react native? So here's the rundown on what react native is in its simplest form.

React Native is the newest generation of React (React, released in 2013 by Facebook and Instagram, is a Javascript code library.) What separates React and React Native is that Native offers a platform to write apps for specific operating systems (such as android and iOS.) React Native enables developers the chance to reuse code on mobile ad across the web.

Using React native also means that engineers won't have to build the same app for different operating systems from scratch allowing for a faster development phase. From the buyers perspective using this operating system can be a lot more cost effective as you essentially only need one developer to write your app for all platforms.

To learn more about React Native or to discuss the possibility of creating an app contact us today for an obligation free chat.

What is Drupal

admin - January 6, 2017June 20, 2022

When you hire a third party to undergo a web development project for your company there is a range of software that your product will be potentially made from. Often, if your project is related to developing a website Drupal will be one of the software that developers will use to create your website. For non-tech heads this does beg the question, what is Drupal?

So, what is Drupal? In essence drupal is a free open source software that many people use to develop and manage a range of sites, including but not limited to blogs, portals, forums, intranets, social networking sites and resource directories. Ultimately, Drupal offers a content management platform and a web development framework.

Drupal began as a bulletin system developed and grew into an open source program in late 2001. The software is now ready to use upon download and includes add on modules and a web based installer.

To learn more about Drupal, or have a chat about growing your ideas contact us today!