Unlocking Efficiency: A Guide to Training AI as Your Next Employee or Assistant
Introduction: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the workforce has become a game-changer for businesses and individuals in an era dominated by technological advancements. With the right tools and techniques, training AI to be your next employee or assistant can significantly enhance productivity and streamline tasks. This blog post aims to guide you through the process, highlighting key steps and considerations for a successful AI integration. Before diving into AI training, it’s crucial to identify your specific needs and objectives. Understand the tasks you want the AI to handle and the goals you aim to achieve. Whether it’s automating repetitive processes, data analysis, or customer interactions, a clear understanding of your requirements will lay the foundation for practical AI training. Selecting the appropriate AI platform or framework is essential for successful training. Popular choices include TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn, each offering unique features and advantages. Consider factors such as the complexity of your tasks, the level of customization required, and the availability of pre-trained models to determine the most suitable platform for your needs. High-quality data is the lifeblood of AI training. Collect relevant datasets that mirror the real-world scenarios your AI will encounter. Ensure the data is diverse, representative, and accurately reflects the tasks you want the AI to perform. Preprocess the data by cleaning, normalizing, and augmenting it as necessary to improve model performance. Selecting or designing the right model architecture is critical in AI training. You may opt for pre-trained models or build a custom architecture depending on your objectives. Factors such as computational resources, model complexity, and training time should influence your decision. Common architectures include convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for image processing and recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for sequential data. Once the data and model architecture are in place, initiate the training process. Utilize a training set to teach the model the desired tasks, and validate its performance on a separate validation set. Adjust hyperparameters, such as learning rate and batch size, to optimize the model’s accuracy. Monitor the training process and be prepared to iterate and refine the model as needed. After the initial training, evaluate the AI model’s performance using a test set. Assess accuracy, precision, and recall metrics to gauge its effectiveness. Fine-tune the model based on the evaluation results, adjusting to enhance its performance on specific tasks. Once the model’s performance is satisfied, integrate it into your workflow or application. Monitor its behavior in real-world scenarios and continuously update the model as needed. Regularly evaluate the AI’s performance and adapt to changes in your requirements or data patterns. Conclusion: Training AI to be your next employee or assistant requires careful planning, the right tools, and ongoing monitoring. By following these steps and staying abreast of technological advancements, you can unlock the full potential of AI to streamline tasks, increase efficiency, and contribute to the overall success of your endeavors. Embrace the future of work by incorporating AI as a valuable team member.
The Era of Cookies Ends: Google’s Shift and What It Means for Millions
In a landmark move, Google, the behemoth of the digital realm, is set to flip the switch on one of the internet’s most fundamental elements: cookies. On January 4, millions of users worldwide will witness the culmination of a transformational journey as Google bids adieu to third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. While monumental, this move comes with multifaceted implications, sparking curiosity and concern across the digital landscape. Understanding the Cookie Crumble Cookies, those tiny pieces of data stored in browsers, have shaped online experiences for decades. They facilitated everything from remembering login credentials to tailoring personalized ads based on browsing history. However, the gradual evolution of privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny prompted a seismic shift in the tech ecosystem’s landscape. Google’s decision to phase out third-party cookies is not an isolated event but part of a broader industry-wide initiative to prioritize user privacy. This move aligns with the trajectory set by various privacy regulations (such as GDPR and CCPA) aiming to curtail intrusive tracking practices. What Does This Mean for Users? For millions of internet users, bidding farewell to third-party cookies heralds a new era of enhanced privacy. It translates to reduced tracking by advertisers across different websites, potentially mitigating the feeling of being constantly monitored or targeted with eerily specific ads following one’s online activities. However, eliminating these cookies doesn’t mean an end to all tracking. First-party cookies used by websites will still function, allowing sites to remember user preferences and login information. Moreover, Google isn’t merely eliminating cookies without a replacement; they’re steering the industry toward more privacy-preserving alternatives through their ‘Privacy Sandbox’ initiative. Implications for Advertisers and Marketers This shift poses a considerable challenge to the advertising industry’s status quo. Advertisers have long relied on third-party cookies for precise targeting and measuring ad effectiveness. With their discontinuation, marketers must adapt their strategies by embracing more privacy-conscious methodologies. In response, Google has proposed ‘Federated Learning of Cohorts’ (FLoC), a technology that groups users with similar interests into cohorts while preserving individual anonymity. However, this concept has sparked debates regarding its efficacy in balancing privacy and targeted advertising. The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities While the demise of third-party cookies raises concerns, it also presents opportunities. It urges businesses to adopt ethical and transparent data practices, fostering a more trusting relationship with their audiences. It sparks innovation, compelling the industry to explore alternative methods for effective advertising without compromising user privacy. Nonetheless, challenges persist. The transition might not be seamless, especially for smaller advertisers with limited resources to navigate these changes. Concerns about how these modifications will impact revenue streams and the overall digital advertising ecosystem exist. Conclusion Google’s decision to bid adieu to third-party cookies signifies a pivotal moment in the digital landscape. It reflects a collective shift toward prioritizing user privacy while challenging established norms in online advertising. As January 4 approaches, the tech world braces for a paradigm shift that promises a more private, albeit evolving, online experience for millions worldwide. Adapting to this new reality will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders, ensuring a delicate balance between user privacy and the digital economy’s vitality.
Revealing the Secrets Behind ‘Cookie Preferences’ Pop-Ups
Introduction If you’re an internet user, you’ve likely encountered those annoying pop-up messages that ask for your consent to use cookies on a website. These little windows often come with a myriad of options and confusing language. What do they mean, and why should you care? In this blog post, we’ll demystify those ‘Cookie Preferences’ pop-ups and help you understand their significance. Before diving into cookie preferences, let’s start with the basics: what are cookies? In the digital realm, cookies are not delicious baked goods but rather small pieces of data stored on your device by websites you visit. They serve several purposes: a. Session Management: Cookies help websites keep track of your login status and remember your preferences while you navigate the site. b. Personalization: Websites use cookies to tailor content and advertisements to your interests and browsing history. c. Analytics: Cookies are also crucial for website owners to analyze user behavior and improve their services. Many countries and regions have enacted data protection laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. These laws require websites to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting and processing their data, including through cookies. The ‘Cookie Preferences’ pop-up is a mechanism for obtaining this consent. Understanding the different types of cookies can help you make informed choices when you encounter a cookie preferences pop-up. Here are the main categories: a. Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for a website to function properly. They are usually not subject to user consent because they ensure basic features like page navigation and security. b. Functional Cookies: These cookies enhance user experience by remembering settings and preferences. c. Performance Cookies: These cookies collect data about how you use a website, such as which pages you visit most. The information is used to improve site performance. d. Targeting or Advertising Cookies: These cookies track your online behavior and are used for targeted advertising. This is where privacy concerns often arise. When you encounter a cookie preferences pop-up, you typically have several options: a. Accept All Cookies: This option allows the website to use all cookies, including tracking and advertising cookies. b. Reject All Cookies: This option refuses all cookies except necessary ones, which could limit your website experience. c. Customize Your Settings: This is where you can fine-tune your preferences. You can enable or disable specific cookie categories according to your preferences. Understanding and customizing your cookie preferences is crucial for a few reasons: a. Privacy: By customizing your settings, you can limit the personal data collected by websites, enhancing your online privacy. b. User Experience: Tailoring your cookie preferences can help you have a better user experience by allowing or blocking certain features. c. Compliance: It helps websites comply with data protection regulations and respect your rights as a user. Conclusion ‘Cookie Preferences’ pop-ups are not just pesky annoyances; they are tools that empower you to control your online privacy and experience. By understanding the different types of cookies and the options these pop-ups provide, you can make informed choices about how your data is used while browsing the web. So, next time you see one of those pop-ups, take a moment to configure your preferences, and you’ll have a more enjoyable and privacy-conscious online experience.
Web Page Speed for People and Search Engines
Help more people see your properly displayed website faster. Web page load speed has a major effect on how many visitors actually see and stay on your website. When someone clicks a link to your site they want immediate results. Waiting more than 3 or 4 seconds is too long for many people when their experience with other websites is virtually instant rewards for page links clicked. Take it from two of the world’s largest online retailers. Amazon reported a 1% increase in revenue for every 100 millisecond improvement in page load speed. That calculates to about $890 million in additional annual revenue! Similarly, Walmart.com experienced a 2% increase in conversions for every 1 second of web speed improvement. Slow Website Hazards Other studies have shown decisively how problematic a slow loading website is for today’s consumers and web searchers. Akamai, a leader in web performance technology reports the following: 47% of people expect a web page to load in two seconds or less. 40% will abandon a web page if it takes more than three seconds to load. 52% of online shoppers say quick page loads are important for their loyalty to a site. Speed should always be a key consideration for any work performed on your website. Page load speed not only impacts your online conversions when people find your site, but is also a big factor in how Google will index and rank your web pages so more people can find you. Having a first rate website and being easily searchable on the web is one of the best ways you can keep your new business pipeline full. Your search visibility and online rankings can be raised in a number of different ways. Ideally, all of them should be practiced as they will help you build authoritative status in the search engines. What is often overlooked in website development is proper code and programming that reduces server response time and greases the skids for search engines. Proper file compression, minimizing HTTP requests, optimizing images and other development best practices help pages load faster and display properly in all currently supported browsers. Having a website built by a first-rate developer is the ideal starting point for any website because from there we can focus on the critical aspects of on-page SEO including keyword research and content creation. The Value of Web Page Speed According to Brandt Dainow, a web analyst consultant at ThinkMetrics, “Speed seems to have been forgotten by the web design industry around the time broadband arose. Prior to that, in the 1990s, everyone was very aware that web pages took time to download and bore that in mind when designing websites. Speed was so central to design that major development tools like Dreamweaver kept a running total of download time in the status bar as you coded so that you could see the impact of your changes on the site’s speed. Designers didn’t like casting aside their lovely creations because they were too slow, but they accepted the commercial realities of the world they inhabited and learned to compromise between appearance and performance. “… While designers might have forgotten about speed, users haven’t. There’s a direct connection between website speed and the site’s appeal. Sites that render in under five seconds are four times more likely to get a conversion than sites that take longer. This situation is even worse in the mobile market. In mobile, the critical time span is only two seconds, and you will get 10 times more mobile conversions if you meet this limit. Since search engines want to send people to sites that people like, search engines reserve the higher rankings for faster sites.” When visitors land on your site, will it open immediately and provide a clean, intuitive user interface that functions as intended? Having a fast-loading website is like giving your visitors nothing but green lights on their cyber commute into your online city. All of the data paths are unclogged and standards based program applications work as they’re supposed to without “roadblocks” and “detours.” In short, you’re giving your visitors a great User-experience. You’re also telling search engines that you’re working with a professional development team. Your two audiences: human beings and search engines. It should be obvious to anyone why serving your human audience is important to your business. Most web designers tend to focus primarily on people-pleasing – the artistic elegance and visual aspects of a website, often at the expense of speed. Their first priority is to show the client a beautiful graphic design to get an approval. Once the initial design is approved, developers who code the site will judge its functionality from how it appears on their own device as they test for appearance. Are they also concerned with how fast it will load, look and function on someone else’s device? And very importantly, are they programming the site or using the CMS according to best practices for the search engines? Good website practices are all about building relevant, useful pages that load quickly and look good on all devices. An Easy Speed Test from Google If you’re a website owner, there’s an easy way for you test your website’s speed by entering the URL into the search bar on this page: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ The test will analyze the page you enter and provide a report of any problems along with recommendations for improvements. Should you be experiencing problems with slow loading pages, website error messages and low traffic volume, it might be due to improper development practices. The success of your online marketing will rest largely on your developer’s technical understanding of what affects server response time and page load speed. Your website’s maintenance service provider should be able to ascertain the efficacy of your site’s programming and help you improve both user experiences and SEO results. Do you have questions about the technical structure affecting the speed of your website? Feel free to contact us about a review
Website Serviceability is a Key to Growth
Can your website change at the speed of business? Making sure your website is easy to update is like greasing the skids at a boatyard: without sufficient lubricant, the boat you want to slide easily into the water will get hung up, and just sit there on dry land waiting for some superior force to push it down the skids. A website that is not easily serviceable is in a similar state. It sits there useless until someone can finally figure out how to update it to reflect the current state of business. The need to continually update an active business website is a no-brainer. Every business owner knows, and every web developer will tell you, that keeping a site current is of utmost importance. By now it is well known that the more often a site is updated with new, quality content, the higher it will be ranked by search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. Despite this knowledge, however, a great many business websites stay virtually the same as the day they were launched for far too long; and those that do change are often updated long after their business has undergone significant changes. These sites never catch up to reality. Why? Oftentimes it’s because they are not easy to service. If this describes your current website, there are a number of things you can do to make sure your site has a high serviceability rating. Choose web development tools that are easy to understand and update. Website Serviceability depends on how your site was developed in the first place. You should consider the long-term maintenance implications of the software or systems used to build or redesign your site prior to building or redesigning it. There are risks in using less well known and harder to manage development tools, and you should be aware of them. If your site is relatively complex and was custom developed using raw HTML, XML or other development languages, chances are its content can only be managed and updated by the developers themselves or by IT pros who are familiar with the programming languages used. But what if the developer goes out of business or moves out of state? And what if your business can’t afford the luxury of a web dedicated IT professional in house? A better choice is to choose a CMS (Content Management System) development tool anyone can use and anyone can maintain – especially if serviceability is your goal. For example, WordPress is a program originally designed for blog creation and maintenance. In recent years, it has become the industry’s leading CMS and site building tool due to its robust content management capabilities, ease of use, depth, and flexibility. It requires that you already have a domain name and hosting service, but after that, designing and setting up a site is relatively easy. A WordPress-developed site can be easily updated in-house by virtually anyone, and it can be seamlessly tied to your CRM system for added user-oriented functionality. If WordPress is not your CMS, what CMS is your developer using? Is it well known, easy to use? Does it support other popular business management programs? Use one or more of the following links to see how your CMS stacks up in comparison to others: http://trends.builtwith.com/ http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_language/all A dedicated maintenance team is critical to your site’s serviceability—and your success. Website development is very project-focused. Website maintenance, on the other hand, is very task-focused. These are two different types of work flow and work management styles. Development is extremely creative, much like the vision that goes into new car design. This creative vision is the heart and value of what website development firms deliver. Maintenance is much more technical and mechanical, with a much smaller, narrower focus. It requires a repetitiveness that is not usually a strong suit of creative firms. A company dedicated to maintenance—much like an auto repair shop—is focused on repetitive tasks day in and day out. Your site’s serviceability will be well served by a team whose primary focus is maintenance. Enhancing user experience is your top priority. The prime function of your website is not to serve you; it is to serve your customers (who in turn serve your business with its lifeblood – revenue). When people enjoy using your site, and derive value from it, its value to your company increases many fold. Conversely, when the information or functionality of your site is out of date, inaccurate or otherwise behind the times, users will be frustrated and, in all likelihood, will not return. It’s your responsibility to keep your site current in real time, so that it provides users a rewarding experience. This can only be accomplished if your site is easily serviceable. Helping you do that is our top priority. Parker Web Services specializes in fast, knowledgeable and affordable website maintenance services. It is vital to keep your website up to date and looking as professional as you are. With regular and ongoing website maintenance, your site functions as a source of client attraction, lead generation, increased revenue, and streamlined daily operations. Being able to service it should be the last thing you have to worry about. Our proactive approach stops website crashes, out-of-date applications, malware attacks, and anything else that slows down your business success on the internet. Do you need help with optimizing your website serviceability? We’re here to help. Call 1-877-321-2251 or contact us online. Parker Web prides itself on providing a top-notch website experience. Schedule a call today.
Website Portability – Keep it Under Your Control
3 things you need to launch, host and move your website Whose responsibility is it to keep and maintain all the access tools to an organization’s website? Let’s say your business has “outgrown” your current web design shop. They’re unresponsive and don’t seem that interested in your business. You’ve hired a new web designer and you’re excited about your new design already in the works. When you’re just about ready to launch the new site, you discover a problem. Your former marketing manager never provided you the file with all the required technological resources to make a vendor change. You were lucky that she renewed your domain name registration a few extra years, otherwise your current site would be down and you wouldn’t even know why. This problem may sound elementary and easily avoidable to some, but to many business owners who rely solely on other people to “handle” their websites, getting back online after a DNS, hosting or security interruption can be a time-consuming hassle. It’s often amazes us how many website owners turn their entire platform over to an employee or third party with no central controls over its portability and security. Getting back to the “Whose responsibility is it?” question, the onus should always be on the website owner, not the service provider, to maintain the necessary access tools for portability and maintenance. This keeps the business owner aware of and responsible for systems and services that could anchor the site to a particular technology or even an unwanted vendor. Losing website access tools & credentials happens too often, and when it does, web designers and agency vendors need to hold clients’ hands through the meticulous process of recovering or recreating Domain Name Registration and Hosting credentials. This process always takes up extra administrative and project management time (money). Keeping your website live, functioning and portable, thereby maintaining complete control of your own website, requires knowing a few technical aspects of how a website is allowed on and served to the Internet. Getting everything in order for you to move your website from one vendor to another is really very simple once you understand 3 basic things: Domain Name Registration Hosting FTP Information Let’s take them one at a time and then see how they all tie together. 1. Domain Name Registration Who are you and where can we find you? For simplicity’s sake, think of the terms “Web Address,” “URL” and “Domain Name” as synonymous. These terms all refer to your website address. Hopefully, you did everything possible to secure “yourcompanyname.com” as your web address by registering it as your Internet Domain name. Going further, it’s always a good idea to buy and register several domain names based on iterations of your company, product and brand names, and use them for strategic and targeted purposes. It’s relatively inexpensive to buy and register a name that has never been claimed or registered. Typically, it only costs about $15 per year, per domain name, or less with multiple registrations and multi-year terms. So, let’s say you decide what your primary website address should be. Is it even available for you to use? You can find out immediately and freely by going to a DNS (Domain Name Service) company like GoDaddy or Network Solutions. The first thing you’ll see on their home page is a place to search for a web address (domain name) to see if it’s available for sale or owned by someone else. Once you determine and choose your website address, also known as your URL (Uniform Resource Locator), you purchase and register it for your sole use. The company from which your purchase your domain name is known as the “registrar.” It’s vital to keep accurate records of this because your domain name registration assures that everyone who enters your web address into a browser, or is sent there by a search engine, will land only on your website. Most companies that register and point domain names can also host your website but you may want to use a different hosting option for various reasons. So whether you register your domain names at GoDaddy, Network Solutions or another organization, just make sure to keep your user ID/customer number and password in a safe, retrievable place. Otherwise your domain name could expire and you’d be unable to change host servers as needed. 2. Hosting – Where Your Website Lives Your website needs to reside on a server somewhere, whether it’s your own Internet-connected network or at a dedicated web hosting company, of which there are very many. You have myriad options for hosting your website with different levels of security and services options. Here again, you will need to keep accurate records of your hosting company login credentials so that your web service providers can access your website’s “back end” control panel to make changes. You should also keep good records of all hosting company transactions and changes performed on your website by all parties. These records can be valuable for determining the source of any hosting or coding issues, speeding up the process of identifying sources and solutions to any problems that may arise. When determining your website hosting solution, consider these fundamental concerns: Loading speed – How fast will my website load and display properly? Slow uploads cause potential visitors to abandon their visits. Uptime – How reliable is 24/7 access to my website? Does the hosting company provide an uptime report? Are they down more than 2 or 3 hours in a year? Check their track record! Security – Have client sites been attacked by malware or viruses? Are you on the same server shared with dubious other websites or on a securely managed, dedicated server? These are a few of the key considerations for choosing a website hosting option. Hosting packages and costs vary widely but as a general rule, web hosting should not be a significant cost of doing business. 3. FTP Information – The Ignition Keys Your
Is your website invisible to over 60% of potential users?
Google bans non-responsive websites from mobile search results. You expect that people who search Google for your designated key words and phrases have a good chance of finding your content online. Your website users expect you to keep your information current, relevant and valuable to them. They also expect to be able to use your information on the device of their choice. Website User Experience (UX) has a lot to do with fulfilling user expectations. Web searches on mobile devices are increasing fast (now over 60%) but there are still many robust websites on the Internet that are not optimized to display across all devices and screen sizes. Google announced they will essentially “penalize” such websites because of poor mobile device experiences and lack of responsive functionality. Non-responsive websites are blocked from mobile searches so that users avoid the frustration. Beyond smartphones, Internet enabled consumer products are here and still more are coming. Household appliances and various items we use every day increasingly feature Internet-ready, interactive display consoles of varying configurations. Designers need foresight to understand how information can be presented and used by every device user. Developers need technical understanding and current tools to program fully mobile-responsive websites. So the question becomes, what discussions have you and your web team had about remaining visible and relevant through Responsive Design? Are you on a maintenance plan that includes keeping current with the technology curves of search algorithm and Internet Protocol updates? Designers and developers must apply a new approach to websites, informed by an understanding of mobile information architecture. How will content be laid out and appear on the multitude of different display orientations people use; landscape, portrait, square, big screen TV, phone, tablet, laptop, wearable, appliance…? The dominant search giant, Google, cares mostly about serving people searching for information on the Internet. Its chief concern is the searcher, whatever device they happen to be searching on. According to Google, “mobile devices — smartphones in particular — dominate digital media time: 60 percent vs. 40 percent for the PC.” That percentage grows larger by the day. They recently declared that mobile responsive design is a requirement for ranking and classifying websites for search placement. On April 21, 2015, Google launched their new algorithm that critics are calling “Mobilegeddon.” If your web designer is still designing for the desktop experience, you may be creating a mobile screen mess (or an invisible website) that you’ll need to clean up before Google will even begin to rank it for mobile searches. Search rankings have already dropped for relatively prominent websites that do not display or function well on mobile devices. Take a look at the two examples below from digital marketing firm Venveo: You can see how cumbersome and unreadable most of the non-responsive content is. Just try to interact with it on a small handheld screen. Conversely, the responsive site delivers a clear message immediately with a simple path to navigate and interact with the content. The good news for many of us is that mobile responsive web design is now considered standard best practice among the majority of reputable web designers. However, since this huge search algorithm update only occurred recently, there are still many prominent, robust websites that have fallen behind the mobile curve and still need to catch up. Don’t let yours be one of them! Is your website responsive? Unless you care very little about website traffic and your visitors’ user experience, you need to take this Google update very seriously. Companies are responding in large numbers by upgrading or redesigning their sites to be responsive. Google saw an immediate 5% rise in mobile friendly websites in only one month (May 2015) and that number is growing and at an accelerated rate. Your website needs to be mobile friendly right now or you will lose business to your more nimble and responsive competition! Take the mobile responsive test now! If you’re concerned about your website’s mobile search compatibility, here’s what you can do, and Google has made it fast and easy. Find out if your website needs a mobile upgrade by using Google’s simple test. Enter your web page URL into the search field at: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/. You’ll be served a clean, simple field to test your web pages as seen below: Within seconds you’ll know if the page you entered is mobile friendly or not. By the way, the company in the screen shot example above got their site fixed and it works great on all devices now! Note: It may be important to test every page on your website including your blog – its index page and the single view article pages. Many websites have been developed by more than one person and oftentimes “band-aid” patches are made for certain page updates which can corrupt the code for proper mobile display. In the many cases, converting an older website into a mobile friendly one will not require a complete redesign but rather some programming changes. In general, the older the technology used to build the website, the more work that will be required to fix it. Having a mobile friendly site is not an option, it’s a requirement. So what does it take to get your website responsive and mobile friendly? What to do if your website isn’t responsive: Should you find out that your website fails the mobile friendly test, chances are it can be fixed relatively quickly. However, every site is different and some may even require a redesign. The first step is really as simple as contacting your web design team and asking what they recommend to make your site responsive. If their response is vague, confusing or elusive in any way, you may need a second opinion. All respected professional web developers today are attuned to the mobile driven sea change in website development best practices, so it should be easy to find the help you need. If you’re not sure what to do or whom to call, feel free to contact