New Launch from Google -- Certification Program for Mobile Site Developers

Today, the new launch from Google includes a certification for mobile site developers. The exam for this program covers a number of important aspects, such as the basics of how to improve site speed for mobile users, mobile UX designs that are effective, and why mobile sites matter, as well as more advanced topics such as progressive web apps.

According to Google, passing the program is designed to show that you have achieved a demonstrated ability to effectively build and optimize quality websites; it also gives you a tool that can be used to promote yourself as a mobile site developer, accredited by Google.

Much of the content contained in the study guide is focused on site speed. Google notes that most visitors to a mobile site will leave if the site doesn't load in under 3 seconds, but, yet, average load times for mobile landing pages falls in the 22 second range (of course, visitors who leave before the site fully loads, aren't going to be clicking on Google ads either).

SEO Costs can be broken out into two categories, things you can do now and get closure and things that go on for some period of time longer.

The first category is fairly cut and dry: identify what the problem is, work on fixing it, then move to the next problem. Simple as that. Like a puzzle, you put a piece down and search for the next piece.
The second category is a bit more complex. Here's where a significant chunk of digital marketing takes place. This is the ongoing process that never really ends. There are always more keywords that need to be optimized, there is always additional content that needs to be published, there's always additional socializing that needs to be done, links that need be found and data analysis is a never ending task.

Don't short-circuit your strategy by putting all your eggs into the short-term cost. You need a long-term strategy that will reap rewards for perpetuity. Look at it as an office space which requires ongoing expenses and maintenance.

Think about these costs as some percentage of every dollar you earn, as if you were putting it toward rent. This cost requires a line in the budget. Costs can always be reduced on one category and increased for the other, but a balance needs to be struck and revisited regularly.

In 2017, fast-loading content is key to keeping customers on your site. Is yours up to speed? Consider the following tips to improve your website speed.

Using a content delivery network will speed up your site's loading time considerably and improve user experience. A content delivery network (CDN) uses an efficient file delivery system that allows users to quickly access pages. Many CDN's use services located around the world. Choose a location close to the end user, and improve the experience dramatically.

Secondly, reduce the number of redirects your site uses. While redirects can sometimes be handy, too many redirects can unnecessarily slow a site due to bad server requests. Reduce the number of redirects to as few as possible. You should also scan your site for any broken links, as these delay site load time.

Facebook tests breaks for ads interrupting on-demand videos on their platform, and video creators get a 55 percent cut on the revenues.

Facebook has announced it is testing the concept of ad breaks during on-demand videos in collaboration with a limited group of partners who will garner 55 percent of the ad revenue generated by the plan. Facebook keeps the remaining 45 percent. This could create changes in how video makers make videos, causing them to create content that keeps viewers hooked through ad breaks and drawing more video creators to Facebook.

As Facebook tests breaks for ads, they are allowing video producers to pick where they want the ads to appear in their video, as long as they come on no sooner than 20 seconds into the piece and are a minimum of two minutes apart.

For 2017, the tax filing deadlines for 2016 tax returns has been extended to Tuesday, April 18, 2017. If needed, you can ask for a six-month extension but this only defers the filing date because all estimated owed taxes have to be paid by the April 18 deadline to avoid penalties.

You can request an extension easily by filing Form 4868 via your chosen tax software, IRS e-file or through the mail. You can submit payment via debit or credit card, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, Direct Pay or at any 7-Eleven which participates in the PayNearMe program (daily payments cannot exceed $1,000). With an extension, your return has to be on its way to the IRS by October 16, 2017. If you pay income tax in the state that you reside in, the federal extension simultaneously gives you an extension for the state return.

Fiverr Review

Fiverr is essentially a marketplace where mostly home-based freelancers provide their adept services while owners get skilled professionals to handle their business tasks. It is, therefore, a market for innovative and expert services, implying that regardless of the work you want to be completed by experts, be sure you’ll find an expert who can handle it. Small businesses using the site are referred to as buyers since they buy services from freelancers. Freelancers, on the other hand, are called sellers, because they sell their expertise and services. Both sellers and buyers benefits immensely from Fiverr online platform as follows.

LEGO produced the Mindstorms platform for older children and adults to use their creativity to make robotic projects. Presently, LEGO launched the Boost platform, which is a robotics and programming development for children around the age of seven (7). This Boost package has everything to make five (5) projects including Frankie, a robotic cat, and Vernie, a comedic robot.

The Boost kit contains a battery-powered core system which gives power to the several motors, and a motion and color sensor. Simon Kent from LEGO demonstrated that the two (2) kits have the ability to train the robots to make music on harmonicas.

We have information on 10 of the best freelance websites for programmers. If you are considering freelance work, then this is the information that you need.

Should You Try a Freelance Job?

You may be wondering if you should even consider working a freelance job. The truth is that there are good points and bad points to it. One of the good points to freelance writing is that you can choose your work site. You can work from your bedroom if you like, or you can choose the kitchen, patio or floor. You also get to be your own boss. You rely on other people to pay you, but you have the freedom to take work on the jobs that you want to work.

Having raised approximately $1.6 million in funding, Codementor is poised to grow into an elite marketplace for freelance software developers. Peer Idea, the parent company of Codementor, is based in Mountain View. They've graduated from the Seattle-based Techstars organization, from which they were able to secure $1.2 million in early-stage funding. Founder Weiting Liu feels that the company originally started as a coding boot camp, but soon grew into an on-demand educational brand. He feels that the company will supplement the various free and paid software development resources currently crowding the market.

One of the company's top investors, Yvonne Chen, says that Codementor needs to focus on enhancing the algorithms its Web portal uses to match engineers with new developers. The company already has 150,000 developers looking to improve their programming skills by learning from 5,000 mentors. Each of these mentors is an expert in a particular programming language.

The Internet of Things is touted to become the next big battleground for technology. As you would expect, Google is at the forefront with its recently launched platform called Android Things. Developers can now avail of the preview version.

The highly popular OS has become a springboard for IoT. It's not the first attempt from the tech giant. A former project, Brillo, had similar features but it did not catch fire. More features are coming soon in an effort to match Apple's HomeKit platform for the same space.

Google is lending support to the early adopters of Brillo to ensure that their projects can be migrated seamlessly. Android Things is seen as its natural evolution with a more polished design thanks to hard-earned learning's.