iOS 4 for the iPhone

I'm a bit geeky but not geeky enough to want to spend precious minutes finding out how to do something. Apple made me think (not good for a "Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug" disciple). Indeed when my iTunes on my iMac asked me if I wanted to download the latest iUpdate for my iPhone I have to admit I wasn't particularly iFussed either way; so I said yes...

Hmmm, went in for a quick look at what the fuss was about this iOS 4. The picture thing was nice and a nifty new swishy swirly animation. The thing that most interested me was multitasking, so I booted up an application at random - so far not much thought. I hit the home button; app seemed to close - brain still idling. Expended a few seconds of processing power and intuited the double-click on the home button. Waddaya know! Some apps in a secondary task bar. Thought, very cool!

Got about 3 apps running and decided that I wanted to shut some of them down to keep processor and memory free (hold-over from the PC days). Hmmm, no quit, stop, end buttons; what to do?

Answer: Research.

Looked in the Apple website and got lots of superlatives about how the world was changing... again. Great action shots of the latest iThings. No manual, no instructions. I tried doing a site search on iOS 4 and got an error (maybe everyone was doing the same thing).

Neural Oscillations rapidly rising. Why can't I do this simple function, surely I need to be able to stop processes. So in frustration I hit Google with a specific search "iOS4" and proceeded to follow the first link on the page.

Now, with thanks to "a" from Gizmodo who posted "The Complete Guide to Using iOS 4".

I know that I don't need to stop apps but that I can if I want to. She or He also provided a number of tips that I will read at my leisure so that I don't have to get a PhD in iOlogy. And, yes, it is still intuitive - my problem was past experience making a problem where there was none. I still remember MacOS and Windows v1.

So there. Read the article at http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/06/the-complete-guide-to-using-ios-4/ and save some valuable time.

If you discover any additional resources please post them in the comments section.

Have fun.

Have you seen some of those great custom Facebook™ Pages that show exactly what you want new followers or prospective customers to see as soon as they look you up.

Do they work or are they just a new way to spend money?

I have implemented a few corporate Facebook Pages now and the answer is; it depends. Yeah I know, that dreaded non-answer. Well, that's just how it is and any Web Design or Web Marketing expert worth the title will immediately follow that up with a bunch of questions such as:

• Who are you marketing to?
• Are you after new customers or customer communication?
• Do your followers potentially have stuff to share with you and each other?
• Are the people in their friend lists likely to become customers?

If you want more detail on the nitty gritty of campaign development see my post on The long answer to "Is Facebook Twitter and other social marketing strategies good business sense".

Case Study ATS Facebook Page Design and Implement

When Australian Training Solutions www.oztrains.com answered those questions (and more) it became clear that this was a valid marketing platform. ATS run hospitality courses and their key demographic includes school leavers, young international visitors on a working visa (backpackers) and I daresay, out of work actors. You can see their Facebook page here.

The brief was to create a Facebook™ Page landing page that showcases current courses and specials with deep linking into the main website. Past and current students are encouraged to engage in dialogue with the trainers and administrators and new information is posted where appropriate.

The page does account for hits to the website and vice-versa (details are confidential) and the number of followers is on a steady increase.

Staff can now interact with past, present and future students providing them with additional value in areas such as who's hiring, changes in qualification requirements and even providing them with the beginnings of a professional network.

Speaking of Spending Money...

Setting up is the easy part. Most Facebook page setups are fairly straight-forward. The real skill is in making sure that you are establishing a real community.

Off-hand, the cost of a basic Facebook page setup, contributor access setup and training will probably be around $500 - $700. A fancy custom page design without much FBML (Facebook's own language) adds around $700 - $800.

And, you're away!

Want to find out More about Facebook Pages?

Call Web Design Experts on 1300 884 553 or leave your details on their Facebook and Twitter Social Networking page for a fast call back.