i3m - Digital Media Studio

Free Canon EOS digital camera manuals

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:07:58 +0000

Models: 350D, 450D,550D,7d & 5D Misplaced the manual that came with your Canon EOS digital camera? Well, keen to continue to provide resources to fellow photographers we have made available the original electronic versions (pdf format) and they�re available to download here for free! The manuals are offered for individuals and must not be sold or re-distributed (You may however link to them from your own site if you wish). If you are looking for a Canon manual that is not listed then drop us a note and if it�s available we�ll do our best to add it to the library. Free Canon 350D (& Digital Rebel) manual (pdf version) Free Canon 450D manual (pdf version) Free Canon 550D manual (pdf version) Free Canon 7D manual (pdf version) Free Canon 5D manual (pdf version) ...

Marketing planning for your business

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:30:57 +0000

Many small businesses without a marketing function and no exposure to formal business planning are missing a trick when it comes to focusing on and growing sales. Indeed many incorrectly believe that marketing and marketing planning is all about advertising. �We don�t do that here� is still all too common a response when small business owners are asked about their marketing activity.Now your business may be well established but whether new venture or startup company, having a marketing strategy to drive your business forward. If you were launching a start up business today then you would be researching, analysing and quantifying your market, competitors, prices, opportunities etc. as part of your initial new business viability plan. In an established business this should be a constant process or evaluation and re-evaluation for the future. Now you don�t have to be a marketing expert to produce a marketing plan. It�s basically common sense but using a specialist agency, such as i3m, who can work alongside you but still be objective and analytical about your business and market can make all the difference as they have no preconceived ideas about your enterprise or market.Marketing basics: What is marketing?At i3m our marketing practitioners (or marketers!) hold the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Diploma in marketing. Day 1 of study with the CIM is defining �What is marketing?� According to the CIM marketing is:�Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably�Okay, enough of the academic already. Our basic marketing plan allows us to evaluate and define a process to show your companies products and services (or cause if you�re a charity) in the best light to reach your targeted customers. So without a plan how can you know what to sell, to whom and at what price? Yes, marketing involves promotion (the classic advertising misconception) but this is a means to an end and part of a bigger picture or plan.Creating a marketing plan draws on a lot of research and analysis and is generally agreed with the business owners who will need to see justification on their time, efforts and expenditure. However it can be simplified into the following topics.Creating a marketing plan: Step 1 � Where are we?What makes your business unique?How can you differentiate your offer from your competitors?What can you do to differentiate yourself?What is your target market?What are the barriers and costs to reach that market?What are you currently doing that works well?What are you doing that isn�t working and can be improved upon?Can your core skills be migrated to other markets?Creating a marketing plan: Step 2 � Where do we want to be?By doing some thorough analysis and you can very quickly establish where you are. Now you need to realistically define where you want to take your businesss. Your targets need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) and can include such things as:Sales growth, year on year for 5 years (Anything less is more operational and tactical than a longer term strategic plan).A detailed description of your current and future product or service portfolio in relation to your current and future markets.Any issues relating to your brand identity whether reinforcing or adaptingCreating a marketing plan: Step 3 � How are we going to get there?Marketing research and analysis, along with the setting of SMART objectives, are all well and good but how are you actually going to execute your marketing plan? This is where we can get a little more specific and define the mechanics of our marketing communications. For example, when relating to digital marketing communication (our specialty!) it could be:Upgrade our current web site to make it more attractive/functional/interactive/useful to our target marketGenerate more new customers using the Internet via SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), banner advertising and pay-per-click. Target local businesses by participating/sponsoring local networking eventsRun an RSS news feed and a monthly email newsletter to update existing and past clients on what you�re doing and how you can benefit themMarketing planning is not a question of throwing together a plan for the sake of it. It is also helpful to be objective and disassociated with the customers and markets involved. However this article is only aimed to give an overview of the process and mindset. Hopefully it is helpful to get you thinking. If of course you want help with your marketing activities or executing your own marketing plan, then feel free to drop us a note....

MySQL table manipulation

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:25:42 +0000

All you ever need to remember about MySQL table manipulation in one easy place to find it!Rename an existing table:mysql> ALTER TABLE tableName RENAME newName;Changing the dataype for an existing column:mysql>ALTER TABLE tableName MODIFY columnName;Adding a column to an existing table:mysql> ALTER TABLE tableName ADD columnName columnType;Removing a column from an existing table:mysql> ALTER TABLE tableName DROP columnName;After a table edit it is good practice to optimise the table in order for it to run as efficiently as possible. The MySQL OPTIMIZE command orchestrates this but will not stop access to the table while running (It will suspend writing to the table until complete though).mysql>OPTIMIZE TABLE tableName;Completely removing a MySQL table:mysql> DROP TABLE tableName;...

MySQL rectify error 1129?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:18:57 +0000

A MySQL server has a finite number of connections that it will allow, which acts as a safety mechanism against potentially harmful actions. During usual interaction with the server a script will make a connection, run its query and return the query results. The script should also disconnect from the MySQL server when it�s finished to free up one of the limited number of connections that the server will allow. Not doing so can eventually cause an overflow error, which will often not manifest itself until much later in the development process or worse still after client delivery.How to rectify a MySQL error 1129 �Too many hosts� overflow.Assuming that your MySQL server is not being maliciously attacked a simple command entered at the command line is enough to flush the hosts cache. If you do not have access to the command line then you will need to get an Admin at your webhost to execute this for you. The command is:mysqladmin flush-hostsOnce you have flushed your server should take off its tin hat and step out of the bunker; metaphorically speaking anyway! Again assuming that you have a hosts cache overflow through some result other than a malicious testing the system, you are going to need to fix whatever caused the problem so it doesn�t keep occurring.Best Practice for disconnecting from the MySQL serverOne way of insuring that you disconnect from the MySQL server on every occasion is to add a small script to the footer element of your page (If your site is too small to need you to include or require a footer then you can just add this to each page by hand). The code itself is very basic PHP but means you can eliminate your pages causing any host errors and rest assured you have disconnected from the MySQL server too.Where you have originally connected to the database using something resembling:$my_db_connection = mysql_connect(DB_SERVER,DB_USER,DB_PASS);...

Ten ways to improve your Google ranking

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:08:01 +0000

Nowadays it�s not enough for your business to just have a web site. Ten years ago (and ten years is an age in Internet terms) it was certainly was enough but the world and the Internet have changed. Google is king and intends to stay there. Every company wants to be number one and on top of the pile in searches for its products and services however most organisations that are there are not there by accident. They have earned, or sometimes even paid for that privilege. So you want to be top of the pile?Doesn�t everyone? Well, you�re going to have to change the way you think about the Internet and learn a little about how the likes of Google actually work. We are not talking about the algorithms of the Google search engine here, as that is constantly changing and is even rumoured to include some human input too, just to keep us on our toes. So, unless you�re an EBay, Microsoft or Facebook the short answer is that there is no guarantee of hitting the top every time and beware anybody who tries to �sell� you different. The realistic answer depends on how niche your product offer is. If you sell nuts and bolts for example, then your chances of being number one in Google for this search is next to nothing. If however you do a line of yellow, left hand thread, Torx head bolts then you stand a considerably better chance! While there certainly will be number one result for Google in standard nuts and bolts, this company is virtually guaranteed to have used above and below the line SEO tactics to get there (we�re not talking about the paid Adwords results at the top of the search but the first in the actual search results).A word to the small and start up business owner about choosing a web designer. Making a basic web site is easy and the barriers to entry are low. As a result there are a huge amount of �Fred in a shed� web designers doing a really bad job. If your web designer hasn't discussed the bigger marketing campaign and SEO by your second meeting then you�re probably better off spending the money on an off the shelf template or DIY build your own website software. That�s all your alleged web designer has probably done! Oh, you could always give us a call here at i3m :) Think better search rankings by niche resultsThere are steps you can take to help your web site become more �Google friendly� and let�s face it; Google has got to the top by providing relevant results to visitors searches. It is in their and your interest therefore to make your site as relevant as possible and as easy to crawl as possible. There is no need to develop your site just for Google�s search results too. You�re in business to make money by selling your product or service. Not writing sites for Google! By combining your site with your other, more traditional, marketing activities you can raise your sites profile, raise your sites traffic and ultimately attract new customers. Basics of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)Trying to get your site up the rankings is big business and with big business comes big claims and big bills (or big bucks if you happen to deal in dollars!) There is a raft of companies out there claiming top results, every time. Some even go so far as to guarantee it! Buyer beware, especially when it comes to the Internet. While there are certainly some excellent, legitimate, SEO companies out there who will charge a premium for their services but there are also many sharks. One thing is for sure; no one can absolutely guarantee you top search engine results every time. What you need to do is take some basic SEO steps to improve the ranking of your site and here�s our top lessons learned: General - There are no shortcuts or quick fixesIt�s absolutely true. There is no overnight improvement and every step requires work and effort. So whether you are a keen amateur, company webmaster or SEO company the same rules apply. Start now and keep going. The site - It�s all content and who�s recommending youWell thought out, well presented, original and factually correct content that is going to be of interest to your human visitors and it will generate return visits and recommendations from others. But keep it updated or your hard earned visitors will drift back from where there came. Links pointing to your site, especially from reputable, popular, sites, will increase your ranking too. Also remember that if you�re writing in English there is more than one type of English. If you�re targeting an American or Australian market for example, be aware of local differences in spelling. Likewise if you�re targeting European customers then using their words and spellings where appropriate will help. A glossary page can offer a limited work around if need be. The code � Keep it uncluttered, valid and up to dateWrite descriptive page titles and make sure it is a title and not just the company name etc. Use the format �Title | company name� if you are including it. Use real html headings (h1, h2, h3 etc) are an essential element of your page as they define key areas of text titles. Use search engine friendly URLs instead of passing variables all the time. It may be the case that search spiders don�t even look passed the �?� character in the URL. Use valid markup; cluttered and invalidated web site code (or mark up) slows down or can even turn away search engine bots. Don�t try to fool the search engines. It may offer a short term gain but you need the search engines. Getting banned for misappropriate behaviour (cloaking, link farms, keyword stuffing etc.) is a sure way to do this. Don�t!Leave frames where they belong; back in the 20th century. In this day and Internet age there is no place for frames in a site that you want search engines to rank. Get a grip and keep up. Be careful with browsers. Yes, it�s a pain the proverbial having to accommodate different web browsers and platforms but that�s the nature of the job. Sure, in an ideal world everyone would be standard compliant. This however is not an ideal world and therefore be careful at a coding level that browser detection script do not in fact turn search engine spiders away. At a human level a visitor who receives your page with bits missing or all over the place is not going to hang around to long either. Meta Tags have reduced importance. Again, back in history Meta data was there to define a site and its contents but it has been pushed down the pecking order by misuse over the years. It won�t hurt to include Meta description and Meta tags but at this point there appears little point in placing too much effort in the process....

Bring visitors: Give them a sitemap!

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:58:19 +0000

Sitemaps are certainly useful for visitors to your web site to easily navigate around your web application but there is also another kind of sitemap. The kind that is useful to Search Engines such as Google, who crawl your site for their archives. If you don�t know what a site map is, if your web site has one or have no idea then read on as you�re missing a fundamental piece of knowledge and/or code for your web site. In todays blog we continue investigating basic tips to get your site noticed.While a site map for your human visitors allows them to quickly and easily navigate their way around your site the bots and spiders that crawl and index sites (A bot/spider is a program running on a server that is designed to visit, or crawl web sites and index them) prefer another kind.While having a sitemap will not necessarily improve your ranking with the search engine in question it does allow you to include information about pages so that skimming bots (programs designed to catalogue low level information frequently) can get a better understanding of what is new and what a page is about. This means static pages do not need to be indexed every pass and therefore the bots take up less bandwidth on your server. Bandwidth is expensive and spider time on site needs to prioritise your newest and fastest turning info first.What does a sitemap look like, how can you make and edit one and where does it go once you�ve created it?Firstly, a sitemap file is just an XML format text file, which means you can create and edit it with a program such as Notepad (This ships with every copy of Windows) or gedit for the Linux environment. Your sitemap file needs to be loaded into the root directory of your web server where the main �index� file normally resides.Larger sites will not be fully indexed by passing bots so prioritising pages helps make sure your regularly reviewed content is indexed first. Remeber to let Google know where your site is by using their Google Webmaster Tools. If you don�t use this then you are definitely missing a trick! Either click on the Google link on their home page or do a search from Google itself. Setting up Google Webmaster Tools is beyond the scope of this posting...

Easy web marketing with RSS

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:52:51 +0000

Trying to keep up with all the news and latest developments for all those personal and professional internet sites has been made a lot simple thanks to RSS, or Rich Site Syndication. Basically it retrieves the latest contents from your chosen sites thereby keeping you up to date. RSS automatically updates your reader software (Available with most modern web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari). You pick the feeds that you read by simply subscribing to the chosen feed by clicking the RSS link on the site you wish to follow or entering the feed link into your chosen reader. If your going to add your own RSS feed then you can get the standard orange square logo from feedicons.It is also worth placing the feed icon at the top of your page to maximise its exposure and the chances of visitors using it. You can subscribe to the i3m RSS feed by clicking the RSS logo on any page or clicking here.For modern web sites RSS is a vital tool in keeping your clients up to date in a timely and informal manner. It shows the site is updated, refreshed and a useful reference tool and us such can keep clients returning to get the very latest information on your products and services....

Easy pdf generation, for free!

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:47:27 +0000

Everyone likes free stuff, right? And at i3m we fully support GPL licensed software sources and software development. So today we continue our series showing you how you can solve your everyday business software requirements for free and best of all legally!. If you missed the last blog ("Start photo editing with free software!") where we showed you how to get some pretty good GPL image and photograph editing software for free then click here.Today we continue with our look at free GPL software, this time to produce pdf�s (portable document files).The software in question is called "Primo PDF" and it allows you to generate pdf files from your applications whether they are text, images, photographs or a combination of all three. Simply �print� the documents using the Primo PDF printer option after installation.The catch? Well there really isn�t one! Unless you need to make really high resolution pdf�s like 300dpi files for your print supplier (You�re gonna need to purchase Adobe Acrobat Writer for that). Primo PDF makes a good job of everyday files and everyday pdf requirements....

Do you IE6?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:41:25 +0000

When we blogged �Internet Explorer 8 takes away the pain?� (a little note about the launch of IE8) back on April 7th we had little idea the passions that are invoked in some people by this old browser.The web is awash with entities claiming to be withdrawing support for IE6, flashing up messages to ask you to change and some (albeit a few) that have malicious code to crash poor old IE6 deliberately.So should you continue to support IE6? Well if you�re a web professional looking to deliver optimum information to the widest breadth of people as possible then the answer, surely, has to be yes? So to ignore old IE6 is to eliminate a proportion of visitors to a site or your clients site? Sure the users of this browser are a falling proportion but a proportion none the less. And how far do you go? What about support for older versions of Firefox and Safari when CSS3�or 4 is launched? Are you going to then simply tell you clients to ignore these visitors? Nooooo way!The move towards standards compliance is all good. Adopting a legacy friendly development model will help too (Online marketing talk for considering your CSS, use of transparency PNG files, standard sizing for text and standardisation (as well as reduced reliance) of JavaScript libraries).Developers and sites that are claiming to drop IE6 support and bulk up their code with messages telling their visitors to upgrade are surely missing the point? When you get a visitor to your site you welcome them, they are hard won and don�t hang around long if they don�t find what they�re looking for. Let alone if the site doesn�t present properly!...

Internet Explorer 8 takes away the pain?

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:31:44 +0000

The history of Internet Explorer has been interesting to say the least. From the early arguments about trying to unfairly dominate the market to the passions that are sparked about other browsers, the browser arena remains as entertaining as ever.As web developers we have to cater for all tastes and produce web sites that generally deliver to as wide an audience as possible. At i3m we benchmark on the latest versions of the four main browsers (Safari, Opera, Firefox and Internet Explorer), which account for 99% of all traffic to i3m.co.ukHowever, as Internet Explorer version 8 is launched we who deliver the latest in web site technology must also cater for more laggard internet users; those not so keen to adopt the newer browsers or even forced to run older versions by corporate IT policies (Corporations are generally very late adopters of new software technology due to the risks and costs). Historically most web page rendering issues came from the legacy Internet Explorer products (the infamous version 6....how we laughed....), which were always a little different from web standards. The problem with all of these browsers upgrades and add-ons is that running several versions of the same browser on the same machine is not advisable and more often than not, impossible.Originally dual boot machines were the only answer, if not a little awkward and cumbersome. However the development of Microsoft Virtual PC has made lab testing much easier and testing all sites back to Internet Explorer 6 (IE6). Some modern web pages, including our own, can offer some interesting results (Internet Explorer 6 currently accounts for less than 2% of visitors to i3m.co.uk).So two points to note from this article? Firstly, the web is an every changing and dynamic place where nothing stays the same. What works today can easily not work tomorrow as newer technologies emerge. This relates to plug-ins, such as Java, as well as browsers. And secondly, careful segmentation and targeting of your web visitors. Who exactly are the target audience for the web site? Early adopting techies or corporate support IT laggards? Some good marketing in profiling your target audience can save time, effort and money....

Start photo editing with free software!

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:26:19 +0000

If you need to perform a basic image re-size or some simple photo editing then there is a free of charge photo retouching, image composition and image editing software package called GIMP and while it is no Adobe Photoshop, it does take you significantly further than the entry level Microsoft Paint program supplied with the Windows operating system (MAC users feel free to chuckle now).The GIMP program will happily handle pcx, pdf,png,ps,psd,svg,tiff,tga and xpm files and there are versions for Unix, Windows and Mac OS X.You can find a free online manual at wikibooks too!...

Marketing your business Online

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:48:20 +0000

If you think getting online is as simple as throwing together a web site and sitting back and waiting for the visitors to roll in then you are going to be sadly disappointed. The fact is that us web users are a fickle bunch. We flit, we scan and we don�t hang around too long. So if you�re site doesn�t rank on page one the chances are it will not even get a hit.Many companies spend thousands of pounds on their web sites and hosting but have no integrated business plan or measurement in place. Internet marketing communications is an art in itself and relies on in house knowledge and professional supply partners. Over the coming months we are going to take a holistic look at online marketing planning, campaigns and measurements in a series of articles and blog entries.The series starts with a basic introduction to Search Engine Optimisation or SEO, which as its name suggests, is a way to ensure that your online efforts are as streamlined and as web crawler friendly as possible. Remember, Google is king when it comes to Internet searching and they have earned their place at the top of the browser rankings. Google aims to index every page on the Internet, which is a mammoth task in itself. How they deliver their results is a closely guarded and regularly changing secret. Complex algorithms and human tweaks we are certain of but what is in vogue one minute can rapidly fall from grace the next. Even worse, underhand tactics for gaining those all important rankings are not only frowned upon but penalised. An inexperienced amateur can land themselves in all kinds of problems so keep an eye out for our new SEO tactics series!...

Vijeo Designer 5.0 from Schneider Electric

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:37:49 +0000

Having used Schneider Electric (Telemecanique) Vijeo Designer since version 4.2 (Yes that�s version 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 and version 4.7!) we are currently awaiting the imminent release of Vijeo Designer 5.0 (If you have not heard about this release then contact your local Schneider Electric Representative).No indications yet as to whether 5.0 will be significantly improved from 4.7 but be aware that a BIOS upgrade in shipped Schneider Electric HMI Magelis panels may well require Vijeo 5.0 as standard. Here in the UK Schneider have made no indications as to whether the upgrade to version 5.0 will be free or existing version 4.7 users will need to purchase an upgrade. More news as we hear it.......

The Human Machine Interface

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:26:56 +0000

Is web 2.0 fast becoming a liability to graphic design, web design and machine interface? Have we just had too much? With good graphic design never having been about following the herd the need to reflect your brand and business is fast moving beyond web 2.0 Thanks to it�s over use the white background and sultry reflection, glossy buttons and diagonal stripes are looking all too similar?While the world of graphic design never stands still the human machine interface (HMI) is a beast somewhat slower to react. Often there are limitations on interface development but this is no excuse. There are still limitations on the web browser interface, certain fonts for text for example. While we are a long way from pre CSS days there are still compromises to be made. In the case of the text example we can use some well placed graphics and our visitor will be amazed. Our web crawlers however, may miss a vital opportunity to �read� the text and hence we may reduce the sites placing in rankings (Search Engine Optimisation is an art in itself!)So, this year�s rants, tutorials and resources will be aimed at broadening the art of the HMI designer; whether it is web interface, print interface or machine interface.Not on the i3m RSS feed and mailing list yet? Best sign up now!...

Error 405 caused by bad PHP POST

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:16:08 +0000

Ever had one of those programming days? A recent project through out an unusual server error (Error 405) from one of our test platforms and it proved to be one of those problems! The error was caused by a PHP POST command and initially we thought it was an .htaccess issue. Despite much internet research, advising all kinds of cures, our 405 error was caused quite simply by a typo! The reason for going to blog with this error? Well, not one posting out there suggested checking that your script is actually POSTing to a valid and correct filename! An apt reminder that quite often the simplest answer is the answer!...