There are two things which have driven the development of online slots more than anything else. The first of these is technology. Without the internet, there would be no such thing as online slots – that goes without saying – but ever since the first online casino was launched in the mid ‘90s, the operators have done their best to utilise the latest technology in order to deliver an enhanced user experience.

This runs all the way from utilising the power of Java in the earliest days to enhance graphics and gameplay to making use of the shared network of worldwide users to build up huge jackpot pay outs.

The other driver behind the on-going development of online slots has been a determination to enhance the user experience. This is based on a realisation on the part of online casino developers that simple games of chance are not enough to attract and retain a growing consumer base.

The fact that online slots bring in more income than any other part of an online casino can be traced back to the simplicity of the game, the fact that many casinos offer the chance to play without making a deposit, the small size of any actual stake usually involved and the simple truth that playing many of the leading online slots is a great deal of fun. 

Over the years, developers have gone to great lengths to emphasise the entertainment aspect of slots, from basing them around popular entertainment brands including films, rock groups and TV programmes to, in recent years, introducing aspects more commonly associated with computer games, such as leader boards and levelling up. 

The next steps

The arrival of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have had a huge impact on the worlds of entertainment and gaming, and it was only ever really a matter of time until this impact made itself felt in the world of online gambling. Although they are often confused, VR and AR are actually two different technologies:

• Virtual Reality – virtual reality involves a player wearing a headset – the Oculus Rift was one of the first and most well-known, but many more have been developed since – which offers a 360 degree view of a virtual landscape or area. Motion sensors allow them to ‘move around’ and interact with that environment. 
• Augmented Reality – augmented reality involves aspects of virtual game play being imposed on a real world environment via a device. The most famous example of augmented reality in practice is still probably the Pokemon Go game, which involved players looking through a device like a tablet or smart phone and seeing a Pokemon character superimposed over the real world background they were capturing. 

Virtual Reality and online gambling

The first virtual reality online casino was SlotsMillion, which was launched in 2015. This enabled players to explore the 3D version of an online casino, interacting with other players in a real time, detailed environment. Since then many of the leading online developers have made it their mission to popularise VR online gambling: 

CASEXE – a software development company which creates VR features for online casinos. Developments work with both VR-exclusive casinos and by adding VR bells and whistles to standard online casinos.

Microgaming – a company which has created a VR version of roulette. The technology is based on the Oculus headset, so players will need to use this or something similar to play. Playing the VR version means being able to see a version of your own hands and those of other players as you play the game and place your bets. 

NetEnt – NetEnt has developed a number of slots for VR casinos. These include Gonzo’s Quest and Jack’s World VR. 

The key to VR technology is that it offers a sense of total immersion in the game being played. This chimes neatly with the clear ambition of developers to turn games such as online slots into sources of all-round entertainment as much as they are forms of gambling. The main issue which is holding VR back from becoming the dominant force in online gambling is the expense involved in getting your hands on the equipment needed.

That plus the fact that the current generation of VR headsets are large and bulky and not the kind of thing you could pop on while you’re taking the train home from work. If the story of technological advancement in the last 20 years tells us anything, however, it tells us that progress tends to lead pretty inexorably toward hardware becoming smaller, more user friendly and less expensive. As this happens there’s every chance that VR will become one of the dominant forms of online gambling. 

Augmented Reality and online gambling

Augmented Reality (AR) takes the concept of integrating the real world with an online virtual experience in a way which is seamless, accessible and affordable. The player uses their smart phone or tablet to view the world around them, and the app they are using interposes visual dynamics into what they are viewing in a way that makes it appear to really be there.

An AR version of roulette, for example, would involve the player looking through their device at the table in front of them and ‘seeing ‘ the roulette table and the bets they are placing, as well as the bets being placed by other people. When it comes to playing slots, the AR experience would mean the flashing lights and spinning, flipping twisting reels of the slot are right there in the room with you.

The advantage which AR has over VR is that the only equipment needed is the kind of smart phone or tablet needed to play online in the first place. As well as reducing the cost, this means that AR online casino experience can be accessed anywhere, just like any other mobile casino. 

One of the most striking examples of an AR casino game is Max’s Quest, developed by BetSoft. This is interesting not only because of the element of AR which it offers, but also because it combines the mechanics of a slot game with the kind of team based action adventure tactics more commonly seen in role playing computer games.

It shows how AR, just like VR, is being used to expand the horizons of online gambling in a way that will make the audience ever larger and more varied. The exact nature of future developments is difficult to pin down, but what can be predicted is that for anyone interested in the world of online casinos, they will be very exciting indeed. 

Omniphobic surfaces are those that can repel pretty much any kind of liquid. These kinds of special surfaces could potentially be very useful when it comes to reducing drag in a ship’s hull or producing a stain resistance layer to protect against harmful chemicals. 

The problem is that most of the omniphobic surfaces developed to date quickly lose their ability to shed liquids as soon as condensation appears. To get around that issue, researchers at MIT produced a new kind of surface design that significantly reduces the effects of condensation, with just a slight sacrifice in its efficiency. 

Creating a surface that’s able to shed pretty much any liquid takes a special kind of texture that creates tiny microscopic air pockets to separate the liquid from the surface. “Many liquids are perfectly wetting, meaning the liquid completely spreads out,” explains graduate student and professor of mechanical engineering, Kyle Wilke. This includes a lot of the refrigerants used in household appliances, hydrocarbons such as those contained in lubricants and fuels, and many kinds of alcohol. 

While there are various fabrication methods around, they’re all far from perfect. The problem is that they’re working with surface features measuring in a less than a millionth of a meter that is extremely fragile. If just one part of the surface is damaged it can ruin the whole process. 

“We wanted a structure that one defect wouldn’t destroy,” said Wilke. Eventually, they discovered a geometry that fit the bill, and that was to have microscopic air pockets that are disconnected from the surface, making the chance of spreading between them less likely. The key element of the architecture is that of the ridges that help the surface achieve its resistance to both damage and condensation. And it’s the way in which these ridges are connected that prevents penetration of the liquid through the surface. 

The way the ridges are made is via a multistep process using a standatd microchip manufacturing system. First, the spaces between the ridges are etched away, then the edges of the pillars are coated, before finally etching an indentation in the ridges’ sides.

Wilke says the only real reason omniphobic surfaces are not used more often, is due to the limitations of the current technology. But this could change as they improve on their durability and resistance to condensation. The system still has a way to go before it’s finished, but potentially it could be used to improve resistance to the build-up of ice or to make self-cleaning surfaces among other things.

Omniphobic surfaces are also good for providing protection against corrosion by limiting contact between the surface and any corrosive liquid it comes into contact with. And, because of the way in which the surface is so precisely designed, the new technique can be used for “tailoring how a surface interacts with liquids, such as for tailoring the heat transfer for thermal management in high-performance devices,” says Wilke.

One of the main limitations of these surfaces is that once the liquid gets into the voids, the entire surface becomes wetted. However, this new approach fixes that issue. Chang-Jin Kim is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California. And, although Kim was not involved in the study, commented that this approach “can potentially make some of the omniphobic surfaces useful and practical for some important applications.” 

Customized drip email sequences benefits

Email drip campaigns by Snov.io have changed the time-consuming job of sending business emails greatly as now the process is completely automated. With the introduction of the email drip campaigns tool, one can create their customized drip email sequences to have complete control over the workflow. 

With the feature of automated email sequences creation, you can also scale your outreach. It allows you to trigger the email sequences that helps in contacting and negotiating with the top-notch bloggers, influencers, and media platforms without putting in much effort. 

These email drip campaigns by Snov.io is the simplest way of gaining great sales for the business. They are termed as the automated email campaigns, marketing automation or autoresponder too. 

One can make the best use of them as they can be an effective marketing strategy for those who need to send the prewritten triggered messages, also known as “drips” to the customers and leads over a fixed period. 

A unique and distinctive marketing tool 

Two main things separate the email drip campaigns from other email marketing types. This includes:

• You can set the email scheduling meaning the emails will be sent to people at a specific time only 
• The automated messages are sent to the subscribers based on their behavior

The email drip campaigns are all about timing and relevance. By making the best combination of intent signals, fit, and behavioral metrics, it is easier to create segmented drip campaigns that will result in a 70%+ open rate and 30%+ click rates. 

Steps to follow for an email drip campaign startup 

And finally, we’ve approached the step-by-step guide of building an email drip campaign with Snov.io. For getting started, you need to follow three easy steps.

Step 1

The first step is to visit the Snov.io website and sign up. It offers you two options for signing up including using your existing Google account.

Confirm the registration via email and pass over to the next step.

Step 2 

Once logged in, you are in the web application. In the top menu, find the Email Drip Campaigns tab and click it. The page you are redirected is the list of the email drip campaigns you’ve already set and sent. This is where you can pause the launched campaigns, stop or edit them. Surely, you can create a new campaign; for this, simply click the New drip campaign button.  

Step 3

You are transferred to the email drip campaign builder. This is where you can add the campaign name, add the Prospects list, write emails, schedule the campaign, and send it to the prospects based on user actions and specific timelines. 

The campaign builder is right the place where you can add triggers between emails and set delays, personalize both the email subject line and the email body, attach files and schedule the campaign, compose your own emails or use an email template, etc. The more details you think over and realize in the campaign, the better results you’ll reach. 

You can pause the campaign any time and add fresh or newly subscribed people to the list of recipients. 

The last thing you will have to do is to track the campaign performance. Click the name of the launched campaign and you will see the statistics with the number of sent emails, opens, clicks, and replies on every email. 

Gmail tracker, the best way to track sent emails 

If you do not need to send triggered emails and prefer manual sending but still wonder if the recipients open your messages, you can take advantage of the Snov.io Email Tracker. It allows you to switch between the Gmail accounts and you can also turn off the Gmail tracker whenever you want right from the Chrome extension. 

With this email tracker, you will get the live push notifications the moment your email is read by the prospect or any of the recipient clicks the link. You can also check out the complete history of emails open with the date and the number of times. 

With this, you can easily find which of your emails helped in conversion and which ones got ignored. Get ready to follow up on the hot leads and adjust email outreach without any hassle. 

Get ready

Snov.io is a popular app for email marketers that is highly used and appreciated by the users. Get your hands on it today. It has lots of compared to other similar platforms, namely:

• Affordable prices and a free trial
• All features are unlocked within the free plan
• Gives access to all the tools offered by the platform
• Provides an easy-to-use drag-n-drop campaign builder

So why not try it? 

Infographic brought to you by Wrike project management software

Epic stated at the beginning of 2019 that they wouldn’t release new updates before major tournaments. Which is kind of a bummer when you think about it. Because it’s nice to see top players and pros get thrown for a loop every now and again.

That said, if you are taking some action at online betting sites, the no new patch rule might be better for you, because you are better able to handicap how your favorite players are going to perform.

Epic wants to give players time to adjust to the updates before the big tournaments (again, this is just mho, but I think this is silly). Then again … action usually follows the money and with the nearly 20 million dollars in prizes combined throughout all of last year’s tournaments, they want to “shape the best Fortnite experience” –according to Variety magazine online.

But let’s look at a couple of the best 2019 Fortnite patches that have been instituted so far.

V7.40

Secret Skirmish with the Infantry Rifle!

In the middle of February, Epic released an epic update with a ton of good stuff, including the Infantry Rifle. Now, I’ve got to say, if you like playing with the AK, the infantry rifle seems a bit underpowered. The AK comes with a 25-round clip and 44 points of damage to the body (feel free to fact check me, I’m going off the top of my head here), while the IR is slightly less, 43 and at the mid-tier (green rifle). So, it has fewer rounds before having to reload, and less damage, plus you have to lead your shots.

That said, it looks, ‘feels,’ and sounds like an old-school M1 Garand. So, if you are just so good at Fortnite that you want a bit more challenge, it is quite a fun weapon to play with. But if you are serious about winning, you probably only want to use it until it can be replaced by an M4 or AK.

Version 7.40 also added a couple of cool building features, like the ability to resize some props and even create music. Epic also offered the temporary ability for gifting in the patch. But just for a few short weeks, mostly due to Valentine’s Day.

A couple of very useful pieces in the patch were the ability to duck while editing … so much better for not getting your head blown off. And upgrading the x-4 so that you can’t destroy structures by Kamakazi crashes with the Stormwing.

Remember when there was a house on Loot Lake?

V9.21

This was a smaller one, but the changes were important. The new proximity grenade launcher. So … you have problems with your aim, eh? Not anymore! Just get that bad my pointed in the general vicinity and your likely to do a lot of damage. It’s almost like playing horseshoes … close counts!

It comes in Epic and Legendary versions with two-shot in semi-automatic fashion. One of the best features is the fact that it does up to 138 damage to structures. So, if some nOOb is building a wood wall, you can just smoke right through it, and blow their house down like the big bad wolf.

This patch also changed the probability of finding loot like shield potions, shotguns, Epic, and Legendary Infantry Rifles, Heavy Assault Rifles, and mounted Turrets. While most went up in percentage, Heavy Assault Rifles and Turrets went down a tad.

What your favorite changes that came in recent Fortnite patches?

Image; DepositPhotos

In the past, SEO was considered optional, or at the very least, more important for newer businesses without substantial referral business. Over the past five years that has changed; small business owners know they need SEO. The thought of not being on page one of Google’s search results keeps most small business owners up at night as they need a steady stream of new customers to keep the lights on.

The biggest challenge facing most small business owners is understanding which strategies to implement as the internet is replete with how-to articles showcasing the latest SEO trends and fads. We recommend that you ignore the vast majority of articles positioning individual tactics as a solution to all your search presence challenges. Small business owners who typically refrain from following a disjointed strategy in other areas of their business will make an exception when it comes to SEO because of the dynamic nature of Google’s ever-changing algorithm.

We ask that you maintain your discipline and not lurch wildly when it comes to optimizing your company’s website. We will review three tips that will work for you over the long haul and produce the kind of results you’ve always wanted.

Tip 1: User intent 

Google’s primary mission is to understand the search intent of each search engine user and translate their intent into relevant search results. If Google failed to deliver relevant search results for their users, searchers would quickly turn to other search engines like Yahoo or Bing as well as Amazon and Facebook. If you implement any of the tips in this article, make sure you implement this tip. 

The most important thing that you can do is create content that Google views as a valuable resource to show users on their search engine. For example, if you are a dry cleaner you may want to create a blog or video demonstrating how to remove a troublesome cherry pie stain. Equally important is to show up for what we call category searches.

Category searches are typically keywords that include the service you offer and the city in which your business is located. In our dry cleaner example, a typical category search could be “dry cleaner Clearwater” or “dry cleaner in Clearwater.” To understand the kinds of keywords people type in to reach websites in your business category, we recommend that you check your AdWords account if you are running one, use tools such as SEMRush.com and ahrefs.com, and lastly, check Search Console to view keyword phrases searchers used to find your website. 

Now that you have completed keyword research, understand which keywords carry searcher intent, we recommend that you create keyword-rich content to help attract users to your website.

Tip 2: Next-level content creation

Adding keywords to your website’s blog posts is only one step in the content creation process. To create content that users will find truly engaging, we need to understand what keeps them up at night. The best way to find information is by speaking to your team. They speak to your customers every day and understand their frustrations, concerns, and what they need to know before making a purchasing decision. Your team will also tell you one more important thing. 

They can identify an ideal customer based on their past experiences. You should create content first and foremost for these ideal customers as they tend to bring in 80% of the revenue and tend to have the best customer experience. Use the information gleaned from team meetings to create an editorial calendar for content production. Many small business owners are concerned about giving away valuable information for free; however, our advice is to give away some information that will help clients solve a problem on their own.

Our experience is that the more you give the more you will receive. Not only will Google want to show your content to help their search engine users solve a frustrating issue they’re facing, but users who read your content will also now view you as a thought leader in your space and be more likely to read additional blog posts you create. Building trust with your new readership takes time. Readers may need to read three, four, or even more blog posts before they feel comfortable giving your sales team a call. That is when the magic happens; after you have created a content library of truly useful material for your ideal customer, we find that there’s a flywheel effect that typically takes six months to get started, but once started it is hard to stop.

Tip 3: Machine learning

Google introduced machine learning in 2015 to further improve the relevancy of all kinds of search queries. Google named their artificial intelligence platform “RankBrain.” Only the three tips below will make you a RankBrain favorite.

1. Link building:  Links are important as Google views links from other sites to your site as an indicator of content quality. Google’s RankBrain is able to determine how many websites link to your website and the quality of other websites linking to your content.
2. Keyword research: When optimizing for Google’s RankBrain, we recommend that you focus on medium-tail keywords. Medium-tail keywords are typically three to four words in length and convert at a higher rate due to their increased specificity.
3. Content creation: As highlighted above, it is important to create quality content targeting your ideal customer and positions you as an expert in your field.

We recommend integrating these three tips into your current SEO efforts to accelerate your results for the remainder of this year and into 2020. Our last tip is to apply the three tips above consistently over the long haul. Many small business owners give up after only 30 or 60 days. That time frame is not adequate to position yourself as a thought leader in the eyes of your customers and a valuable resource in Google search results. 

BIO

Adam Stetzer holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has published on the topics of Internet marketing, absenteeism, employee and customer satisfaction, productivity and safety, and culture. He has founded several technology firms, and is currently CEO at HubShout, a white label SEO reseller firm. In his 25 year career he has worked with companies such as General Electric, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Verizon, AT&T, Ford, LendingTree, American Express and ChevronTexaco. Adam has advised over 1,000 small business owners and blogs frequently.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstetzer/

Image; DepositPhotos

Is it challenging for you to find enough time during business hours to interact with your customers and to reply to all of their requests? Are your shopping carts getting abandoned regularly? A bot can be the solution for your online business.

A few years ago, it was hard to imagine that people would accept reporting their problems to a computer instead of speaking to a real human being. Nowadays, you’ll find bots on social media, on websites, and in online shops. Bots are on the rise and their future is bright:

Due to machine learning, Artificial Intelligence will be able to process data from different departments in your business and use it to make human-like conclusions. Not only will this improve the quality of understanding user requests but also help bots when it comes to decision-making.

While that first sounds like straight out of a science-fiction movie, bots can actually be a helpful tool for an eCommerce to turn visitors of your web store into buyers. Furthermore, integrating a bot to an online store means that communication with your customers will improve immediately. Because of complex algorithms, chatbots will be able to store a big amount of information about visitors and will provide a unique experience for each user they talk to. It’s time to say ‘Goodbye’ to unanswered requests from potential buyers.

How to Add a Bot to Your Webshop

Adding a bot to your eCommerce sounds more complicated in the beginning than it actually is. You don’t even need to hire a developer to do it. With a little bit of research, you can soon find a bot that meets the needs of your business and is easy to integrate to your web store. It might feel weird at first to let a machine communicate with your customers, but soon you will realize that it saves you a lot of time, that you can use for improving your products.

Since a bot will probably lead to an increase in your orders, it might be time to stop handling your orders on a production spreadsheet and try using smart workshop software for your business operations instead. 

Add A Bot to The Shopping Cart

If you are experiencing that a lot of shopping carts get abandoned and potential customers leave before checking out, you are not alone. But the good news is that chatbots can help you with the problem of shopping cart abandonment. Just add a chatbot to the cart of your webshop and let it assist within the buying process and answer all the questions that come up during the shopping experience. Furthermore, it can lead to more sales as it can inform the customers about discounts and special sales.

As your website is your electronic business card on the worldwide web, you want to make sure that it won’t miss a trend that would lead to a disadvantage for selling your goods. If you take some time to do some research on your competitors, you will see that most online stores work with chatbots already. There is no need to panic though, as it is not too late to jump on the chatbot-train. But if you want our advice: Implement a bot as soon as possible!

Over the past few years, technological advancement has revolutionized the construction industry. While such a development plays a significant role in the construction sector, many firms have not integrated these improvements into their systems.

Technology has numerous roles to play in the construction industry, including managing risks and promoting the safety of workers. In a 2017 study by KPMG, 93% of respondents accepted that technology could significantly influence their businesses.

Some of the technological tools that can transform the construction sector include drone technology, wearables, equipment tagging, robotics, virtual reality, RFID tagging, and Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Now, let’s look at the reasons why construction managers and contractors should adopt technology in construction sites.

1. Promotes Safety of Workers

As construction is considered one of the riskiest occupations, there is a need to embrace technology that can improve the safety of workers by reducing onsite accidents. Wearables and drones are the best safety technologies so far.

Wearables

Wearables are high-tech devices that workers put on to alert them of impending dangers in a construction site. They include vests, hard helmets, boots, wrist bands, and glasses. The devices can track and monitor environmental conditions and physical locations.

Some wearables have emergency alert buttons which workers can press to call for help. If a worker is injured, the construction manager can track the worker’s location using GPS technology. That reduces the response time to emergencies.

Specialized wearables can measure the worker’s health conditions, including the rate of heartbeat and body temperature. The devices can also measure the height and speed of fall during an accident.

Drones

As one of the most widely used technologies today, drones have improved the efficiency of many operations in construction. They can assess locations considered dangerous to workers, especially the hard-to-reach regions.

Drones can also help supervisors to manage projects easily by improving the surveillance of the construction site. Besides making work more manageable, the use of drones also saves time.

2. Enhances the Productivity of Construction Firms

Technology is an essential tool that construction firms use to improve their productivity. Most construction companies have adopted the latest technologies to remain competitive in the market, allowing them to operate within tight schedules.

With better technology, construction firms can now deliver high-quality services within a shorter period compared to traditional construction methods. Supervisors can check the progress of work with just a few clicks on a computer.

Technology such as time-tracking apps ensures that workers complete their tasks on time and get paid as agreed upon. As workers are aware they are monitored strictly using technology, they tend to be more productive.

3. Improves Project Organization and Management

With technologies like project management software, construction managers can easily oversee every operation in a project. The manager can keep track of every important information, including schedules, budgets, plans, and project reports.

Construction firms should adopt a project management system that can handle every task in a single place. Alternatively, they can use various software programs that integrate with each to promote work efficiency.

With the proper technology, construction managers can evaluate a project’s progress, make accurate estimates, collect accurate data, supervise workers remotely, and communicate effectively with workers. All these improve coordination between the client and workers.

4. Saves Cost

Adopting technology in a construction site makes it easy to optimize building operations, allowing the contractor to cut costs. With a well-established technological system, there are few errors during construction, and few workers are needed for tasks that can be automated.

With the intensive use of technology in a construction site, the number of employees will be low, reducing the cost of training. That allows the construction firms to deliver high-quality projects at a relatively low price and improve profit margins.

5. Motivates Employees

Considering that construction is a dangerous profession, workers get motivated when they use technology that prioritizes on their safety. Besides that, technology improves the efficiency of work, allowing the employees to perform their tasks without struggling.

Lack of technology in a construction site can result in poor employee performance. Embracing the latest technologies is one of the best ways to fix such shortcomings. Workers who use technology are more productive than those using traditional methods.

6. Builds Customer Relations

By using technology, contractors or construction managers can establish direct contacts with their clients, rendering it easy to share ideas regarding projects. An example of such technology is the use of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Skype.

Besides improving the worker-to-client relationship, technology can help a construction firm to enhance brand awareness online. Customers tend to rely on construction firms with an enhanced online presence and technological reputation.

7. Makes Construction Firms Competitive

Integrating technology gives a construction firm a competitive advantage over other companies. While most construction firms use sophisticated technologies today to stay ahead of others, clients also tend to hire contractors that use advanced technologies.

Final Words

While it is possible to implement a construction project using manual labour, it comes with many shortcomings like delayed operations and poor-quality services.

Adopting the latest technologies in construction has numerous benefits such as improved safety and productivity of workers and better management practices.

Technology has also made payment of construction services more affordable. Follow this link, jobsite.procore.com/what-you-might-have-wrong-about-lien-waivers to see how the construction industry is different from other sectors in terms of fee payments.

Image; DepositPhotos