Google has decided to let the general public test its virtual assistant, able to make phone calls and have a conversation with the same ease as a human. A new demonstration makes it possible to discover the astonishing fluidity of the system and how it removes any ambiguity on the nature of the interlocutor. New announcements Last May at its …
It is always a little complicated to choose the most useful modules for Drupal 8 because it depends on the site you are going to create or administer. However, there are some handy modules that you can use in almost any situation.
I will tell you about the modules I use almost all the time in my Drupal 8 projects, they do not link to a particular type of site, but they are still used both in development and production.
The available modules’ page can become quite long and difficult to read when you have to manage large sites. To simplify the administration of the modules, you can install the Module Filter module. This module provides you with tabs for each package, giving you a new alternative to find and configure your modules faster.
This module will help you protect your development or staging site with HTTP authentication. Anonymous visitors and search engines will not be able to access your development site. But you and your customers can do it.
This module will allow you not to go crazy when working on several environments at once (dev, staging, prod) by adding a different (configurable) color to the main bar of each environment.
It’s handy when you have several environments, and you quickly forget which version you’re working on at a particular time. In general, I choose blue for the dev, green for staging and red for production.
I always install this module locally and very often in development with the Devel Generate sub-module! The Delete All module allows you to remove all content or users from a site with a single click. You can also remove the content of a specific type of node.
This module is particularly useful on a test site that the client has used for a while and that we need to clean up before using real data or when we test the import of thousands of nodes. It is handy.
The Admin Toolbar module will save you a lot of time. By having a drop-down menu and expanding the original Drupal menu, it will allow you to perform different tasks faster and easier.
This module works on the default toolbar module of the Drupal core, so it is a very light module, and it keeps all the features of the original module (shortcuts / responsive media).
This module comes with a sub-module called “Admin Toolbar Extra Tools” that adds additional links as did the Admin Menu module under Drupal 7 (flush caches, run cron, etc…).
Drupal’s most significant advantage is its flexibility. Producing HTML AMP code from it is possible. Your PHP library accompanies the AMP module and an AMP theme to do this. Once you finish installing the module, all AMP pages can adapt to any content. In the basic configuration, only the URLs of the nodes benefit from an AMP version configured in the back office.
A very specific tagging is proposed by the AMP theme, which complies with the standards required by the HTML AMP. The triggering is automatic for any node delivered in a path. Of course, it is possible to extend the AMP theme with subtopics, as in the case of a classic Drupal theme, which will allow greater flexibility in the display of AMP pages. There are also slots for ads with the Drupal block system.
An analysis of the HTML code inserted by users is performed by the PHP library that writes reports if the code is in contradiction with the AMP standard. It attempts to correct HTML and also automatically converts images into their HTML AMP equivalent. This automatic conversion is not recurrent but will be soon. PHP projects can use this PHP library without Drupal as well as by those with Drupal 8 and soon Drupal 7.
Improving web performance on mobile phones is one of the main concerns of developers, and the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) project is proof of this.
This project was the subject of an open source initiative and was jointly developed by Google and Lullabot in January 2016. It is possible, in the beta version of the Drupal 8 module, to integrate the support of AMP pages. It is not the case of Drupal version 7, but the module is being finalized, suggesting a rapid availability.
Media are no longer consumed only on computers or paper, smartphones have changed this hierarchy. However, the web in mobile phones is not up to the expectations of users, which justifies the launch of the AMP project. It is about providing optimized content and quickly available from anywhere. In general, the aim is to create an ecosystem adapted to mobile phones, involving the different actors (developers, platform and, above all, users).The load planned by AMP is ultra-fast, and open sources like some Facebook or Apple applications.
At the moment, the module is not complete although it supports HTML AMP tags such as amp-img, amp-pixel, amp-ad, amp-video, amp-iframe, and amp-analytics. Only pages with nodes support conversion to HTML AMP. Once again, the list of supported components will expand shortly.
The arrival of this module allows to democratize the use of AMP; anyone can publish it with a Drupal 8 site.
The readability of the process in Google’s organic search results is difficult to measure at this time. You can find a green pictogram indicating that content is available in AMP format on reference sites. Far from being a revolution, the AMP format reduces the loading time of rich content. It is its practicality that allows it to stand out by performing a critical performance optimization process. Let’s wait for the users’ opinions to formulate a more precise opinion.
The reseller hosting market has experienced a lot of growth over the last decade. Reseller hosting can be used to make money in some ways; for instance, as a web developer, you can sell it as an extra service to your existing clients. It can also be offered to clients as a dedicated service.
Even though getting started in reseller web hosting is quite simple, it’s essential to have some essential tips in mind to ensure that you get started on the right footing.
If you want to learn more about how to best set up your revendeur hébergement web business for success, then you have come to the right place. Use these tips to guide the initial steps of setting up your business.
Web hosting involves the provision of a variety of limited resources to clients who are in need. Although it’s easy for you to get swept into the unlimited resources offer frenzy in the market right now, it’s important to avoid this at this early point; instead try to come up with a structure of how you intend to assign limited resources, such as disk space and bandwidth, to clients.
After you come up with a given structure of how resources are to be apportioned among clients, you can offer additional resources at a fee to earn extra cash.
As you grow your business and attract more clients, you will find that it’s easy for some clients to abuse their rights/privileges. To avoid such encounters, it’s recommended that you set up the right legal framework as early as possible. Terms of service and user policy documents should be drafted at the earliest possible point when setting up the business. A qualified lawyer should prepare these.
To give your reseller business the best chance of success, you will have to free up as much time as possible; and then use it to assist clients whenever necessary. Automation is one of the best ways for you to free up your time. Automate all the processes that don’t require your dedicated attention at all times. Some of the operations that can be considered for automation include payment processing and account creation among others.
It’s important to note that the more you automate, the higher the amount of time you can free up.
Once a client signs up for your reseller hosting service, it’s worth noting that there’s a lot more you can sell them. Different clients experience various changes in their web hosting needs over time; you can take advantage of this and offer additional services designed to solve these emerging needs. This ensures that you earn more from existing clients without having to work too hard.
The success of a new web hosting business depends on how it’s set up from the start. Since you are starting, you have the opportunity to tailor your service to current client needs. You can use this high level of flexibility to offer clients what established hosting providers may be unable to, and with it create an unbeatable value proposition.
Websites, blogs, contact pages, and other sites are created every day on the web. That’s when the CMS comes into play.
A CMS is an online content management system that has the advantage of not going through HTML programming. Being installed on a hosting server, it allows you to create articles and pages that are visible through a browser.
There are many like WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop. However, we will mainly talk about Drupal in this article. What is the particularity of this CMS? What are the topics you propose?
According to a study by W3Techs (World Wide Web Technology Surveys), Drupal ranks 3rd in the CMS market with almost 5%, behind Joomla (6%) and WordPress (30%).
It facilitates the creation of websites. Besides, it is suitable for both beginners and experts in the field. This open source CMS has the particularity of being composed of modules that guarantee stability flexibility, and a website made to measure.
Thus, you can create any type of site: institutional, community, commercial, blog, directory or intranet. Also, many of the themes it hosts are free. It has almost 2000 themes. We have selected 5 of them that are the most used, allowing your site to respond according to the format used by Internet users.
Five free Drupal themes for the creation of a website
The name of the MAYO theme comes from a phrase “MAke It Yours.”
As the name suggests, this theme offers users an easy way to customize and create a theme they like. Nevertheless, it takes full advantage of Drupal 7’s color module and advanced theme settings. MAYO is simple but flexible. You can quickly customize the feel of the theme from the theme settings page. It is not necessary to have good knowledge of CSS, HTML, and PHP.
The Nexus theme is an elegant and modern Drupal theme, designed by Devsaran.
This theme could easily fit a blog, a small business, a portfolio or a variety of other websites. The theme has been designed using elements such as sidebars such as the header or navigation bar.
The Clean Corporate theme is a simple, multi-purpose theme designed by ADCI Solutions.
It can adapt to professional and corporate websites, portfolios or service promotions. The subject is responsive from any device. Corporate Clean includes different designs such as a full-screen page, 1 or 2 side pages, a portfolio page and a blog with the “Comments” option.
FontFolio is a reactive theme for designers, artists, and craftsmen.
It has a full-screen grid for the cover pages and category pages, and two columns for the inside pages.
Google has decided to let the general public test its virtual assistant, able to make phone calls and have a conversation with the same ease as a human. A new demonstration makes it possible to discover the astonishing fluidity of the system and how it removes any ambiguity on the nature of the interlocutor.
Last May at its annual conference, Google unveiled a new artificial intelligence called Duplex, capable of making phone calls on your behalf with an almost human voice to book a restaurant or make an appointment at the hairdresser. The technology had impressed, but it had also raised concerns and questions about the possible drifts of an AI posing as a human.
Google has therefore launched a communication campaign to explain how it works and the precautions are taken. In the coming weeks, some carefully selected testers and companies in the United States will be able to use Duplex. Initially, the software will only be able to make calls to confirm opening hours, especially for the national holiday of 4 July. During a second phase which will open during the summer, these testers will be able to ask the assistant to book restaurants or hair salons.
This announcement is accompanied by a new demonstration of how Google Duplex works. Once again, we can see the fluidity and the natural tone of the synthetic voice which are much superior to what we know with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. During the conversation, we see how the software manages the pause times between responses, plays on intonations and even punctuates its lines with onomatopoeias. Realism is disturbing.
To remove any ambiguity, Google has set up a straightforward device. At the beginning of each call, after greeting the caller, the AI introduces itself by indicating that it is the Google Duplex calling to book and that the automated call will be recorded. In case of difficulty, human operators may take over to end the conversation. Google has not yet set a precise when this new thrilling tool will be available.
Much more than a simple gadget, Cloud technology allows data, staff, and skills to be centralized on the internet. At a time when renting space and recruiting employees is becoming more and more expensive for small businesses, the Cloud is making life easier for professionals.
It is now possible for both public and private organizations to back up all their documents without fear of a hard drive imploding or a USB key being lost. With the Cloud, all machines, networks, and software are grouped together via a single medium that can be consulted by all authorized persons. The simplified diagram of this organization then takes the form of a cloud. By further explaining the strengths of the Cloud for businesses, it becomes mandatory to discuss the benefits of its contact centres.
Email reception, telephone calls and other heavy and repetitive tasks are now taken in charge by contact centres located in the Cloud. The total flexibility of these invisible structures allows you never to wonder about a forgotten extension or feature. If your contacts multiply in record time or if you need your employees to be close to you 24 hours a day, the Cloud infrastructures will allow you to adapt very quickly.
The main point of this is the chance for companies to save money through dematerialization. In fact, only the services requested are invoiced and requests can be highly personalized. Cloud contact centres do not limit themselves to basic tasks and use their exponential power to offer new contributions such as call tracking which will make it possible to offer a follow-up of all incoming telephone calls, coming from offline and online sources.
The Cloud contact centre solution will, therefore, become the monopoly in this field considering all the skills that can be gathered in this cloud. By allowing you to increase or reduce the sail area according to your needs in real time, Cloud contact centres are more than just a new offer since they represent the only solution of the future for all kind of professionals.
The need to have secure and safe web browsing is more than a mere luxury. Nevertheless, there are still people who think that it is the not the best thing to do for their businesses and online users. Google has decided to start penalizing websites that are not interested in providing their users with a safe online experience.
Over the last few months, the number of websites that are going HTTPS or secure has significantly grown. However, there are still some websites that don’t see secure browsing as an absolute necessity. Their reason might be that it takes a lot of time or that they actually don’t need it.
HTTPS has come a long way. The old days where it would slow down the performance of your website or where it was difficult to deploy are long gone. Today, you are socially and legally responsible for securing the data of the people who are visiting your website. Moreover, using HTTPS will boost your SEO performance and help you access new features that will improve the overall performance of your website. If you are still not convinced, then the penalties will help change your mind. It is time to take an action.
Web hosting services are versatile and adaptable. You can choose the adequate disk space and bandwidth depending on the type of the business, the size of the business and your budget. There are too many choices that can help you pick the right plan for you.
But when do you need to reconsider your web hosting plan? Here are some features to take into consideration:
Your load times: A page that loads faster gives users a better experience. If your pages are taking too much time to load, then you need to invest in a different type of hosting.In all cases, you should weigh the costs versus the benefits to see if it is time to upgrade your web hosting plan or not.
My name is Jack Jefferson. I used to work for a big web hosting company then I decided to start my own a couple of years ago. I love how web hosting companies can provide versatile services to big and small online companies.
