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Small Biz Geek

Small Biz Geek

Small Business Design, Marketing & Technology Journal

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Nerdy analysis of small business design, marketing and technology

  • The Internet
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Exposed: The Chinese Investment Fraud “Recovery” Scammer Deceiving Victims

Published: October 12, 2021; Updated: May 2, 2022 Filed Under: Scams, Video

WhatsApp message investment scam

Last year I used Tinder to investigate romance scammers tugging at the purse strings of besotted would-be partners. After publishing the findings, a Hong Kong woman introduced herself and offered to help victims reclaim lost monies.

Computer Says No: Does Your Website Work for People with Disabilities?

Published: December 18, 2020; Updated: February 19, 2021 Filed Under: Design, Internet, Legal, Web Development, WordPress

Photo of a dog wearing large glasses using a computer tablet

The 2020 surge in internet use has led to record levels of online activity. It’s high time for businesses to check that their apps and websites are fully accessible to all.

Chinese Tinder Profiles Are Using Photos of Pretty Girls to Scam “Investors”

Published: November 6, 2020; Updated: December 31, 2021 Filed Under: Scams, Social

Graphic illustration of Tinder and WhatsApp conversations on a smartphone with investment spam

Fed up in lock down? Looking to make friends online? Need money? Beware. Ruthless individuals use Tinder to lay honey traps with the intent of committing financial fraud, mostly upon Westerners.

Small Biz Owners “Trapped” Using Email Addresses Belonging to Internet Service Providers

Published: September 25, 2020; Updated: August 20, 2021 Filed Under: Internet, Miscellaneous

Photo of a person typing on a laptop keyboard

Don’t build your personal and professional life around the complimentary “free” email addresses supplied by your broadband provider. It shouldn’t need to be said, but apparently it does.

In the Pandemic, QR Codes are Finally Proving Worthy in the West

Published: August 27, 2020; Updated: November 19, 2021 Filed Under: Design, Marketing, Operations, Web Development

Graphic image of Face mask and QR codes

In western society QR codes have been mostly regarded as an ugly marketing gimmick, but they’re now proving valuable as a logistical solution to the virus problem.

Small Businesses Finally Start Marketing and All It Took Was a Global Pandemic

Published: July 28, 2020; Updated: August 5, 2020 Filed Under: Internet, Marketing, Operations, Social

Photo of a boxer preparing for a fight

In an attempt to stay relevant, many businesses have begun aggressively offering what they think of as “freebies”. Actually, this is just marketing, and it’s long overdue.

Unable to Meet in Person? Communicate Stress-Free with Online Audio/Video

Published: March 27, 2020; Updated: April 8, 2020 Filed Under: Internet, Operations, Software, Video

Remote working laptop with headphones

Online remote video conferencing has seen a huge uptick following the COVID-19 outbreak. If you’re venturing into this method of communication, there are a few things you need to get right to make sure it all goes smoothly.

UK Contractors Operating Ltd Companies Should Be Mad as Hell with HMRC and IR35

Published: March 10, 2020; Updated: August 30, 2021 Filed Under: Filing, Legal, Miscellaneous, Operations

Howard Beale from the film "Network" gets mad

HMRC are to squeeze private sector contractors in what has been described as “carpet bombing” taxation measures. The targets are individuals providing their services via a type of Limited Company called a PSC. Are you in or out of the IR35 legislation?

20 Years On and Website Hit Counters are Still a Waste of Pixels

Published: February 1, 2020; Updated: March 4, 2020 Filed Under: Design, Web Development

website hit counters

Website hit counters clutter up the computer screen and run the risk of looking like an unsophisticated attempt to impress visitors. Counters should be extinct, with the exception being for humour, parody and pastiche.

Competitors Can Easily Edit Your Google and Facebook Business Listings

Published: December 3, 2019; Updated: February 18, 2020 Filed Under: Marketing

Rivals can edit public online business info

It’s possible for competitors to maliciously edit your public Google and Facebook business information listings. These attempts by rivals to mislead your customers could be happening right under your nose and you might not even notice.

Waiting on Final Images for a WordPress Website? Use Temporary Placeholders and Design Around Them

Published: June 25, 2019; Updated: February 11, 2020 Filed Under: Design, Web Development, WordPress

Don’t wait on graphics or photos while your WordPress website is being built. Create your layout using placeholder images and edit these exact same files once you have the final artwork. How often do you begin building a site only to discover the images you need are not ready? Perhaps you’re eager to add photos, […]

GoDaddy Loves Spamming Branded Footer Links to WordPress Installatron Sites

Published: May 8, 2019; Updated: May 20, 2019 Filed Under: Web Development, WordPress

Remove GoDaddy footer links from WordPress websites

GoDaddy’s love of advertising on customer’s websites is annoying. Fortunately, branded backlinks inserted into WordPress sites generated by quick-install apps can be removed.

Dealing with Negative Comments on Your Paid Social Media Posts

Published: April 1, 2019; Updated: May 14, 2019 Filed Under: Marketing, Social

If you’re thinking of running paid social media ad campaigns, be prepared for trolls. Although their intent is to derail and undermine, the spotlight will be on you more so than usual.

Childhood Business Ventures: What Was Yours?

Published: January 10, 2019; Updated: January 10, 2019 Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Operations, Sales

Car wash

What did you do to earn pocket money as a child? Oh, how times have changed, and yet it is still fun to remember the excitement of young entrepreneurship…

Local Business Websites: “About” Pages Done Right Will Attract and Delight Readers

Published: September 4, 2018; Updated: November 1, 2018 Filed Under: Marketing, Video

Pixelated Digital Heart

Don’t allow your business website “About” page to be a predictable romp through all the cliches we’ve seen before. Leave out the bragging and chest beating. Do this instead…

Magazine Advertising Scam: Rogues Impersonate Crime Prevention Officers

Published: June 12, 2018; Updated: January 23, 2020 Filed Under: Marketing, Miscellaneous, Scams

Crime Prevention Magazine Fraudsters Impersonate Police and Telephoning Biz Owners to Sell Advertising

Fraudsters are impersonating the police and telephoning self-employed people to sell advertising in a fake crime prevention magazine. They claim to be partnered with Trading Standards.

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Hello, my name is Darren, a blogger from the East Midlands writing about small business digital marketing issues.

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