The digital web has ample security solutions which secure their infrastructure and one such solution comes in the form of digital certificates. They are named SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layers/Transport Layer Security) certificates.

When a web owner wants to install these digital securities, they approach the Certificate Authorities (CAs), who issue the same after verifying domain name or organisation details (based on SSL certificate selection).

This certificate when installed on the website, secures your site with encryption security. In short, it just transforms the plain text of your site data into cipher text and makes it look like a coded language.

These CAs offer varied types of SSL/TLS certificates and this confuses the web owner as to which one needs to be purchased for securing their web.

It’s simple. The choice of your SSL certificates solely depends on the domains and sub-domains, their count as well as their levels (sub-domains).

So, when your site has many sub-domains, then the best option is to purchase Wildcard SSL certificate for site security.

What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?

This certificate is termed to be the most budget-friendly certificate because it secures the website’s primary domain and all the 1^st level sub-domains. One single Wildcard certificate secures your whole digital business. Amazing, isn’t it? This magnificent and versatile digital certificate encrypts your entire digital infrastructure and secures it from hackers.

You don’t need to install varied certificates for varied sub-domains and this makes this certificate budget-friendly. Apart from cost-friendliness, the process of installing this certificate is quite easy. Since a single certificate is involved in the entire process, it makes the process quick and hassle-free.

One more advantage is that if your sub-domains are present on multiple IP addresses, or servers you can utilize the same Wildcard certificate for securing these sub-domains.

How does Wildcard SSL Certificate Work (For Securing Unlimited Sub-Domains)?

A simple SSL certificate secures the root domain only.

Example of main domain: www.rootdomain.com is the primary domain, but when sub-domains like www.blog.rootdomain.com are involved, this certificate will not secure them.

You will need a Wildcard certificate, because it permits encryption security of 1^st level sub-domains along with the root domain.  

Examples of 1^st level Sub-domains:

• article.rootdomain.com
• blog.rootdomain.com
• contact.domain.com

The above-stated examples will give a fair idea about the 1^st level sub-domains which are secured when this SSL certificate is installed.

But many owners are confused about whether these Wildcard certificates permit encryption security of 2^nd level sub-domains or not. No, you need to choose another Wildcard for the same apart from the Wildcard securing 1^st level sub-domains.

Examples of 2^nd level Sub-domains:

• Product.article.rootdomain.com
• Service.blog.rootdomain.com
• Page.contact.rootdomain.com

Types of Wildcard SSL Certificates:

These certificates are available in 2 validations, i.e., Domain Validation where quick issuance after confirming the domain name, can secure your web, and Organisation Validation where issuance is done in a couple of days after the vetting process. The name of the company will be visible in the details of the certificate.

Limitations of Wildcard SSL Certificates:

• A major drawback of this certificate is that it’s not available in Extended Validation.
• This certificate does not secure many primary domains or 2^nd level sub-domains.

How Wildcard SSL certificates Work (Setup Process)?

The terminology “wildcard” usually is similar to a symbol or a character. In the case of this certificate, the “*” character is placed before the domain name.

Technically, the setup process of this certificate commences from the CSR (Certificate Signing Request) level.

An (*) is placed before the domain name which indicates that this certificate can add multiple sub-domains.

Example: *.rootdomain.com

But this Wildcard certificate will not cover 2^nd level sub-domains as stated above, i.e., this certificate will fail to secure *.article.root domain.com.

This is a very swift and inexpensive way to implement HTTPS (hyper-text transfer protocol secure) on all your sub-domains residing at the 1^st level. There is one security lapse that needs to be noted while using Wildcard Certificates.

The process of Wildcard certificates includes a private key which needs to be shared with all the sub-domains present on varied servers. If this certificate key is compromised, or if your domain is invaded by hackers, fake sub-domains can be created and the same can be misused for phishing attacks. Detecting this breach is a tough call for business owners, which impacts their business as well as reputation.

This is the prime reason why Wildcard SSL certificates are not available in extended validation.

Steps after Purchase of a Wildcard SSL Certificate:

• After you have bought your Wildcard security certificate from a trust-worthy Certificate Authority, a CSR needs to be generated wherein an “*” will be put before the domain name.

Example: *.mysite.com

• The CA will issue the SSL certificate via e-mail to your stated e-mail address. The certificate will be issued with the common name which is mentioned in the CSR, and it will quickly secure all 1^st level sub-domains.

To have a better idea you should follow step by step installation process of wildcard certificates.

Whom to Approach?

I have been receiving many questions as to which CA to approach for the purchase of SSL certificates since there are many certificate providers in the digital market. Many web owners are unaware of which CA or reseller is more reliable for securing their web. 

As I end this article, I would like to give one additional tip on which SSL provider is the most preferred and reliable amongst the rest.

CheapSSLShop is my favorite SSL certificate provider because apart from offering the cheapest Wildcard SSL certificates, there are other benefits too. It’s budget-friendly rates, money-back offers, warranties, strong encryption security, good customer service for query resolve are some added benefits of this SSL certificate provider.

Wrapping Up:

If your website comprises multiple domains apart from multiple sub-domains, then you need a Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL certificate to secure them.

So, what are you waiting for? Go grab your digital certificate and secure your digital business.

Social media quickly transformed from a new and unknown territory to an absolute must for marketers all around the world.  In recent years they managed to completely change the entire concept of marketing, as it allows for direct contact and communication between customers and businesses. They allow establishing a closer relationship between brands and their clients, which hasn’t really been that much of a thing before.

However, if you’re just getting started with your business’s social media adventure, it might feel a little intimidating at first. Don’t worry – there are plenty of strategies out there that can help you boost your company’s presence. Social media marketing is no longer an option, it’s a must for every business, so to learn more about how you too can use social media to your advantage, continue reading the article below.

Choose the Right Platform

It’s not enough to simply create an account on all of the big social media channels – you need to choose the relevant ones for your business. While this might seem like an easy thing to do, it’s not that simple. You need to pay attention to the social media platforms that can help you spread your message and reach out to your target audience.

For example, focusing on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter makes sense when targeting an audience that googles things like ‘pr firm Pennsylvania.’ But if you’re selling jewelry, it might be better to focus on Instagram, Pinterest, or even Tumblr, as these platforms focus strongly on showcasing the pictures.

Be Active

The best way to get people to notice your business is by creating great content. By posting regularly on social media, you can increase your visibility and generate interest in your business. Furthermore, you can also occasionally ask questions or run contests so that people can engage with your brand. Also, make sure to interact with the commenters. If you’re using Facebook or Instagram, you can also like their messages or tag them in the answers.

This way, you’ll be able to connect with people who might be interested in what you have to offer and who might want to become your customers. Another great tip is to share your posts with Facebook groups. This way you can reach people who like similar things as you and who might be interested in what you have to offer. The most important thing is to remember that social media is not just about getting new customers, it’s also about keeping the existing ones. If you do your job right, they’ll become your biggest promoters.

Share Relevant Content

Relevant content is key when it comes to marketing on social media. Potential customers are looking for businesses that will be of use to them, so try to share relevant content for them. For example, if you’re selling women’s clothing, you can post pictures of outfits that are similar to the ones you sell, tips for styling clothes, or suggestions on how to put together an outfit you’re that is inspired by the style of celebrities.

At the same time, don’t forget to promote your products, but only if the posts are related to them. For example, you could share a picture of a woman wearing a dress you sell or a picture of a man wearing a shirt you have available. Furthermore, you should also consider starting a podcast or short video series – one that will help your audience learn more about their industry and business in general. A great way to do this is by interviewing people who are experts in their fields.

Encourage Engagement

Another great way to get people interested in your company or brand is by encouraging engagement. This means that you need to create opportunities to talk about what they like about your business, how they like it, and what they would like to see change. This way, you’ll encourage them to talk about you wherever they go.

Social media platforms are designed to inspire action in their users. For example, when someone likes your business page on Facebook, they’re more likely to visit your website. Similarly, when someone takes the time to comment on one of your posts, this means that they’ve taken an interest in your business. So it’s worth paying attention to what they have to say.

Build Community

Social media are all about building community – both online and offline. They allow users to connect with others who have similar interests or even build their groups where they can talk about specific topics. By encouraging this behavior, you’re increasing the chances of making new friends and also finding new clients.

Above all else, always remember that social media require constant participation and interaction to work out. This is something that cannot be said of traditional marketing campaigns or even advertisements. So if you want your business to thrive, then social media are worth exploring.

Conclusion

To benefit from social media, you need to choose the right platform, be active and focus on engagement. It’s all about providing people with relevant content and interacting with them so that they connect with your brand and become your clients. Once you’re up and running with your social media marketing strategy, you can start getting real benefits from it, such as increased sales and more customers, as well as greater brand awareness.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to use social media to your advantage.

It’s an excellent resource for businesses, but only if you approach it in the right way. If you follow these tips and strategies, you’ll be able to improve your company’s presence and attract more customers.

In recent years, social media have become the primary source of information for a significant part of the population. Unlike in the traditional media, here, they have much greater control over what news reaches them first through the channels of their choice.

Although this is beneficial for both the internet users and your business, you should bear in mind that it can also pose a great risk for your image. Some social media crises may not be that tough and affect only a small portion of your followers, but some may lead to lots of damage and intense scrutiny in popular media.

This imposes a question, can you use your continuity plan to prepare for a social media crisis? With the importance of social media today, you should know how to write a business continuity plan that includes at least some measures used to prevent or reduce the impact of a social media crisis, such as creating two-way communication or incorporating certain damage control tactics. Below, we explore some of the best ideas in detail.

Create a Social Media Policy

When you distribute social media policies, you help your employees understand what is expected of them when they use social media. This way, you can minimize the risk of a case where someone publishes information that can be considered damaging to your company online.

The policy should be clear and straightforward and contain the following points:

• What type of information should be published and shared, and how?
• What are the possible consequences of breaking the policy?
• What type of accounts should be created and what should not?
• How should the account be used when negative information about your business emerges?
• How should you handle any messages that may appear threatening or against your company’s values?
• Should you take the messages down? If yes, why? When should messages be deleted?
• Should messages be reviewed before being posted? If yes, by whom and in which cases?

Set up a Crisis Response Team

Even if you have a social media policy, it may be difficult to control what your employees post online. A crisis response team can help you address this issue by monitoring and managing the published information on social media.

The team should include:

• a person in charge of the team,
• a person in charge of monitoring social media,
• a person in charge of crisis communications,
• a person in charge of risk management,
• a person in charge of internal communications.

Among all these roles, the most challenging one is crisis communications. It involves serving as the interface between the company and the public when something goes wrong.

In order to communicate effectively, the crisis response team needs to have a comprehensive understanding of their organization’s culture and its past experiences with similar crises. The team should also have a clear plan of action and a direct line of communication to key decision-makers.

Response to a Social Media Crisis

If you do encounter a social media crisis, one of the first things you need to do is to assess the situation. This involves the following questions:

• What information is being shared? By whom?
• When did it happen? Does the information describe a past event or an ongoing problem?
• Are the words used appropriate? Is the tone used appropriate?
• Is there any way to resolve the situation quickly and effectively? If yes, what is it? If not, what should be done next?

In many cases, you can resolve a social media crisis by addressing problems promptly and replying to messages. You can also remove any damaging content from your site yourself.

In other cases, however, a crisis response team must take action and work closely with other teams to find a solution. The response team may need to:

• contact the author of the post or comment,
• issue a statement or an apology,
• remove the negative content from the site,
• transmit a message from their social media accounts to inform followers about the problem and how it will be resolved.

If the crisis is severe enough, you may need to hold a press conference or issue a press release. This can minimize damage to your company’s image and help you stabilize the situation.

Final Thoughts

Social media are important channels for promoting your business and helping it grow. However, you should bear in mind that your competitors can also use these channels to spread harmful or misleading information about your business. Moreover, you or people within your company can make mistakes, too. You need to anticipate this and take preventative measures to ensure that you are not negatively affected.

To help you do this, you should include a potential social media crisis in your business continuity plan; create a social media policy and a crisis response team. Moreover, even if you do not experience a social media crisis, you should still draft an internal procedure for dealing with such situations, as you never know when they may occur.

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Even though some college professors and teachers speak against the use of social media sources for education, it is fighting back its right to be included in subjects like Fashion Studies, Journalism, Psychology, and even some serious courses like Law and Nursing. Since the majority of business negotiations and debates take place on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the use of social media simply becomes the medium where first-hand information can be obtained.

1. The Use of Primary Sources.

It is one of the most important advantages that a student receives when turning to social media as it represents primary sources. It means that you can use first-hand information like interviews or discussions.

2. Adding Modern Information To Your Paper.

Social media is a worthy alternative or an addition to the books that often contain outdated information. If you want to discuss a recent event in your paper, using social media reports is a great solution. If it sounds too complicated, consider college papers for sale online as one of the options. Once you receive helpful ideas, things will get better!

3. Inclusion of First-Hand Statistical Data.

Contrary to popular belief, social media can be used for tasks like dissertation writing when you include samples that fit your methodology. Think about adding statistical data as you study subjects like cyberbullying or remote education as one of the options. It will make it possible to collect related data much easier!

4. The Coverage of Multimedia Sources.

The use of social media also makes it easier to add various pictures, graphs, screen captures from videos, or advertisement production. It’s essential for those students that major in Graphic Design or Media Studies. It helps to liven up the text by adding various types of sources. Remember to cite them properly by having each source mentioned on your References page!

5. Going Beyond Your Course Materials.

One of the most obvious benefits of social media’s use in education is using not only your textbooks and lecture notes but actually researching information online. This way one learns about independent analysis and research. Once your college professor sees that you went beyond the usual sources, it will be reflected in your good grades.

6. Cooperation & Team Projects.

The role of social media often goes beyond citations and turning to blog posts that have been encountered online. Working on some team projects, students learn to cooperate and study information from both camps of the issue as they start with debates and learn to analyze things. It also teaches impartiality as the information is being collected.

7. Creative Writing Tasks.

Another interesting field worth mentioning is creative writing where the use of social media can easily lead you to Instagram as you explore photography and popular trends. Since it’s a part of almost every person’s life these days, the use of such sources is also a great opportunity to study and explore what is currently trending.

The Intellectual Property Matters

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Remember that any picture, meme, graph, and even screenshot of someone’s quote found on social media always leads to an author and represents the intellectual property. Therefore, do your best to find the original poster and include this information “as is” in your essay or research paper. It will help you to avoid disputes in the future and add confidence to your writing.

BIO

As an educator and content creator, Eric likes to explore the ways how technology can be used to improve education and our daily tasks. His posts offer interesting solutions that are easy to implement. Follow Eric to learn something new and get inspired.

Probably, a logo is the smallest part of a brand in terms of its size, but one can hardly overestimate its importance. Logo is much more than just a road sign showing a direction to the company. Rather, it’s a two-way symbol that connects people to the brand just like the brand is immediately connected with its logo in the mind’s eye. Logo is the first association the customer has about a business. Let’s take a look at MacDonald’s, for example.

What was the first thought to cross your mind after hearing the company’s name? Most likely, it was the logo. Indeed, the M logo is one of the most well-known and recognized symbols in the world. And if you still believe that logo is something only the designer team should really care about, you are absolutely wrong. High brand logo recognition leads to better sales and increased revenues, which means that there is a direct correlation between the business’ graphic icon and its operations. Given its importance, developing a worthy and efficient company’s logo is not a simple task. To make things a bit easier for you, we’ve prepared some most common tips on how to tackle this challenge.

Make Your Logo Meaningful

Some people would settle even for a nice looking logo that doesn’t have any particular meaning or connotation attached to its graphic design. They opine that if a business is successful enough, then the logo will be positively accepted by the target audience regardless of what exactly it is. However, we wouldn’t advise you to follow this line of thinking. Using Adobe tools you can make your own graphic logo design. And the reason behind it is quite logical: if you need to create your logo from scratch, why not put some effort, give it a proper thought and produce something of value. There is no need to rush: take some time and think of the most crucial elements of your brand that make it so special. After all, since it’s your business, no one knows it better than you do. Having a brainstorm of ideas is an excellent technique for this occasion, but don’t forget to put down all variants that have been voiced no matter how bad they may seem at the moment. Later you’ll look them through and filter out ones that don’t suit your conception.

Make Several Designs to Choose from

Everyone has experienced a situation when they have been focused so hard on making something in a perfect way, that in the end they didn’t manage to make anything at all. Remember, that a brand logo must look good on many objects of different shapes and sizes, so it should look impeccable both small and large. For example, your logo will be used both on your branded pencil and on a billboard. Thus, we suggest you create several logo drafts with the help of a logo generator to further discuss them with your team or maybe even run a small survey among your community.  This method will ensure you look at the situation from various angles and choose the logo you find the most suitable.

Consider Colors Carefully 

Many decisions pertaining to business are made intuitively based on a hunch feeling which proves a right thing to do in the end. Yet, in the modern era of science and research, the most important decisions one makes should be data-driven. When it comes to colors and their combinations and how they influence people’s minds, there have been a bulk of research studies of all possible kinds and some very plausible conclusions were drawn. So, before selecting colors for your logo, spend some time on the background information concerning the colors you choose.

Consider Fonts Too

This step is closely connected with the previous one. Like colors, fonts you choose to use in your brand make a big difference too. Sometimes even the most perfect and eye-catching phrase can be spoiled by mismatching fonts. Some designers overlook the important role fonts play in logo creation and pick some random one. Make sure the font resonates with your brand identity.

Keep B&W in Mind

Even if you never intended to have your logo in black and white design, there will be occasions when your logo will be displayed in B&W for sure. For example, this can be on some formal papers and reports that are done in black and white only, or in the printed version of a newspaper. So, even if you don’t find this idea fascinating, you should make sure your logo looks good in both color and B&W versions.

Summing Up

No doubt the logo is a very important part of the brand identity. Having a good logo means that the customer can easily distinguish your business and, consequently, your products and services among ones of your competitors. However, a great logo that reflects the company’s mission and corporate values can really stand out among its rivals and for sure will catch the customer’s eye. However, there is no need to get stressed over its creation – with our steps you can do that effortlessly. And don’t forget that with time many logos have a tendency towards rebranding.

Why Does Business Need to Translate Its Social Medias?

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In this day and age, if you own a business, having a website is not enough. Running a traditional advertising system will not get you far. To expose your business to more people, you need to have a good social media presence. Depending on what products or services you are offering, you will need to have several accounts on social media, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Each of these platforms offers your business a different advantage.

If you run your social media accounts in English alone, you are limiting the number of your potential clients. When you translate your social media posts into various languages, you can increase your customer base considerably. Similarly, you improve your business’s profitability. If you own a business, below are some reasons you need to translate your social media.

Reasons to Translate Social Media

Every business that is serious about becoming a global brand needs to have its social media content in several languages. Here’s why.

• Relatability. Research shows that people who follow a business tend to purchase from a company that uses their native language rather than from its competitor.
• Custom-made messaging. With a social media account, you can reach a section of clientele using custom-made messaging in their motive language. Doing this is effective and cheaper than traditional marketing.
• Organic marketing. Similarly, the likelihood of a social media post becoming viral is higher when compared with conventional ads. Therefore, once you can create the right content, the message of your business can spread organically. In addition, having your social media in different languages increases the likelihood of having a viral post.
• Appearing more trustworthy. For many people, their social media account is a private space. Therefore, your business gains a lot by being able to enter into such spaces. Having social media content in multiple languages increases the possibility of having people trust your content. Ultimately, this increases your business’s visibility.
• Streamlined communication. Having multilingual social media helps you to better communicate with every stakeholder around you. In general, you are better able to manage your business by having content that speaks to several people across multiple cultures.

Creating a Multilingual Social Media Scheme

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Understanding why you need to translate your social media content helps you create a multilingual social media scheme. There are tons of tips to use for the creation of a multilingual social media system. Presented below are some of the most effective.

1.    Ensure an Accurate Translation

The key to social media translation is its accuracy. If you are unable to make accurate translations, you will limit your communication with your customers. Therefore, by accurately translating your social media content, you get to effectively speak to your clients. As a result, you are better off leaving the translation process to experts. So, for instance, if you are translating your content to Swedish, it will benefit you to use the best Swedish translation services.

2.    Leverage Visual Content

Creating visual content is a great way of interacting with customers without using words. As a result, you do not need to localize or translate content from one language to another. Since most images have a universal appeal, the chances of having cultural problems are limited. Nonetheless, you need to carefully select the images you choose to use on social media.

3.    Know When to Post

Translating your social media content to another language is half of the work. Knowing when to post is the other half. You may create quality content, but post it when your audience is sleeping or busy. Therefore, regardless of the language, you always want to post content when your customers can interact with it.

Conclusion

Running your social media accounts in different languages is always beneficial to your business. It helps spread the word about your business and increases the chances of it gaining popularity. You should use trusty, time-tested tips and ideas on how to create multilingual social media accounts, run them properly, and enjoy the fruits of your labor in no time.

About the Author

Eric Wyatt works as a freelancer. He has years of experience writing and editing. In particular, Eric has a keen interest in writing about languages. His expertise is diverse and extensive, so his articles are always fun to read.