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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been perceived as an exclusive domain dominated by a handful of tech bro led companies in silicon valley. The narrative of high costs and technical barriers has painted AI as inaccessible to smaller players, creating a seemingly impenetrable market. However, the emergence of low-cost Large Language Models (LLMs) is rewriting the rules of engagement. These models are removing the hype, leveling the playing field and introducing disruption across industries. This is personified by the shaken markets with the emegence of DeepSeek in January 2025. It is time to redefine what it means to innovate with AI.

TL:DR – The man behind the curtain was famously the seemingly powerful Wizard of Oz who turns out to just be a man with a machine. Turns out that AI, while important, has delusions of grandeur just like the Wizard.

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Last Updated: 22 August 2025

• Artificial intelligence (AI)

Read more: Behind the curtain is AI just Smoke and mirrors?

The Windows 11 24H2 update focuses on connectivity, introducing Wi-Fi 7 for faster and more reliable networking. Microsoft state that productivity also gets a boost with streamlined quick settings, while advanced assistive hearing support enhances accessibility. Energy-saving improvements extend battery life and lowers energy consumption which must be a good thing and certainly is welcome in the face of competiton from lower energy consumption computers with greater performance from Apple. A key highlight is a set of tailored features for the next wave of Copilot+ PCs. These AI-driven devices deliver remarkable speed and intelligence, Microsoft say, redefining personal computing for those ready to lead the technological charge. Security has been bolstered, offering a safer, more dependable experience—shaped, Microsoft say, as they always do, by user feedback to meet evolving needs.

TL:DR – This update promises a lot. Lets dive in and install it and see what's changed.  To lead the charge you'll need a new Copilot+ PC, with a top end neural processing unit (NPU) for most of the features, and a Microsoft 365 subscription, But one key feature works well on my old Dell and is very nice indeed and there are lots of little detailed improvements which are welcome.

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Last Updated: 26 August 2025

• Microsoft Windows: An Operating System

Read more: Windows 11 24H2 update - theres a lot to unpack

In the twenties we are in a completely digital age where cybersecurity threats proliferate, which means that managing passwords securely has become essential. KeePassXC offers a robust solution, combining cross-platform support with the reliability of open-source development. As an adaptable password manager, it provides a safe, user-friendly environment to safeguard sensitive credentials.

KeePassXC  is a modern, secure, and open-source password manager that stores and manages your most sensitive information. You can run KeePassXC on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.  

TL:DR – There are a number of password managers out there that support the open 'kbdx' database format for storing passwords securely. KeePassXC has a clean design, is cross platform, open source, secure and free. Whats not to like?

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Last Updated: 19 February 2025

• macOS: The redefinition of modern Computing
• Linux: The Backbone of Modern Computing
• Microsoft Windows: An Operating System

Read more: A password manager for Windows, macOS, and Linux - KeePassXC

Keeping macOS up to date is crucial for maintaining security, performance, and compatibility. Regular updates address vulnerabilities, improve system stability, and provide access to new features. Failing to update exposes devices to cyber threats, software incompatibilities, and potential loss of support for older versions. Preparing for updates involves backing up data, ensuring compatibility, and managing storage. Users can enable automatic updates for convenience or manually check for updates in System Settings. Updates also enhance privacy, introduce accessibility improvements, and are essential for enterprise environments. Staying proactive with updates ensures a secure and efficient Mac experience.

TL:DR – Keeping macOS up to date is a vital aspect of device maintenance. Ignoring updates just makes for pain in the longer term. Using tools like the excellent SilentKnight can help you diagnose the trickiest update issues.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2025

• macOS: The redefinition of modern Computing

Read more: Keeping macOS Up to Date

Managing social media effectively can be a daunting task. With multiple platforms, varying audience preferences, and the constant demand for fresh content, staying on top of it all is challenging. Social Calendar by CoSchedule lets you see all your marketing activities in a Single Calendar view, enabling businesses and marketers alike to plan, automate, and and replan their social media strategy when things change.

I often need to schedule posts into social media too and there are tools for that but. I'm looking for something far more integrated, where I can fit my social media into my broader marketing activities. Would AI be able to supercharge it and help get work too? I've dabbled with it quite a bit this last yeat but how about properly making it part of my workflow?

TL:DR – I was looking for the key to maximising social media impact in 2025 and found that it lies in structured content planning, automation, and strategic engagement. I love calendar based tools and if you know me you'll know I've worked on Calendaring and Scheduling tools all my life including Organiser, Notes, Outlook, Oracle InterOffice, eCal and more so Social Calendar by CoSchedule feels at home to me right away by providing a powerful tool to simplify scheduling, boost collaboration, and optimise content performance right in the calendar. You can get started today for free to streamline your social strategy.

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The Challenge of Managing Social Media Effectively

Social media is fast-paced and demanding. Posting inconsistently or without strategy can lead to wasted effort and lost engagement. Without a structured approach, brands struggle to maintain visibility, engage their audience, and achieve meaningful results.

Random Posting Leads to Poor Engagement

Posting sporadically makes it difficult to build a loyal audience. If followers don’t know when to expect new content, engagement drops, and algorithms deprioritise posts.

Consistent Posting Strengthens Brand Identity

Brands are just entities that you trust. Regular posting establishes reliability and trust for your brand whether its personal or business. When brands consistently show up with valuable content, they build stronger connections with their audience. 

The Role of Content Planning in Audience Growth

Thoughtful planning allows brands to create content that aligns with audience interests, market trends, and business goals, driving sustained growth over time.

Organising Your Social Media Content for Maximum Efficiency

Create a Content Calendar that Aligns with Business Goals

A well-structured content calendar ensures that every post serves a purpose, whether it’s driving traffic, increasing engagement, or promoting a product.

Categorising Content for Better Organisation and Variety

Grouping posts by theme—such as promotions, educational content, or user-generated content—ensures variety and keeps audiences engaged.

Repurposing and Recycling Evergreen Content for Sustained Reach

Maximising content value by repurposing high-performing posts across different formats or platforms helps extend reach without requiring constant new content creation.

See All Your Marketing in a Single Calendar

2025 looks to be a year of change with fast-paced marketing, multiple campaigns, social media messages, and events all needing to be supplemented by AI. A unified calendar is critical for visibility into your marketing efforts, making it easier to align your team, stay on top of deadlines, and focus on what truly matters for your business or non-profit, large or small.

CoSchedule provide calendar based social media management tools

Heres a marketing calendar for Threads and BlueSky automated by 'CoSchedule'.

CoSchedule offers robust social media management tools, but understanding the distinction it makes between a Social Campaign and a Social Message is essential for effective content planning.

A Social Message is a single post scheduled for publication on a social platform. It operates independently, making it ideal for quick updates, timely announcements, or standalone content. Marketers use Social Messages to engage with their audience in real-time, post one-off promotions, or share curated content without a broader distribution strategy.

In contrast, a Social Campaign is a structured series of Social Messages designed to promote content over time. Instead of a single post, a campaign orchestrates multiple messages across different platforms, ensuring prolonged visibility and engagement. Social Campaigns are often used for product launches, event promotions, or content amplification. By leveraging CoSchedule’s automation features, users can create cohesive messaging strategies that maximize reach while maintaining consistency.

The strategic advantage of Social Campaigns lies in their ability to recycle content dynamically. Instead of posting once and relying on organic engagement, campaigns allow for repetition across multiple timeframes, optimizing visibility. This contrasts sharply with isolated Social Messages, which are static and do not benefit from systematic reinforcement.

For teams handling social media management, understanding when to use Social Messages versus Social Campaigns is key to optimizing content distribution. While individual messages provide flexibility, campaigns offer structured scalability. The choice depends on marketing objectives—whether aiming for immediate impact or sustained engagement.

 

How Social Calendar by CoSchedule simplifies content scheduling

• Scheduling posts is easy with a visual, drag-and-drop interface that allows for quick adjustments and better content flow.

• Cross-Platform Scheduling saves time and effort - here I'm using the same content on Bluesky and Threads without having to sign in to all these platforms and copy and paste content.

• If you need to go back and look at what happened on a particular day you have a history of posting in a calendar view. 

• Customisable Posting Templates make it simple to maintain a consistent style and tone, reducing manual effort while keeping branding uniform.

Don't miss a beat

In 2024 there were a number of activities and projects I was involved in where a date or deadline was either missed or not executed well. I'd like a single calendar view, where you eliminate the chaos of scattered tools and disjointed plans and gain clarity over every project, campaign, and each deadline. A centralised approach makes it easy to prioritise tasks, allocate resources efficiently, and adapt to emerging opportunities without missing a beat. 

Stay Flexible When Plans Change

Marketing plans are dynamic by nature. Shifting priorities, unforeseen challenges, and last-minute opportunities are inevitable. A calendar that supports flexibility allows you to adapt quickly without derailing your progress.

With intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, rescheduling is no longer a chore. Whether it’s adjusting the launch of a campaign or tweaking social media posts, you can shift timelines effortlessly. This adaptability not only saves time but ensures your strategy remains cohesive, even in the face of constant change.

Schedule Integrated Social Campaigns

Social media has become a cornerstone of modern marketing, and integrating it seamlessly into your calendar is essential. Imagine creating, scheduling, and publishing posts for all your platforms without switching between multiple tools.

An integrated calendar enables you to see how your social messages fit into your broader marketing strategy. You can plan posts around key events, avoid overlap, and maintain a consistent voice across channels. With everything in one place, managing your social presence becomes more efficient and effective.

No social message limits

Add as many messages to your Calendar as you want to without message limits. Now you can connect more social networks to your Calendar!

Scale Content Output with AI-Powered Tools

Scaling your content production is critical in a world where fresh, engaging material is always in demand. AI-powered tools embedded in your calendar can supercharge your output, transforming the way you create and manage content.

From pre-designed prompt templates to advanced content generation capabilities, these tools help you produce high-quality material faster. AI can also generate visuals and suggest optimised posting times, ensuring your content reaches the right audience. With automation handling repetitive tasks, your team can focus on strategy and creativity. It's like ChatGPT but for marketers. CoSchedule’s AI Prompt Library to access over 500 marketer-tested AI prompts. Every project features unlimited AI chats to help you generate ideas, create content, edit copy, and more!

The Benefits of Automation

Automation without losing authenticity

Automation reduces workload, freeing up time for strategy, engagement, and creative content creation. Using ReQueue, you can automatically Fill Your Social Calendar With Your Best Content. ReQueue groups continuously reshare your top-performing content and publish repeating social media promotions.

Time and tone management through automated workflows 

Pre-set workflows ensure that different types of content—like promotions, thought leadership, or user engagement posts—are published at optimal times.

Improved focus on real-time engagement

Automating posts doesn’t mean sacrificing interaction. Scheduling core content while actively engaging with comments and messages ensures a human touch.

Easy to understand reports

Once you schedule, and publish all your social messages from your Calendar you can look at engagement growth by platform easily on one dashboard.

Enhancing Team Collaboration with Social Calendar by CoSchedule

Assigning Tasks and Setting Deadlines for Seamless Teamwork

Streamlined workflows allow teams to collaborate efficiently, ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines.

Improving Content Approval Workflows for Quality Control

Built-in approval processes help maintain brand standards and ensure only polished content gets published.

Keeping Teams Aligned with a Centralised Content Hub

With a single source of truth for all social media content, teams stay coordinated and avoid duplication or missed opportunities. you can share Your Social Calendar With Your Team Or Clients with read-only access links to showcase what marketing is working on in real-time.

Conclusion and Next Steps

A centralised marketing calendar is more than just a scheduling tool; it’s a strategic asset that can transform chaotic posting into a streamlined, results-driven process which drives clarity, flexibility, and efficiency.

By offering a comprehensive view of your marketing efforts, making it easy to replan changes, integrating social campaigns, and leveraging AI tools, you can transform the way you manage marketing, helping you achieve your goals with precision and confidence.

Managing social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming . Social Calendar by CoSchedule offers a powerful way to plan, automate, and optimise content. Take control of your social media strategy today.

 

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Last Updated: 27 March 2025

• Technology We Use: Devices and Tools Powering Everyday Life

The twenties look to be defined by rapid technological advancement and this will be of good useful technologies as well as bad, bogus technologies. This means that crafting a robust technology strategy is no longer optional—it is a necessary ingredient for success. Businesses in 2025 operate in an environment where innovation drives differentiation, and strategic technology decisions determine the pace of growth. This article delves into the critical components of a forward-thinking technology strategy, exploring how organisations can harness innovation to achieve sustainable success.

From aligning technology with business objectives to leveraging emerging trends like autonomous AI, disinformation, augmented and vritual realities, robots, and hyrbrid computing, a resilient and adaptive strategy requires careful planning and execution. By fostering a culture of innovation, prioritising cybersecurity, and embracing sustainability, businesses can not only survive in the digital age but also survive in the future economy. 

TL:DR – There have been known unknowns in computing since 'the paperless office' and '1987 - the year of the LAN' and the march towards AI is yet anohter one of those bandwagons. Sure its important but its not everything in technology strategy today and just adding it to your business plan without purpose isn't going to make a difference. Here I'm trying to think about the issues and my own technology strategy. 

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Last Updated: 24 June 2025

• Technology Strategy

Read more: Technology strategy for 2025 driving innovation and growth