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  • 5 Popular Expressions – Where We Got Them and What They Mean

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    Ever wondered where we got the phrase ‘ants in your pants’ or ‘the cat’s pyjamas’? No doubt you’ve heard people use them, maybe you even use them yourself, but have you ever stopped to think about where they come from?

    I got stuck in to a great little book over the weekend by Judy Parkinson called ‘Spilling the Beans on the Cat’s Pyjamas, Popular Expressions – What they mean and where we got them.’ I found it absolutely fascinating.

    I love finding out about the origins of words and phrases, so I thought I’d share some of them with you!

    Barking mad

    Barking mad is used to suggest raving insanity, and often shortened to ‘barking’. People mistakenly believe that it stems from the medieval lunatic asylum in the London borough of Barking, but this isn’t actually true. It comes from the rather more obvious link with rabid or mad dogs, who would howl and yap because of the disease.

    The cat’s pyjamas

    Used to describe someone or something as excellent or top-notch, the cat’s pyjamas has been in use for nearly 100 years. Although it’s never been proven, the phrase is thought to originate from an early 19th century English tailor named E B Katz, who had a reputation for making the finest silk pyjamas.

    Ants in your pants

    Also described as a ‘fidget bottom’, this phrase is often used to describe someone who is very restless or over eager. The expression was made popular by a dynamic former US Army general called Hugh S. Johnson, who was in charge of the National Recovery Administration (NRA) in 1933, when the national reconstruction policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ were implemented. Johnson said of the NRA general counsel Donald Richberg, ‘Donald’s agitation is just a symptom of the ants of conscious in his pants.’ Pants in the case had the American meaning of trousers.

    Sling your hook!

    Used to tell someone to leave or go away, without resorting to swearing and really offensive language, this expression has a nautical origin. It alludes to an anchor, or ‘hook’ which must be secured in its sling at the bow before the ship can cast off.

    All tarred with the same brush

    The phrase ‘all tarred with the same brush’ refers to all members of a group sharing the same failings, or all being sheep of the same flock. The saying alludes to the methods that farmers used to use to mark their sheep; a brush dipped in tar and used to mark the wool as a way of branding them.  People often use this phrase now to describe how they feel when they have been lumped in with others and judged unfairly as a result.

    Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey

    Meaning that the weather is really cold, this phrase actually has nothing to do with a monkey’s testicles! A brass monkey is a type of rack in which cannon balls were stored. Because it was made of brass, the ‘monkey’ contracted in cold weather, resulting in the cannonballs being ejected.  People often use ‘brass-monkey weather’ to refer to the temperature.

    It’s not just the origins of words and phrases that I’m interested in, I also love writing! Articles, blogs, websites – you name it. If you are looking for an experienced, professional copywriter in Sheffield, call us on 0114 383 0711 

  • Stanley Knife Blades and Swann Morton Ensure Quality

    Graphic designers, architects and other similar tradesman can always be sure that their accessing quality with Swann Morton and Stanley knife blades. Designed to ensure that you’re able to carry out the highest standards of work, they are the best tools available on the competitive market. The value for money that they provide is otherwise unrivalled, so it’s little wonder that they regularly prove to be such popular choices for those in need of knife blades. Knife-Point stock and supply a variety of products from both of these manufacturers; and always find them to be particularly popular with their customers. But just what is it that makes them so great?

    Fantastic Variety

    One of the many reasons why Swann Morton and Stanley knife blades continue to be in such high demand is because of the choice on offer when you choose either of these product ranges. With products available in various shapes, sizes and quantities at Knife-Point, you’d be hard-pressed to find better choice than what they provide to their valued customers when it comes to these blades.

    Excellent Value for Money

    Knife-Point will provide you with great value for money. As the customer, they understand that your priority is gaining access to tools that allow you to implement excellent standards of work, without burning a hole in your wallet.

    Trade-Specific Products

    Perhaps most importantly – both Swann Morton and Stanley knife blades offer great versatility; which is a big part of the ongoing success attached to both ranges. Roofers, floor fitters, packaging workers, graphic designers and hobby crafters are just some of the many people continuing to feel the benefits.

    Stanley Knife Blades and Swann Morton have Precedent

    Swann Morton has been established for over 80 years, after being founded in Sheffield all the way back in 1932. The origins of Stanley knife blades go even further back; with the original company have been formed nearly two centuries ago in 1843. The impressive longevity of both of these manufacturers makes it easy to understand how they have been able to achieve such high levels of success for so long.

    Planer Blades, Snap Off Blades and Trimming Knife Blades

    Knife-Point’s supply of blades isn’t limited to the products covered in this article. They also stock a variety of other blades from various manufacturers – such as trimming knife blades, snap off blades and planer blades – all of which can be of use to you depending on the trade that you work within. Further to this, when you choose to buy from Knife-Point, you can be sure that their service will leave you keen to return when you need to. If you’d like to find out more, why not give a member of their friendly and professional team a call today? They’ll be able to field any enquiries that you may have in a confident and concise manner. You can reach them on 07737 133 030.

     

     

  • Microsoft Outlook email signature locations

    Editing and updating your Microsoft Outlook email signature using the in-built signature editor can be fiddly, especially if you want to add anything other than plain-text. Also you may need to backup your signatures once in a while, for example, if you’re changing computers or reinstalling Outlook, and that’s also not-so-easy. Therefore, this article shows you the different options available when needing to access, edit, update or create new Outlook signature files directly. Please note this tutorial is designed for Windows users using Outlook 2016.

    Editing the Outlook signatures through the in-built Outlook signature editor

    The standard way to view, edit, update or create new Outlook email signatures is by using the Outlook signature editor within Outlook:

    1. open Outlook
    2. click ‘file’ (top left corner)
    3. click ‘options’ (left column)
    4. click ‘mail’ (left column on the new window)
    5. click ‘signatures’

    Microsoft Outlook email signature locations – where are the actual Outlook signature files located?

    First of all you’ll need to be able to see the hidden files & folders within your file system.

    • Open up an explorer window and click the ‘view’ options
    • update the option to view ‘hidden folders, files and drives’
      • View tab > options > view tab on the new window > click the radio button > apply.
    • It’s also probably a good idea to un-tick the ‘hide extensions for known file types’ option whilst your here.

    All of this can be undone when you’ve finished:

    Next navigate to the following addresses to find the right folder:

    Using Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures

    Using Windows Vista, 7, 8 or 10: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Signatures

    Editing your Outlook email signature files directly

    Each of the signatures you’ve created will have several associated files and a folder – these relate to the different format of emails you might send, or more often, reply to.

    • signature.txt – this is the signature file for plain text emails as it contains no formatting. You can edit this file directly with a text editor
    • signature.rtf – this is a ‘rich text format’ file and contains formatting. You can edit this using Microsoft WORD
    • signature.htm – this is the HTML version of your email signature and is formatted using HTML tags. This one will require some coding knowledge but you can edit it with Microsoft NOTEPAD. However, this one is easiest edited through the built-in Outlook email signature editor
    • a folder containing other files such as colorschememapping.xml, filelist.xml, image001.png or themedata.thmx – these are the automatically generated files associated with the other HTML and rich text files.

    How to create a new Microsoft Outlook signature the expert way

    As the Microsoft Outlook email editor is so difficult to use, here is my preferred way to create a new email signature:

    1. open up Microsoft Word and create your signature exactly how you want it to look including all images, links and text
    2. copy everything to the clipboard (CTRL+A, then CTRL+C)
    3. open the Microsoft Outlook email signature editor
    4. create a new blank email signature
    5. paste in the signature you copied from Word
    6. Save, allocate to which emails you want it to display in, save again, and close the signature editor
    7. open the signature location as outlined above and edit your plain text version then save

    Email signature best practice – help avoid your email going to junk mail

    Modern spam filters will often use AI and machine learning to decide what is and isn’t spam. Links, fonts, images, text, etc. are all used as signals to evaluate your email so getting these things right is important. Therefore, for the best chance of getting into the recipients inbox (as opposed to their ‘junk’ mail), here is my list of good practice for email signatures.

    • include the minimum number of links possible or preferably none. If you do include a link, make sure its the same domain as the email has come from.
    • use one font
    • Avoid spelling mistakes
    • If you include images, keep them small, well optimised and appropriate. Most images don’t display automatically anyway
    • avoid the use of any obscene language. And if you do need to include anything x-rated, don’t try to hide it using things like zeros instead of ‘O’s or ones instead of ‘L’s
    • don’t use link shorteners like Bit.ly
    • send in plain text if you can – doesn’t look particularly nice but is more likely to get through the spam filter

    Further help

    If you need any further help Microsoft Outlook or Outlook email signatures or any other subjects such as:

    Please get in touch on 0114 383 0711

  • Bored at home? Here are some amazing places you can still explore without leaving your sofa

    Here are 6 amazing places in & around Sheffield you probably didn’t even know existed!

    Pubs, restaurants, shops, cinemas, & cafes are all closed so what do we do now? There’s only so many times we can jog round the block before it becomes a bit… monotonous. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can now get out and explore, at least ‘virtually’. Even better, if you’ve got a VR headset, you can explore in virtual reality! Use your mouse, keyboard or touch to navigate and explore. For more info on the controls, click here.

    Caudwell’s Mill, Rowsley

    The last working turbine-driven roller mill

    Built in 1874, Caudwell’s Mill is a unique working example of an early water-turbine driven roller mill, bigger than traditional village mills but still a family business until 1978. Inside, much of the machinery dates from around the turn of the century representing the most advanced technology of the time and the forerunner of the huge factory mills that mass produce most of our flour today.

    Liv Students, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield

    You won’t believe this one until you see it with your own eyes!

    You may have seen the huge new building spring up at the bottom of Ecclesall Road on the site of the old Robins & Day Peugeot Dealership, but did you know it’s student accommodation? This block is destined to be almost fully self-contained meaning that students only have to leave to actually go to university and back. Floor 9 is the communal space which includes a gym, a cinema, a karaoke room, a cafe, a laundry, a dining room, a huge outside patio with seating, a snug, and more. At £130 per week for a studio, I’m temped to move in myself! See the following virtual tour and explore:

    The University of Sheffield (FEGTEM) Advanced Electron Microscope

    With the ability to look at individual atoms!

    The (FEGTEM) is an EPSRC-funded field emission gun transmission electron microscope here at our very own University of Sheffield. Although I spent a very interesting half-hour-or-so with Dr Ross, who explained to me in great detail how it works and showed me the incredible images it can capture, I’m afraid most of it went straight over my head! However, what I do know is that it’s quite amazing piece of kit. See for yourself:

    Upper Chapel & Channing Hall, Norfolk Street, Sheffield (opposite Head of Steam)

    A Unitarian Chapel established in 1700

    Upper Chapel in Sheffield with its long and fascinating history is a really interesting place to visit that amazingly not many people know about. Situated near the Sheffield Crucible and just a stones-throw from Fargate, why not see it for yourself via the following virtual tour:

    Royce Translational Centre (RTC)

    Europa Avenue, Sheffield

    This state-of-the-art research facility houses a very wide range of space-age machines such a gas atomiser, an electron beam melter, a plasma spheroidisator, a laser melter, an isostatic press, and a bound metal depositioner. Can you tell I have no idea what any of these really do? Luckily we added more in-depth descriptions to all the machines in this virtual tour. See for yourself:

    The Turner Museum of Glass

    Housing a comprehensive collection of nineteenth and twentieth century glass

    I bet you never even knew we had a glass museum in Sheffield! Well we do. Situated inside the Sir Robert Hadfield Building of Mappin Street in Sheffield, this small (but perfectly formed) museum is somewhere to visit on a rainy day. And if you’re interested in the history of glass, you’ll love it! Note – the museum is on E floor. Start the virtual tour then click on ‘Turner Glass Museum’ in the ‘highlight reel’ to jump straight there or use the floor selector to get there.

    Interested in a virtual tour for your place or business?

    Call us on 0114 383 0711 

  • Search Engine Optimisation – about keyword research

    Search Engine Optimisation – about keyword research

    Having a website that isn’t ranking well within the major search engines is a problem for many businesses. As a sales tool, for virtually all businesses these days, a website is essential. For example, your word-of-mouth prospects will want to ‘check you out’ online, and your potential customers will be searching for your services on the internet. If you don’t have a website, you may be discounted at the first hurdle and even if you do, if you can’t find it using a simple search, you may as well not have a site. Therefore, the logical conclusion is often to spend time optimising the site to improve its usability and position within search results. The problem many people have, however, is where do you start with SEO?

    I’ve been working in digital marketing for more years than I care to remember and I often forget how non-digital marketers will often view search engine optimisation (SEO) as some sort of black-magic or witch-craft when in reality, it’s generally a case of understanding how the major search engines interact with a website and reverse engineering them to communicate effectively. As Google’s algorithm (as the biggest online search provider) becomes increasingly clever at understanding websites, the process of SEO will also generally help to provide a better website experience for your site visitors so there are other benefits to this activity too.

    So where do we start? The first step if to understand what your potential customers or target audience are actually typing into the search box when they are looking for your products and services. In the ‘old days’ of print media, this step would generally require a focus group to provide you with some moderately accurate results, however, in the modern age, user behaviour is logged digitally and can be crunched on a huge scale to provide us with some very accurate information about what our audience is actually doing online including what they’re typing into Google, when they’re doing it, where they are (geographically,) and who they are. The words or phrases our potential customers are typing into the search engines when they’re looking for our products and services are generally referred to as ‘key words’ or ‘key phrases’

    So how do we do this? There are many tools available online to provide us with the information we need on our key-phrases – some of these you may have heard of, such as, the Google Keyword Research Tools, Google Analytics, the Bing Keyword Research Tool, and Wordtracker and others you may have not heard of such as the SEM-Tool Keyword-Tool. I find keyword research generally starts off with a rough idea about the kinds of things our target audience will be typing into the search engine search box and the keyword research tools will return those phrases along with similar and relevant phrases you may not have considered. Apply a bit of behavioural psychology and common sense to the results and you can quickly build up a picture of what the audience are searching for.

    Once a picture of the user behaviour has been established, (to cut a much longer story short) you simply apply these phrases to the site – both on-site and off-site – then sit back and monitor the increase in traffic and the increase in the proportion of qualified visitors.

    For more information on search engine optimisation for your site, give us a call today on 0114 383 0711

  • Fantastic Snap Off Blades

    Fantastic Snap Off Blades

    Knife-Point are continuing to provide their customers with top quality blades; as they always come with superior standards attached to them. That is particularly true of their snap off blades, which form one of their showcase product ranges. Transferable across a number of trades, it’s easy to see why they’ve become so popular.

    Made in the City of Steel

    Since as early as the 19th century, Sheffield has been notorious for its steel production. So much so that it earned the nickname of the ‘Steel City’. With that in mind, you can always be sure that Knife-Point’s knives – that have been made in Sheffield – will be of industry-leading quality. Through use of the most innovative manufacturing methods, they continue to stand ahead of the competitive market.

    Snap Off Blades for the Required Profession

    Another great quality attached to Knife-Point’s snap off blades is that they’re transferable across a variety of different professions. Flooring, roofing, packaging and crafts are all trades that can benefit from these blades; but it’s graphic artists that often feel the most benefit of these tools. Thanks to their relatively small size, they suit the industry because of the precise cutting they enable.

    Always Great Choice

    As is the case with all of Knife-Point’s knife blades, great choice is provided to you with this range. No matter the specific quantities or sizes you’re searching for, they’re sure to have them in stock for you. By making such a variety of options available to you this company continue to remain confident that you’ll begin to use them as your regular supplier.

    This Supplier Has a Great Reputation

    Knife-Point don’t take their reputation lightly. Quite simply, they’ve become the leading Sheffield-based supplier of knife blades because the service they provide is entirely unrivalled. With over 30 years of experience in the industry their knowledge has progressed even further as knife manufacturing has continued to evolve; and they always do their utmost to keep up with progressing trends.

    Tempered and Hardened Steel

    Part of the reason Knife-Point’s snap off blades continue to remain ahead of the competitive market is due to the way that they’re manufactured. By stocking blades made from hardened and tempered carbon steel, they’re able to guarantee that their tools can stand even the most heavy duty tasks and remain impeccable throughout.

    Trimming Knife Blades and More from Knife-Point

    To find out more about these or any of the many other knife blades available at Knife-Point why not get in touch? No matter your requirements, they’re sure to be able to help. They stock snap off blades like the ones mentioned here; as well as tools from well-recognised suppliers such as Swann Morton and Stanley. Don’t forget to check out their trimming knife blades too. You can use either 07737 133 030 or 07737133030 to reach them. Alternatively, you can email them your enquiry to sales@knife-point.co.uk.

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  • Website hosting explained – how to choose your website hosting

    It’s a fact that all websites need allocated space on a high-spec computer connected to the internet – a web server – along with the associated software. However, all hosting is not the same. There are a huge number of different factors involved and these affect not only how your site performs, but also how your site indexes and how your visitors interact with the site. 

    Choose your website hosting carefully

    Some of the most important considerations you need to think about when choosing your hosting include:

    • Cost – you really do get what you pay for. Cheap hosting and special offers from companies like GoDaddy or Fast Hosts will reel you in but what happens when you need some tech support, your site gets hacked, you need to configure your email accounts, your prices go up, or when your server gets overloaded by all the other sites sharing your resources? Are you happy to compromise your site performance and SEO to save money?
    • Technical support – is someone there to help you get things configured? Or do you really need to spend time doing it yourself? Or even worse, when your site gets hacked – who will help you fox things? Paying for hosting is also paying for tech support, however, you only find out how good or bad (or non-existent) the tech support is when you’ve paid, signed that contract, and it’s too late.
    • Server performance – this is one of the factors Google takes into consideration when ranking your site. At the most basic level, you only get a certain amount of time for Google to index your site. If it’s waiting for pages to load, you’re going to miss the opportunity to have the site properly indexed by Google (and the other search engines for that matter!) Also, what happens when you get a spike in visitors? All you need is a mention on a larger website or some coverage in the papers and your site is down. And this is even before we get to the subject of your visitor experience! We all know how frustrating it is waiting for pages to load. This is affected by how ‘good’ your server is in terms of it’s performance under pressure. My advice is don’t take the gamble
    • Flexibility – are you able to quickly and easily increase resources such as site storage? What happens when your site becomes busy and grows? Make sure you’re in a position to be able to quickly and easily increase resources when you need to. This includes having the right tech support available at the right time.

    Our website hosting packages

    We have three basic hosting packages – basic, premium and tailored. All servers are based in the UK.

    The basic hosting is suitable for more basic sites that don’t use a complex content management system (such as WordPress) or for those who are not too concerned about site display speeds or the SEO benefits from higher-quality servers.

    The premium hosting is suitable for more complex site, such as WordPress, and those who want to benefit from faster upper-level server tech-support, fast site display speeds, and fast server speeds.

    The tailored hosting is suitable for larger, more complex sites such as eCommerce sites, Moodle learning platform, Open Cart, or Magento. Storage and server specifications (and of course the cost) are tailored to fit the requirements.

    Other available website hosting options

    We also have other options available such as:

    Green website hosting – 100% carbon neutral & environmentally friendly website hosting suits those who want to show a commitment to the environment. Our green web hosting servers not only use modern energy efficient technology, but they’re also powered by 100% green energy.

    Website migration services – move your website to us. Fed up with your current provider? It’s a VERY common problem. Give us the nod and we’ll do the rest. You’re not stuck!

    Find out more about our website hosting packages

    For more information on moving your site to us, upgrading your website hosting, or upgrading your server, give us a call on Sheffield 0114 383 0711

  • A definitions for common online advertising & SEO jargon

    If you work in the field of web design and search engine optimisation, you simply can’t avoid a whole host of acronyms, abbreviations, and general jargon. However, I’m also conscious that what is familiar and perfectly clear to me, is not necessarily also that clear to everyone else. Therefore, this quick post simply defines some of the most common jargon you may come across whilst discussing or reading about PPC advertising, SEO, web design, or marketing.  

    EMD – exact match domain. These are domains that exactly match the keyword phrase they are targeting, for example, the domain sheffield-electrician.co.uk is targeting the search engine term ‘Sheffield Electrician’

    CTR – click through rate. This measurement is usually described and used to measure the interaction between the audience and the required action (the ‘click’). The click-through-rate is most commonly used when evaluating the effectiveness of a PPC campaign, for example, a sponsored Google PPC advert may receive 1000 impressions in a day but have only a 5% click-through-rate. The number of people who see the ‘link’ divided by the number of people who actually click on that link give you the click through rate.

    CRO – Conversion Rate Optimisation. This practice refers to changes made to a website or advert to attempt to positively influence the site visitors behaviour in terms of the site goals e.g. to make an enquiry, or to sign up to a newsletter.

    PPC – Pay Per Click. This refers to a type of advertising where the advertiser only pays an agreed amount when their link (usually on an advert) is clicked.  Google ads are generally paid for on a PPC basis these days.

    PPI – Pay Per Impression. This refers to a type of advertising where the advertiser pays an agreed amount based on their advert appearing a pre-agreed  number of times, for example, Facebook adverts are often sold on a PPI basis, for example, you pay per 1000 impressions. This form advertising does not rely on interaction (for example, people clicking on the advert link), the advert merely has to appear on a page in front of someone.

    SMM – Social Media Management. This refers to the activity of managing the social media activity by or on behalf of an individual or organisation

    SMO – Social Media Optimisation. This refers to optimising the  social media activity, usually in relation to supporting the main business activities.

    SERP or SERPs – Search Engine Results Page(s). This refers to the results returned by the search engine according to your search query. For example, a search on Google for a word or phrase will return a SERP  – i.e. a results page with links to websites relevant to the

    SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. This is the practice of both making changes to a website to allow it to be indexed properly by the search engines according to its purpose and for increasing the traffic visiting a website.

    SEM – Search Engine Marketing. The process of gaining traffic to your website and increasing online visibility

    Have I missed anything from this list?

    If I’ve missed anything from this list, let me know through the contact form or by email 

  • Planer Blades to Suit Your Needs

    The process of choosing new tools needs to be carried out in a way that suits you. It also helps if you can do this whilst working to a budget; which is something that Knife-Point fully understand. Their highly-reputable knife blades are always top quality and are sure to deliver satisfaction to you. As the leading Sheffield-based supplier of an impressive variety of excellent tools, you can be sure that you’re accessing top quality products when you choose to purchase from Knife-Point. That is particularly true of their fantastic planer blades, which have a number of benefits attached to them. This supplier have picked out 3:

    Excellent Woodworking Planer Blades

    Having the confidence to implement your tools in the most difficult situations can be highly-satisfying. For those working within the industry, excellent woodworking planer blades are the means towards obtaining the satisfaction of the customer. When you need to add that truly bespoke touch to a job, there really is nothing better than Knife-Point’s hand-honed and finished planer blades.

    Offering Choice to Sheffield and the Rest of the UK

    With Knife-Point, you get wide product choice no matter the blade you require. When it comes to these tools in particular though, you’d be hard pressed to find a better offering to you elsewhere in Sheffield and the UK. With blades manufactured from T1 18% Tungsten HSS – suitable for four-sided moulders and surface thicknesser machines – it’s easy to see why their popularity is continuing to grow.

    Varying Size and Dimensions

    No matter the size, dimension or quantity of planer blades that you’re searching for; you can be sure that Knife-Point will have them in plentiful supply. They understand the importance of providing their customers with the choice that they need and this has been a key factor towards them becoming the leading supplier in the Sheffield area and beyond.

    Tightening Your New Planer Blades

    When it comes to actually changing any handheld blades, it’s always worth following expert advice. Knife-Point continue to provide this to their valued customers; as your safety is their concern as well. From basics such as making sure that there’s no power coming to the tool prior to changes; through to taking care when tightening your newly-fitted blades; they’ve made sure to cover every angle in this comprehensive planer blades guide.

    Swann Morton and Stanley Knife Blades

    To find out more about what sort of products are available to you from Knife-Point why not contact them today? One of their dedicated and friendly team will be able to discuss your requirements with you and make sure that when it comes to making any purchases they’re the right ones for the job. Alternatively, why not take a look through the rest of their site. Swann Morton, Stanley knife blades, trimming knife blades and snap off blades are just a selection of the many other fantastic tools that Knife-Point continuing to offer to their customers.