Keystone launches new online chat feature

 Keystone Property Finance has launched a new online chat feature with the aim od providing brokers with extra support when handling new client cases by giving them an additional way to speak to their team.

The chat feature will be available for new case enquiries only and will be monitored and maintained by Keystone’s business development managers (BDMs), enabling brokers to contact a BDM instantly to discuss any enquiries they have.

The web chat will also have extended hours from 8:00am to 7:00pm Monday to Thursday and 8:00am to 6:00pm on Fridays.

This latest addition to Keystone’s services is part of a wider package of measures that have been put in place by the specialist buy-to-let lender to ensure brokers are supported throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes offering video calls for brokers and their local BDMs that supplement the lender’s telephone, email and chat services.

Google to Move Hangouts Users to Free Chat Service Next Year

 Google has announced to move Hangouts users over to Google Chat next year which will be available as a free service — both in the integrated experience in Gmail and the Chat standalone app

Chat includes familiar Hangouts features like direct and group messaging, with helpful additions like send to inbox, faster search, emoji reactions and suggested replies.

With Chat, you can more easily plan with others on goals and similar interests, share and collaborate on files, and assign tasks to help keep everyone on the same page.

“In addition, Chat features the same strong phishing protections we built in Gmail, so if a link is sent to you via Chat, it will be checked against real-time data from Safe Browsing and flagged if it’s found to be malicious,” the tech giant informed.

How to Improve Your Online Dating Profile

 Online dating has as many fans as opponents. Some people are just delighted with the option of meeting a potential partner online, while others don't fancy it and feel uncomfortable getting to know someone just via messages or video calls.

However, even the most skeptical people will agree that online dating resembles marketing. Why? It's all about the profile — the photo, the "about me" section, and its impression on the reader.

Therefore, creating a profile for an online dating platform needs to be well-thought. As not everyone is an expert in the online dating world's jungle, we provide a quick guide on how to improve the attractiveness of your online dating profile quickly. Many dating sites provide suggestions themselves - you can find them on Badoo, or Beyond Ages.

Choose an Appropriate Picture

We all judge by appearances - no matter if we want it or not. That's why an appropriate, well-chosen photo is so important in online dating. Your photo embodies everything you want to say to a potential "buyer" - make no mistake, what people are buying is nothing more than your at-a-first-glance persona, and the currency is their time and effort. It is an aspect of the profile which attracts the attention first.

How to choose a good photo for a dating app? Of course, it doesn't have to be a professional one, but it's good to invest in the picture's quality.

Try to make it look relaxed and natural - a CV-like photograph will look simply artificial and too formal. Think of choosing a picture that really represents you - maybe while you're doing your hobby or in your favorite café? Try to look at yourself through the eyes of the people you'd like to get to know. How would you like them to see you?

What to avoid in choosing a dating app photo? Pictures with others, for example, friends, will not be seen well because people won't know which person is you. Also, don't put controversial or abusive photographs online. They may be funny, but the internet remembers everything, and you can be sure to see the embarrassing pictures somewhere later on. to read more on how a good profile picture should look, have a look here.

Describe Yourself!

When it comes to dating apps, personal descriptions are just as important as photographs. 'Nobody reads descriptions', you may think, but in fact, you couldn't be more mistaken!

A description is a place on a dating app where you can say basically anything about you. It's an equivalent of a simple 'Hello' that someone would hear on the street in the offline world. Why not use it to maximize your chances of getting noticed, then?

How to write a good description for dating? Well, there's no universal recipe for that. Simply try to express yourself. Think of some words, a quote, or a phrase that describes you best. It can be short, witty, or funny - there are no boundaries of being serious!

Again, simply be yourself. Are you a music fan? Great, then put some of your favorite lyrics in the description box. Do you love sports? Then, a few words about it will look great in the 'about you' section. To find examples of profiles and descriptions that are worth following, click here.

Personal descriptions on dating apps are also perfect conversation starters. You can include some things you'd like to develop or be asked about. Also, it's a good place to share your preferences about potential partner. Don't go into detail, though. And don't be too strict and demanding - remember, it's only dating, it should be fun!

Make Use of Extra Options (and to Text First)

Some dating apps facilitate getting to know each other online by introducing some additional functions to the users. For example, these are sharing other social media profiles, linking your account to Spotify or Instagram.

These can be great options to boost the credibility of your profile and make people notice you. Don't be afraid of revealing a little more about yourself - it can surely repay in the future! To read more about the new functions of dating apps, click here.

What's more, don't be scared to text someone first! A song or a photo on their profile may be a starting point for initiating conversation. Just make use of this knowledge and ask a question about it. You can also make a link to your favorite things. Just get creative, use all the info you have, and go ahead.

Conclusion

Online dating may seem a real challenge. Getting through the jungle of all these faces, profiles, descriptions, simply to find a soulmate appears to be tiring and difficult.

However, a well "marketed" profile will make the whole affair more clear, targeted and fun.. The more information you give, the more you're likely to get what you want. If you seem open and easy-going, you'll attract similar people. Just don't be afraid to take new steps, relax, and… wait for new messages and matches!

Facebook hopes to unite college students with new platform

 Facebook is hoping to connect students stuck in their homes while attending college with its new social media platform, Facebook Campus.

“(Facebook Campus) is a college-only space designed to help students connect with their classmates and their school community all in one place, even when they can’t be together,” said product manager Charmaine Hung. “We do think that campus is more relevant than ever with COVID-19. We see many students not returning to campus and classes are now all happening remote and online.”

Facebook Campus hopes to reconnect students to their college clubs and friends through their pilot program. The program began in mid-September in 30 schools across the country, including the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

“We do know that university experiences are quite different, depending on what school you go to,” Hung said. “We really wanted to make sure we build the product that fits the needs of everyone.”

To do so, Facebook looked into different criteria to create a good sample size.

“Some of the things we took into account when deciding on these 30 schools were things like geographic diversity, a diverse student population, a mix of small and large undergrad bodies, and some schools that are specialized in different areas, for example, liberal arts schools,” Hung said.

Made with the help of college students, Campus will function as a separate, dedicated space within the larger Facebook platform, allowing only users with a “.edu” email to join.

“As we were building this, we had what we like to call a ‘student council,’” Hung said. “We were getting their feedback along the way.”

Once users join, they will verify their email address and create their campus profile.

“We realized that having some verification that you belong to that school to participate in Campus was really important,” Hung said. “Once you get in, you’ll be able to create groups and events that are all bounded and specific to your school… It’s not a completely different identity that you can take, but it is basically a different network of people.”

Additionally, users will have access to Facebook’s campus directory which will allow them to search for others using graduation year, specific classes, majors or their dorms. According to Hung, because Campus is separate from the larger Facebook platform, this specific information will only be shown on users’ Campus profile, not their main profile.

The final feature of Facebook Campus is a campus chat room feature where students can pick and choose which rooms to join, similar to the functioning “Groups” feature in the larger platform.

“Students can create chatrooms for their dorm, club, classes and more,” Hung said. “Campus chat rooms don’t actually require you to choose and invite people like group chats. Instead, once you create the chatroom, people in that specific group can just pick and choose ones they want to pop into.”

Facebook hopes that their new platform will allow students to continue to connect and interact with one another even when they are away from campus.