Powerful Communication Podcast

Gap is the latest retailer to set itself up inside the MetaVerse.

The clothing chain has opened a virtual space inside Roblox although you won't be able to buy anything.

The experience is aimed at teenagers and let's them hang out at a photo booth and juice bar, there's also a Style Stage where they'll be encouraged to show off their style.

It seems the plan is to create a positive, fun space for young people in the hope they'll feel an affinity to the brand and then buy something through the website or in stores.

If you want to make better videos from your phone - this app might help.

It's called CapCut.

There's a basic free version which is very good - the app was designed by the owners of TikTok and is one of the quickest, simplest platforms I've used for creating and editing videos, adding captions, titles and transitions and then exporting to TikTok and other social media channels.

It's on iOS and Android and seems to work very well.

And on the subject of video, the Premium Beat blog is asking if holograms might be the future of film making. I think they will have a significant role to play.

Netflix makes almost all its revenue from subscription fees.

And some of the big streaming giants are concerned that their service might be among the first cuts being make if they are trying to reduce their household outgoings.

Of course the companies themselves are also having to pay more just to run their businesses as all of us try to deal with the cost of living crisis.

Netflix has already put its prices up for many users but what if it introduced adverts between the shows.

Research from LoopMe, involving 300 UK consumers, found that 36% said they'd cancel their Netflix subscription if it became advertiser funded.

Many commentators believe the company is exploring cheaper subscriptions with adverts and more expensive tiers which would remain ad free.

There's also the Netflix gaming service which has started small in the US but could expand.

Streaming is a highly competitive space and these rich, powerful companies need to keep reinventing themselves to keep your subscription revenue coming in.

It always annoys me when I'm in a queue at a cafe or takeaway and a group of people in front of me, who're together, all want to pay separately.

Technology should make this a thing of the past.

Check the app store for 'bill splitter' apps.

There are dozens to choose from including KittySplit, Splitwise and Billzer.

Some are best suited to situations where you're out and about - there are others, such as CountCalculate which are aimed more at groups of people living together, paying a share of a bill - for example energy bills or broadband.

Some can even calculate who owes what based on how much they earn, so those with the highest income pay the most.

It's worth looking around and one to keep in mind if you're planning a holiday with friends or even getting ready to start student life later in the year.

While we're on the subject of money, remember PayPal.Me lets you set up a unique but simple and catchy PayPal link and anyone who clicks it can quickly send money to your account.

Good news for Chromebook users, Google announced last week that one of the most popular video editing software apps will soon be available on ChromeOS - LumaFusion is a real hit with iPhone and Android users but until now hasn't run on Chromebook which have lacked a real serious video editing system, this would be a great step forward and make Chromebooks more useful for content creation and creative tasks.

Google has also announced a new Pixel smartwatch coming later this year. The company owns FitBit and this could be a powerful integration between a quality mobile device, mass appeal apps like Google Mail, search and calendar and one of the best known names in health and fitness.

A friend of mine broke his wrist last week and been trying to type with one hand ever since…it's given him a whole new perspective on the accessibility of our technology - something many of us never really think about.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, typing WIN-H on any Windows programme opens up the Voice to type feature which means you can dictate whatever you want to say, instead of typing it out.

Get the same on a Mac through System Preferences, Keyboard and click 'dictation'

His deal to buy the company hasn't gone through yet but Elon Musk is already working to give users a better experience of Twitter.

Over the weekend the billionaire Tesla founder Tweeted what he called very important information to fix your Twitter feed.

Following his instructions changed what you see from a tailored, personalised feed based on what Twitter's algorithm thinks you want, to something very different - consisting of a chronological feed from the people you follow.

To try it, tap the home button, then the stars on the upper right of the screen and then choose 'latest Tweets'.

Musk said users who didn't do that were being manipulated.

You can switch back and forth between the 2 types of feed whenever you like.

UK Eurovision star Sam Ryder was trending after his excellent performance, finishing as runner up to Ukraine.

Sam came to fame via TikTok and I wonder if we might see future UK entries coming from TikTok or maybe even Sam competing again next year.

You can find Sam @samhairwolfryder on TikTok and if you want more Eurovision there is an official Eurovision app.

More tomorrow!

Friday the 13th seems like an appropriate day to tell you about some of the misinformation that flies around the internet…and in fact, it's making some of us ill.

Some people take pleasure in sharing fake news, or winding other people up..everything is amplified and there are even bots - machines, bits of software and code - that are designed to cause trouble online.

The fact is that spending too much time online risks giving you a pretty warped view of reality.

Things aren't always as bad as online makes out.

One of the worst things you can do is to Google symptoms - whether it's physical or mental health…you can end up reading all sorts of unreliable, untested and inappropriate information all being passed off as an absolute fact.

So my plea to you at the end of this Mental Health Awareness Week is, when you're online, pay attention to the source of the information.

Can it be verified? Is it reliable? Who are these people? Can they be trusted?

And try to spend more time consuming information from trusted sources - real world organisations, with a physical presence and some sort of barrier to entry or regulation - ask yourself 'who does the person that wrote this answer to?' And if the answer is 'nobody', think very carefully before attaching too much importance to what they're saying.

Many of us understand the importance of making responsible decisions about the food we consume.

What if we were to apply that same thinking to the content we consume from the internet and social media channels?

It's Mental Health Awareness Week and now would be a good time to start taking control instead of passively scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and the like.

These platforms open us up to all sorts of opinions, stories and sometimes trauma, from all over the world.

And if we engage with it at all - even reading it out of curiosity or sharing it because it makes us angry and we want a friend to see how terrible it was - the social media algorithms mistake that for interest and give us more and more of the content that isn't really doing us any good.

It becomes an echo chamber but there are things you can do to take back control.

One is to mute certain people and keywords and phrases.

Or to start again with a new clean account, leaving the past behind.

Use 'airplane mode' on your phone during the working day which will help you kick the habit if you're constantly checking social media feeds and then restrict your use to certain times.

Often we get sucked into social media because we're scared of missing out - we can't give up completely because the connections and information are important to us.

But that doesn't mean it has to dominate our lives and there are steps we can take to make sure the content we do see is doing us some good rather than making us anxious and angry.

There's a wealth of content on social media aimed at inspiring and motivating us to live better lives.

A cottage industry of well-being podcasts has developed, with celebrities telling us how to be more mindful and sharing experiences of their own mental health journeys.

Some if it is very good.

My particular favourites include Sophie Ellis Bextor's 'Spinning Plates' podcast, there's also 'Happy Place' by Fearne Cotton.

Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett has a podcast called Diary of a CEO which often discusses issues around mental health and wellbeing.

There are many others as well as thousands of hours of content on YouTube with everyone from Russell Brand to Claudia Winkleman sharing advice on physical and mental health, relationships, career and financial success and more.

Search around or ask a health professional and I'm sure you'll find something that's a good fit for you.

What you quickly realise is that whatever issues you're dealing with are likely to be shared by some very well known and outwardly successful people. And many of those faces smiling at us from magazines and television screens are often hiding similar struggles to what we might be going through.

It's a special week on the Digital Minute as we recognise Mental Health Awareness week and you can find out more at www.mentalhealth.org.uk

It's Mental Health Awareness Week and I'm looking at some ways I think technology can improve our lives - rather than stressing us out.

Smartphones are incredibly useful tools - for example - most of the time, they know almost exactly where you are.

And this has led to a surge in popularity for a fairly new sport, called GeoCaching.

Get some friends or family together, download the official GeoCaching app which is free, with a premium paid for upgrade - and it'll take you on a trail - a bit like orienteering - to find hidden items or 'caches' all over the country.

It can be a lot of fun and is a great way to explore parts of your neighbourhood you might not have known about.

As with any outdoor activity make sure you tell someone where you're going and equip yourself for the terrain and bad weather. Geocaches can be hidden in all sorts of places, expect to go cross country, up hills and sometimes even up trees.

As brilliant as our smartphones are, they can't track your location if it doesn't have a network connection so keep that in mind.

On the subject of location, Google offers a Location Sharing service.

When this is activated, you can choose to share your exact location with people you choose. When they look at Google Maps, they'll see where you are - or at least, where your phone is.

You might find you're closer to your friends than you realise and could then message and arrange a spontaneous meeting.

The theme of this Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness, and used correctly, smartphones can play a role in bringing us closer together.

Something a bit different all this week on the Digital Minute as we mark Mental Health Awareness week and look at how 'digital' can help us live more fulfilling lives.

Mental Health Awareness Week is brought to you by the Mental Health Foundation and there's a wealth of good resources and information on their website at mental health.org.uk

And I want to think a bit about these mobile devices so many of us carry around all day - what are they? Entertainment? Distraction? Comment and opinion?

Or could we start to see smartphones as valuable tools? Capable of helping us to become more productive, to take control of our lives and to make new, positive connections.

The truth is, the phone itself, is whatever you want to make it.

Many of us forget that it is actually a phone. We could dial a number and actually speak to someone.

Or, cut back on social media and use messenger apps to keep in touch with people we really care about, rather than the opinions of random strangers. Create a chat group for friends and family and watch the same film or TV show at the same time and chat while you're watching.

If you love music, check out Tim's Twitter Listening party.com

It's a brilliant shared listening experience involving the lead singer of The Charlatans and the people involved in making a particular album, where they all play the music at the same time, and discuss it.

There's a complete archive at the website and it's something you could easily recreate with friends and family on a message app.

Believe me - it's more enjoyable than I've made it sound and an easy way to get a sense of togetherness even if you're miles apart.