Why you should get to know Microsoft Teams

Microsoft claims that Teams is its fastest growing business app in its history.  As of 11th March 2020, Microsoft reported 32 million daily active users but this jumped by 12 million to 44 million daily active users in just one week amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  By April the number was 75 million.  Teams is used by organisations large and small and has come into its own as businesses suddenly adapt to working remotely.  So, what makes it so popular?

Teams is Microsoft 365’s baby

Being one of the most widely used business tools in the world, it is highly probably you have heard of Microsoft 365 (formally Office 365) - or are already using it.  Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service providing a collection of software and cloud services that offer a highly adaptable, scalable and reliable solution to business productivity and collaboration needs.

Launched in 2011 Microsoft 365 has grown enormously and whilst under constant development, new features and tools have appeared monthly.  This is both good and bad.  It is good because the value of your subscription just keeps improving and the service becomes more useful.  It can be a bad thing due to difficulties in keeping up with the changes and being sure you are making the best use of your investment.  It can be hard to know how best to use the tools in context with the rest of your team – especially as individuals can often have different methods of working.

Microsoft Teams is the answer.  Part of Microsoft 365, and now available as a stand-alone solution it offers a single “pane of glass” that provides access to (almost) everything.  Helpfully it runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android (or failing that there is the web browser!).

How does it work?

Created in 2016 Teams is centred around members organised within defined teams and channels.  For example, in a small business you might have sales, marketing and finance teams.  Within the sales team you might have a channel for proposals and prospects.  The marketing team might have channels for certain campaigns, asset libraries, etc.

Divided into “tabs,” each channel includes a conversation tab where team members can “chat” together (instant messaging style), and a Files tab.  The Files tab is where any documents (such as Word or Excel sheets) can be uploaded, shared and collaborated upon by the team, and easily referenced within chat.  Files can be edited right within Teams using the power of Office Online, all without having Word etc. installed (though if you do have these you can instantly launch into them for your full Office editing experience).  Teams keeps everything in one place, reduces “chat over email” and other clutter.

At the top of Teams is an incredibly powerful search, command and contact box – where just about anything (and anyone) you could need is a few taps away…and indeed it works very well (sadly unlike some of Microsoft’s other search offerings).

The methodology of Teams goes a long way and can be applied effectively to a vast array of needs.  It can be adapted to suit many individual organisational approaches.  However, the magic really starts to happen when you add custom tabs and connectors.

If you had a channel concerning the delivery of a project to a customer, you might have a tab which had the original proposal.  You might have another tab holding a live Microsoft Planner document that everyone can share and keep up-to-date.  Perhaps a tab containing a OneNote notebook so that you can see field sales’ notes in real time.  Another tab might contain a Microsoft Form to be completed to then trigger other actions.

There is a rapid growth of third-party tools appearing in the Teams store to bring in data and functionality from apps you already use such as Trello, Smartsheet, SurveyMonkey, Evernote, Wrike, social networks and more.  For example, in our Marketing team general channel we have the Mailchimp connector installed, which means “the chimp” drops in to the chat regularly with a report on the performance of our latest campaigns.  The possibilities are pretty endless!

It also does the Skype thing

Teams has replaced Skype for Business and improves on its predecessor:

  • One to one and group online audio and video calls
  • Screen sharing
  • Instant online meetings and presentations
  • Scheduled meetings for up to 300 people (meaning arranged ahead of time)
  • Meeting polls and hand-raising
  • Breakout rooms *
  • Meeting recording *
  • Phone calls and audio conferencing *

* Not available in the free version

How do I get Microsoft Teams?

If you already have an Microsoft 365 subscription, you most likely already have Microsoft Teams.  Visit https://teams.microsoft.com and sign in.

 

If not, there are numerous ways to get Teams.  The best choice depends on your needs and the type of business you work with.  Give us a call to discuss.

Schedule a call

iBizify can help

iBizify have been helping its clients make the best of Microsoft 365 since 2012, providing specialist setup, email and data migration, support and training services based on the world’s best business productivity platform.

To discuss how you can benefit please get in touch.

Schedule a call

 

Making a splash with Acorn Commercials

Since 2004, Acorn Commercials of Waddesdon have been providing expert commercial cleaning for vehicles and buildings.  More recently they needed a new website to better reflect their modern, professional business.

iBizify are pleased to announce the launch of their new website, which has been making quite a splash!  Check it out here:

https://www.acorn-commercials.co.uk/

 

Case study: Tavistock House Dental Practice

New customer-centric iBizify website with Promote+ saves time for staff and customers, generates a 350% increase in online direct contact and a 20% increase in visitors.

Established in 1973, Tavistock Dental Practice of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire has always remained at the forefront of dental technology and care for its patients.  Striving for constant improvement, their team’s passion for learning new techniques, discovering new materials, and attending regular training is clear.

Our patients are the heart of everything we do.  We set up and maintain rapport with our patients and provide a fair, honest, and ethical approach.  We believe this is why so few patients ever leave us,” said Carlton Morris, Principal Dentist at Tavistock.

The need

Tavistock recognises the importance of supplying customer convenience online as well as in surgery.  Their existing website was several years old and built during the transition towards “mobile-first” web design.  Whilst supplying essential information to visitors, it had become dated in its design, difficult to edit, and didn’t add enough value to the customer’s experience.  Website visitor numbers were falling, with many preferring to simply use Google directly.

Tavistock and iBizify worked together to identify what were the most important and most used elements of Tavistock’s online service to customers, and what could be added to increase value and productivity within the existing processes.

The solution

The result was a plan to build a whole new website on iBizify’s Web Platform, combined with iBizify’s Promote+ service, that would provide:

  • An appointment request service
  • Photo gallery
  • Testimonials
  • Regularly updated news
  • Original content
  • A responsive design for the best experience on all devices

"The new Site Editor allows me to easily make changes to the website as soon as they are needed, it is now much easier to keep our customers informed.  The new appointments feature makes it easier for our clients to request appointments out of hours, and helps us to gather the required information,” said Lesley, of Tavistock

iBizify Promote+ keeps it alive

Promote+ is a dynamic service that helps to establish, increase, and maintain an online presence.  From simple news generation, through to promotion across multiple social networks, Promote+ ensures that nothing ends up stale.

Tavistock chose to take up Promote+, enabling IBizify to generate original content for use on the website via monthly phone consultations coupled with proactive research.  The service includes cross-posts to Google, search engine listing updates (such as holiday opening times and special offers) and other proactive website updates.

Many web developers are happy to simply deliver a website and move on.  iBizify goes further by delivering a live Web Platform with continual improvement and feature updates via a subscription.  Combined with Promote+ visitors get the experience they deserve and can feel confident they have the latest information.  It’s not just search engines that love fresh content,” said Steve Munden of iBizify.

Delivery

iBizify’s services are based on a simple, adaptable, monthly subscription that ensures its customers get everything they need, including:

  • Site Editor tools
  • Hosting on iBizify.net's custom, performance-managed servers
  • 24/7 performance and security monitoring
  • Domain registration and renewal
  • Web and IT support
  • Content generation and assistance
  • Email and cloud storage services
  • Microsoft Office 365 administration and support

What Tavistock said

During day-to-day business it can be difficult to keep the website up-to-date.  The new website provides added convenience to our customers whilst iBizify's monthly Promote+ service along with the Site Editor tools ensure it is proactively maintained,” - Carlton Morris, Principal Dentist at Tavistock.

Learn more

Tavistock House Dental Practice

If you'd like to find out what can be achieved, then please book a call back.

Schedule a call

Steve raised over £685 for Marie Curie

Steve - iBizify Director - wants to say thank you so much to everyone who has helped him raise money for Marie Curie by sponsoring him on his marathon run on 6th May.  With your generosity he has now raised a whopping £685.  This will go to helping families in their greatest time of need, providing nursing support at home to those with terminal illness – a highly valuable and essential service. 

£685 raised

"I am overwhelmed by the support and kind words – and the very generous anonymous donations too – thank you – whoever you are!!"

- Steve Munden

 

SEO, Spam, Cowboys & Indians

At iBizify.net we often get asked the question "why do we receive so much spam (junk) in our email inboxes?"

Why does spam exist?

There are hundreds of categories of spam, and each has its own motive. Some is distributed through shady channels to spread malware, compromise systems and 'plant' new places from which to deliver even more spam. Other spam can be confidence tricks such as the legendary "419 scam" that has been going on since the days of faxes. Some people inadvertently sign up to mailing services through other products and receive "legitimate" but unwanted email, which is then defined as spam.

The murky world of SEO email spam

A very common form of email spam is produced purely for a very dubious form of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Every day search engine giants such as Google and Microsoft Bing are constantly tweaking the algorithms used to bring searcher's the most relevant results to their queries. Equally every day millions of businesses are working to have their websites at the top of search results. There are also as many businesses that exist to help those wanting to achieve internet stardom. Unfortunately, as in almost every industry there is the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good SEO

The good SEO companies will work with your business to understand its background and goals. Typically an encompassing plan is required that includes a variety of legitimate methods. As with any effective marketing, the on-going process of creating, executing, measuring and tweaking campaigns is what delivers long term success and results.

The bad SEO

The bad SEO companies will likely make unrealistic promises about delivering a surprising amount of traffic to a website and charge a significant amount of money to do so. There are many methods illegitimate SEO companies may employ, and email spam is just one of them. Use of any illegitimate methods is likely to result in the targeted website being blacklisted from search engines altogether.

Illegitimate SEO companies typically employ a distant third party, or a chain of third-parties. These parties often exist overseas and charge a comparatively small amount of money to get traffic to a website. The end party can then use all manner of illegitimate resources to send spam emails with links that end up at the target website. The spam emails typically include brief messages that are known to entice people to click through, such as get rich quick, free casinos, miracle beauty treatments or magic cures. The spam then rolls out all over the world, resulting in a sudden influx of traffic to the target website. The original SEO company has then fulfilled their promise of getting lots of traffic to the target website. Of course the problem is that traffic is likely to be entirely irrelevant and lead to no business whatsoever.

The spam solution

There are a variety of products that can effectively keep spam from your inbox. iBizify.net provides enterprise-grade email services such as Microsoft Exchange Online which is available from just £3 per month + VAT. Exchange includes one of the best filtering services that "just works out-of-the-box". The service is fully configurable, but for most users the standard configuration provides a highly accurate and efficient service.

The SEO solution

If you are interested in SEO services, be aware that achieving effective, long-term results requires extensive knowledge and constant research. Such a task is beyond the resources of most small businesses, therefore a reputable third-party SEO provider is required. Do your research and be sure to measure the results – not based on traffic or 'hits' but on real lead conversion and resulting sales.

Remember, there are no miracle solutions to SEO. If what you are being offered sounds too good to be true – then it probably is. Business revenue via websites can only as effective as the business planning, product demand and marketing that drives it.

Why do we need the Cloud?

Following on from my article "What is the Cloud all about", I will discuss trends over the last decade that have led to where we are today, why we need cloud technology and what the business benefits are along with what can be achieved with the cloud.

It is well worth remembering how dramatically the way in which we work has changed over the years. Sometimes it's easy to forget how far we have come.

We are no longer tied to our desks. Many businesses no longer even have offices, choosing instead to work from home. And we are increasingly using many different devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and hybrids.

Being tied to one place no longer makes sense from a security or usability standpoint. Small businesses in particular have to work more dynamically and compete in ways that were unimaginable in the past.

Collaboration and speedy responses win business and create competitive advantage. Instant customer service and easy access to information are now an expectation.

Cloud services provide solutions to these present-day needs and to many others that previously would have required significant IT expertise and resources.

Security and business continuity

We are all used to the routines involved in protecting our computers, ensuring that our operating systems and anti-virus packages are regularly updated. We are now more used to keeping ourselves safe online, avoiding giving out our PINs, passwords and bank details. We are altogether much more cautious when using the internet, and many of us back up our data regularly in one form or another.

Businesses may also have a server (or two) to maintain, adding their own requirements for maintenance and security, along with physical safety and business continuity procedures.

Cloud solutions naturally reduce the overhead of IT support, since in most cases the security and infrastructure are handled on your behalf, typically via a subscription-based service. This means that you and your business will become less dependent on individual computers and devices. And even if the worst were to happen — for example, the loss of all your computers (or office!) — you can pick up a new device, log in and carry on, even if it means working at the local coffee shop.

For most businesses, the security offered by Cloud services is far more robust that we can achieve as individuals or small businesses. However, not all Cloud operators provide the same high standards, so, when choosing a provider, be sure to check out their security standards.

Working (almost) anywhere

With your business data in the Cloud, all the resources you need, such as email, calendars and contacts, documents, spreadsheets, CRM, notes, databases and more can be at your fingertips on your phone, tablet, laptop — even your desk!

The Cloud can provide you with working continuity without your being tied to particular devices or networks. For example, you might create a document at the office on your desktop PC, then continue editing it on your tablet back at home seamlessly, picking up exactly where you left off.

Some services offer great offline synchronisation, so you can carry on working even where there is no internet connection. Other solutions can provide integration with social, messaging, voice and video conferencing products to enable you to keep in touch.

The cloud gives you your office, wherever you are.

Collaboration

Small businesses have always worked with others to get things done, but now the ways of collecting and sharing information have moved beyond phone calls, emails, meetings and minutes.

Documents can be worked on at the same time, even spreadsheets. Social media and instant messaging platforms can be used to find information and people to progress a project far more quickly than traditional methods. Project notes can be added to a central point by all participants from wherever they happen to be in many formats — pictures, scans, voice recordings, videos, text and handwritten notes — for discussion in an online meeting, private chat room or just to be viewed and commented on.

The Cloud has opened up whole new possibilities for collaboration. With data available in the Cloud, business can progress more efficiently and faster than ever before.

Flexible working

Small businesses have always had to work flexibly. New government legislation and the economic climate have made working from home for business owners and staff more appealing. Many businesses are keeping costs low by minimising the office space they need, or by not having a permanent office at all.

Access to your documents, programs and other data can enable staff to work from home and at different hours, while still keeping up-to-date with the team.

Reduced costs

Cloud services can cut costs, not only due to the reduced need for hardware and reliance on particular devices and software, but also due to lower IT support costs, both internal and external. Some businesses may no longer require external IT support. Some may no longer need to maintain servers at all.

Some Cloud services include SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and financially-backed up-time guarantees, providing peace of mind and extra resources that were previously unavailable.

Cloud solutions can make certain paid, conferencing, security, storage, telephony services (and others) unnecessary, providing further cost savings.

Scalability

Traditionally, businesses have required regular injections of capital to maintain growth. In this day and age, where a small idea can potentially take the market by storm, adopting a traditional approach to IT is both risky and limiting.

Modern businesses need to be able to scale up (and down) quickly without paying for resource overheads that may never be used. Resource needs can vary seasonally or even daily. Temporary staff may be required to get through busy periods.

With the Cloud your business can pay just for what it uses and needs, often via a monthly subscription. No longer do you need to pay for servers, hardware and software licences that are not being used.

If your business becomes the next Twitter or Facebook, the Cloud will enable you to scale up your business overnight without collapsing under the pressure.

Conclusion

Cloud services are becoming more and more widely used. Understanding the benefits and solutions they offer can make your business more competitive and dynamic, and save time and money. New ways of working can sometimes be daunting and changes can take time to bed in. There are so many options and possibilities. But by focusing on your business needs and understanding what is possible, a few steps forward, however small, can make all the difference to your business.

This article was written by Steve and Christine Munden of iBizify.net Ltd, an independent provider of cloud solutions and services, bespoke software, web and mobile development.

What is the “Cloud” all about?

Over the last few years Cloud technology has really taken off among small businesses. Most businesses now make use of it in one form or another. However, there is still some confusion, because the Cloud is often inaccurately referred to as a single entity or product, rather than the very broad range of technology that it actually represents. Sometimes it is described in a way that makes it sound like an invisible, self-powered entity beyond the comprehension of "normal" people.

In this article, we hope to deliver some much needed Cloud clarity, explaining exactly what it is, along with some important things to consider when choosing a Cloud provider.

Why Cloud confusion?

Cloud technologies have existed since the 1950's. However, only in recent years have computer, mobile, broadband and 4G technologies made possible the Cloud products, services and solutions that we have today. And while early Cloud technology was limited to large enterprises, today's Cloud is available to everyone.

Much of Cloud technology's history is irrelevant to modern small businesses and individuals, but this hasn't deterred the industry and the media from using historic enterprise jargon to describe the technology. Some have taken advantage of, and misused, Cloud terminology to make things sound bigger or better than they really are. Certain brand and product names have popped up using the word 'cloud' when they have little or nothing to do with Cloud technology. Often Cloud is described as 'anything on the internet', which is also misleading. The traditional revenue streams of some small business IT providers can be threatened by Cloud technologies. This has led to some resistance, resulting in some negative and misleading press from these channels.

The 'cloud' name itself has caused confusion — being itself an abstract representation of third-party services — and so appears vague and rather mysterious.

Considering all of these factors, it's no wonder that there is so much Cloud confusion.

Cloud is a utility

Before the national grid, those who wanted electricity had to buy and maintain their own generators and be sure they could meet their needs during peak times.

These days, we expect electricity to be available on tap. We just pay for its delivery and for what we use. We do not own or rent the power station. Cloud solutions are very similar.

Traditionally, if we wanted business-class email, document management, back-up, security, web hosting, conferencing and many other services, we had to install one or more servers or devices, often in our own offices. We had to resource the staff to maintain and support them.

By using Cloud services we can have all of these things on tap — the Cloud service provides the products, service, maintenance and security — and we pay only for what we use.

Cloud services give us access to many more tools and resources, at the same time reducing our need for IT support and maintenance. By having our services hosted externally we can also work from anywhere without being tied to the office. And Cloud technology can lower our costs, while increasing security and mobility. In short, we can now work more flexibly and dynamically than ever before.

What is the Cloud made of?

In simple terms Cloud services consist typically of a large stack of computers and special hardware and software to manage them.

The computers are linked together to provide an almost infinite number of resources. Simple tasks might be carried out on one computer or spread over many. Applications can be scaled up to support a massive number of users, or scaled down as required. Cloud technology removes the limitations of hardware by pooling resources in a way that is transparent to those using them. This is sometimes referred to as 'elasticity' or 'elastic computing'.

Large-scale Cloud infrastructure is typically arranged in huge data centres, some the size of multiple football pitches, like the Microsoft one pictured above. This Microsoft data centre is almost entirely autonomous and incredibly secure, with automatic replication and 'self-healing' capabilities.

The Cloud does all the hard work, while we usually receive the results via the internet. The Cloud is not just 'anything on the internet'. A cloud can just as easily be private, without any internet connection whatsoever — you could build a small private one in your spare bedroom if you so desired! An internet connection is what usually connects us to the Cloud, but is not the Cloud itself.

Today, Cloud technology, together with broadband, 4G, mobile devices and modern PCs, allows individuals and businesses to benefit from services that were previously only available to large enterprises.

We can now all enjoy improved efficiency, reduced costs, reduced maintenance and better security.

Good Cloud, bad Cloud

Unfortunately, as in all industries, there are the good, the bad and the ugly! It makes sense to be selective, even if you make just a partial move to the Cloud.

Consider the following:

  • What are the provider's motives and objectives?
  • To what official security standards do they conform?
  • Who has access to your data and how is it managed?
  • What hardware and software platforms do they support?
  • What is their up-time promise and historic performance?
  • What compensation is available should things go wrong?
  • How does the provider manage changes that may impact you?
  • Where geographically would your data be stored and whose laws apply?
  • Is the provider clear, open and honest about all of the above? If not, why not?

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Seek advice and never assume all Cloud services have the same standards! Don't employ a Cloud service if you don't know how and where your data will be handled.

Conclusion

In this article, I have touched on this history of cloud technology, described briefly what it is and how it works. I have also touched on things to consider when choosing a cloud provider.

In a second article - "Why do we need the Cloud?" - I will discuss trends over the last decade that have led to where we are today, why we need cloud technology and what the business benefits are along with what can be achieved with the cloud.

This article was written by Steve and Christine Munden of iBizify.net Ltd – an independent provider of cloud solutions and services, bespoke software, web and mobile development.

Learning to be a regular Tippler

Row of wine glasses

If you are naturally a Binge learner or an Abstainer (see https://blog.ibizify.net/post/Are-you-a-Binger-Regular-Tippler-or-Abstainer to move to being a Regular Tippler will mean learning a few new habits.

Start by looking at your schedule and working out when you can put aside some regular time - even if its 15 minutes every Tuesday morning - block it out in your calendar now. Be warned - be realistic and honest with yourself and you have to be disciplined in making it a priority. As a binger also watch that you do not stretch your time and spend an hour or two instead of your expected 15 minutes…this will not work in the long term and is not changing your habit! If need be set up an alarm or a phone call so you have a trigger to stop.

Use the first regular slot to work out what you want to learn and break it down - So social media - is it Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (or all 3). Technology - is it Word, Lync, OneNote, or how to use your iPad and list out the sorts of things you want to know and set some priorities. A mind map also works well to help break down a subject – concentrate on defining and documenting what you want to learn so you can revisit it easily and add to it when you need to (OneNote is great for this too).

In the next slot work out some resources - all the social media sites have some great help sections. I recommend using an application like Pocket to collect your sources as it is easy to use the browser tool to add to your resource collection when you find a useful article but don't have time to read it then. However you may also turn to books or formal courses - but note that researching which courses is a separate task. Subscribing to blogs, magazines or newsletters so there is always something in your Inbox is another way to gather resources on your subject.

During the third slot, you can start working through your resources. Target one task you would like to master and ensure you don't just read, but do the practical too - actually trying it helps the learning to stick - even if you end up deleting your efforts or only doing part of what you need to do. Part of the new habit is working out how learning can be broken down, saving progress so you can easily pick it up again next time. Save a little time at the end of the session to write some notes or cross off priorities and perhaps choose your next learning task to tackle.

Daily short tipples are ideal and will get you in the habit of building on little bits of learning, a slightly longer weekly tipple also works well if you stay focussed and stick to the time - don't be tempted to skip a week - if you have to move the time, fine but try hard not to skip it completely especially for the first few months.

If it doesn't settle down into a manageable pattern, review your schedule again and adjust the timings based on your experience so far or set some more difficult to move boundaries like learning with a friend or finding a suitable trainer and booking a course. For instance, iBizify.net can provide bespoke training on all aspects of Office 365 based on your specific requirements - either 1 to 1 or as small groups.

Finally, have fun with your learning, vary your sources, revisit what you want to learn and practice what you learn as often as you can! Let me know how you get on.

Are you a Binger, Regular Tippler or Abstainer?

When it comes to your business how often do you sit down and invest time in learning something new? We all work very differently but a bit like drinking, your attitude to learning can affect your business. So do you fit into any of these descriptions?

Binger – There are long gaps between learning but something triggers a huge time investment – maybe some new software, a client needing something different, the competition raising the game. You immerse yourself and learn quickly, leaping forward, getting the changeover completed as soon as possible. And once you have learnt all you need you relax back and reap the rewards…until the next time.

Abstainer – If it wasn't for the fact that you can't do what you need to do without learning something new, you really would not bother. You normally know what you need to know and it's always worked in the past so you don't waste time until it no longer works. You wait as long as possible before changing anything and you may feel overwhelmed at the thought of changing software or your processes.

Regular Tippler – You like to feel you are not missing out – just a little learning each week to build your knowledge and master new skills. You like learning but have to balance it with your other business goals. You realise that new software can open up new possibilities in ways of working, efficiencies and savings but take a steady approach to change, learning and planning but always moving forward and exploring.

With most people it varies over time and you may fit in to all three categories depending on what you are learning about.  Where do you fit?

P.S. I went to a very inspiring talk at The Late Breakfast Chalgrove by Penny Mallory who challenged us to work outside our comfort zone – and I decided that it was time I did my first blog post and invited people to follow and share our pages. I shall pass on the challenge and say learn something new today!

What are ‘hits’? (web analytics and statistics)

In your web visitor statistics or analytics package you may see data referred to as 'Hits'. These are often quite excitingly high numbers but do not necessarily relate to the number of actual visitors to your site and for the most part – should be ignored.

Confused? Let's work out how a 'Hit' occurs….

Hits are a technical statistic typically used to calculate or report on web server load. They are not something that would typically be used in marketing or sales, even though many do as the numbers are big and it sounds good.

When a web page is loaded into the browser, first the 'page' is loaded (one hit) then its code (one or more hits) and style information (one or more hits), then images (one hit each) until the whole page is rendered. In short, one visit or page view can produce many hits.

For marketing and sales purposes, the only basic / core statistics typically of interest are Unique Visits and Pages (sometimes called page views or impressions).

Once I saw an episode of Dragon's Den in which the guy being grilled impressed the 'Dens by declaring his new site was getting 10,000 hits a day. Now, if I built a single page website with 10,000 images on it (perfectly possible) and then got one person to visit it – I could easily claim the same thing. The moral of the story? Ignore hits!

Here is a bit more info on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hit_(internet)