Greetings and general information

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Last week brought developments on the mobile front, although not as extraordinary as we may have expected. You kindly started a WeChat Lucia group, which I finally joined after I got myself a smart phone. Sam and Josh also started a group for our departure.

I think it's great to be part of these groups and I shall figure out in time how to maintain the contact with you by using WeChat. However, for now I find it very difficult to keep up with all the messages in the few minutes we have between classes, when many students try to talk to me as well and I also have to concentrate on changing my class materials correctly and get to class in time...

I also find it very fatiguing on the eyes to write using the screen keyboard and to correct typing mistakes. I spend too much time on the computer anyway, but this one proves to be really hurtful.

So, I think the best solution for this is to try to use the voice messaging on WeChat. This will help you with your listening and speaking as well - do you agree? If this works internationally, we shall be able to maintain the contact over the months and hopefully years ahead.

OK, that's the latest news, now let's get straight into the subject and see what happened last week at Web.

Tuesday June 17 - Building Your Online Business

We looked at how you can build a website, even if you’re a very busy person (just like me…) and that all you need for this is to have a good idea, to have a dream, to be prepared to work hard, to prepare for success and to turn your dream into reality. NOW is the best moment – start small and grow big.

You need to get guidance and learn how to:
- Prepare a business plan, define your target market and set goals;
- Purchase the hardware + software
- Make your web pages interactive
- Set up a marketing system to customers around the world
- Keep your business records (you need to treat your website as a business if you want to be able to leave your employment and be self-sufficient)

We looked at the book Starting an Online Business [for dummies]
by Greg Holden.

He split this book into 5 parts:
I: Strategies & Tools for an Online Business
II: Establishing Your Online Presence
III: Successful Online Business Models
IV: Running and Promoting It
V: The Necessary Evils: Law & Accounting

And 10 chapters, as follows:
Step 1: Identify a Need
Step 2: Determine What You Have to Offer
Step 3: Come Up with a Cyber-business Plan
Step 4: Assemble Your Equipment and Set Up Shop
Step 5: Find People to Help You
Step 6: Construct a Web Site
Step 7: Set Up a System for Processing Sales
Step 8: Provide Personal Service
Step 9: Alert the Media and Everyone Else
Step 10: Review, Revise, and Improve

Then we looked at how the course I took (from the system I’m using for my website) can help in this process.

This is structured in 10 parts as well, for our convenience. The parts are called ‘days’, but these are not normal ’24-hour day’ units, they are just steps in reaching the ultimate goal of building a fully functional website. Everybody taking this course should take their time in mastering each day.

Day 1 - The Basics
- The CTPM process [Content, Traffic, Pre-sell, Monetize]
- Avoiding mistakes
- Business-building mind-set

Day 2 – Develop your site concept
- Brainstorming
- Keywords
- Master Keyword List (MKL)

Day 3 – Fully brainstorm your site concept
- Lateral storming
- Related keywords
- Design site content blueprint

Day 4 – Investigate & plan monetization
- Diversification
- Connection between traffic & monetization
- Investigate various monetization avenues

Day 5 – Register your domain name
- Domain name criteria (short, unique, memorable)
- Unique voice
- Valuable PREselling proposition (VPP)
- Narrow/broad niche

Day 6 – Build a site that gets the click
- The 3-Tier structure
- Need to please visitors AND search engines alike
- 4 directions of links
- Working with Libraries (photos and links)

Day 7 – Build free traffic strategies
- Learn about a variety of sources
- Social media
- Search and links
- Keep it real
- Add value

Day 8 – Build relationships
- Learn about the role of trust & credibility
- How to backup responses
- The value of repeat exposure for your visitors

Day 9 – Get to know your visitors
- Learn about some tools:
- Traffic Stats
- Click through &
- Click in analysis

Day 10 – Monetize and Monetize It!
- Start when you have more than 30 pages
- This aspect evolves with the site
- Assess and fix low- performing pages

Thursday June 19 – Use Your English for Work NOW!

Whatever it is that you wish to use your English for, you need to just make a conscious decision to start. Think “TODAY!”

Reasons for using your English for work - Your choices can be:
- To improve your present job;
- To improve your English & change your job;
- You’re thinking of becoming self-employed;

Application for your English - You can use your English for:
- Presenting yourself (C.V. or other format);
- Presenting your product;
- Improving your practical marketing and sales vocabulary;

Improving your vocabulary

- You can do this by reading, writing and speaking – nothing new here…;
- Focus your reading and writing on work and other work related topics;
- Write about what you do in your job and try to teach others about it (not only will your English improve, but you can also share your experience with others and they will reciprocate as well!);

Use the Internet for this
- If you are in sales, you may want to put your products onto an online sales agency site to capture more clients;
- If you are not employed:
* Do market research in your free time: (Find products online/offline and report to an online agency who contracted you);
* Teach Chinese online – you need to learn instructions in English and how to structure your classes;

Use a story board for this
- This is the technique we spoke about before: you choose a topic for your story and then talk/write about it and let a teacher correct your mistakes and guide you with your style and expressions;
- Start with a general story about your work and then create more stories about smaller details of your work;

Explore lots of possibilities
- There has never been a more exciting time to start your own business.
- Many entrepreneurs have been able to start their own home ventures while still employed, thus increasing their capital and minimizing their day-to-day financial risk.

We then looked into the wealth of self-employment opportunities described in the book “The 200 Best Home Businesses” by Katina Z. Jones, which you can find on the computer in the English Corner Room, as usual.

Saturday June 21 – Make It Light!

I am using these websites a lot these days because I want to leave them fresh in your memory, as they are indeed very good at every level.

You can learn as you play in the games section of ‘Learn English Teens’. These games will help you to improve your vocabulary at the same time. So, have a break from your studies, relax and check out the games.

Pic-your-wits
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/games/pic-your-wits
What's the picture? You have 20 seconds to beat the clock. The faster you guess, the more you score. A really fun way to learn vocabulary!

Sushi Spell
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/games/sushi-spell
How many words can you Sushi Spell in two minutes? Take the sushi from the moving belt to spell as many words as you can.

Wordshake
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/games/wordshake
Play Wordshake and see how many points you can get in 3 minutes. Longer words score more points!

Word wangling
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/games/word-wangling
Word Wangling is a collection of fun word games to help you look for patterns, shapes and relationships between letters and words.

Magic Gopher
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/games/magic-gopher
Think of a number with two digits. For example: 43. Follow the Magic Gopher's instructions and he will amaze you by telling you what number you chose.

Kids’ news
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/kids-news/news
Watch and listen to the video clips from the television programme 'What's Your News?' which is an award-winning children's television programme, produced by TT Animations. For more fun and games have a look at the website: www.whatsyournews.com

Tongue twisters
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/tongue-twisters
Listening to tongue twisters is one way to improve your English pronunciation. It's very difficult to say tongue twisters in English so don't worry if you can't do it very well at first, just have fun!

This is it, my friends!

I hope you found this newsletter interesting and inspiring rather than depressing. Give it a little thought and find a suitable way for you to keep in touch with me in the future and start as soon as you can.

Have fun in the meanwhile!

Lucia da Vinci

Founder of My English Club