Digital Writing Competition
Write your way to a job with 2Stroke! 2Stroke is a Cape Town-based award winning digital marketing agency. They’re looking for a new generation of writers to join their content team and are offering two internships – starting in early 2014 – to the winners of their ‘WORDSTA’ writing competition. The chosen candidates will be given a three month writing internship where they will work on live projects conducting research and writing copy on a wide range of topics. During their time with 2Stroke they will be tutored, guided and enlightened by a team of experienced writers, digital marketers and PR professionals. And the agency will even pay interns a basic allowance to cover their every-day expenses. The details: Entering is pretty straightforward. Register online (follow instructions), select the topic you want to write on, let your imagination / pen / fingers do their thing and post your piece. It does not need to be a magnum opus … 600 – 800 words will do. Once it’s live, get your friends to like it, share it and comment on it. At the closing date the agency will evaluate all the posts and pick their winners. Scoring will be largely based on writing ability, but 2Stroke will add bonus points for pieces that have been shared, rated positively or attracted large numbers of comments. Competition opened on 11 November 2013 and closes on 31 December 2013. Winners will be announced on 24 January 2014. Interns are expected to start their internships on Monday 3 February 2014. Rules and Ts&Cs...
Read MoreMake a Difference! Volunteer
Community service is a selfless act of kindness undertaken by volunteers to improve their neighborhood. It is generally intended to promote good fellowship. Volunteering also promotes skill development, socialization, allows one to make contacts for possible employment, and to test-the-waters before selecting a field of further study. While some volunteers might receive specific training in the areas they plan to pursue as a career, such as medicine, education or emergency rescue, others serve their community on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster or helping out at a retirement home or animal shelter. People have the option to volunteer as much of their own time as they are willing, still allowing them to remain focused on their personal lives. Young people are encouraged to volunteer not only to gain life experience but also for character building. Another incentive to become involved in community service is to include the capability gained in the motivational letter required for admission to a university or college. It is recommended that students volunteer in subjects and projects that they have an interest in. Students could volunteer at soup kitchens, museums, retirement homes, and school development projects, such as establishing extra mural workshops in horticulture, photography, amateur dramatics, and journalism or coaching scholars in starting a small business. What a volunteer puts into their volunteering experiences will show immensely in their character. Most people have toiled with the notion of wanting to find some way to give back to their community, and help those who cannot help themselves. Those in this situation have been able to have discussions with people who may benefit from some guidance, brightening up their day and making them smile. Others have volunteered their time at a hospital and aided the elderly, having conversations with them and listening to stories of a time long ago. Volunteers can also help out pre-schools by reading to children or teaching them crafts. One of the easiest things about volunteering is getting involved. There are countless organizations and charities that are always looking for an extra person to make a difference in someone’s life. Here are some ideas: Volunteer to do office work at a local non-profit agency; set up a web page for them. Share a talent through teaching a class. Help township resident’s paint and repair their homes. Make maps of local parks, libraries or historic sites. Adopt a pothole and raise funds to repair it. Help fix a run-down public playground. Identify corners where bushes and trees make it difficult for drivers to see. Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking. Volunteer at an animal shelter; help clean up and play with the animals. Become a foster pet-owner; some animal shelters have temporary foster care programs — you take care of a pet until they can find a permanent home for it. Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith...
Read MoreWhat Makes A Homepage Brilliant!
You never get a second chance to make a first impression! For this reason your homepage — your virtual front door and showcase to the world — is undoubtedly one of the most important pages on your website. It must be visually striking and has to be slick in its navigation. If a new visitor is not impressed straight away they will simply click away! What makes a homepage brilliant? Clearly answer “Who we are,” “What we do,” and “What can the visitor find here” questions. Even if you are a well-known brand it is still important to clarify these standard searches. The content must be succinct and address your target audience, written in uncomplicated language. The homepage is the first thing Search Engines see when crawling your website, which makes it the most important page of your site. Increase your domain authority and website rankings by engaging in active SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and back-link building campaigns. Make sure your homepage contains a fair amount of content. The aim of a well-designed user-friendly homepage is to compel the visitor to identify with your value-proposition and explore the rest of your site. Utilize the homepage to introduce prospects to your value proposition through persuasive content. Avoid ‘flashy’ objects that might get in the way of browsing. Incorporate Calls-To-Action (CTA) to direct visitors to the next logical step, such as “Read More”, “Free Consultation,” or “Buy Now.” The objective is to navigate visitors further down the funnel. Calls-To-Action turn your homepage into a mouthpiece that allows you to communicate with customers and prospects to facilitate customer relationship management. The best homepages are active, always offering something new to reflect the needs, problems, and questions of their visitors. The intention of a well-designed home page (and the rest of the site) is to build mutual trust; anticipate unmet requirements and offer solutions to problems; invite constructive comment and an opportunity to express grievances; communicate information that is of personal interest to your target audience; and steer visitors to take action. Accordingly, effective homepages utilize inspired layout, Call-To-Action placement, white space complimented by color and font choices, illustration, and other supporting elements such videos, blog icons and company symbols. Words by Theresa Lutge-Smith (ecottage@gmail.com). Contact Theresa for Web Design, Custom Web...
Read MoreAbout Theresa
I’m a published author of four business books and have written a number of self-study tutorials [creative writing; editing and proofreading; business writing; and self-publishing] and an eBook [Workplace Harmony]. I am an experienced writer, editor and publisher. 
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